After a two-year hiatus, the biggest, hairiest lunch was back with more than 200 blokes enjoying a day of hospitality at Flying Brick Cider Co, Wallington on November 25.
The ‘Gentlemen of Geelong’ luncheon was heldl in the name of preventing male suicide, particularly in rural Australia, and supporting men’s mental health.
Coodabeen Champions’ Ian Cover and Barwon Heads resident Ian Cover MCd the event with former Western Bulldogs premiership player Tom Boyd as guest speaker.
Boyd has been vocal about his mental health journey and gave an inspiring talk.
From humble beginnings with a few ‘blokes’ having lunch at a pub, the 17th annual Movember lunch raised around $50,000 for charities such as the National Centre for Farmer Health, Lifeline, Movember Foundation, Australian Prostate Centre, Barwon Health, Beyond Blue, RUOK, Aussie Helpers and International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Event organiser David Sharp said it was a huge success and Boyd was impressive.
“It was nice to have a younger person there to talk about their mental health issues,” he said.
“His whole interview with Ian resonated with everyone there.
“We’ve had amazing feedback not only on the day but since then we’ve received a lot of text messages of thanks and phone calls.
“Everyone loved the lunch and loved the cause it was for.”
See page 21 for a full page of pictures from the Gentlemen of Geelong luncheon.
