According to the Movember Foundation, men’s health is in crisis, with a growing number of men facing a life with a prostate cancer diagnosis, with testicular cancer the most common among younger men and a man dying by suicide every minute of every day across the world.
The Movember Foundation is aiming to reduce the rate of male suicide by 25 per cent by 2030, and the High St Barber wants to help them get there and stop men dying too young.
High St Barber’s Rick Wilcock is hoping to “raise awareness, and stop the stigma of men not being able to speak up”.
“It’s called ‘Cuts for Nuts’ the fundraiser we do, which is obviously for testicular cancer as well as men’s mental health,” Mr Wilcock said.
“As a bloke, I am interested in helping to raise awareness of men’s mental health as part of Movember, each November.
“To stop the stigma of blokes not saying that they're not okay and being a barber shop, it is a perfect opportunity to get to know people.
“They usually open up to you over a couple of hair cuts.
“As a barber, you get to hang out with some pretty cool dudes in the shop, but you also get to hear about a lot of health problems, work problems, even problems on the home front.”
High St Barber is a well known local safe space, for a cut, a shave, or just a chat.
All proceeds from the sale of snags and everything happening as part of ‘Cuts for Nuts’, including the haircuts and a massive raffle, goes directly to Movember.
High St Barber fundraising target for this year is $2000, with every $50 raised helping prepare a man with a plan on how and when to reach out to a friend who is struggling with their mental health through the Movember Conversations program.
“There’s John Deere merch from Haeusler’s, 50 metres of turf from Coolabah Turf, which my mates at Green Azz have donated their services to lay said turf as well and On Time Pest control inside and out pest spray amongst the raffle prizes,” Mr Wilcock said.
When asked by The Riv if he had a mo for Movember, Mr Wilcock replied: “I’ve got a little mo, it’s coming together.”
To donate to the High St Barber Movember campaign visit: https://au.movember.com/mospace/13979093
If you need to talk to someone about your mental health you can phone Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
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