Received: from evaki.its.uow.edu.au ([130.130.68.32]) by anubis.ad.uow.edu.au with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.3959); Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:38:31 +1000 Received: from febris-nat.its.uow.edu.au ([130.130.68.210] helo=febris.its.uow.edu.au) by evaki.its.uow.edu.au with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1K9VaC-0004wn-5b for blane@uow.edu.au; Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:38:32 +1000 Received: from marlin.fishinternet.com.au (marlin.fishinternet.com.au [202.77.90.3]) by febris.its.uow.edu.au (MOS 3.8.5-GA) with ESMTP id LOD40835; Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:38:30 +1000 (EST) Received: from COMP1 (cpe-134-222-67-118.ade.interconnect.net.au [118.67.222.134]) by marlin.fishinternet.com.au (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8C448DEC17 for ; Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:38:16 +1000 (EST) From: "Fatherhood Foundation" To: "Lane, Brian" Subject: 16/6/2008 Stay Healthy - Live Longer Men's Week Health Special Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:38:07 +1000 Message-ID: <001b01c8d276$4b101c20$6401a8c0@COMP1> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_001C_01C8D2CA.1CBC2C20" X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook 11 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3198 Thread-Index: AcjOeFNco0b5WQ8BTy2FxPWqjBOoLAD/dB1g X-Junkmail-Status: score=10/49, host=febris.its.uow.edu.au X-Junkmail-SD-Raw: score=unknown, refid=str=0001.0A090208.485B0A17.0197,ss=1,fgs=0, ip=202.77.90.3, so=2007-07-31 18:51:00, dmn=5.4.3/2008-02-01 Return-Path: info@fathersonline.org X-OriginalArrivalTime: 20 Jun 2008 01:38:32.0076 (UTC) FILETIME=[58F934C0:01C8D276] This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C8D2CA.1CBC2C20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit FF Header Logo 16th June 2008 Inspiring Fathers Encouraging Families Issue 304 Stay Healthy - Live Longer Men's Health Week Special Dear Friend, Welcome to the Fatherhood Foundation newsletter and email information service for the fathers and families as we present a Men's Health Special. In This Issue Frontline...Men and a Fair Go Laughter..How not to live longer Grandfathers...Long healthy life contributing All You Need is Love..Sailboat isn't Marriage Single Dads...Stop the needless toll Special Feature...Wally's dark days News & Info..National Mens Health Policy Dad's Prayer..Step up to the plate Next Week Heavy Weight Champion Promotes Fatherhood Join our Mailing List! Quick Links Fatherhood Foundation Family Law Web Guide Men Alive National Fatherhood Institute Families for Life Dad Can Do Culture Watch Mens Fraternity Promise Keepers CSA Adverts Thought of the Week Mens Health The first wealth is health Ralph Waldo Emerson Frontline Shadow Man Iclearly remember when my colleagues and I were putting the final wording together for The 12pt Plan which the Fatherhood Foundation released 25th June 2003. We had unanimous agreement on the policy document, except for one of the 25 delegates. That one person was in agreement with everything in The 12pt Plan. He believed in everything that the policy document requested for men and fathers, and that the policies were just and equitable, but he ultimately abstained from the final vote because he didn't want to be seen to be asking for a 'fair go'. Anonymity was his claim to fame. Unfortunately he is not alone. Millions of Australian men have not been asking for a fair go. Thankfully things are beginning to change. Men's Health Week is a case in point. It began at the Second World Congress on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria in October 2002. Several key delegates resolved to work together to launch International Men's Health Week ( IMHW). Their aim was to increase awareness of male health issues on a global level and to encourage inter- and intra-national institutions to develop health policies and services that meet men's specific needs. From small beginnings big things grow. Men's Health Week is now an international institution and there is no telling how many men's lives Men's Health Week has saved. Thank God those organisers were not like the abstainer who attended that first Fatherhood Forum at Parliament House and was afraid to ask for the obvious. It is interesting to note that the Fatherhood Foundation also started in 2002. It must have been a year of new beginnings for men and fathers. What the Australian men and father's movement was asking for back in 2003 was so radical at the time that many laughed at our audacity to even have such a document as The 12pt Plan to strengthen and support fathers. Even Pru Goward, Sex Discrimination Commissioner at the time, in her speech to the National Strategic Conference on Fatherhood, also organised by the Fatherhood Foundation, questioned the veracity of The 12pt Plan. Point 11 of The 12pt Plan says: Being male is associated with a number of health disadvantages. For males, this results in higher rates of: . Hospital admissions for most injuries and illnesses . Premature death by unnatural causes such as suicides and accidents . Undiagnosed mental illnesses . Suicide . Alcohol and drug abuse . Addictive anti-social behaviours . Addictive gambling problems The National Fathering Forum seeks to promote fathers' health and well-being and to reduce the health disadvantage of being male. This needs the assistance of the Government through increased government-funded initiatives. Point 12 says: The National Fathering Forum emphasised that a large number of deaths, injuries and illnesses that men experience are preventable. In addition, the health and well-being disadvantages of men and fathers is closely associated with social and economic disadvantage such as unemployment. Men of Aboriginal and Torres Strait descent are particularly vulnerable to these health disadvantages. These issues require an urgent response from both the government and non-government sectors. The urgent response has certainly been slow coming, but we do congratulate the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, for the announcement of the first ever National Men's Health Policy (See News & Info section) The wheels of change move very slowly but thankfully they are moving nonetheless. Movember, which has grown exponentially since 2003, has also helped greatly in the fight for a fair go for men. In 2004 Movember raised $55,000; in 2005 $1,175,000; in 2006 $7,514,752 and in 2007 the grand total of $14,500,000. All of Leaping Man that money goes towards Beyond Blue and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Movember is now going worldwide. This is all good news for men and shows that the 'fair go' is not entirely dead, nor is the ability of men to step up to the plate and do a bit of old fashioned asking. Lovework Celebrate your health with your children and your wife. Move your body. Eat more plant food as Dr John Tickell so kindly says. Love, laugh, listen and learn and do some giving as well. Giving people live longer. Yours for a 'fair go' Warwick Marsh ____________________________________________________________________________ __ Warwick Marsh has been married to Alison for 32 years. He is the grandfather of two children and father of five children, four boys and one girl, ranging in age from 27 years to 15 years. Warwick is a musician, songwriter, producer and public speaker who likes to think he can still laugh at himself. Laughter GiantBurger Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these?vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable slop. Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio? A: Well, if you have a body, and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program? A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain - Good. Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you? A: You're not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you? Q: What's the secret to healthy eating? A: Thicker gravy. Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle? A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach. Q: Is chocolate bad for me? A: Are you crazy? Cocoa beans... Another vegetable. It's the best feel good food around! I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. Have a cookie... flour is a veggie! Grandfathers Healthy Family A long, healthy and happy life is the result of making contributions, of having meaningful projects that are personally exciting and contribute to and bless the lives of others. Stephen R Covey All You Need is Love A Sailboat Ain't a Marriage For the past 20 of our 48 years of marriage Sailboat Man we've owned a sailboat. Halekulani's her name. That is Hawaiian for 'A Good Place'. We've been 'liveaboards' for weeks at a time and weekenders as often as other commitments allowed. She's been our second home all along the East Coast from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. We are writing about sailing because that's been as important a part of our lives as A.C.M.E., and, we think it is a wonderful metaphor for marriage ' ours anyway. Remember David and Vera Mace's three myths of marriage? Myth 1: The marriage will take care of itself. Sailboats, we think, are a lot like careers, businesses, and marriages. They don't take care of themselves. They have to be nurtured. Sailboats have to be hauled every so often for bottom painting. Varnishing bright work, waxing hulls, polishing brass, engine oil changes and tune-ups, always something in need of attention. Our sailboat, like our marriage, requires work. Yet mysteriously the 'work' often turns out to be part of the fun, the satisfaction. Myth 2: The romance lasts forever. (Marital joke: anyone married more than two weeks has grounds for divorce.) Even if you've never been sailing, it's hard to believe you haven't dreamed about it. Ghosting along in gentle breeze under a full moon on Long Island Sound. Reaching along at six knots heeled to the gunwale way down east off the coast of Maine. Spying on fish through your dive mask in the infinitely clear azure waters of the Bahamian out islands. Motoring through Georgia's coastal creeks and marshes, knowing that from a distance a sailboat looks like a weird tractor mowing through a wheat field. Romantic? Wonderful! Last forever? Well, not riding out Hurricane Erin in Hope Town Harbor, Abaca, and not with a dead engine six miles from home after a five-hundred-mile cruise, and not when the anchor drags at 3:00 A.M. in a crowded harbor, and not when the bilge inexplicably fills itself with seawater, or a visitor misuses the head. No, the romance doesn't last forever, but it never drifts far away either. Myth 3: We are compatible. The co-captains on Halekulani, when they are truly honest, share some serious differences. Louise will report her pleasure with a peaceful anchorage and a quiet time to read. Don will fixate on a short cut across a sound and Louise will assert the need to follow the chart. Louise loves to linger in familiar harbors. Don wants to up anchor and go. After a long day on the water Louise is ready to meditate. Don's off in the dinghy to investigate a new landfall. Probably we're 90% compatible. Still that 10% of incompatibility has a way of rocking our marital boat fairly severely from time to time. Thanks to A.C.M.E. and others, we have tools that equip us to weather fronts that disturb our marital waters. We have a manual of smarts and parts on marital engine repair and preventive maintenance. We have sounders that let us navigate clear of the shoals our relationship occasionally encounters. We have charts and cruising guides that help us plot a course thatss agreeable to both of us. Best of all we have an on board player that hymns Halekulani's theme song: 'The romance can last forever!' Don and Louise are an A.C.M.E. trained and certified leader couple from Savannah, Georgia. They presented a Saturday afternoon seminar entitled You, Me, Us: The Couple Connection at IMEC 2001. For a WEALTH of couple resources, visit the ACME website: http://www.bettermarriages.org Single Dads Editor's note: Tony Miller, Dads in Distress, wrote this article some months ago but it is still relevant today. Nicola Roxon has reiterated the Rudd Doctor Suicide government's commitment to establishing a National Men's Health Policy. This is positive but it would appear she has not yet consulted the men and fathers of Australia on what to include in that policy. This is not for lack of trying on the part of the men and father's movement. We are hoping Nicola Roxon will talk to us soon. Tony Miller's last few sentences need to be trumpeted across the land. Stop the Needless Toll I have to say it was disappointing to say the least that our new Government kicked off the year with the 2020 summit and then excluded representation of any major Fatherhood group. Disappointing but not surprising. Fathers are being forced into redundancy or at least it seems that is how they are feeling. I never applied for the summit, maybe I should of. But for me it was just another talk-fest and to be honest I'm over them. When this Government announced the fast tracking of a national Men's Health Policy in its election run up I was excited and came out in full support. Where is it? What has happened? Nothing. The Fatherhood Foundation is calling for an urgent National Fatherhood Summit and Dads in Distress Inc would support that fully. I would support that personally. Simply because I know personally what it is like to feel, as a man, as a father, that you are no longer relevant, that you are no longer needed. I see and hear from men all over the country and from overseas who feel the same way. According to the ABS our suicide rate has dropped down from 5 a day to 4 a day. Unfortunately I still hear from far too many who have lost loved ones to suicide, due to a relationship breakdown. The suicide rate still has a ratio of 4 to 1. That is 4 males to 1 female. There are approximately 28 MALE suicides each and every week in this country, the highest at risk group being 35-50 years, and dads going through divorce or separation. Figures are not complete. We all know there are many suicides that are reported as something else; death by drowning, single vehicle accidents, death by misadventure etc, etc. We all know that people are reluctant to admit suicide due to stigma, insurance etc. But the reality is we are still losing far too many men to suicide, at least 28 a WEEK. Now, we need a Men's Health Policy. We need to start talking and then ACTIONING some strategies on what to do about men's health. And it's not just about 'visit your GP more often', it's not Suicide silloutte just about 'check your prostrate'. It's about Fatherlessness. It's about men feeling redundant in today's society. It's about, has this Government given up on men? On its fathers? It's about, has our society given up on its men, on its fathers? It's about do Fathers have any relevance in today's family? I am supposedly the leader of one the countries major Fatherhood organisations and I have gotta tell you, I don't know any more!! It's about the call for a NATIONAL FATHERHOOD SUMMIT. This Government needs to wake up, because every week we wait another 28 MALES will die needlessly. How many children will be left behind without a dad or worse still - How many will follow his lead? Believe me too many! Tony Miller Founder Dads in Distress tmiller@nor.com.au Special Feature Dark days of Wally Lewis, the man they call 'The King' By James O'Loan The Australian February 19, 2008 Wally Lewis A TEARY Wally Lewis has told how he contemplated killing himself during a long battle with depression. The rugby league legend last night revealed his fight with depression, induced by the fear of having an on-air seizure or stroke while presenting sport news for Channel 9. But Lewis pulled back from the abyss when he thought about the devastating impact suicide would have on his wife Jacqui, whose brother had killed himself. "I couldn't put her through that again," he said. The man Queenslanders call The King bared his soul to Woman's Day and A Current Affair this week to send a message of hope to all Australians afflicted with suicidal thoughts. Lewis has made a slow recovery after a 5cm by 3cm piece of his brain was removed in February last year to halt the epileptic seizures. The aftermath left one of Queensland's rugby league legends with restricted language and cognitive skills. The agonising road to recovery included acute memory loss with painful headaches. "The pain was unbearable," he said. "I had painkillers but I was very scared of becoming addicted, so I'd take half a tablet rather than a full one." Jacqui said her husband was "basically lost to the nightmare of seizures for about 20 years". "Things were getting really bad two years before the operation," she said. "We'd argue a lot as I was terrified he'd have a seizure while driving back down the mountain from his commitments at Channel 9." But Jacqui said the dark days of Lewis's depression were behind them, with Lewis back on air and returning to the confident man of old. "Thanks to the operation he has control of his life again," she said. "The difference in Wally is like night and day." Lewis revealed his darkest days followed his on-air seizure in November 2006 in the lead-up to, and following, the operation he had. "I was dirty on the world. No one could help me," he said. "The only thing I was thinking about was screwing up on air again. "I used to arrive on the set of Channel 9 every night and I'd be absolutely petrified that something was going to happen on camera. "When the seizures did occur I'd sink down and think, how much longer do I have to deal with this?" In the candid interviews Lewis also revealed he bawled "like a kid" while breaking down in front of doctors who quizzed him about his recovery. He said the fear of an on-air stroke and the embarrassment it could cause his family plagued him for years. "Suicide was something I thought of every two or three days," he told A Current Affair last night. "I went to the jetty that runs off my backyard and I thought: Do I just jump off? Do I put myself in a bag filled with bricks? How do I do it?" The depth of Lewis's despair came as a shock to friends, family and his legion of fans throughout the country. But Jacqui said her husband had made a remarkable comeback and his memory was getting better all the time. "You don't just take out a piece of brain and expect to bounce back straight away." For his part, Lewis said he had been buoyed by the large amount of fan mail received. "The letters, cards and emails blew me out of the water," he said. "I will get back to every person to say thank you." Need help for you or someone you know? Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 Lifeline: 131 114 Epilepsy Action 1300 37 45 37 News & Info Fatherhood Foundation Logo Media Release Congratulations to Health Minister and Rudd Government on Men's Health Policy Announcement The above announcement has brought great encouragement to the men and father's movement of Australia. From little things big things grow. Men's Health Week is a case in point. International Men's Health Week began at the Second World Congress on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria in October 2002. Several key delegates resolved to work together to launch International Men's Health Week (IMHW). Their aim was to increase awareness of male health issues on a global level and to encourage inter- and intra-national institutions to develop health policies and services that meet men's specific needs. International Men's Health Week is now an international institution and there is no telling how many men's lives it has saved. On 26th June 2003 the Fatherhood Foundation launched The 12pt Plan in Federal Parliament with bipartisan support. Point 11 of The 12pt Plan says: Being male is associated with a number of health disadvantages. For males, this results in higher rates of: .Hospital admissions for most injuries and illnesses .Premature death by unnatural causes such as suicides and accidents .Undiagnosed mental illnesses .Suicide .Alcohol and drug abuse .Addictive anti-social behaviours .Addictive gambling problems The National Fathering Forum seeks to promote fathers' health and well-being and to reduce the health disadvantage of being male.This needs the assistance of the Government through increased government-funded initiatives. Point 12 says: The National Fathering Forum emphasised that a large number of deaths, injuries and illnesses that men experience are preventable. In addition, the health and well-being disadvantages of men and fathers is closely associated with social and economic disadvantage such as unemployment.Men of Aboriginal and Torres Strait descent are particularly vulnerable to these health disadvantages.These issues require an urgent response from both the government and non-government sectors. The urgent response has certainly been slow coming, but Warwick Marsh of the Fatherhood Foundation congratulates the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, for the announcement of the first ever National Men's Health PolicyHe said, "We are still hopeful that the Health Minister will find the time to meet with leaders from within the men and father's movement. So far Nicola Roxon's busy schedule has precluded her meeting with a health delegation of men and fathers. The wheels of change move very slowly but thankfully they are moving nonetheless." _____________________________ For further information please contact: Warwick Marsh - 0418 225 212Fatherhood Foundation PO Box 542 UNANDERRANSW 2526 www.fatherhood.org.au Mens Health Men's Health Week 08is putting the spotlight on Australia's rural men. Australasian Men's Health Forum President and UWS Professor, John Macdonald, says "It's about a positive prescription for good health: catch up with your mates share your stories about the week's ups and downs, talk with your family, and get involved in your local community and sporting clubs. See your local GP not just when you're sick, but get a check-up and maintain a good quality of life." Men's Health Week 08 is coordinated by the Australasian Men's Health Forum. The week is fronted by four passionate advocates for men's health and rural issues (shown in order to the left): . Lee Kernaghan, award winning Australian country music singer and songwriter, and 2008 Australian of the Year. . Charles Wooley, Journalist and political commentator, and Across Australia radio host. . Angry Anderson, Australian rock singer, TV presenter and actor. . Dr Rob Walters, Former Australian General Practice Network Chair, and health commentator. Learn More ___________________________________________________________________ Men's health deserves our attention: Roxon June 08, 2008 THE Federal Government will spend $460,000 on a national suicide prevention strategy, as part of a focus to improve men's health In what the government says is the first ever national men's health policy, it recognises that men often have poorer health than women, are likely to die earlier and are more likely to commit suicide. The funding will be spent in four areas - $122,000 for a men's health information and resource centre at the University of Western Sydney and $80,000 will go to the Toowoomba older men's network. Another $150,000 will be used in a workplace program called OzHelp Tasmania, and $117,000 will go towards INCOLink, a Victorian program aimed at preventing suicide for apprentices in the building industry. A further $95,000 will go towards a GP campaign to encourage men to see their doctor for preventative health checks. "Men's health deserves our attention. Over the next twelve months, the Government will develop a comprehensive men's health policy," Health Minister Nicola Roxon said in a statement. "We want to know what men consider to be the priorities for their health, and we want to look at how we can build up the evidence base in this area, including opportunities for research over the long term." Figures released by the health minister's office show men are expected to live 4.8 years less than women, and are three times more likely to commit suicide than women. They also experience 70 per cent of the burden of disease related to injury and are over-represented in HIV/AIDS related deaths. Indigenous men's health is significantly worse than non-Indigenous Australian males, with average life expectancy of just 59 years, 20 years less than non-Indigenous men. AAP _______________________ 2008 Hillsong Conference July 7-11 Sydney Australia This conference is not for the weak or fainthearted, yet it will encourage and raise those who are to 'be strong and of exceptional courage'. For over 20 years the testimony of this gathering, has been churches, teams and individuals whose 'rising' has radically changed the world they influence. Hillsong NIGHTS is going to be phenomenal with an amazing atmosphere of faith & celebration featuring some of the world's greatest teachers & worship leaders. Learn More or Register Here Dad's Prayer Dear God Climbing Ladder Help me to step up to the plate and have the courage to ask: not just for myself but for my brothers, for our families, for our children. Humankind is made up of men and women. When we disadvantage either - We disadvantage both. Health is fundamental for all. Thank you for our health, the greatest wealth of all. Help us preserve and treasure it and pass it on to our children. Help Us! The Fatherhood Foundation is a Harm Prevention Charity. Fatherlessness and inadequate fathering has been proven to be a source of harm. The Fatherhood Foundation helps children by promoting excellence in fathering. Excellent fathers are in word and deed: responsible, involved, protective, loving and committed to the well-being of their children and their children's mother. If you would like to give financially to the Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund and receive tax deductibility: Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund (Name, address and amount details must be emailed for a receipt for tax deductibility) Westpac Branch Wollongong DONATE ONLINE BSB: 032 695 A/C: 25-5558 Or mail cheque and address details to: PO Box 542 UNANDERRA NSW 2526 AUSTRALIA The Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund is a public fund listed on the Register of Harm Prevention Charities under Subdivision 30_EA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. You have received the fathersonline.org newsletter because you have subscribed, or you have been subscribed by a friend. If you do not wish to receive future emails, please click the UNSUBSCRIBE button below. Forward email Safe Unsubscribe This email was sent to info@fathersonline.org, by info@fathersonline.org Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe T | Privacy Policy . Email Marketing by Fatherhood Foundation | P.O. Box 542 | Unanderra | NSW | 2526 | Australia ------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C8D2CA.1CBC2C20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

 

3D"FF

16th  June 2008    &= nbsp;       Inspiring Fathers  Encouraging = Families

Issue = 304

Stay Healthy - Live Longer Men's = Health Week Special 

 

Dear = Friend,

Welcome to the Fatherhood = Foundation newsletter and email information service for the fathers and = families as we present a Men's Health Special.

 

In This = Issue

=

Frontline...Men and a Fair = Go

Laughter..How not to live = longer

Grandfathers...Long healthy = life contributing

All You Need is Love..Sailboat = isn't Marriage

Single Dads...Stop the = needless toll

Special Feature...Wally's dark = days

News & Info..National Mens = Health Policy

Dad's Prayer..Step up to the = plate

 

Next Week  =

 Heavy Weight = Champion Promotes Fatherhood

<= /font>

 =

Join our Mailing = List!

 

 

Quick Links

 

Thought of the = Week

      

 

3D"Mens

 = The first wealth is = health
 
Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

 

Frontline

 

     3D"Shadow

Iclearly = remember when my colleagues and I were putting the final wording together = for The 12pt = Plan which the Fatherhood Foundation released 25th June 2003.
 
We had unanimous agreement on the policy document, except for one = of the 25 delegates. That one person was in agreement with everything in = The 12pt Plan. He believed in everything that the policy document = requested for men and fathers, and that the policies were just and = equitable, but he ultimately abstained from the final vote because he didn't want = to be seen to be asking for a 'fair go'. Anonymity was his claim to = fame.
 
Unfortunately he is not alone. Millions of Australian men have not = been asking for a fair go.
 
Thankfully things are beginning to change.
 
Men's Health Week is a case in point. It began at the Second World Congress on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria in October 2002. = Several key delegates resolved to work together to launch International Men's = Health Week (IMHW). Their aim was to increase awareness of male health issues on a = global level and to encourage inter- and intra-national institutions to = develop health policies and services that meet men's specific needs.
 
From small beginnings big things grow. Men's Health Week is now an international institution and there is no telling how many men's = lives Men's Health Week has saved. Thank God those organisers were not = like the abstainer who attended that first Fatherhood Forum at Parliament = House and was afraid to ask for the obvious.
 
It is interesting to note that the Fatherhood Foundation also = started in 2002. It must have been a year of new beginnings for men and = fathers.
 
What the Australian men and father's movement was asking for back = in 2003 was so radical at the time that many laughed at our audacity to = even have such a document as The 12pt Plan to strengthen and support = fathers. Even Pru Goward, Sex Discrimination Commissioner at the time, in her = speech to the National Strategic Conference on Fatherhood, also organised by = the Fatherhood Foundation, questioned the veracity of The 12pt Plan. =
 
Point 11 of The 12pt Plan says:
 
Being male is associated with a number of health disadvantages. = For males, this results in higher rates of:
 
= ·           = ;   Hospital admissions for most injuries and illnesses
 
= ·           = ;   Premature death by unnatural causes such as suicides and = accidents
 
= ·           = ;   Undiagnosed mental illnesses
 
= ·           = ;   Suicide
 
= ·           = ;   Alcohol and drug abuse
 
= ·           = ;   Addictive anti-social behaviours
 
= ·           = ;   Addictive gambling problems
The National Fathering Forum seeks to promote fathers' health and well-being and to reduce the health disadvantage of being = male.  This needs the assistance of the Government through increased = government-funded initiatives.
 
Point 12 says:
 
The National Fathering Forum emphasised that a large number of = deaths, injuries and illnesses that men experience are preventable. In = addition, the health and well-being disadvantages of men and fathers is = closely associated with social and economic disadvantage such as unemployment.  Men of Aboriginal and Torres Strait descent = are particularly vulnerable to these health disadvantages.  These = issues require an urgent response from both the government and = non-government sectors.
 
The urgent response has certainly been slow coming, but we do congratulate the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, for the = announcement of the first ever National Men's = Health Policy (See News & Info = section)
 
The wheels of change move very slowly but thankfully they are = moving nonetheless. 
 
Movember, which has grown exponentially since 2003, has also helped greatly = in the fight for a fair go for men. In 2004 Movember raised $55,000; in = 2005 $1,175,000; in 2006 $7,514,752 and in 2007 the grand total of $14,500,000. All of 3D"Leapingthat money goes towards Beyond = Blue and the Prostate Cancer = Foundation of Australia. Movember is now going worldwide.
 
This is all good news for men and shows that the 'fair go' is not entirely dead, nor is the ability of men to step up to the plate = and do a bit of old fashioned asking.
 
Lovework
 
Celebrate your health with your children and your wife.
 
Move your body.
 
Eat more plant food as Dr John Tickell so kindly says.
 
Love, laugh, listen and learn and do some giving as well.
Giving people = live longer.
 
Yours for a 'fair go'
Warwick Marsh

= _________________________________________________________________________= _____

Warwick Marsh  has been married to Alison = for 32 years. He is the grandfather of two children and father of five = children, four boys and one girl, ranging in age from 27 years to 15 years.  Warwick is a musician, songwriter, producer and = public speaker who likes to think he can still laugh at himself.

 

Laughter

3DGiantBurger    

 

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise = can prolong life. Is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... = don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding = up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can = extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? = Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? = Hay and corn. And what are these?vegetables. So a steak is nothing more = than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need = grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green = leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended = daily allowance of vegetable slop.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body, and you have body fat, your ratio is = one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular = exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain - = Good.

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: You're not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable = oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables = be bad for you?

Q: What's the secret to healthy eating?

A: Thicker gravy.

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You = should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? Cocoa beans... Another vegetable. It's the best = feel good food around!

I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had = about food and diets.

Have a cookie... flour is a veggie! 
 

 

Grandfathers

  3D"Healthy

A long, healthy and happy life
is the result of making contributions,
of having meaningful projects
that are personally exciting
and contribute to
and bless the lives of others.
 
Stephen R Covey

 

All You = Need is Love

A Sailboat Ain't a = Marriage
 
For the past 20 of our 48 years of marriage 3D"Sailboatwe've owned a sailboat.
Halekulani's her name. That is Hawaiian for 'A Good Place'. We've = been 'liveaboards' for weeks at a time and weekenders as often as other commitments allowed. She's been our second home all along the East = Coast from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. We are writing about sailing = because that's been as important a part of our lives as A.C.M.E., and, we = think it is a wonderful metaphor for marriage ' ours anyway.
 
Remember David and Vera Mace's three myths of marriage?
 
    Myth 1: The marriage will take care of itself. =
Sailboats, we think, are a lot like careers, businesses, and = marriages. They don't take care of themselves. They have to be nurtured. = Sailboats have to be hauled every so often for bottom painting. Varnishing = bright work, waxing hulls, polishing brass, engine oil changes and = tune-ups, always something in need of attention. Our sailboat, like our = marriage, requires work. Yet mysteriously the 'work' often turns out to be = part of the fun, the satisfaction.
 
    Myth 2: The romance lasts forever.
(Marital joke: anyone married more than two weeks has grounds for divorce.) Even if you've never been sailing, it's hard to believe = you haven't dreamed about it. Ghosting along in gentle breeze under a = full moon on Long Island Sound. Reaching along at six knots heeled to = the gunwale way down east off the coast of Maine. Spying on fish = through your dive mask in the infinitely clear azure waters of the Bahamian out islands. Motoring through Georgia's coastal creeks and marshes, = knowing that from a distance a sailboat looks like a weird tractor mowing = through a wheat field. Romantic? Wonderful! Last forever?
     
Well, not riding out Hurricane Erin in Hope Town Harbor, Abaca, = and not with a dead engine six miles from home after a five-hundred-mile = cruise, and not when the anchor drags at 3:00 A.M. in a crowded harbor, = and not when the bilge inexplicably fills itself with seawater, or a = visitor misuses the head. No, the romance doesn't last forever, but it = never drifts far away either.
 
    Myth 3: We are compatible.
The co-captains on Halekulani, when they are truly honest, share = some serious differences. Louise will report her pleasure with a = peaceful anchorage and a quiet time to read. Don will fixate on a short cut = across a sound and Louise will assert the need to follow the chart. = Louise loves to linger in familiar harbors. Don wants to up anchor and go. = After a long day on the water Louise is ready to meditate. Don's off in = the dinghy to investigate a new landfall. Probably we're 90% = compatible.
Still that 10% of incompatibility has a way of rocking our marital = boat fairly severely from time to time.
 
Thanks to A.C.M.E. and others, we have tools that equip us to = weather fronts that disturb our marital waters. We have a manual of smarts = and parts on marital engine repair and preventive maintenance. We have sounders that let us navigate clear of the shoals our relationship occasionally encounters. We have charts and cruising guides that = help us plot a course thatss agreeable to both of us. Best of all we have = an on board player that hymns Halekulani's theme song: 'The romance can = last forever!'
 
Don and Louise are an A.C.M.E. trained and certified leader couple = from Savannah, Georgia. They presented a Saturday afternoon seminar = entitled You, Me, Us: The Couple Connection at IMEC 2001.
 
For a WEALTH of couple resources, visit the ACME website:
http://www.bettermarriages.org =

 

Single Dads =

Editor's note: Tony Miller, Dads in = Distress, wrote this article some months ago but it is still relevant = today.
 
Nicola Roxon has reiterated the Rudd 3D"Doctorgovernment's commitment to establishing a = National Men's Health Policy. This is positive but it would appear she has = not yet consulted the men and fathers of Australia on what to include in = that policy. This is not for lack of trying on the part of the men and father's movement. We are hoping Nicola Roxon will talk to us = soon.
 
Tony Miller's last few sentences need to be trumpeted across the = land.
 
Stop = the Needless Toll
 
I have to say it was disappointing to say the least that our new Government kicked off the year with the 2020 summit and then = excluded representation of any major Fatherhood group. Disappointing but = not surprising. Fathers are being forced into redundancy or at least = it seems that is how they are feeling. I never applied for the summit, = maybe I should of. But for me it was just another talk-fest and to be = honest I'm over them. When this Government announced the fast tracking of a = national Men's Health Policy in its election run up I was excited and came = out in full support. Where is it? What has happened? Nothing.

The Fatherhood Foundation is calling for an urgent National = Fatherhood Summit and Dads in Distress Inc would support that fully. I would = support that personally. Simply because I know personally what it is like = to feel, as a man, as a father, that you are no longer relevant, that = you are no longer needed. I see and hear from men all over the country = and from overseas who feel the same way.

According to the ABS our suicide rate has dropped down from 5 a = day to 4 a day. Unfortunately I still hear from far too many who have lost = loved ones to suicide, due to a relationship breakdown. The suicide rate = still has a ratio of 4 to 1. That is 4 males to 1 female. There are approximately 28 MALE suicides each and every week in this = country, the highest at risk group being 35-50 years, and dads going through = divorce or separation. Figures are not complete. We all know there are = many suicides that are reported as something else; death by drowning, = single vehicle accidents, death by misadventure etc, etc. We all know = that people are reluctant to admit suicide due to stigma, insurance = etc. But the reality is we are still losing far too many men to suicide, at = least 28 a WEEK.

Now, we need a Men's Health Policy. We need to start talking and = then ACTIONING some strategies on what to do about men's health. And = it's not just about 'visit your GP more often', it's = not3D"Suicide just about 'check your prostrate'. It's = about Fatherlessness. It's about men feeling redundant in today's = society.
 
It's about, has this Government given up on men? On its fathers? =
It's about, has our society given up on its men, on its fathers? =
It's about do Fathers have any relevance in today's family?
 
I am supposedly the leader of one the countries major Fatherhood = organisations and I have gotta tell you, I don't know any more!!

It's about the call for a NATIONAL FATHERHOOD SUMMIT.
 
This Government needs to wake up, because every week we wait = another 28 MALES will die needlessly. How many children will be left behind = without a dad or worse still -
How many will follow his lead? Believe me too many!

Tony Miller
Founder Dads in Distress
tmiller@nor.com.au =  

 

Special = Feature

Dark days of Wally Lewis, the man they call = 'The King'
By James O'Loan
The Australian February 19, 2008 3D"Wally
 
A TEARY Wally Lewis has told how he contemplated killing himself = during a long battle with depression.
The rugby league legend last night revealed his fight with = depression, induced by the fear of having an on-air seizure or stroke while presenting sport news for Channel 9.
But Lewis pulled back from the abyss when he thought about the devastating impact suicide would have on his wife Jacqui, whose = brother had killed himself.
"I couldn't put her through that again," he said.

The man Queenslanders call The King bared his soul to Woman's Day = and A Current Affair this week to send a message of hope to all = Australians afflicted with suicidal thoughts. Lewis has made a slow recovery = after a 5cm by 3cm piece of his brain was removed in February last year to = halt the epileptic seizures.
 
The aftermath left one of Queensland's rugby league legends with restricted language and cognitive skills. The agonising road to = recovery included acute memory loss with painful headaches.

"The pain was unbearable," he said.
"I had painkillers but I was very scared of becoming = addicted, so I'd take half a tablet rather than a full one."

Jacqui said her husband was "basically lost to the nightmare = of seizures for about 20 years".

"Things were getting really bad two years before the operation," she said.
"We'd argue a lot as I was terrified he'd have a seizure = while driving back down the mountain from his commitments at Channel = 9."

But Jacqui said the dark days of Lewis's depression were behind = them, with Lewis back on air and returning to the confident man of old. =

"Thanks to the operation he has control of his life = again," she said.
"The difference in Wally is like night and day."

Lewis revealed his darkest days followed his on-air seizure in = November 2006 in the lead-up to, and following, the operation he had.

"I was dirty on the world. No one could help me," he = said.

"The only thing I was thinking about was screwing up on air = again.

"I used to arrive on the set of Channel 9 every night and I'd = be absolutely petrified that something was going to happen on camera. =

"When the seizures did occur I'd sink down and think, how = much longer do I have to deal with this?"

In the candid interviews Lewis also revealed he bawled "like = a kid" while breaking down in front of doctors who quizzed him = about his recovery.

He said the fear of an on-air stroke and the embarrassment it = could cause his family plagued him for years.

"Suicide was something I thought of every two or three = days," he told A Current Affair last night.
"I went to the jetty that runs off my backyard and I thought: = Do I just jump off? Do I put myself in a bag filled with bricks? How do = I do it?"

The depth of Lewis's despair came as a shock to friends, family = and his legion of fans throughout the country.

But Jacqui said her husband had made a remarkable comeback and his = memory was getting better all the time.

"You don't just take out a piece of brain and expect to = bounce back straight away."

For his part, Lewis said he had been buoyed by the large amount of = fan mail received.

"The letters, cards and emails blew me out of the = water," he said.
"I will get back to every person to say thank you."
 
Need help for you or someone you know?

Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

Lifeline: 131 114

Epilepsy Action 1300 37 45 37
 

 

 News & Info

=

          =             &= nbsp;           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;

3D"Fatherhood


Media = Release
Congratulations to Health Minister and Rudd Government on Men's Health Policy Announcement

The above announcement has brought great encouragement to the men = and father's movement of Australia. From little things big things = grow. Men's Health Week is a case in point.

International Men's Health Week began at the Second World Congress = on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria in October 2002. Several key = delegates resolved to work together to launch International Men's Health = Week (IMHW). Their aim was to increase awareness of male health issues = on a global level and to encourage inter- and intra-national = institutions to develop health policies and services that meet men's specific = needs. International Men's Health Week is now an international = institution and there is no telling how many men's lives it has saved.

On 26th June 2003 the Fatherhood Foundation launched The 12pt Plan = in Federal Parliament with bipartisan support. Point 11 of The 12pt = Plan says:
Being male is associated with a number of health disadvantages. = For males, this results in higher rates of:
·Hospital admissions for most injuries and illnesses
·Premature death by unnatural causes such as suicides and = accidents
·Undiagnosed mental illnesses
·Suicide
·Alcohol and drug abuse
·Addictive anti-social behaviours
·Addictive gambling problems
The National Fathering Forum seeks to promote fathers' health and well-being and to reduce the health disadvantage of being = male.This needs the assistance of the Government through increased = government-funded initiatives.

Point 12 says:
The National Fathering Forum emphasised that a large number of = deaths, injuries and illnesses that men experience are preventable. In addition, = the health and well-being disadvantages of men and fathers is closely associated with social and economic disadvantage such as = unemployment.Men of Aboriginal and Torres Strait descent are particularly = vulnerable to these health disadvantages.These issues require an urgent response = from both the government and non-government sectors.

The urgent response has certainly been slow coming, but Warwick = Marsh of the Fatherhood Foundation congratulates the Health Minister, = Nicola Roxon, for the announcement of the first ever National Men's = Health PolicyHe said, "We are still hopeful that the Health Minister = will find the time to meet with leaders from within the men and = father's movement. So far Nicola Roxon's busy schedule has precluded her = meeting with a health delegation of men and fathers. The wheels of change = move very slowly but thankfully they are moving nonetheless."
_____________________________

For further information please contact:
Warwick Marsh - 0418 225 212Fatherhood Foundation
PO Box 542
UNANDERRANSW 2526
www.fatherhood.org.au

3D"Mens

Men's Health Week 08is putting the spotlight on Australia's rural = men.
Australasian Men's Health Forum President and UWS Professor, John Macdonald, says "It's about a positive prescription for good = health: catch up with your mates share your stories about the week's ups = and downs, talk with your family, and get involved in your local = community and sporting clubs. See your local GP not just when you're sick, = but get a check-up and maintain a good quality of life."

Men's Health Week 08 is coordinated by the Australasian Men's = Health Forum. The week is fronted by four passionate advocates for men's = health and rural issues (shown in order to the left):
· Lee Kernaghan, award winning Australian country music = singer and songwriter, and 2008 Australian of the Year.

· Charles Wooley, Journalist and political commentator, and = Across Australia radio host.

· Angry Anderson, Australian rock singer, TV presenter and = actor.

· Dr Rob Walters, Former Australian General Practice = Network Chair, and health commentator.

Learn = More
= ___________________________________________________________________<= /o:p>

Men's health deserves our attention: = Roxon
June 08, = 2008

 


THE = Federal Government will spend $460,000 on a national suicide prevention = strategy, as part of a focus to improve men's health
In what the government says is the first ever national men's = health policy, it recognises that men often have poorer health than = women, are likely to die earlier and are more likely to commit suicide.

The funding will be spent in four areas - $122,000 for a men's = health information and resource centre at the University of Western = Sydney and $80,000 will go to the Toowoomba older men's network.

Another $150,000 will be used in a workplace program called OzHelp Tasmania, and $117,000 will go towards INCOLink, a Victorian = program aimed at preventing suicide for apprentices in the building = industry.

A further $95,000 will go towards a GP campaign to encourage men = to see their doctor for preventative health checks.

"Men's health deserves our attention. Over the next twelve = months, the Government will develop a comprehensive men's health = policy," Health Minister Nicola Roxon said in a statement.

"We want to know what men consider to be the priorities for = their health, and we want to look at how we can build up the evidence = base in this area, including opportunities for research over the long = term."

Figures released by the health minister's office show men are = expected to live 4.8 years less than women, and are three times more likely to = commit suicide than women.

They also experience 70 per cent of the burden of disease related = to injury and are over-represented in HIV/AIDS related deaths.

Indigenous men's health is significantly worse than non-Indigenous Australian males, with average life expectancy of just 59 years, = 20 years less than non-Indigenous men.

AAP
_______________________
 
2008 = Hillsong Conference 
July = 7-11 Sydney Australia =

This conference is not for the weak or fainthearted, = yet it will encourage and raise those who are to 'be strong and of = exceptional courage'. For over 20 years the testimony of this gathering, has = been churches, teams and individuals whose 'rising' has radically = changed the world they influence.
 
Hillsong NIGHTS is going to be phenomenal with an amazing = atmosphere of faith & celebration featuring some of the world's greatest = teachers & worship leaders.

 

 

 

Dad's Prayer

 

Dear God
 
3D"ClimbingHelp me to step up to = the plate
and have the courage to ask:
not just for myself
but for my brothers,
for our families,
for our children.
Humankind is made up of men and women.
When we disadvantage either -
We disadvantage both.
Health is fundamental for all.
Thank you for our health,
the greatest wealth of all.
Help us preserve and treasure it
and pass it on to our children.

 

Help Us!

The Fatherhood Foundation is a Harm Prevention = Charity.
Fatherlessness and inadequate fathering has been proven to be a source of harm. The Fatherhood Foundation helps children by promoting excellence  in fathering. Excellent fathers are in = word and deed: responsible, involved, protective, loving and committed = to the well-being of their children and their children's mother. =

 

If you would like to give financially to the = Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund and receive tax = deductibility:

 =

Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund =
(Name, = address and amount details must be emailed for a receipt for tax = deductibility)

 


Westpac Branch = Wollongong          &nb= sp;          DONATE = ONLINE


BSB: 032 695
A/C: 25-5558

 

Or mail cheque and address details to:
PO Box 542
UNANDERRA  NSW  2526
AUSTRALIA

 

The Fatherhood Foundation Public Fund  is a = public fund listed on the Register of Harm Prevention Charities under Subdivision 30_EA of the Income Tax Assessment Act = 1997.

 

You have received the fathersonline.org newsletter because you have subscribed, or you have been = subscribed by a friend.  If you do not wish to receive future emails, please = click the UNSUBSCRIBE button below.

 

 

3D"Safe

This email = was sent to info@fathersonline.org, by info@fathersonline.org

Fatherhood Foundation | P.O. Box 542 | Unanderra | NSW | 2526 | = Australia

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