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Katie spoke with Rebecca Forrest about getting involved with International Men's Day · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We know that there is a fantastic event which has
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  Speaker 1: planned for Friday this week for International Men's Day, a
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  Speaker 1: forum which is taking place, and joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line to tell us more about it, Beck Forrest, Good
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  Speaker 1: morning to.
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  Speaker 2: You, Beck Hi Katie, busy morning, Hey.
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  Speaker 1: Busy busy, no doubt about that. And joining us on
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  Speaker 1: the show freshly after receiving your award just a couple
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  Speaker 1: of weeks ago, or about a week ago.
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  Speaker 2: That's right, You're the local Hero Australian of the Year.
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  Speaker 2: So I'm pretty excited.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, a massive congratulations and so well deserved. I know
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  Speaker 1: that you do so much for both men and women
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  Speaker 1: and also our youths, and in terms of making sure
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  Speaker 1: that people have got the opportunity to tell their stories
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  Speaker 1: at the different events that you organize, I think it's
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  Speaker 1: pivotal what you're doing. I'm really pleased to see that
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  Speaker 1: you were recognized for that wonderful work.
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  Speaker 2: Oh thank you. I was pretty shock.
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  Speaker 1: That's what I love, Beck about the majority of people
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  Speaker 1: who are recognized with these awards is that they're usually
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  Speaker 1: pretty humble about it and aren't expecting it, which demonstrates
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  Speaker 1: to me that it's the right people who are winning.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's it was just amazing and the people that
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  Speaker 2: I was up with as well, it was just such
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  Speaker 2: an honor. So but yeah, onto business. We've got international
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  Speaker 2: Wednesday on Friday.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, Now what have you got lined up for the
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  Speaker 1: forum which is happening on Friday this week.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, it's really exciting. We've got the original drummer
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  Speaker 2: from the Beg's happens to live in Queensland and it's
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  Speaker 2: Colin Peterson. He's in his mid to late seventies now
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  Speaker 2: and he's like, I love Darwin. I'll come over and
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  Speaker 2: have a chat. So how wonderful that we've got him
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  Speaker 2: in town. And also our footy legend Mark Lock's going
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  Speaker 2: to share some of his stories and challenges, and and
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  Speaker 2: our Chief Health Officer, Dr Hugh Hegy. The beauty of
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  Speaker 2: this is these men aren't standing there to talk about
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  Speaker 2: their careers. They're actually going to be on the stage
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  Speaker 2: to share their journey, you know, how they got there,
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  Speaker 2: their challenges, good and bad. And that's the beauty about
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  Speaker 2: this forum is that it's real and raw and honest.
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  Speaker 2: It's just beautiful to hear from our wonderful men.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's going to be a fantastic event
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  Speaker 1: and great to hear from wonderful territorians. And also, obviously,
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  Speaker 1: like it said there Colin, the original drummer from the BGS.
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  Speaker 1: That'll be interesting. I reckon to hear a bit more
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  Speaker 1: about his story.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, he's a wonderful storyteller as well. I just caught
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  Speaker 2: him a few months ago and said, well, you can
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  Speaker 2: spin a yarn. I think you've earned the right to
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  Speaker 2: be on this stage. So really looking forward to it.
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  Speaker 2: And there's about two hundred and twenty to two hundred
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  Speaker 2: and fifty territory men all coming along, and I think
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  Speaker 2: it's just going to be a really powerful day because
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  Speaker 2: I think we need to celebrate our men in community.
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  Speaker 2: I feel like they haven't been given much of an
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  Speaker 2: opportunity to have their saying in the past few years,
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  Speaker 2: so it's a real honor to present it.
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  Speaker 1: And Beck, what's the aim of the forum? I know
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  Speaker 1: that you'd said there it's about hearing their stories, but
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  Speaker 1: you know what's the aim of the forum?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, that's the thing. We can't just dump and
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  Speaker 2: run on a day. So really, what I'm trying to
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  Speaker 2: do is hear from those men about what are the
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  Speaker 2: initiatives that you want to get up for men? How
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  Speaker 2: can we better support And I'm looking to identify three
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  Speaker 2: key topics and they're going to be activities that I
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  Speaker 2: work on to present over the next year. And look,
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  Speaker 2: I suspect that many of it is going to be
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  Speaker 2: about we need to take this out further than Darwin.
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  Speaker 2: So it's certainly about reach and getting men talking in
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  Speaker 2: other communities. So this is just the start really to
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  Speaker 2: build on better priority areas to support men.
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  Speaker 1: And I know that you know that mental health is
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  Speaker 1: something that a lot of us speak about, but particularly
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  Speaker 1: mental health with our blokes, and also I suppose health
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  Speaker 1: issues more generally as well. It's something that women speak
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  Speaker 1: about incredibly well men maybe not as well. Is that
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  Speaker 1: something that you reckon people will touch on absolutely.
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  Speaker 2: In fact, Heston Russell who has really been leading the
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  Speaker 2: charge for the Royal Commission into veteran suicide, he is
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  Speaker 2: fronting the stage and one thing that he found is
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  Speaker 2: through his own issues with mental health, he found out
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  Speaker 2: that he was really not alone. He's that nearly every
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  Speaker 2: man that he spoke to, particularly veterans, had suffered and
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  Speaker 2: so that is an alarming rate and more needed to
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  Speaker 2: be done. So I feel that we are making some progress.
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  Speaker 2: Men are opening up more and it's about these forums
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  Speaker 2: to continue that journey and let them know. Guys, it's okay.
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  Speaker 2: You can have a chat, you know what, you can
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  Speaker 2: cry as well. We're all human and you deserve to
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  Speaker 2: be heard.
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  Speaker 1: You've got a voice women speaking as well, myself included.
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  Speaker 1: How come you decided to include the women on the
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  Speaker 1: program for this year?
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  Speaker 2: Look, it's actually really cool because last year I was
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  Speaker 2: going to have like a women all out, you know,
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  Speaker 2: and I was going to be sort of lurking at
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  Speaker 2: the back door, feeling that I wasn't welcome, But the
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  Speaker 2: men in the room turned around and said, no, it's
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  Speaker 2: women that get us talking. So last year was quite beautiful.
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  Speaker 2: We had bear table and then each table identified a
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  Speaker 2: woman in community that they really respected and so she
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  Speaker 2: was invited to come and sit with them and be
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  Speaker 2: a part of it. But then following the feedback, men
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  Speaker 2: said they wanted to hear from more women. So this year,
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  Speaker 2: yourself and Professor Marianne Vin salik our Anti Young Australian
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  Speaker 2: of the Year Civil Fiana, They're also going to be
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  Speaker 2: on the stage because they've You've got a very important
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  Speaker 2: message Katie, but there is an important message, and it's
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  Speaker 2: about support for men. I actually would love the day
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  Speaker 2: that I'm not doing a women's event in a men's event.
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  Speaker 2: I just want to people, so it's really important that
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  Speaker 2: we have those conversations and those respectful relationship with everyone. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Well, look, I think it's going to be a wonderful event.
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  Speaker 1: And you know, we've got so many wonderful territorians, both
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  Speaker 1: male and female. So I agree with you. I reckon, well,
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  Speaker 1: it will probably make your life easier as well, Beck
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  Speaker 1: when the day comes when there can be a forum
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  Speaker 1: that everybody is at. But it is great to see
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  Speaker 1: our women, we know were celebrated earlier in the year
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  Speaker 1: on International Women's Day, and our blokes obviously on Friday.
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  Speaker 1: I think it's going to be fantastic to hear all
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  Speaker 1: of their stories.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, it is International Men's Day and hardly
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  Speaker 2: anyone really knows about it, so I'd love to throw
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  Speaker 2: it out there. Guys, be good to yourself, go and
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  Speaker 2: do something nice to yourself and celebrate being you because
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  Speaker 2: men are an incredible part of our community. We couldn't
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  Speaker 2: do without them, and you know we appreciate you.
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  Speaker 1: Oh well, and I always think, you know, I feel
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  Speaker 1: so fortunate that I was raised by a really great
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  Speaker 1: man and grew up in a family with the wonderful
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  Speaker 1: mum and dad, but a wonderful dad and great blokes
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  Speaker 1: in my life, two older brothers. I'm really grateful for
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  Speaker 1: that and really grateful for the help that they've provided
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  Speaker 1: me along the way. And I know that there's plenty
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  Speaker 1: of women in the community who feel exactly the same.
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  Speaker 2: So it is a.
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  Speaker 1: Great time for us to focus on those men on Friday. Beck,
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  Speaker 1: if there is anybody listening this morning who is keen
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  Speaker 1: to come along but they don't have a ticket yet,
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  Speaker 1: can they still get one?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, you can jump on try booking, look up
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  Speaker 2: International Men's Day for them and get your ticket. We
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  Speaker 2: would absolutely love to have you there at Double Tree
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  Speaker 2: by Hilton on Friday. It's going to be a really
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  Speaker 2: special day.
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  Speaker 1: It will, Rebecca forres lovely to catch up with you,
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  Speaker 1: and we'll talk to you again very soon. I'll see
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  Speaker 1: you Friday.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you,