Movember

[redwhiteblue]

This upcoming month is very important for men's health so I'm taking part in some fund raising activities through work as I've lost a few male friends/family to suicide, prostate cancer and other forms of cancer. This includes my former better half, whom some of you met years ago. I wish he had met some of you on here including Jack and Horrie as he knew of both of you but being in Queensland most of the time, we never all had the chance to meet. He was very grateful for the friendship you both have given me so this thread is also to celebrate the great men in our lives.

Here is the link to Movember:

https://au.movember.com

It's his first anniversary this Monday 31 October right before Melbourne Cup day which was very important to him. I'm not asking for any fund raising assistance as I'm getting plenty of support from family and friends and will mark the day with a nice quiet lunch in the city.

This thread is a tribute to great men who have shaped our lives, loved us, supported us and inspired us, whether it's our dads, our boss, husband or a brother, cousin, friend or even one of our beloved Roosters players. Please feel free to share stories of great men we know of.

This first song is for him and the second song is for my Dad.

Amazes Me - Elton John

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r3PFJPy36Y

Sun In the Morning - Dean Martin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0inK9CCOyFA

[eddie]

I lost a good friend about 15 years ago.
Bloody cancer.
He was a top bloke if you knew him, but he wasn't afraid to pull a gun on people who deserved it.
He taught me carpentry.
R I P Ken.

[redwhiteblue]

I lost a good friend about 15 years ago.
Bloody cancer.
He was a top bloke if you knew him, but he wasn't afraid to pull a gun on people who deserved it.
He taught me carpentry.
R I P Ken.

Thanks for sharing Eddie and that is wonderful that you know about carpentry because of him.

I had a lovely friend named Ken too. He and I worked together in retail in my first job here in Sydney. He also went home to Queensland to live out his final days in peace. I reckon he and the other half are sitting in the sunshine somewhere today having cocktails and now enjoying a pain free life.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Great thread RWB, and thanks for sharing your personal story.

I'll just post a song by James Blundell written about his Dad. It made me think of that generation many who lived simply, worked hard and just had good hearts. We all knew someone. Some pretty music here too I spotted Sam Hawkskley and James Gillard in the clip.

https://youtu.be/GRjHkfQf3zM

[redwhiteblue]

Great thread RWB, and thanks for sharing your personal story.

I'll just post a song by James Blundell written about his Dad. It made me think of that generation many who lived simply, worked hard and just had good hearts. We all knew someone. Some pretty music here too I spotted Sam Hawkskley and James Gillard in the clip.

https://youtu.be/GRjHkfQf3zM

Thanks Jack and both Mum & Dad would have enjoyed that song. Yes every woman deserves a good hearted, grounded, hard working kind man by her side.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

This bloke inspired a nation, and still does to this day. Great tribute song by Paul Kelly with some priceless old footage. Note the shoulder to shoulder crowds back in the day.

https://youtu.be/hjZHfEIEJ54

[redwhiteblue]

This bloke inspired a nation, and still does to this day. Great tribute song by Paul Kelly with some priceless old footage. Note the shoulder to shoulder crowds back in the day.

https://youtu.be/hjZHfEIEJ54

Thanks so much for posting that Jack. I've been listening to that for years and Paul is one of the most heavily represented artists on my ipod. I haven't watched the clip in years however so thanks for that also. Ladies wearing hats to the cricket. Mum and I wore dresses to the 1983 grand final as we were actually sitting in the Ladies Stand courtesy of a kind late family member of my brother in law's who worked directly for Jack Gibson. Times have changed...back then it was like going to the races.

Paul Kelly truly is such an inspirational and gracious man and each and every song is full of raw emotion, history or meaning. His film, Stories of Me, is available here and I love how he's made it free for those who are teachers or students or anyone who works in education. He's been very open about his own battles but still continues to inspire others.

https://paulkellythemovie.com.au

I first fell in love with his music when To Her Door came out. It was always a running joke back in the day that we'd stay up late to watch Rage just for one song everyone would want to see. For me, that was the song I'd be waiting for. Another inspirational song about forgiveness for a man battling demons and getting his life back on track.His then wife Kaarin Fairfax is in the clip and she was in The Harp in the South and Poor Man's Orange. Don't know if you remember those series based on the books but they were set all around the back streets of Surry Hills..

[redwhiteblue]

Some more inspirational men. This article is from today's SMH:

‘Men go to the pub, but don’t know each other’

Early last year, Tadhg Kennelly was not in a good place. The former Sydney Swans player had lost his assistant coach job with the club, and was feeling pressure to provide for his young family.

“I was known as a resilient man. I guess that’s an Irish thing, but probably also a sports thing; show no weakness,” he said.

“And so I wasn’t talking to anybody about it.”

Men from the When No-One’s Watching group on Maroubra Beach.CREDIT:JANIE BARRETT

A message from his friend, fellow Irish expat and business advocate David Eccles, was the lifeline he needed. Eccles, too, was struggling, wading through his days as the sleepless parent of a newborn. The pair had a coffee together, and the conversation started flowing.

“We kind of realised that our wives would go to coffee with a friend and they would know everything about each other. But men, we go to the pub and we chat about the football but we don’t really know anything about each other,” Eccles said.

The men kept meeting up but “the coffees started getting expensive”, Eccles said. So they moved to the beach.

They agreed to each bring a friend down to Maroubra the next week. From there, numbers grew to four, then eight, and Kennelly started running a fitness class for the group.

After advertising the meet-ups on social media, now more than 300 men regularly take part in “When No-One’s Watching” (WNOW), a workout session and discussion on the beach every Wednesday at dawn.

There were about 50 on the beach last week, with a second “chapter” due to open on Mosman’s Balmoral Beach next month.

Tadhg Kennelly and David Eccles are the recipients of the NSW Mental Health Commissioner’s annual community award.CREDIT:JANIE BARRETT

The name has been interpreted by some as part of a “live life like no one’s watching” rhetoric, but it actually comes from Kennelly’s playing days.

“They say that what you do when no one’s watching – the nutrition, the workouts – is the most important time,” Kennelly, who is now an academy coach at the GWS Giants, explained.

“But in my experience, you could be bulletproof in the football club but it was when no one was watching, when you’d go back to your car, that you could just break down.”

This week, Eccles and Kennelly were awarded the NSW Mental Health Commission’s community champion award, for their service to men’s mental health.

Mental Health Commissioner Catherine Lourey said the group was “an excellent example of how peer support can make a real difference in people’s lives when they are facing the challenges of loneliness, isolation, and anxiety, all of which are contributing factors to increased vulnerability to suicide”.

Men comprise about three-quarters of all deaths by suicide recorded in Australia each year.

“Making connections and having the opportunity to talk about problems are highly effective steps in reducing and preventing suicidal ideation,” Lourey said, adding that men often have fewer opportunities to freely express their emotions.

“This type of sharing experience is especially important in alleviating disconnection and isolation and helping men form the social relationships that are a vital part of personal support networks and resilience.”

Eccles said the award meant a lot to the pair. “We’ve seen the difference it makes in these men’s lives, but to get the clinical backing of this award is fantastic,” he said.

After Balmoral, the pair have plans to open other chapters. Kennelly’s goal is to involve one million men in the community, and thinks the program could work well in sporting clubs.

“It’s disheartening when you see people living in a city of six million people and being lonely,” he said.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Thanks so much for posting that Jack. I've been listening to that for years and Paul is one of the most heavily represented artists on my ipod. I haven't watched the clip in years however so thanks for that also. Ladies wearing hats to the cricket. Mum and I wore dresses to the 1983 grand final as we were actually sitting in the Ladies Stand courtesy of a kind late family member of my brother in law's who worked directly for Jack Gibson. Times have changed...back then it was like going to the races.

Paul Kelly truly is such an inspirational and gracious man and each and every song is full of raw emotion, history or meaning. His film, Stories of Me, is available here and I love how he's made it free for those who are teachers or students or anyone who works in education. He's been very open about his own battles but still continues to inspire others.

https://paulkellythemovie.com.au

I first fell in love with his music when To Her Door came out. It was always a running joke back in the day that we'd stay up late to watch Rage just for one song everyone would want to see. For me, that was the song I'd be waiting for. Another inspirational song about forgiveness for a man battling demons and getting his life back on track.His then wife Kaarin Fairfax is in the clip and she was in The Harp in the South and Poor Man's Orange. Don't know if you remember those series based on the books but they were set all around the back streets of Surry Hills..

PK is a great writer indeed RWB. To Her Door gets a run on the new Maton here a bit

I was at a special gig at the Opera House forecourt a few years ago with Steve Earle supporting (goin well PK) Paul Kelly. I love outdoor gigs better than indoor and two legendary artists on one card was brilliant.

[mightyrooster]

Well I’ve mentioned this many times before on here but my Dad died a painful death from pancreatic cancer just over 3 years ago. The diagnosis came out of the blue and it really is a type of cancer that they cannot predict and by the time it is found it is usually too late. It was he who got me interested in Rugby League. He also loved racing, in particular harness racing. He made Melbourne Cup day a special day for us growing up as he always put 50c or a dollar on a horse of our choice for each of us on the big race. Come Tuesday I will be remembering this but really there’s barely a day go by that I don’t think of him (or my Mum) who we also lost to cancer 11 months later.

[redwhiteblue]

PK is a great writer indeed RWB. To Her Door gets a run on the new Maton here a bit

I was at a special gig at the Opera House forecourt a few years ago with Steve Earle supporting (goin well PK) Paul Kelly. I love outdoor gigs better than indoor and two legendary artists on one card was brilliant.

I'm still listening over an hour later.....just running PK clips on rotation whilst enjoying my Sunday..I am very much looking forward to going out and enjoying music again now that everything is opening up.
Sting and James Reyne are performing at Bowral in February too. It's going to be a lovely summer. Nothing better than sitting under a tree listening to some lovely music and enjoying some fresh air.

Oh Jack..anything at the Opera House is 100 times better anyway..I'm so happy you went to that one..I have some nice memories of many shows there too..its a very special spot and my friends in the UK were very touched when I sent them photos of Queen Elizabeth's image on the Opera House.

Ok this one is really touching my soul..Paul with Charlie Owen - Hard Times.

For everyone who is going through hard times,

"Hard times, come again no more"...Amen to that..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJhUVjKg3wI

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Well I’ve mentioned this many times before on here but my Dad died a painful death from pancreatic cancer just over 3 years ago. The diagnosis came out of the blue and it really is a type of cancer that they cannot predict and by the time it is found it is usually too late. It was he who got me interested in Rugby League. He also loved racing, in particular harness racing. He made Melbourne Cup day a special day for us growing up as he always put 50c or a dollar on a horse of our choice for each of us on the big race. Come Tuesday I will be remembering this but really there’s barely a day go by that I don’t think of him (or my Mum) who we also lost to cancer 11 months later.

Lovely contribution MR , thank you.

I think many of us around 'this' generation had the little bets via our parents on the Melbourne Cup as kids. Some of us never lost the bug! And I'm glad of it.

[redwhiteblue]

In memory of our parents. This REM song is called Sweetness Follows. I really wish more people knew about this precious song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_PFodfrzEo

Readying to bury your father and your mother
What did you think when you lost another?
I used to wonder, why did you bother?
Distanced from one, blind to the other
Listen here my sister & my brother
What would you care if you lost the other?
I always wonder why did we bother?
Distanced from one blind to the other
Oh, but sweetness follows
It's these little things, they can pull you under
Live your life filled with joy and wonder
I always knew this altogether thunder
Was lost in our little lives
Oh, but sweetness follows
Oh, but sweetness follows
It's these little things, they can pull you under
Live your life filled with joy and thunder
Yeah, yeah we were altogether
Lost in our little lives
Oh, but sweetness follows
Oh, but sweetness follows

[mightyrooster]

Lovely contribution MR , thank you.

I think many of us around 'this' generation had the little bets via our parents on the Melbourne Cup as kids. Some of us never lost the bug! And I'm glad of it.

Thanks Jack. I’ve never followed the horse races like Dad apart from Melbourne Cup Day. Occasionally the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate as Dad used to watch those too. We still celebrate the day with lunch and a flutter on a horse. I follow the same traditions as Dad with my kids. It’s all about the memories.

[redwhiteblue]

Lovely contribution MR , thank you.

I think many of us around 'this' generation had the little bets via our parents on the Melbourne Cup as kids. Some of us never lost the bug! And I'm glad of it.

I will echo that sentiment for MR from our family too. My cousin died from pancreatic cancer in 2017 the day I was diagnosed with pancreatitis (yes taking the Empath thing very seriously, channelling the pain of others is what we do) and he had shares in race horses back home in Toowoomba. He was very close to Mum & Dad, shared a birthday with one of my sisters and he would have turned 60 a few days after he had passed. He worked on the railways in Brisbane and would commute back to Toowoomba every night as he didn't want to leave our widowed auntie by herself too long. He loved his classic rock and I'd sent him one of my 70's boxed sets when the pain was getting too much and my auntie wrote back to me saying I knew exactly what music he had needed to hear. His ashes are with our late uncle who was a jockey who also passed in the same year, so their spirits are now all over the Gold Coast living a pain free life..