The windswept Northern Rivers Hotel is putting on a Lunch with your Mates event, aiming to increase awareness of the startling rate of suicide in Australia and battles around men needing help.
Scheduled for Friday, 4 April, the four-hour event is in partnership with Bangalow Men’s Shed and will encourage conversations around mental health, while allowing men to interact in a relaxed and familiar setting, at the pub.
Starting at noon, the lunch will be hosted by Olympic swimming champion Duncan Armstrong, supported by former Australian union representative Elton Flatley and former league legend Craig Salvatori, as well as sports commentators Ian Hanson, Pat Welsh and Robert ‘Crash’ Craddock.
The event has been organised by local businessman Tony Durheim, who operates the Hotel with his family and attended a Men’s Shed fundraiser in Bangalow last year.
Durheim admits he was “shocked” by statistics he heard and believes most people “probably don’t know how bad it is”. He hopes they can ‘make a difference’.
Intended as a low-key get-together to prompt awareness and connection, the lunch will provide for around 200 people, seated in the beer garden.
The Northern Rivers Hotel (NRH) is a stanchly community-minded local, serving an extensive menu that caters to everyone, from kids to seniors, with a drive-through bottleshop and free courtesy bus from 5pm, carrying up to 12 people to or from the hotel.
A few years ago the NRH sustained major damage when flood waters came to town, and with tropical cyclone Alfred looming off the coast on 6 March management made the “tough decision” to evacuate and close the doors, temporarily. Friends, family, customers, suppliers, staff and even “complete strangers” lent a hand to relocate equipment and stock.
Thankfully, the storm abated and no damage was done this time, but the pub did lose power and the exercise was deemed ‘good practice’, providing insights on how to improve ahead of the next crisis.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, there is a suicide crisis taking place across Australia, boding more than 3,000 premature deaths each year. This equates to age-standardised suicide death rate of 12.3 per 100,000 Australians, predominantly men.
By way of comparison, the much talked about rate of gun violence in the USA amounts to a death rate (by firearm) of 4.5 people per 100,000.
Bangalow Men’s Shed (BMS) is already working in conjunction with NSW Police and hopes to host similar programs with young men on an ongoing basis, aiming to raise awareness around suicide rates in the region, which are even higher than the national rate.
While Lunch with Your Mates is not geared at generating revenue, money raised will go to the BMS youth programs and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
“We’re just trying to get the word out there about men’s mental health,” says NRH manager Darrell Crockford.
“It’s only in the last few years a lot of us have started to talk about this.
“We went to a Bangalow event in November, and I said to Tony ‘we should do this too, after the floods and all that the town’s been through’.”
The Hotel is looking to finalise bookings by 28 March, through its social media or by phone at (02) 6627 6119.
If you or someone you know needs support, speak up or contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or the Australian Men’s Shed Association, on 1300 550 009.
