Men of Bourke Forum is here to stay

Between the 13th and 15th of August, Bourke Aboriginal Corporation Health Services (BACHS) and other local partners held a Men’s Forum with
participants opening up about trauma, discovering wellbeing tools and building resilience.

A small group of men from all different walks of life participated in the Men of Bourke Forum, with the likes of Joe Williams, Ivan Clarke, and Lukas Williams as guest speakers at the event. The forum also had a youth forum component with Corey Anderson as the guest speaker.

CEO of BACHS, John Feutani, said the forum has been months in the making through a consultative committee of service partners, including Catholic Care, Aboriginal Legal Services, Community Corrections, Maranguka and REDI.E, we were able to collectively come together and produce a benchmark event for the local men of Bourke.

“The topics we covered were hard-hitting but necessary—topics such as trauma and identifying how they impact all men, but importantly Aboriginal Men. Uncle Ivan Clarke’s keynote addressed the issue of Aboriginal men being stigmatised as bad men. However, he rephrased this to say that, in actual fact, Aboriginal men are traumatised men – as a result impacting Aboriginal men through attitudinal and lifestyle choices. As CEO of BACHS, it was heartening to see participants open up about their trauma and discover wellbeing approaches like participating in a yoga session,” he said.

Lukas Williams, who is based in the Northern Territory and a recipient of the Northern Territory Government Aboriginal Medical Services Remote Worker of the Year Award in 2018, provided some insights about why the Northern Territory Men’s Forums have been successful and what that can look like for Bourke.

“The reason why Men’s Forums have been successful in the Northern Territory is, I see, that men have stories, and when we have other men gather around and share those stories, we recognise them within our bodies and brains; this is something universal to all men not just Aboriginal men and what I saw at the forum is that Men in Bourke have stories and have a safe space to share them at the Men’s Hub,” he said.

BACHS Chair James Moore said this is the start of something more significant for the men living in Bourke and surrounding townships, as it will help deliver a more rounded and holistic approach to the healthcare needs of men, which will have a positive flow-on effect for families.

“For many men, it’s hard to open up about their feelings, let alone their traumas. It’s having long-term health impacts on how they see themselves and how they’re viewed by others, including their family members. This forum is helping to create a safe space for openness, accountability, and love through the lens of other men who may have lived or are living through similar experiences.”

Mr Moore said the forum, the first in a significant time in Bourke, is needed. BACHS is working with other services like Catholic Care and Maranguka to
empower men and women. “Earlier this year, we had women’s health week, and now we have a men’s forum. All we need to do now is ensure that our youth, including Aboriginal youth living in Bourke, are engaged on the same level and are connecting to culture to progress their communities and families,” he said.

BACHS has recently hired a new senior administration and special projects staff member who will be tasked with building on the success of this forum so that events like this and the Women’s Health Week are long-standing events that everyone living in Bourke can mark in their diaries to attend.

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