Earlier this month, men from across Yeppoon gathered to discover how to lead better lives at a Men’s Health Matters event hosted by the local Freemasons.
Held at the Yeppoon Masonic Centre, the event was part of a series of state-wide sessions run by Hand Heart Pocket the Charity of Freemasons Queensland, in collaboration with community health non-profit CheckUP, focusing on improving men’s mental and physical health.
The awareness campaign was launched in September last year and is travelling across the state, visiting towns and supporting local communities.
Yeppoon Freemason Philip Livingston said they were proud to have hosted this event for the benefit of the community.
“Having spoken to a number of the gents following the event, it sounds like they got a lot out of it and will be making some positive changes to improve their overall health,” Mr Livingston said.
“The ripple effect that this will have can only be a good thing.”
The free information session was delivered by a registered psychologist and covered a range of topics such as nutrition and physical activity, early detection of cancer, diabetes and heart disease, mental health and relationships.
CheckUP CEO Ann Maree Liddy said the event provided a safe forum for men to talk about their experiences and health journey.
“Through this event, attendees were encouraged to put their health first and actually have a conversation about how they are feeling both mentally and physically,” Ms Liddy said.
Hand Heart Pocket Chief Executive Officer Gary Mark said empowering people to lead better lives was an important part of the charity’s work in the community.
“Improving men’s mental and physical health both at a state-wide and grassroots level is part of our charitable focus, which is why we’ve partnered with CheckUP to bring this potentially life-saving initiative to communities across Queensland,” Mr Mark said.
Photo: Yeppoon Freemason Richard Benson and CheckUP Facilitator Rudy Vander Hoeven.
