As Movember gets into full swing, we catch up with Queensland-based broker Mark Winter to find out more about how his mental health awareness group — Springfield Mo Men — aims to raise a record $100,000 in its 10th anniversary year.
At the Australian Broking Awards 2022, Loan Market Greater Springfield took home the award of Social And Community Engagement Program of The Year, having won the same award for the state-based Better Business Awards Queensland earlier this year, too.
The awards were won in recognition of the brokerage’s involvement with Springfield Mo Men, a group co-founded by broker Mark Winter to raise awareness of men’s health in the local community. As Mo Men celebrates its 10th anniversary, we caught up with the Loan Market broker to find out how and why the group is looking to raise awareness and funds for men’s health.
This content is available exclusively to
The Adviser premium members.
Bringing Mo Men together
After a local tragedy in 2012, Queensland-based broker Mark Winter was talking to his friend Paul Kirwan about wanting to make a difference when it came to supporting men’s health — both physical and mental. Fast forward 10 years, and the fruit of that conversation, Springfield Mo Men, has done just that by raising more than $200,000 for The Movember Foundation and creating a community support network.
The initiative has had far-reaching impact; not only raising money for the Movember charity (which encourages men to grow a moustache and raise funds during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and suicide) but also at the community and individual level, too.
Speaking to The Adviser about why he started Mo Men in the first place, Mr Winter says: “Ten years ago, a local gentleman drove his car into the lake and took his own life. It was very washed under the carpet. It wasn’t really spoken about. But, unfortunately, suicide in our country is one of the biggest killers of men in this country.
“Myself and my mate Paul were sitting at the pub, thinking: ‘Something needs to change in this area that we can tangibly touch, feel, and be part of. How do we get better at this?’ We thought we had to do something. So we thought we would align with a charity that focuses on men’s mental health. As Movember came up, we thought we’d have a look at that — and that’s how we started.
“We came up with Springfield Mo Men, as we wanted it to be local. The first year, we raised $300, and thought we were legends! But last year, we had raised $70,000 for November. It’s been a significant change; we’ve got so much community support and so many people on board. It’s been an amazing ride.”
‘It’s not weak to speak’
Mo Men started with small events, for example, bringing people together for a trivia quiz, or a steak dinner and a discussion on health. But the events and support quickly grew. While tens of people first joined the group events, this quickly escalated to hundreds.
Local businesses got behind Mo Men, too, with local bakery Puckles Family Bakehouse donating pies for a pie-eating contest, and pizzeria Big Pappa’s Pizza selling the “Movember Meatlovers” pizza, donating money from the sales towards Springfield Mo Men, and the local McDonald’s also an active supporter.
“We realised we were onto something. People like talking to people. People like getting in a room, and having dinner, and having some form of guest come along,” Mr Winter says.
“But, I’m just a mortgage broker, I’m not a professional psychologist or psychologist in any way. We’re not trained in that area, we’re just the ones creating the awareness to break down the stigma that comes along with men’s health.
“I saw something the other day that said: ‘It is not weak to speak’. I love it; it’s going to be my mantra from now on. Because we know it is okay not to be okay but also, you’re not weak when you want to talk about what you’re going through.
“So, we have aligned ourselves with three local guys that are professionals in that field who are willing to give up their first initial consultation for free, so men can go to them and talk, and work through those issues that they might be going through,” outlining that more people have offered their support as the initiative has grown.
Mr Winter suggests that having a local community group and local professionals on hand was also helping gain cut-through, because some people may find calling a larger, national organisation intimidating — but by talking to someone in the area, it makes the first step more accessible.
As well as offering access to professionals, Mo Men has expanded the number of events it holds per year, so there’s continuous engagement and support outside of the month of November. For example, Mo Men held a “casino” night (using play money) at the end of the financial year, which saw more than 120 people purchase the $100 tickets and donate on top of that. It has previously welcomed sports stars and TV personalities to its events, such as Nathan Hindmarsh and Bryan Fletcher from The Footy Show, whose talk helped raise $20,000 for Movember.
As Mo Men celebrates its 10th anniversary, it will this year welcome the INXS Tribute Show to perform to 160 people this month, which aims to raise more than $25,000.
Already, Mo Men is the fifth-largest contributor to Movember 2022 in Australia, having raised more than $12,000 (as at the time of writing) — but aims to finish the year off by raising a whopping $100,000 — half the amount the group has raised over the past 10 years.
Tips for building a community group
Noting that all of these events take time and money to arrange, Mr Winter highlights that the main thing anyone needs to set up their own groups is time and passion.
“You don’t need to have heaps of money, all you need is time. You don’t need to be on boards of things, you just need to be actively involved in something,” Mr Winter explains.
“The first step is just finding what you’re passionate about. And when we found this passion that we have about men’s mental health, and the stigma that goes along with it… we said we can make a little bit of a difference. And if it takes just one, we’re going to be that one.”
By making their own jackets and engaging with the community, Mo Men has also helped Mr Winter amplify his profile. He says that starting groups such as this can also benefit new brokers, as it helps cement their name in their community while giving back. Meanwhile, those with less time but bigger pockets can “actually throw some money at it, and tangibly make some difference”.
Anyone wishing to donate to Movember via Springfield Mo Men’s page can do so here.
Seek help
If you are suffering from abuse, depression or suicidal thoughts — or you’re worried about someone else — and feel that professional support is needed, contact your local doctor or one of the 24/7 crisis agencies below.
If you are concerned for your immediate safety or the safety of others, call Triple Zero (000).
1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
[Related: R U OK? Brokers encouraged to ask and answer]
