The New Manhood

With special guests:

• Steve Biddulph and

• David Hatfield.      

Our first guest this week is Steve Biddulph, ‘The New Manhood’, who is one of the world’s best known psychologists and a celebrated author of many books. We will discuss in detail the content of his latest book ‘The New Manhood’. His books, including Secret of Happy Children, Manhood, and Raising Boys, are in four million homes and 31 languages. They have influenced the way we look at childhood and especially the development of boys and men.

Steve was voted Australian Father of the Year in 2000 for his work encouraging the role of fathers. He lives in Tasmania with his wife Sharon, a large extended family, and assorted wombats.

Speaking about his first new book in 6 years, Steve says “The New Manhood contains everything I have learned about being male, from working as a therapist and educator with men, and living for almost sixty years, struggling, reflecting, and researching about how a man’s life either works, or does not.” The central message of the new book is the importance of purpose, and the idea that there is a single change that delineates a man from a boy. A man is someone who has gone beyond self, he enjoys life, but he lives for others.

The New Manhood is influenced by much powerful and new thinking – from elders like Richard Rohr, David Mowaljalai, David Schnarch, young men like Donald Miller. It features special sections on outstanding practitioners in education and therapy – preventing rape in South Africa, teaching manhood to boys in Melbourne, healing family violence in Northern NSW. Its message is for teenage boys, young men, family men, mid-life men and men growing old.The book is full of stories and is simple and easy to read. Steve counts this book as his best effort, perhaps of a lifetime, to affect the course of the times we live in.

Our second guest is Canadian David Hatfield, “Manology” who is an independent facilitator, experiential educator, trainer, and consultant. His professional interests revolve around issues of social justice, masculinity, and leadership. His passions lie in the meeting place of gender empathy and empowerment, rites of passage, conflict transformation, creativity, communication, and leadership training.

David’s engaging program design, facilitation, and keynote addresses are masterful and have been contracted nationally and internationally. As a specialist in male issues, David is a powerful guide in exploring notions of masculinity and a catalyst in illuminating and supporting new possibilities for both genders.

David is also the Canadian coordinator for International Men’s Day, and is proud to host the IMD event in Vancouver.  This is Vancouver’s first public celebration of International Men’s Day. The event will begin with an introduction to men’s day, a proclamation from the City of Vancouver, and several speakers and entertainers. Then everyone is welcome to mingle and meet the numerous participating organizations who will be sharing information and inviting participation in diverse ways. There will be games to play, food, fun, and creative opportunities to add your opinions and ideas into the mix!!

This event celebrates Men’s positive contributions, offers information about issues facing boys and men, and a chance to meet a diverse number of organizations in the community that are working to support the needs of boys, men and families.

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Promoting Gender And Race Equality

With Special Guests:

• Dr. Warren Farrell and
• Lee-Anne Smith.

At a time when changing slogans and spin, bombard us at an incredible rate, it is difficult to keep up with what is propaganda and what is real. Just to name a few examples of a growing list of deceptive, manipulative blurring of the facts, to which the community is exposed daily, consider the following.

Global Warming has become Climate Change, Equal Rights for Women, has become Women’s Rights, Domestic Violence has turned into Violence Against Women, conveniently ignoring the fact that at least one third of the victims are Men.

 

Equal Pay For Equal Work, has morphed into Equal Pay For Women, never mind that women often work less hours, thereby earning less pay. Never mind also, that it is already illegal to pay someone less pay for the same hours worked, doing the same work, on the basis of age,race or gender.

 

It is refreshing therefore, to listen to the genuine and informed, as they speak passionately about real gender and racial equality. No sloganeering here, just the facts and a passion to promote equality. This week we speak with two such people, who represent the genuine article, and present a well balanced enthusiasm for their cause. 

 

Our first guest is Dr Warren Farrell, The Myth of Male Power, who’s understanding of both sexes is symbolized by his being, on the one hand, on the boards of four national men’s organizations, and on the other hand, being the only man in the US to be elected three times to the Board of Directors of the National Organization for Women in New York City.  Similarly, he has started over 600 men’s and women’s groups, and over 200,000 women and men have attended his workshops worldwide.  

 

Dr. Warren Farrell began his research on gender issues in the ‘60s.  His first book, The Liberated Man, was published in 1974.  It was from the women’s perspective and the feminist perspective.  By the ‘80s, he began noticing that men were feeling misrepresented, and his award-winning national best-seller, Why Men Are The Way They Are, was written to answer women’s questions about men in a way that rings true for men.  

 

Our second guest is Lee-Anne Smith, of the Halo Leadership Agency. Halo is a non-profit incorporated, career and personal development agency, advancing Hopes, Aspirations and Leadership Opportunities for young people. The agency listens to the needs of young people, providing advocacy, programmes, peer mentoring and networking opportunities, that enable individuals to discover who they are, design their own futures and make a difference in their communities.

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Concern For The Nations' Boys

With special guests:

• Maggie Hamilton

• Melinda Tankard Reist

• Julie Gale and

• Dr Arne Rubinstein.                                                                          

Following years of neglect, there finally appears to be a ripple of concern, for the wellbeing of the nations’ boys. Growing up in an era that sees their fathers portrayed as either bumbling idiots or violent abusers, it is difficult for boys to find a role model to be proud of, or a place where they are honored.  

Our program this week consists of the recorded presentations made by four outstanding speakers, at a recent function held at NSW Parliament House, who dealt with the concern held by many, that we need to improve the support for the next generation of young men.  

First up we hear Maggie Hamilton, ‘What Is Happening To Our Boys’ , who as a well known author and social commentator, speaks about her new book, and the many reasons why we should be concerned about the way we support our boys, as they deal with the social pressures, new technologies, drugs and alcohol, peer pressure and porn, which affect them.   

Next we hear Melinda Tankard Reist, ‘Collective Shout’, who is concerned about the level of exposure to pornography and other social interests, and how some marketing influences negatively impact on our childrens’ view of the world.  

This is followed by Julie Gale, ‘Kids Free To Be Kids’, who is also concerned with the health and wellbeing of our kids, and how children are portrayed in advertising - i.e. What they wear, how they’re posed.  

Finally we hear an informative presentation by Dr. Arne Rubinstein, ‘Rites Of Passage’, who is the Co-Founder and past CEO of the Pathways Foundation, a Not For Profit organization that runs the National Award Winning Pathways to Manhood program in schools and communities around Australia. This program for teenage boys and their fathers is a contemporary Rite of Passage that aims to inspire the boys to have a vision and reach their potential.   

Dads On The Air is proud to have been broadcasting Men and Father’s issues for the past 10 years, and will celebrate our 10th anniversary, and persistence in the face of many adversities, on next weeks show. This now makes us the world’s longest running radio program, dealing with father issues.  

We hope to have many of our past contributors on the program, and look forward to your company, as we celebrate the success of the past 10 years, and proudly move into the next decade.

While it is difficult to be a lone voice in the wilderness, our mission will not be accomplished until the wilderness of political and media ignorance, is conquered, and our children’s human right to enjoy the love, care and protection of both parents, is guaranteed, and enshrined in legislation. 

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tagged Boys / Rites of Passage, Boys' Education, Gender & Masculinities, Media Representation of Males, Mentoring, Raising Kids, Relationships, Young Men

Tuesday

Sep212010

Supporting Australian Dads

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Akiva Quinn and

• Darren Atkinson.                                                                          

In an era when fathers are treated as a disposable commodity, there are those in our community who actually care enough about the plight of Australia’s dads, to help them cope with the difficulties of trying to be a dad during this difficult period.

This historically discriminating anti Men/Father era, is also shared by our Indigenous brothers. The only difference is that the dispossession and dis-empowerment of Indigenous men, started long before the wider community turned on its own men, fathers and boys. 

On today’s show we play two interesting interviews, recorded at the last National Men’s Health Convention in Newcastle with two such supporters of our Dads, who speak about the work they are doing in support of Australian Dads. 

 

The first interview is with Akiva Quinn, of Dadslink, a support group for dads in Victoria. He explains in detail the exciting programs made available by his organization, which go some way in helping Dads to better connect and bond with their children.

 

Our second interview is with Darren Atkinson of the support group, I’m an Aboriginal Dad. Darren is an Indigenous leader, with a passion to improve the parenting role of young Indigenous fathers. He explains how the child removal policies, and the prolonged dis-empowerment and persecution of Indigenous males, all but destroyed the fabric of his culture.

 

Many young Aboriginal men, have not benefited from a father figure during their childhood and lacked a good role model to prepare them for fatherhood. Interestingly, now that we have fine tuned this discriminating, government sponsored, child removal policy via our Family Courts, there is no doubt we will inherit the same aftermath as that now experienced by our Indigenous brothers. 

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tagged Fatherlessness, Indigenous Men & Fathers, Male-Friendly Services, Men's Groups, Men's Health, Mentoring, Raising Kids, Relationships

Tuesday

Sep142010

She-Wolves In Sheeps' Clothing

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Elizabeth Willmott Harrop and
• Steve Martin.

She may not be the first, nor will she be the last, to speak out in abhorrence at the level of accepted community bigotry. However on the subject of female child abusers, nobody does it better than Elizabeth Willmott Harrop, “She-Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”. Elizabeth resides in New Zealand, is a freelance writer, and has a Masters Degree in Human Rights and Social Change.

If anyone should be in doubt about the true state of who is actually involved with the abuse of children in our communities, they should listen to this weeks’ excellent interview with Elizabeth. As a well informed social commentator from New Zealand, she has carefully researched the subject, and articulates her findings with a passion, reserved for those stung by a horrible truth.

Elizabeth details her research, which includes statistics from the USA , Australia and the UK, as well as that of her native New Zealand, and the global findings are frighteningly similar.

What is most distressing is the level of Government unwillingness to recognize the findings of a plethora of studies, which reveal that female child abusers not only exist, but in actual number, almost equals the number of male abusers.

Unbelievably, despite the wealth of credible information available, elected representatives in the western democracies, persist in turning a blind eye to the truth about this issue, resulting in the drafting of hopelessly ineffective child protection legislation, which continues to be founded on a distorted perception of reality.

 

We are also joined by Steve Martin, CEO of Stepfamilies Australia, Melbourne, who speaks in detail about the dads in stepfamilies and the services offered by his organization.    

It is estimated that one in five Australian families is a stepfamily, which is fast becoming a prominent part of Australian family life. Many of these families need information, education and support. While there are many resources for biological families available to the community, the unique differences associated with stepfamilies are not well addressed, with very few services available.

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tagged Celebrating Men, Child Abduction, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, False Allegations, Male-Friendly Services, Mentoring, Raising Kids, Relationships

Tuesday

Sep072010

What Men Want - In Bed

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Bettina Arndt and
• Helen Rimington. 

At a time when it is considered funny and fashionable to engage in men and father bashing, it is certainly refreshing to see someone with the courage to enquire about the physical and emotional needs of men.

Well known social commentator, author and sex therapist Bettina Arndt,  “What Men Want - In Bed”, joins us to speak about her new book, and explains in detail, what her research into the needs of men has discovered.

 
Outspoken and pleasantly engaging, Bettina has left no stone unturned, in order to discover the inner thoughts of men, which are usually not discussed in public and which many men struggle with. This book is now widely available and a must read for all men.

 

We begin the show with an interesting interview with another woman who supports the well-being of men, Helen Rimington Director, Family Wellbeing,“Drummond Street Services”, who details the services provided by her organisation.

Helen speaks of a great new program offered to Dads, “Backyard Blitz”, which is an activity program specifically designed to help Dads and their kids.

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tagged Celebrating Men, Gender & Masculinities, Male-Friendly Services, Men's Health, Mentoring, Older Men & Fathers, Raising Kids, Relationships

Tuesday

Aug242010

The Plight Of Modern Man

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 10:30AM

With special guest:

• Paul Mischefski.  
                                                                              
  

This week we feature an interesting pre-recorded interview with investigative journalist Paul Mischefski of Mens Wellbeing, who speaks on a range of issues facing modern man in the 21st Century. In particular, there is considerable discussion around the way Domestic Violence issues are dealt with in Australia and elsewhere.  

Paul throws much doubt on the way information is gathered and how studies are conducted, which is reflected in poor domestic violence policy formulation by our governments. The resulting damage to generations of innocent men and boys by such discriminating anti male Domestic Violence propaganda, is incalculable.         

The ‘Mens Wellbeing’ website provides much helpful and informative information, including the following:  

At their deepest level, most men yearn to participate in some small or large way in the creation of a better world, and in doing so serve their families, loved ones and community. How to fulfil this yearning in these complex times is a conundrum that leaves some part of just about every man struggling for clear direction within himself about what it means to be an authentic, healthy man in our society.

Being a man in the 21st Century is no easy task.  In just one generation, the expectations on men have changed dramatically. Our roles as fathers, lovers, workers, community members, brothers and friends have all changed from what was expected of our fathers, in some cases almost beyond recognition. This rapid rate of change has left many men without adequate role models and in a state of confusion about what it means to be a man in the modern era.

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tagged Celebrating Men, Domestic Violence, False Allegations, Family Law, Fatherlessness, Male-Friendly Services, Men's Groups, Men's Health, Mentoring, Relationships

Tuesday

Jul202010

Dads in Distress Special

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Barry Guidera
  

• Laurence Anderson
  

• Rob Koch and

• Marcia Payne.                                                                               

For Australian men, who have reached the end of their emotional ability to cope with the ravages of a Family Justice system, which has removed their children, property and savings, Dads In Distress provides a safe and supportive haven for them to regain their emotional strength and sense of self-worth.

This week we salute all those who work in this wonderful organization, and who give up much of their spare time to help their fellow human beings cope, with the preventable, most traumatizing time in their lives.

Now 10 years old, Dads In Distress [DIDS] is moving from strength to strength in support of an ever increasing group of emotionally damaged dispossessed parents. First up we speak with the National Manager of DIDS, Barry Guidera, who gives us an overview of their great work. Next we speak with the Victorian project co-ordinator Laurence Anderson who details the new operational strategies being developed. We follow this by talking to Rob Koch Better Men Australia, who acts as a consultant to DIDS, and details some of the advice he offers DIDS.

We close the show speaking with Marcia Payne, DIDS Support Services, who has worked in Women’s refuges and who, having witnessed first hand the services provided to abused women, is deeply concerned at the lack of interest shown by our Governments, to acknowledge and provide support for the growing number of abused Men in our society.

The following is a snippet from the DIDS website which offers a wealth of information and support, to those finding themselves at the end of their emotional road.

“If you are finding it hard to deal with the break-up of a marriage, depression, child access, family court or just need someone to talk to, Dads in Distress is there to help”.

“Dads in Distress is a dedicated support group of men (in Australia) whose immediate concern is to stem the present trend of male suicide due to the trauma of divorce or separation. Current statistics that have been published, indicate too many men will take their own lives in preference to facing family, friends and importantly their own children with the failure of the relationship. We aim to prevent this incidence from occurring by showing the men and the community at large that someone really cares”

“While Dads in Distress Support Services (DIDSS) by its very name appears to be focused mainly on supporting men through separation from their partner and/or children, we actually have the health, safety and well-being of ALL the family uppermost in our mind. As a harm-prevention charity it saddens us that in our modern society of Australia there are men, women and children who are being harmed, and harming one another, in the very place where love and kindness should prevail”

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tagged Domestic Violence, False Allegations, Family Law, Fatherlessness, Men's Groups, Men's Health, Mentoring, Parental Alienation/Psychological Abuse, Separation / Divorce, Shared Parenting, Suicide

Tuesday

Feb232010

A Help Line For Men

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 10:30AM

With special guest

• Andrew King. 
  

The program this week mainly centers around some of what help is available for men, and accordingly we speak with Andrew King of MensLine Australia, who explains in detail the services provided by this excellent government funded support service for men.

MensLine Australia is the national telephone support, information and referral service for men with family and relationship concerns. The service is available from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is staffed by paid professional counsellors, experienced in men’s issues.

The benefits of telephone counselling are particularly attractive to men, who often find it tough to ask for help and can find face-to-face discussions about difficult issues confronting and even shameful. MensLine Australia offers a private and ‘safe’ environment for guys to talk about their problems. Over the phone, callers are anonymous and can retain more control over what happens as they can terminate the call at any time.

When faced with a problem, men are often more focussed on outcomes and practical solutions than their emotions and internal world. MensLine Australia counsellors recognize this preference and offer a down-to-earth, practical approach to counselling, whilst also encouraging men to deal with important issues in an effective way.

Although the process of separation is traumatic for all concerned, it can be particularly difficult for men whose coping strategies are often limited. MensLine Australia’s counsellors have ready access to relevant information and referral to men’s services at any time and from anywhere in the country.

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tagged Celebrating Men, Fatherlessness, Male-Friendly Services, Men's Groups, Men's Health, Mentoring, Relationships, Suicide

Tuesday

Nov032009

Indigenous Men's Health

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Ashley Gordon and

• Craig Hammond.   
  

This week we’re broadcasting to you from the opening of the week long National Men’s Health Gathering in Newcastle, which is about 2 hours north of Sydney. This national event occurs every alternate year and the whole week is dedicated to the health issues facing men today and how we can best deal with those issues.

The state of health of Australian men has been ignored and neglected for many decades by successive governments, while at the same time, the cultural landscape for men, has in recent times come under severe attack from many sources, causing a further deterioration in the well being of the nations’ men and boys.  

We are dedicating the whole of this weeks’ program to the opening day at this year’s National Men’s Health Gathering, which starts the week with the 5th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention.

We also speak with former rugby league star Ashley Gordon, “Aboriginal people and gambling” a dedicated Aboriginal leader and one of the organisers of the convention. Ashley is joined by fellow convention organiser and Aboriginal leader Craig Hammond, “The Brothers Inside Project” who is also committed to improving the physical and mental health of the nations’ Indigenous men.

If we want to see what is in store for our men and our culture, we need look no further then the enormous task faced by our Indigenous community to restore the health, dignity and well being of their men and boys. To their great credit and our national shame these communities are working hard to re-engage their once proud Men and have their cultural landscape restored.

The deplorable state of mens’ health in Australia,  is in no small part due to the fact that it has by and large been ignored by Australian governments and the media. Despite the fact that we are proud to be able to claim that Dads On The Air were the only media organisation to cover this important national week long event, it is an absolute disgrace that the nations’ media completely ignored reporting on this event and the dire state of our mens’ health.

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tagged Celebrating Men, Fatherlessness, Indigenous Men & Fathers, Male-Friendly Services, Men's Groups, Men's Health, Mentoring, Political Activism

Tuesday

Oct272009

Men's Business

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 10:30AM

With special guest:

• Ian Watson.    
  

A leader in the field of mentoring his fellow man, Ian Watson is a shining light of hope and encouragement to those suffering at the hands of agenda driven zealots, who are hell bent on destroying the resilience and natural inner strength of men and boys. 

He runs popular monthly men’s gatherings where men talk men’s business. Ian’s well attended “Transit Lounge” gatherings, provide a welcome sanctuary from the many real life experiences men suffer at the hands of government sponsored agencies and the media, whilst many of their kids are forced to live in fatherless households.

While the gender war against men and boys rages unabated around the globe, we see an apathetic and ignorant community laughing at all the demeaning anti male advertising propaganda, that sees them easily drawn into joining the “all men are perpetrators ” domestic violence hysteria. 

However, there are encouraging signs that men have just about had enough, and are collectively starting to show their enthusiasm for more pro-active engagement with one another. Mentoring is fast becoming the accepted new communication tool to support those that have fallen victim to some of the worse excesses of male bashing persecution, the world has ever witnessed.
 
We also broadcast a recording made at the National Men’s Health Convention recently, of the presentation made by psychologist Drew Cowen who works in the Family Court in Newcastle, and who’s theme was “Giving Kids the Best Dad they can have: Helping Fathers and Kids to have strong healthy relationships when they don’t live in the same home”.
 
Now on the face of it, such a caring sounding title would indicate an understanding of what fathers and their kids are forced to endure , as they desperately try to keep their parent/child relationships intact following separation. But to many dads in the audience it appeared that the one preaching to them, was part of the problem and not the solution.

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tagged Celebrating Men, Fatherlessness, Gender & Masculinities, Male-Friendly Services, Men's Groups, Men's Health, Mentoring, Non-Custodial Fathers

Tuesday

Oct202009

Behind The Black Robes

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Barbara C. Johnson and    

• Paul Stolz.

We commence this weeks’ program speaking with American lawyer and author Barbara C. Johnson who’s latest book “Behind the Black Robes: Failed Justice” which has just become available. This book addresses a serious problem, the need for court reform and the abolishment of judicial and quasi-judicial immunity. Marinated with the makings of sizzle, the book is filled with the courts’ tricks and traps for the unwary. It sets out to alert the readers both why their law cases failed and what must be done to effect court reform.

Barbara C. Johnson is an unconventional 74 year-old, who has long been a fierce advocate for fathers’ rights in family courts. She is an outspoken critic of the Massachusetts court system, which she says is rife with corruption.

Secondly we speak with Paul Stolz, who is the CEO of Victorian support group “Evolve” which provides a supportive environment for disadvantaged young people to evolve into strong, caring and purposeful individuals.

Young men in today’s society face many challenges – they are struggling educationally, emotionally and socially. Without early intervention and on-going support, many are at risk of tragic futures involving broken relationships, crime, substance abuse and even suicide.

Evolve’s Young Men’s Program is an early-intervention option for young blokes who want to work through their challenges and build a more positive future for themselves.

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tagged False Allegations, Family Law, Fatherlessness, International Perspectives, Mentoring, Political Activism, Raising Kids

Tuesday

Oct062009

Action On Men's Health

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Greg Andresen 
  

• Ray Kelly and

• Geoffrey Greene. 

We start the program by doing a live cross to the National Men’s Health Gathering 2009, being held in the city of Newcastle. Greg Andresen reports on the planned activities for the four day event. While a significant national event, which only takes place every alternate year, it sees Dads on the Air as the only member of the national news media to attend this important National Convention on Men’s Health issues, for the full week.

Greg Andresen and Peter van de Voorde, who are representing Dads on the air at the conference, will be recording a number of presentations and have planned a series of interviews with leading participants that will be aired in coming weeks on our program.

Our second interview is with Indigenous leader Ray Kelly, an academic based at Newcastle University, who gave the opening presentation at the 5th National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention. This Convention was the forerunner to the National Men’s Health Conference and the National Family and Relationships Forum, and was devoted to Indigenous issues where men’s health issues are even more predominant than in the general community.

We also speak with Geoffrey Greene the President of the Shared Parenting Council of Australia, about the three separate inquiries into Family Law being conducted by the Rudd Government. He argued that despite the concerted push to wind back the Family Law reforms introduced by the Howard government, the Trade Union movement would be a force within the ALP to block these changes. The Union movement wants to avoid a return to the dark ages when fathers only saw their children intermittently, if at all, following separation.

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tagged Celebrating Men, False Allegations, Family Law, Indigenous Men & Fathers, Male-Friendly Services, Men's Health, Mentoring, Political Activism, Relationships

Tuesday

May192009

The Rite Journey

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 10:30AM

With Special Guests:

• Andrew Lines and
• James Adams

Rites of passage and initiation into adulthood through ceremony and the passing on of wisdom from men to boys has always been a fundamental part of indigenous and tribal cultures but is strangely lacking in the West.

Andrew Lines is a high school teacher from South Australia who has devloped a unique boy’s education initiative which has evolved over the last 10 years. The program is called The Rite Journey and is implemented over a year in the school setting for boys around the age of 14 and is now being adopted in a number of private schools. There is also interest from the public sector. In looking at the racist, sexist and homophobic views that some of his students were expressing, and in the grip of reading Stephen Biddulph’s Manhood, he decided to question how this came about and found a lack of male role models, mentors and teachers in the boys lives.

Following our tradition of tracking Australian family law reform closer than any other media outlet, this week we move on to talk to James Adams from Fathers4Equality about the issue of perjury in the Family Court. He argues that the common practice of making up allegations against the father in the Family Court is a form of child abuse.

In a recent press release Fathers4Equality argued that the Chief Justice Diana Bryant’s personal push to take out the perjury elements in the Family Law Act is a case of poor judgement.

He says: “The Chief Justice of the Family Court, Diana Bryant, has recently launched an extraordinary attack on Australia’s internationally regarded 2006 Family Law amendments, by writing to the Attorney-General and asking him to urgently repeal important provisions within the amendments.

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tagged Boys / Rites of Passage, Boys' Education, False Allegations, Family Law, Mentoring

Tuesday

Apr072009

DOTA Goes Spiritual

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Archbishop Barry Hickey and
• Fighting Father Dave.

The mainstream churches have long ignored the many issues confronting fathers in Australia today, so we decided to take a look at the issues of fathers and the various churches.

Catholic Archbishop Barry Hickey has written that the absence of fathers is the biggest family and social problem in our society. “If Father Christmas was offering me gifts, I would ask for peace in every family and a father at the heart of every family,” he was quoted as saying in the publication Perth Now. “The absence of fathers is the biggest family and social problem we face today. It is the biggest cause of lifelong difficulties for fathers, mothers and, most of all, for children.”

“The absence of fathers is bigger than anger, aggression, alcohol, drugs, crime and under-achievement by children because it is the biggest single contributor to all of them. This is borne out worldwide by every large-scale, long-term study of family. I know that Father Christmas isn’t going to solve this problem for me, but I keep praying for it,” Archbishop Hickey said.

Fighting Father Dave is Parish priest, community worker, martial arts master, pro boxer, author, father of three. His website is www.fatherdave.org. Author of Sex, the Ring and The Eucharist, is the only Australian in the Holy Order of the Anglican Church who has ever had to box professionally in order to raise the funds to keep his ministry going. He is known as “Sydney’s Fighting Father,” who combines his work as a Parish Priest with a ministry to street kids, heroin addicts and other ‘undesirables’ from the underside of Australian Society. He uses boxing and the fighting arts to teach young people self-control.

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tagged Boys' Education, Fatherlessness, Mentoring, Raising Kids

Tuesday

Jan152008

Men's Sheds and Private Spaces

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Professor Barry Golding, University of Ballarat. With men’s voices almost eliminated from the public debate on gender - and certainly from the formation of public policy - the importance of private spaces where men can simply be themselves is more important than ever [more info]
• Simon Hunt, Family Law Maverick. Simon’s propositions are very much solution based, are well thought through and need to be considered seriously, as an intregal part of the debate to bring about much needed changes to a hopelessly flawed Family Justice System

Plus the next instalment of the radio drama Hero Joe, produced especially for Dads on the Air.

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tagged Male-Friendly Services, Men's Sheds, Mentoring, Older Men & Fathers, Unemployment

Tuesday

Oct302007

Taking the Journey

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 10:30AM

With special guests:

• Gary Hodson, president of GAMMA - Gay and Married Men’s Association. GAMMA is a group of dedicated men who identify as Gay or Bisexual and who are - or who have been - married or involved in a heterosexual relationship. For more than a quarter of a century GAMMA has offered support and advice to thousands of married Gay and Bisexual men in New South Wales. Gary discusses the various issues faced by gay dads in Australia.
• James Adams, from Fathers 4 Equality, and candidate for Family First for the seat of Wentworth in inner Sydney at the upcoming federal election.
• Mark Young, from the Lone Fathers Association, Mackay Branch (QLD), with some disturbing information about reforms to the Child Support system.
• Paul Dayman and Damien Litchfield from Anglicare’s Boys Will Be Men program in Lilydale, Victoria. Boys Will Be Men is a school-based mentoring/adventure therapy program for boys aged nine to 12. The program brings together men from the community who volunteer their time to be positive and non-judgemental role models for a number of boys in a weekly program.

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tagged Boys / Rites of Passage, Child Support, Gay Dads, Mentoring

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Supporting Australian Dads

With special guests:

• Akiva Quinn and

• Darren Atkinson.                                                                          

In an era when fathers are treated as a disposable commodity, there are those in our community who actually care enough about the plight of Australia’s dads, to help them cope with the difficulties of trying to be a dad during this difficult period.

This historically discriminating anti Men/Father era, is also shared by our Indigenous brothers. The only difference is that the dispossession and dis-empowerment of Indigenous men, started long before the wider community turned on its own men, fathers and boys. 

On today’s show we play two interesting interviews, recorded at the last National Men’s Health Convention in Newcastle with two such supporters of our Dads, who speak about the work they are doing in support of Australian Dads. 

 

The first interview is with Akiva Quinn, of Dadslink, a support group for dads in Victoria. He explains in detail the exciting programs made available by his organization, which go some way in helping Dads to better connect and bond with their children.

 

Our second interview is with Darren Atkinson of the support group, I’m an Aboriginal Dad. Darren is an Indigenous leader, with a passion to improve the parenting role of young Indigenous fathers. He explains how the child removal policies, and the prolonged dis-empowerment and persecution of Indigenous males, all but destroyed the fabric of his culture.

 

Many young Aboriginal men, have not benefited from a father figure during their childhood and lacked a good role model to prepare them for fatherhood. Interestingly, now that we have fine tuned this discriminating, government sponsored, child removal policy via our Family Courts, there is no doubt we will inherit the same aftermath as that now experienced by our Indigenous brothers. 

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She-Wolves In Sheeps' Clothing

With special guests:

• Elizabeth Willmott Harrop and
• Steve Martin.

She may not be the first, nor will she be the last, to speak out in abhorrence at the level of accepted community bigotry. However on the subject of female child abusers, nobody does it better than Elizabeth Willmott Harrop, “She-Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”. Elizabeth resides in New Zealand, is a freelance writer, and has a Masters Degree in Human Rights and Social Change.

If anyone should be in doubt about the true state of who is actually involved with the abuse of children in our communities, they should listen to this weeks’ excellent interview with Elizabeth. As a well informed social commentator from New Zealand, she has carefully researched the subject, and articulates her findings with a passion, reserved for those stung by a horrible truth.

Elizabeth details her research, which includes statistics from the USA , Australia and the UK, as well as that of her native New Zealand, and the global findings are frighteningly similar.

What is most distressing is the level of Government unwillingness to recognize the findings of a plethora of studies, which reveal that female child abusers not only exist, but in actual number, almost equals the number of male abusers.

Unbelievably, despite the wealth of credible information available, elected representatives in the western democracies, persist in turning a blind eye to the truth about this issue, resulting in the drafting of hopelessly ineffective child protection legislation, which continues to be founded on a distorted perception of reality.

 

We are also joined by Steve Martin, CEO of Stepfamilies Australia, Melbourne, who speaks in detail about the dads in stepfamilies and the services offered by his organization.    

It is estimated that one in five Australian families is a stepfamily, which is fast becoming a prominent part of Australian family life. Many of these families need information, education and support. While there are many resources for biological families available to the community, the unique differences associated with stepfamilies are not well addressed, with very few services available.

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What Men Want - In Bed

With special guests:

• Bettina Arndt and
• Helen Rimington. 

At a time when it is considered funny and fashionable to engage in men and father bashing, it is certainly refreshing to see someone with the courage to enquire about the physical and emotional needs of men.

Well known social commentator, author and sex therapist Bettina Arndt,  “What Men Want - In Bed”, joins us to speak about her new book, and explains in detail, what her research into the needs of men has discovered.

 
Outspoken and pleasantly engaging, Bettina has left no stone unturned, in order to discover the inner thoughts of men, which are usually not discussed in public and which many men struggle with. This book is now widely available and a must read for all men.

 

We begin the show with an interesting interview with another woman who supports the well-being of men, Helen Rimington Director, Family Wellbeing,“Drummond Street Services”, who details the services provided by her organisation.

Helen speaks of a great new program offered to Dads, “Backyard Blitz”, which is an activity program specifically designed to help Dads and their kids.

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The Plight Of Modern Man

With special guest:

• Paul Mischefski.  
                                                                              
  

This week we feature an interesting pre-recorded interview with investigative journalist Paul Mischefski of Mens Wellbeing, who speaks on a range of issues facing modern man in the 21st Century. In particular, there is considerable discussion around the way Domestic Violence issues are dealt with in Australia and elsewhere.  

Paul throws much doubt on the way information is gathered and how studies are conducted, which is reflected in poor domestic violence policy formulation by our governments. The resulting damage to generations of innocent men and boys by such discriminating anti male Domestic Violence propaganda, is incalculable.         

The ‘Mens Wellbeing’ website provides much helpful and informative information, including the following:  

At their deepest level, most men yearn to participate in some small or large way in the creation of a better world, and in doing so serve their families, loved ones and community. How to fulfil this yearning in these complex times is a conundrum that leaves some part of just about every man struggling for clear direction within himself about what it means to be an authentic, healthy man in our society.

Being a man in the 21st Century is no easy task.  In just one generation, the expectations on men have changed dramatically. Our roles as fathers, lovers, workers, community members, brothers and friends have all changed from what was expected of our fathers, in some cases almost beyond recognition. This rapid rate of change has left many men without adequate role models and in a state of confusion about what it means to be a man in the modern era.

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Dads in Distress Special

With special guests:

• Barry Guidera
  

• Laurence Anderson
  

• Rob Koch and

• Marcia Payne.                                                                               

For Australian men, who have reached the end of their emotional ability to cope with the ravages of a Family Justice system, which has removed their children, property and savings, Dads In Distress provides a safe and supportive haven for them to regain their emotional strength and sense of self-worth.

This week we salute all those who work in this wonderful organization, and who give up much of their spare time to help their fellow human beings cope, with the preventable, most traumatizing time in their lives.

Now 10 years old, Dads In Distress [DIDS] is moving from strength to strength in support of an ever increasing group of emotionally damaged dispossessed parents. First up we speak with the National Manager of DIDS, Barry Guidera, who gives us an overview of their great work. Next we speak with the Victorian project co-ordinator Laurence Anderson who details the new operational strategies being developed. We follow this by talking to Rob Koch Better Men Australia, who acts as a consultant to DIDS, and details some of the advice he offers DIDS.

We close the show speaking with Marcia Payne, DIDS Support Services, who has worked in Women’s refuges and who, having witnessed first hand the services provided to abused women, is deeply concerned at the lack of interest shown by our Governments, to acknowledge and provide support for the growing number of abused Men in our society.

The following is a snippet from the DIDS website which offers a wealth of information and support, to those finding themselves at the end of their emotional road.

“If you are finding it hard to deal with the break-up of a marriage, depression, child access, family court or just need someone to talk to, Dads in Distress is there to help”.

“Dads in Distress is a dedicated support group of men (in Australia) whose immediate concern is to stem the present trend of male suicide due to the trauma of divorce or separation. Current statistics that have been published, indicate too many men will take their own lives in preference to facing family, friends and importantly their own children with the failure of the relationship. We aim to prevent this incidence from occurring by showing the men and the community at large that someone really cares”

“While Dads in Distress Support Services (DIDSS) by its very name appears to be focused mainly on supporting men through separation from their partner and/or children, we actually have the health, safety and well-being of ALL the family uppermost in our mind. As a harm-prevention charity it saddens us that in our modern society of Australia there are men, women and children who are being harmed, and harming one another, in the very place where love and kindness should prevail”

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A Help Line For Men

With special guest

• Andrew King. 
  

The program this week mainly centers around some of what help is available for men, and accordingly we speak with Andrew King of MensLine Australia, who explains in detail the services provided by this excellent government funded support service for men.

MensLine Australia is the national telephone support, information and referral service for men with family and relationship concerns. The service is available from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is staffed by paid professional counsellors, experienced in men’s issues.

The benefits of telephone counselling are particularly attractive to men, who often find it tough to ask for help and can find face-to-face discussions about difficult issues confronting and even shameful. MensLine Australia offers a private and ‘safe’ environment for guys to talk about their problems. Over the phone, callers are anonymous and can retain more control over what happens as they can terminate the call at any time.

When faced with a problem, men are often more focussed on outcomes and practical solutions than their emotions and internal world. MensLine Australia counsellors recognize this preference and offer a down-to-earth, practical approach to counselling, whilst also encouraging men to deal with important issues in an effective way.

Although the process of separation is traumatic for all concerned, it can be particularly difficult for men whose coping strategies are often limited. MensLine Australia’s counsellors have ready access to relevant information and referral to men’s services at any time and from anywhere in the country.

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Indigenous Men's Health

With special guests:

• Ashley Gordon and

• Craig Hammond.   
  

This week we’re broadcasting to you from the opening of the week long National Men’s Health Gathering in Newcastle, which is about 2 hours north of Sydney. This national event occurs every alternate year and the whole week is dedicated to the health issues facing men today and how we can best deal with those issues.

The state of health of Australian men has been ignored and neglected for many decades by successive governments, while at the same time, the cultural landscape for men, has in recent times come under severe attack from many sources, causing a further deterioration in the well being of the nations’ men and boys.  

We are dedicating the whole of this weeks’ program to the opening day at this year’s National Men’s Health Gathering, which starts the week with the 5th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention.

We also speak with former rugby league star Ashley Gordon, “Aboriginal people and gambling” a dedicated Aboriginal leader and one of the organisers of the convention. Ashley is joined by fellow convention organiser and Aboriginal leader Craig Hammond, “The Brothers Inside Project” who is also committed to improving the physical and mental health of the nations’ Indigenous men.

If we want to see what is in store for our men and our culture, we need look no further then the enormous task faced by our Indigenous community to restore the health, dignity and well being of their men and boys. To their great credit and our national shame these communities are working hard to re-engage their once proud Men and have their cultural landscape restored.

The deplorable state of mens’ health in Australia,  is in no small part due to the fact that it has by and large been ignored by Australian governments and the media. Despite the fact that we are proud to be able to claim that Dads On The Air were the only media organisation to cover this important national week long event, it is an absolute disgrace that the nations’ media completely ignored reporting on this event and the dire state of our mens’ health.

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Men's Business

With special guest:

• Ian Watson.    
  

A leader in the field of mentoring his fellow man, Ian Watson is a shining light of hope and encouragement to those suffering at the hands of agenda driven zealots, who are hell bent on destroying the resilience and natural inner strength of men and boys. 

He runs popular monthly men’s gatherings where men talk men’s business. Ian’s well attended “Transit Lounge” gatherings, provide a welcome sanctuary from the many real life experiences men suffer at the hands of government sponsored agencies and the media, whilst many of their kids are forced to live in fatherless households.

While the gender war against men and boys rages unabated around the globe, we see an apathetic and ignorant community laughing at all the demeaning anti male advertising propaganda, that sees them easily drawn into joining the “all men are perpetrators ” domestic violence hysteria. 

However, there are encouraging signs that men have just about had enough, and are collectively starting to show their enthusiasm for more pro-active engagement with one another. Mentoring is fast becoming the accepted new communication tool to support those that have fallen victim to some of the worse excesses of male bashing persecution, the world has ever witnessed.
 
We also broadcast a recording made at the National Men’s Health Convention recently, of the presentation made by psychologist Drew Cowen who works in the Family Court in Newcastle, and who’s theme was “Giving Kids the Best Dad they can have: Helping Fathers and Kids to have strong healthy relationships when they don’t live in the same home”.
 
Now on the face of it, such a caring sounding title would indicate an understanding of what fathers and their kids are forced to endure , as they desperately try to keep their parent/child relationships intact following separation. But to many dads in the audience it appeared that the one preaching to them, was part of the problem and not the solution.

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Behind The Black Robes

With special guests:

• Barbara C. Johnson and    

• Paul Stolz.

We commence this weeks’ program speaking with American lawyer and author Barbara C. Johnson who’s latest book “Behind the Black Robes: Failed Justice” which has just become available. This book addresses a serious problem, the need for court reform and the abolishment of judicial and quasi-judicial immunity. Marinated with the makings of sizzle, the book is filled with the courts’ tricks and traps for the unwary. It sets out to alert the readers both why their law cases failed and what must be done to effect court reform.

Barbara C. Johnson is an unconventional 74 year-old, who has long been a fierce advocate for fathers’ rights in family courts. She is an outspoken critic of the Massachusetts court system, which she says is rife with corruption.

Secondly we speak with Paul Stolz, who is the CEO of Victorian support group “Evolve” which provides a supportive environment for disadvantaged young people to evolve into strong, caring and purposeful individuals.

Young men in today’s society face many challenges – they are struggling educationally, emotionally and socially. Without early intervention and on-going support, many are at risk of tragic futures involving broken relationships, crime, substance abuse and even suicide.

Evolve’s Young Men’s Program is an early-intervention option for young blokes who want to work through their challenges and build a more positive future for themselves.

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Action On Men's Health

With special guests:

• Greg Andresen 
  

• Ray Kelly and

• Geoffrey Greene. 

We start the program by doing a live cross to the National Men’s Health Gathering 2009, being held in the city of Newcastle. Greg Andresen reports on the planned activities for the four day event. While a significant national event, which only takes place every alternate year, it sees Dads on the Air as the only member of the national news media to attend this important National Convention on Men’s Health issues, for the full week.

Greg Andresen and Peter van de Voorde, who are representing Dads on the air at the conference, will be recording a number of presentations and have planned a series of interviews with leading participants that will be aired in coming weeks on our program.

Our second interview is with Indigenous leader Ray Kelly, an academic based at Newcastle University, who gave the opening presentation at the 5th National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention. This Convention was the forerunner to the National Men’s Health Conference and the National Family and Relationships Forum, and was devoted to Indigenous issues where men’s health issues are even more predominant than in the general community.

We also speak with Geoffrey Greene the President of the Shared Parenting Council of Australia, about the three separate inquiries into Family Law being conducted by the Rudd Government. He argued that despite the concerted push to wind back the Family Law reforms introduced by the Howard government, the Trade Union movement would be a force within the ALP to block these changes. The Union movement wants to avoid a return to the dark ages when fathers only saw their children intermittently, if at all, following separation.

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The Rite Journey

With Special Guests:

• Andrew Lines and
• James Adams

Rites of passage and initiation into adulthood through ceremony and the passing on of wisdom from men to boys has always been a fundamental part of indigenous and tribal cultures but is strangely lacking in the West.

Andrew Lines is a high school teacher from South Australia who has devloped a unique boy’s education initiative which has evolved over the last 10 years. The program is called The Rite Journey and is implemented over a year in the school setting for boys around the age of 14 and is now being adopted in a number of private schools. There is also interest from the public sector. In looking at the racist, sexist and homophobic views that some of his students were expressing, and in the grip of reading Stephen Biddulph’s Manhood, he decided to question how this came about and found a lack of male role models, mentors and teachers in the boys lives.

Following our tradition of tracking Australian family law reform closer than any other media outlet, this week we move on to talk to James Adams from Fathers4Equality about the issue of perjury in the Family Court. He argues that the common practice of making up allegations against the father in the Family Court is a form of child abuse.

In a recent press release Fathers4Equality argued that the Chief Justice Diana Bryant’s personal push to take out the perjury elements in the Family Law Act is a case of poor judgement.

He says: “The Chief Justice of the Family Court, Diana Bryant, has recently launched an extraordinary attack on Australia’s internationally regarded 2006 Family Law amendments, by writing to the Attorney-General and asking him to urgently repeal important provisions within the amendments.

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DOTA Goes Spiritual

With special guests:

• Archbishop Barry Hickey and
• Fighting Father Dave.

The mainstream churches have long ignored the many issues confronting fathers in Australia today, so we decided to take a look at the issues of fathers and the various churches.

Catholic Archbishop Barry Hickey has written that the absence of fathers is the biggest family and social problem in our society. “If Father Christmas was offering me gifts, I would ask for peace in every family and a father at the heart of every family,” he was quoted as saying in the publication Perth Now. “The absence of fathers is the biggest family and social problem we face today. It is the biggest cause of lifelong difficulties for fathers, mothers and, most of all, for children.”

“The absence of fathers is bigger than anger, aggression, alcohol, drugs, crime and under-achievement by children because it is the biggest single contributor to all of them. This is borne out worldwide by every large-scale, long-term study of family. I know that Father Christmas isn’t going to solve this problem for me, but I keep praying for it,” Archbishop Hickey said.

Fighting Father Dave is Parish priest, community worker, martial arts master, pro boxer, author, father of three. His website is www.fatherdave.org. Author of Sex, the Ring and The Eucharist, is the only Australian in the Holy Order of the Anglican Church who has ever had to box professionally in order to raise the funds to keep his ministry going. He is known as “Sydney’s Fighting Father,” who combines his work as a Parish Priest with a ministry to street kids, heroin addicts and other ‘undesirables’ from the underside of Australian Society. He uses boxing and the fighting arts to teach young people self-control.

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Men's Sheds and Private Spaces

With special guests:

• Professor Barry Golding, University of Ballarat. With men’s voices almost eliminated from the public debate on gender - and certainly from the formation of public policy - the importance of private spaces where men can simply be themselves is more important than ever [more info]
• Simon Hunt, Family Law Maverick. Simon’s propositions are very much solution based, are well thought through and need to be considered seriously, as an intregal part of the debate to bring about much needed changes to a hopelessly flawed Family Justice System

Plus the next instalment of the radio drama Hero Joe, produced especially for Dads on the Air.

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Taking the Journey

With special guests:

• Gary Hodson, president of GAMMA - Gay and Married Men’s Association. GAMMA is a group of dedicated men who identify as Gay or Bisexual and who are - or who have been - married or involved in a heterosexual relationship. For more than a quarter of a century GAMMA has offered support and advice to thousands of married Gay and Bisexual men in New South Wales. Gary discusses the various issues faced by gay dads in Australia.
• James Adams, from Fathers 4 Equality, and candidate for Family First for the seat of Wentworth in inner Sydney at the upcoming federal election.
• Mark Young, from the Lone Fathers Association, Mackay Branch (QLD), with some disturbing information about reforms to the Child Support system.
• Paul Dayman and Damien Litchfield from Anglicare’s Boys Will Be Men program in Lilydale, Victoria. Boys Will Be Men is a school-based mentoring/adventure therapy program for boys aged nine to 12. The program brings together men from the community who volunteer their time to be positive and non-judgemental role models for a number of boys in a weekly program.

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