Healthier Illawarra Men

Australian men are notoriously reluctant to be pro-active about their own health – sometimes with fatal consequences. Unlike our female counterparts, we typically ignore symptoms, refuse to talk about health issues, and only visit a doctor when we’re at death’s door. In 2009, a group of concerned business and community leaders in the Illawarra, came together to form a committee aptly named Healthier Illawarra Men (HIM). The Committee reconvened in 2021 to build on what has been achieved in the past and to institute a major event in the Illawarra calendar - once again bringing men’s health to the fore. The purpose of the HIM Committee is to raise awareness of men’s health issues and to encourage men to be more proactive regarding their own health. It is also to arrange events that: •increase the general community’s awareness of men’s health issues, and •provide a tangible outcome in relation to men being proactive about their own health.