Busselton Man Walk strides down the Jetty for men’s health

A series of unfortunate incidents four years ago inspired Busselton physiotherapist David Barton to take action on improving men’s health.

Now he is the driving force behind the Busselton Man Walk which aims to provide a safe, supportive environment for men to meet and support one another.

“I’d attended the funerals of three young men in their 20s, and I decided I needed to do something in support of men’s health,” he said.

Mr Barton said he had read about the Man Walk concept that was developed in New South Wales by Mark Burns as an idea to keep active while checking in with his mates.

“We have one of the best places to walk on the planet, it was perfect, I made a some connections and I started to set it up,” he said

The first Busselton Man Walk was in November 2019 along the Busselton Jetty with just six men, some of whom are still involved in the regular jetty walks four years later.

In the months that followed the walks grew in popularity, and additional walks were added to allow more men to participate.

Former FIFO worker Robert Gibbons was a regular participant and he has now taken on the role of managing the Friday walk.

Mr Gibbons has found the group particularly helpful during a stressful time in his life.

“My son had been imprisoned, and I was finding this very difficult to deal with,” he said.

“After one of our walks, David split the group into tables of four, and encouraged us to talk about anything.

“Sharing my story with four people that I barely knew, and really opening up about this, helped me so much.”

The Friday walks start and finish at the Goose where the walkers can enjoy coffee and catch ups.

The Busselton Man Walk team is now the only group in Australia which has adopted the initiative to promote men’s health.

The group is committed to raising awareness and taking action on men’s health issues and trying to normalise the idea that everyone struggles at some stage.

“We are trying to destigmatise mental health challenges, and help men to learn to be comfortable with this,” Mr Barton said.

The walks often include speakers and presentations, politicians, psychologists and athletes.

Mr Barton said the extra activities were often sponsored by local businesses.

“The Goose, The Shelter and Rio Tinto have all been incredibly supportive of our activities, and we are very grateful,” he said.

The group walks on Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

For more information visit the group’s Facebook page.