CHRIS 'Wilbur' Wilson fears we are losing the art of a "good chinwag" at the pub and the benefits that come with this.
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Mr Wilson is starting a grassroots movement in Ballarat for people to take the time to sit down with mates for a parma, a beverage and a chat in what he is billing RU Parma Wednesday in the last week of each month.
The ripple effects of suicide hit too close to home for Mr Wilson earlier this month when he lost a close mate. He hopes to help promote ways people can check in with each other more often.
"It used to be men would go to the pub on a Friday night after work and have a good chinwag," Mr Wilson said. "A lot of that stuff's gone now. Everyone's too busy in their lives."
Mr Wilson is a co-founder for the annual Mates Day in Ballarat, bringing people together near Remembrance Day with good music for good times to support defence veterans who are struggling with post-traumatic stress.
I'm just a bloke who likes a beer and likes his mates. If we put all that together, hopefully it can make a difference.
- Chris 'Wilbur' Wilson
Since 2016 Mates Day Foundation has been supporting Military Brotherhood motorcycle club and Path of the Horse equine therapy.
But Mr Wilson felt a need to do more and help others talk more often.
The suicide rate for Ballarat men is almost 30 per cent higher than for men across Victoria, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures released in July. Community mental health experts, including crisis support hotline Lifeline, say is you are concerned someone might have thoughts of suicide to ask directly, without judgement, and be prepared to listen.
Connections are also vital.
The first RU OK Parma Wednesday is in The Park Hotel's bistro this Wednesday from 6pm. Mr Wilson said The Western had already offered to host the October event.
A donation from each parma will support mental health initiatives but Mr Wilson hoped people would just enjoy a chat, rather than a text, to make a routine in checking in on each other.
"I'm just a bloke who likes a beer and likes his mates," Mr Wilson said. "If we put all that together, hopefully it can make a difference."
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