Mr Catterson said men in general were not so great at doing coffee and chat time and lockdown had not really helped. Not many of his mates were up for a Zoom catch-up.

The phone list is one bit of advice the Central Highlands Rural Health chief operations officer shared for the organisation's Men's Health Week promotion.

The Hepburn Shire-based health services called on men, of all ages and backgrounds across its region, to start conversations on men's health from how to stay healthy and where to seek health information, to health advice for their younger selves and one key thing they do for their health.

Mr Catterson said the short videos were about keeping the messages simple and not over-complicating things. You can watch them here.

"It's about how this can actually help you in making simple changes," Mr Catterson said. "The other thing is to remember we've still got a lot of men isolated from talking about things. A lot of mates are quiet and you need to actually get out there and ask them how they are going.

"...The biggest thing about the phone call is actually making the phone call. It's a bit more discipline when you're feeling okay but I'd like to have a mate call me in times when I might not be okay."

Cyclist Chris Chatham said in often receiving such a call from a mate, it was just knowing there was someone who you could call when you did have a bad day.

Mr Chatham is Villages of the Old Goldfields Association (better known as VOGA) cycling's president and also features in the videos. He is also an emergency services worker with ESTA in Mount Helen where part of his role is mental health advisor.

Mr Chatham said a quick check-in could make a big difference.

"I'm big on making sure people are talking out loud their concerns but when it comes to checking in, it doesn't have to be much. Just an 'are you doing all right?'," Mr Chatham said.

"My little group of friends is all celebrating 40^th and 41^st birthdays and we're all at different phases of parenting...For us, it's about always checking in on each other.

"It's important to speak about any issues you have. I think it's been ingrained in men to not speak but it's never good to bottle things up."

Hepburn Shire chief Evan King spoke in the videos about how his sporting background meant mates were often talking about different injuries with each other and it was not much more of a stretch to ask about mental health.

Central Highlands Rural Health has produced eight shot videos asking Men's Health Week ambassadors across the region for simple healthy advice.

CHRH has also pieced together a online showbag with extra resources and programs for men.

Mr Catterson said the campaign was made in close partnership with Hepburn Shire council and medical centres across the shire.

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