Micah Hewson, Ashley Denovan, Mongrels Males Founder Tim Hewson and Russell Denovan on the current Mongrels Golf day at Emerald Lakes on the Gold Coast.
Mongrels Golf Tim Hewson is the founding father of Mongrels Males, an Australian charity that harnesses the ability of golf to assist psychological well being initiatives. Established in 2008, the group started as an off-the-cuff gathering of mates enjoying golf however has since developed into a major power for psychological well being consciousness and assist. Hewson’s imaginative and prescient was to create an area the place males may join, share experiences, and focus on psychological well being in a non-judgmental setting.
Inside Golf’s Andrew Crockett spoke with Hewson in digging deeper into Mongrels Males and their objectives and aspirations at their current Charity Golf Day at Emerald Lakes on the Gold Coast.
What was the motivation to get Mongrels Males began?
The very first ‘Mongrel Masters’ was in 2008. A mate and I needed to catch up for a recreation of golf, however with work, household, and children, it was robust to seek out time. The one weekend that labored was three months prematurely. So, we thought, why not invite a couple of different blokes alongside? Earlier than we knew it, we had a golf weekend deliberate. It became a contest, and like every good competitors, it wanted a trophy. We checked out ourselves—completely different shapes, sizes, ages, and cultural backgrounds—and thought, “We’re only a motley pack of mongrels.” That’s the way it began.
The subsequent yr, there have been 20 blokes, then 30, then 40. Now, our annual NSW charity golf day has 100 gamers, and we’ve established a transparent charity focus. The Mongrel Masters has morphed from being a weekend away to play golf, to one of many charity’s annual fundraising occasions.
Are you working out of Sydney?
Sure, however we’ve simply had our first Queensland charity golf day at Emerald Lakes. Over the previous 12 months, we’ve constructed 5 communities in Queensland. With extra to come back
Are you able to describe what your established communities seem like?
As a charity, we have now three core applications: Group Meetups, the Canine Home program, and our Psychological Well being Workshops.
The Group Meet Ups are designed to get guys away from bed and off the sofa—transferring, speaking, connecting, and forming new assist networks. These meetups could possibly be a bunch of blokes getting collectively for a dawn stroll, a espresso, and a chat. The concept is to get them transferring whereas having shoulder-to-shoulder conversations, which helps them open-up with out the stress of face-to-face interplay. We at the moment have 13 neighborhood champions working occasions and actions throughout New South Wales and Queensland.
The Canine Home workshops are an area for shelter and studying. We herald specialist audio system every month to run workshops on matters like breathwork, meditation, burnout prevention, time administration, and even intestine well being and sleep. It’s all about including instruments to the resilience toolkit, so blokes have one thing to depend on when occasions get robust.
Our third pillar is the Psychological Well being workshop. It is a full-day schooling seminar targeted on understanding psychological well being sicknesses and issues, recognizing the indicators, and instructing blokes tips on how to have tough conversations round matters like suicide. We additionally equip them with the data to assist themselves and others.
Again to the golf—how was your charity day at Emerald Lakes this yr?
We had 30 gamers, which was improbable. However for us, it’s by no means been concerning the numbers—it’s about creating an setting for guys to attach and discuss. Simply bringing two blokes collectively to have a significant dialog is a win. Psychological Well being Month is in October, and the 2024 theme was “Let’s speak about it.” So, we inspired everybody to dig deeper and have these extra significant conversations past simply enjoying a spherical of golf.
Which sponsors supported the day?
Australian Cash Market, Q Properties, Helpful Beer Co, and it was nice to have Inside Golf journal represented as nicely.
The Mongrels Golf day attracted a crowd of greater than 30 at their first occasion held in Queensland.
Any recommendation on tips on how to strategy robust conversations on the golf course?
Whether or not on the golf course or elsewhere, it’s so simple as checking in and being curious. Ask a mate in the event that they’re okay, however pay attention past the “Yeah, mate, all good” response. Typically, we get a joke or a half-truth in return. So, we encourage guys to scratch beneath the floor a bit. In case your mate hasn’t been exhibiting as much as golf as typically as standard, give him a name and see how he’s doing.
Life is usually a lot like golf—all of us spend a while within the tough. Issues can get difficult, and simply as you have to work collectively and observe to get again on monitor, the identical applies in life. It’s about serving to a mate get to the place they have to be, even when meaning encouraging them to hunt skilled assist.
What are your key objectives for the following 12 months in Australia?
Trying 5 years forward, we wish 800 places throughout the nation. Proper now, we’re targeted on establishing a presence in each state over the following 12 months. We additionally intention to develop into rural, regional, distant and indigenous communities. Our rural communities are rising in Outback Queensland. We’ve received a neighborhood in Barcaldine, and Longreach will launch in November. The secret is sustaining a constant presence in rural, regional and distant communities they usually don’t at all times have dependable entry to medical providers, so our Meet Ups are a lifeline for a lot of blokes.
One other precedence is rising our volunteer base. We’re a volunteer-run group, so the extra Group Champions we are able to convey on board to run our communities, the larger the impression we are able to have. Lastly, consciousness is essential for us as a brand new charity. We wish to unfold the phrase about who we’re, what we do, and the optimistic impression we’re making on males’s lives.
