Sydney Swans ruckman Sam Naismith had a close shave with some Bondi barbers before commencing a new growth to support his magnificent mullet and men’s health. 

Naismith has signed up as a “Mo Bro” as part of Movember, raising important funds to help stop men dying too young.

Photo above: Sam Naismith in a Bondi barber thanks to The Daily Telegraph and Bad Lambs. Credit: Christian Gilles.

Now in its 17^th year, Movember encourages ‘Mo Bros’ and ‘Mo Sisters’ across the country to rally in support of Movember’s cause areas: men’s mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Naismith said raising awareness for men’s mental health is something he is passionate about.

“I’ve personally struggled and seen people close to me who have been impacted, so raising awareness is definitely something that’s close to my heart,” he said.

“As a footballer, we exercise our bodies but have now started to see the importance of working our minds as well, which helps build resilience and good mental health, for the tough times.”

Movember’s APAC Country Director Rachel Carr has encouraged others to support Naismith or grow their own mo.

“It has been an incredibly difficult year for men, which makes this year’s campaign our most important, yet,” Carr said.

“Research conducted by Movember shows us the effects of the pandemic on men’s mental health in particular, is concerning, and is still far from over. Job losses, relationship stresses and social isolation are taking a toll.

“With the help of our community, Movember will continue funding and applying research to prevent our fathers, brothers, partners, sons and friends, from dying prematurely.”

Men’s mental health and COVID
Figures released earlier this year by Movember, as part of a global study carried out by the Social Research Centreⁱ found that:

- Over half of Aussie men (52 per cent) said no one asked how they’re coping during the COVID-19 pandemic
- 23% of men said their mental health had worsened in the first six weeks of the pandemic, with 30% noting increased feelings of loneliness
- Older men are the group most likely to have experienced poorer social connection, with 61 per cent of men aged 45+ years reporting they feel less connected to their friends since the COVID-19 outbreak
- In Australia, calls to Lifeline increased by 25% when physical distancing kicked in

Money raised through the Movember campaign will go towards a range of initiatives including digital mental health tools, projects aimed at creating social connectedness and improving mental wellbeing in men, and mental health grants for  veterans and first responders initiatives.

You can support Sam Naismith’s fundraising effort by visiting his Mo Space CLICK HERE

Crisis support can be found: movember.com/getsupport and at Lifeline: 13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au

i SRC conducted a survey through an online panel with 5,737 people aged 18 or older across the UK, US, Canada and Australia (approximately 1,430 respondents in each country). This included 809 men in the UK, 804 men in the US, 794 men in Canada and 806 men in Australia. Response quotas were set based on age, region and gender and the final data were weighted to reflect the profiles of each country. Fieldwork ran from 22nd April – 4th May 2020.