Community meal aims to end isolation among older Australian men
Ashley Bennallack is starting a Bendigo lunch to help isolated men build friendships.
Ashley Bennallack watched his father lose all his friends as he aged. When his mother left, his dad's loneliness made his dementia and Alzheimer's worse.
Now Bennallack is fighting back. Ashley Bennallack is starting the Blokes Lunch in Bendigo.
It launches on Friday, October 30, at the Sporting Globe, a venue with sports screens where men feel at home. Bennallack says loneliness is as bad for health as smoking a pack of cigarettes every day.
The lunch is open to anyone struggling with being alone. This includes those new to town, working long hours, recently retired, or long overdue for a real catch-up.
Bennallack hopes the lunch builds lasting friendships, walking partners, health check-ups, and men feeling at ease asking for help.
- Ashley Bennallack
- Organizer
- Friday, October 30
- Launch date
- Sporting Globe, Bendigo
- Location
Why it mattersMale loneliness and being alone are serious health risks. Community-led programs can help men reconnect and seek help. They can prevent men from becoming completely isolated.
AustraliaRegional Victoria now has a grassroots social initiative specifically designed to reduce isolation among men, addressing a widespread mental health challenge in Australian communities.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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