Movember 2012 Farewell

The Mo is gone but let’s reflect on the month we have had.

For starters we had team members signing up continuously and I was impressed with the amount and the following we have built over the last few years.   Then the donations started rolling in,  before Movember even started we were at almost $2000!  At this stage we have had urgent nationwide Aerospace General Manager, Craig Wilkinson, sign up to grow a Mo, along with other leaders in our organisation.   This sparked more member to sign up and we ended up with a total of 31 members, an awesome record and benchmark has now been set.

I started with Movember in 2007 and grew my Mo to look like the current Movember symbol. I won the Man of Movember award for a new  and was nominated team Captain,  I think the idea was to pass it on and get rid of the title each year. I started my Captaincy in 2008 and lead the team to an improved result from the previous year,  except I managed to get a couple of members in from our Brisbane office involved.  At this stage our numbers were around 10.  I thought it would be great to have a QLD team,  so the next year I pushed and over the next couple for years I had decided I would try to create a national team where everyone from Raytheon Australia joined the one team if they were going to participate. This year we achieved that successfully and going forward it is only going to grow stronger as we also have WA joining in the team.

My choice of standouts for this year were Shane Fairweather, Dave Hutchison, Rowan Green, Phil Hall and Wade Mogridge-Khan. Shane shaved his Mo off for the first time since he was 20, this meant his wife and kids would see him for the first time ever without a Mo.  Shane went on this month to grow donations to him over the $1000 Mark and he joined the Movember Platinum Club. Dave and Phil joined Movember for the first time and lead the way raising donations. Rowan and Wade also made excellent progress with fundraising totals lots higher than most of our team individuals in previous years. I hope to meet some of our other members too and congratulate them in person.

We also have had our Raytheon US counterparts join us in Movember the last couple of years and helped our network total grow to a massive $12000 raised this year! It is great to chat with some of the guys over there,  especially Shaun Beaudette, the Captain,  who has helped raise the Movember movement in the US and personally raised over $1400.  I also hope to meet Shaun one day and personally congratulate him on what he’s achieved.

Well that is it,  a great month of Movember done for another year,  more money raised to help find cancer cures and ways to help depression sufferers, more awareness raised for men’s health and hopefully more men seeing their doctor annually. I also handed over the Captaincy to Wade for next year so I more looking forward to supporting the Captain and doing my bit without some of the overhead, although I won’t be Abe to help myself,  I’m sure I will be there alongside him as a past Captain.

FInally, to those that supported my Mo and donated,  a huge thank you. To those that have not yet donated,  there is time. You can click here and donate.

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My Mo and my ever-supportive daughter Caitlin

Cheers,
Matt

Managing Holiday Stress

I received this in a work newsletter and thought it to be relevant to share so here it is…

Understanding what may cause you stress during the holidays is the first step to managing it.    Setting high expectations and doing too much can leave us feeling overwhelmed.     Spending time with relatives or, conversely, missing our relatives, can stir up emotions.

The weather can contribute to our holiday mood as it gets hotter or colder (depending where you live in the world) and daylight increases/decreases.
Suggestions for making this holiday season less stressful:
  • Limit your schedule by selecting only the activities, parties, events, and traditions that have the most meaning and give the most joy to you.
  • Make healthy food and drink choices that will leave you feeling good and with no regrets come 2010.
  • Set a reasonable budget for the season and stick to it.
  • Exercise can be a wonderful mood elevator.
  • Spending time in well lit environments can be helpful.
Most important, seek help if your holiday stress becomes too great or you are feeling overly sad and/or disinterested in things you once enjoyed.
Have a safe, stressless, enjoyable Christmas.
Cheers,
Matt

Movember Raising Awareness

Here is a blurb I found at the Movember site that explains really well why I grow a Mo every year in the month now known as Movember.  This cause has special ties to me and my family and my belief is that it has a link to pretty much every family, once you look deep enough.  So have a read on what Movember is trying to achieve and what they have achieved and either donate by sponsoring me, or talk to your family and doctor about your health, especially you men.
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Movember’s first campaign objective is to raise the awareness and understanding of men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and depression.

We want everyone to know that men over the age of 50, and those over 40 with a family history, are at risk of prostate cancer and encourage them to be tested annually.  Prostate cancer is curable if detected and treated early, however, there are normally no early symptoms underpinning the necessity of regular screening.

1 in 8 men in Australia will experience depression in their lifetime. Depression is an illness, not a weakness and there is no shame in seeking help – just the same as you would for a physical health problem. Effective treatments are available and with the right treatment, most people recover from depression.

We also want to remove the stigma associated with men experiencing depression and have everyone understand that it is an illness that they can talk about, and for which they should seek help.

Movember’s awareness campaign aims to increase the understanding of the health issues faced by men, facilitate early detection and diagnosis which then allows for effective treatment. This will ultimately reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer and suicide.

Over the past couple of years Movember has carried out research with our registered Mo Bros, Sistas and donors. The research is conducted by Deakin University and is one of the key ways in which we track the efficacy of our awareness campaign. It is our intention to continue with this research going forward in order to assess and report back on the progress being made from one year to the next.

The 2008 findings revealed the extent to which participants are listening and acting on the men’s health messages they receive.

The latest research produced some extremely encouraging statistics concerning the changing behaviour of Mo Bros. As the statistics below highlight, as a result of Movember, men are beginning to change their attitudes and habits relating to their health.

– 82% of Mo Bros (or approx 102,188) talked about men’s health with friends, family or work colleagues
– 55% of Mo Bros  (or approx 68,541) did some of their own research into the causes Movember supports
– 13%  (or approx 16,200) sought medical advice
– 38%  (or approx 47,355) encouraged someone else to seek medical advice

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Matt with Super Scot John Dillon
Matt with Super Scot John Dillon

Cheers,
Matt

Movember 2009

Movember logo
Citizen of Movember - click on the image to donate

I am at it again, growing a moustache this year for Movember.  I have decided to put down my razor for one month (November) and help raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men.

What many people don’t appreciate is that close to 3,000 men die of prostate cancer each year in Australia and one in eight men will experience depression in their lifetimemany of whom don’t seek help.  Facts like these convince me every year to get involved and I am hoping that you will support me.

To sponsor my Mo, you can either:

  • Click this link http://au.movember.com/mospace/109083/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account
  • Write a cheque payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 109083 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 292, Prahran, VIC, 3181
  • See me in person to check out my MO and pay cash (I have donation forms and receipts)

Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Movember is now in its sixth year and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCFA) and beyondblue: the national depression initiative. Check out further details at: http://au.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.

If you are interested in following the progress of my Mo, click here http://au.movember.com/mospace/109083/. Also, http://au.movember.com has heaps of useful information.

So on the second morning of the Laser Skirmish Battle Weekend I will be clean shaving before we get underway.  I will update this blog as often as possible with pictures and I encourage you to get involved and either sponsor me or join up yourself as either a Mo Bro or Mo Sista.

Then on to growing the MO, now just to choose a style.  Take a look at this style guide and let me know which one I should go for.  Lachlan and I have already had a think and I am leaning towards the Wispy or Abrakadabra.  Let me know your thoughts.

Thank you,

Matt Struthers
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