International Men's Day

19 NOVEMBER 2022

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MEN'S DAY

Founded in 1999 by Dr. Jerome Teeluck singh, International Men's Day has grown to become a widely celebrated event spanning over 90 countries all across the world

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

International Men's Day (November 19) focuses on key factors such as: raising awareness about men's and boy's health, improving gender relations and promoting gender equality, highlighting positive male role models, and celebrating positive achievements and contributions to our communities, places of work, friendships and families

The theme of IMD 2022 is helping men and boys

Mario Romeo LOCAL MANAGER - DEERAGUN

What have been the highlights of your time with Queensland Country so far?

Highlights for me are mentoring staff and watching them become better versions of themselves. Strong independent purposeful leaders of the future, I get a great deal of satisfaction in being a part of their journey. We are blessed with so many good people within our organisation, they are our most important asset, which ironically, does not show up on our balance sheet, why, because you can’t quantify our people’s value. The other highlight is the by-product of our people, what we do within our communities to make our society a better place to live, we all should be proud.

Mario's Top Tips for Wellness

1. Dont smoke pretty simple starter

2. Don’t substance abuse whether this is any form of alcohol or drugs, remember alco worst kind of calorie.

3. Maintain a healthy body weight by eating mainly fresh produce in a moderate way, ea often, without yo yo dieting or placing crazy restrictions on yourself which are impossi maintain.

4. Exercise - you have to burn what you consume, there are many great proven studies health benefits of regular exercise, resistance training is the most effective and any ag it, right down to just a brisk walk with friends, just do it and make it a habit.

5. Practice an adaptive coping style this means confronting problems directly, apprai honestly and dealing with them without unhealthy emotional reactions, or avoidance be

6. Lifelong education people you should never stop wanting to learn, maintaining an in active mind, means a happier longer life. This does not have to mean going to an exclus university, just purposeful learning, lots of reading or there are so many wonderful podcasts these days, go ahead try it get off social media and experience what the real world is about.

7. Ive left the most important predictor of a happy/healthy life to last Stable long term relationships that are held together by unconditional love, for most people this is marriage, however there are many other iterations of this, the main point is having people you can count on, no matter what. Give love, always be kind, without expecting anything in return and watch what happens.

Matthew Wilshere

What qualities do you believe are important to instil in our children to prepare them for the world?

I’ve always tried to instill in my kids that compassion, empathy and kindness are a necessity when dealing with people. I found that no matter what I’ve come up against, if people can tell you’re genuine and care you’ll be successful and overcome any obstacle. Also keep it real! Our children need to understand that things aren’t always ‘picture perfect’ especially in a world where Social Media is such a big part of their lives. You won’t win every race, you’ll fail and you’re going to make mistakes but it’s the way you deal with the situation that really counts. As a parent of two teenagers, this is really difficult to navigate. Even if at times you can see that the choice or decision they are making might not be quite right, you just need to be there to guide and support them.

HEAD OF MEMBER EXPERIENCE

Matt's Words of Wisdom to Men & Boys

There’s a real theme amongst men and boys that as a male you have to be tough, strong and that you ’ re weak if show emotion or express the way that you ’ re feeling. I challenge anyone that might think like this to consider the message they are sending –especially to our future men, our kids or those around you that are struggling and might need someone to talk to. I am the exact opposite! I believe that it’s perfectly normal to show emotion, to cry and to allow people to see that. As a Dad, I’ve always tried to display this to my kids. My eldest son is 19, he still hugs me, tells me he loves me and has never been embarrassed to do this around his friends or in public. It’s also really important to tell people how you feel and to share your feelings. Whether it be a family member or a best mate that you can confide in, don’t bottle things up and don’t ever feel embarrassed to talk about what’s bothering you. You’ll often find that what you ’ re feeling or going through is exactly the same as others around you. We should all be lifting each other up and supporting one another when needed.

HEAD OF TREASURY

Michael Jessop

What have been the highlights of your time with Queensland Country so far?

Workwise, establishing the Bank’s Negotiable Certificate of Deposit program (effectively borrowing from other banks) provided us with a good funding lever to pull, enabling us to quickly raise funds in large volumes if needed. Now that the program is established my attention has turned to nagging other banks to establish credit limit with us and give me money!

Socially, I’ve enjoyed being a part of the ‘Team of the Year’ finance crew!

Michael's Top Tips for Wellness

The decline in my overall fitness and embrace of the dad bod over the last few years suggest this is something th I’ d i well. I think there is an intrinsic link between m physical wellness, so if you get the physical we the mental wellness accompanies.

Physical fitness has always been important to competing priorities it is all to often the one th deprioritised.

Since going to the gym outside business hours wife with two feral animals (Lawson 3, Jack 1), exercise in as best I can if I have to go from home to work anyway, why not cycle? If I’m already at work and there is an airconditioned gym, get after it. Yes having to shower and get back into work clothes is a barrier but if keeping fit was easy everyone would be.

Liam Ruffle RETAIL OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

What have been the highlights of your time with Queensland Country so far?

Socially, I’ve enjoyed being a part of the ‘Team of the Year’ finance crew!

Liam's Role Models

My biggest role model at this stage of my life (and as a soon to be dad) is my Dad. I have a great appreciation for him as a person, Father and role model. When my brothers and I were younger, he sacrificed time with us to work full time, including many hours on weekends as we didn’t have a tonne of money growing up. It was only as I got older, I realised how hard this must have been to spend less time with us so that we could have things and opportunities that we took for granted as kids. I love my job and am very career driven, however even though my dad worked to provide for us he taught me the importance of spending time with family and that was more important than succeeding at work. I’ve also always admired the way he and my Mum are still so close after so many years of marriage, and I carry endless funny memories of him making her laugh. He would give her outlandish compliments and make her feel appreciated. As a kid I thought that was very embarrassing at the time of course, but now I see the humour in it and why that made their lives fun and enjoyable. I think he and my Mum have done an amazing job as parents. They have raised 3 kind men who have quality work ethic but above all have rich and fulfilling family lives. We have our first child due in January, and if we could raise him to feel the same admiration as I do for my Dad, I would be extremely grateful.

Michael Doherty AREA MANAGER - IPSWITCH

What have been the highlights of your time with Queensland Country so far?

The highlight of my time with Queensland Country Bank so far has been seeing how much the Bank cares for and supports the people that work here. Having joined Queensland Country Bank in the last 12 months, within that time we have experienced floods, multiple waves of COVID & flu and the Bank as always made sure that our people have been looked after first and foremost

Michael's Words of Wisdom to Men & Boys

For me, the most important words of wisdom I have are, firstly, know what your definition of success is. In life everybody sees success differently and trying to reach someone else’s definition isn’t going to make you happy. Then surround yourself with good people who are goin to support you to be successful. These people may not tell you everything that you want to hear all the time but they will tell you what you need to hear. Finally, you don’t have unlimited time, don’t put off doing the things you want to do.

Michael's thoughts on the "Better Health for Men and Boys”

Theme:

For me this theme means that it is our duty as men now to normalise and role model behaviours so that our next generation of men are well equipped to handle the challenges that will come before them. This is particularly important in the mental health space, as men we need to be brave enough to speak up when we aren’t feeling right and we need to be brave enough to open a conversation when we see signs that someone may be struggling.

CONTACT CENTRE MANAGER

Jason Hodgson

The theme for International Mens Day in 2022 is “Helping Men and Boys”. What does this theme mean to you?

In the past boys were raised to not show or voice their feelings as it was considered weak or soft. This has been passed down through generations and I have experienced it with my own father and his battle with anxiety and feeling uncomfortable to talk.

Being vulnerable and talking about our feelings is perfectly normal, healthy behaviour that I believe makes us stronger. I am a father of two boys and step-father to another two, so to me the theme is about role-modelling healthy behaviours to guide them along their journey of being boys and growing into men.

Jason's Top Tips for Wellness

Mindfulness: It helps increase your ability to regulate emotions, decrease stress, anxiety and depression not to mention the links to reducing heart disease, lowering blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep the list goes on. Being mindful will help you communicate and respond to any situation more effectively. Let’s face it, we ’ ve all had situations where our emotions have got the better of us.

Routine: Set time aside for work, the family and yourself. Commit to your time with each of them. Make sure to be present when you are spending time with the family (no checking emails, responding to messages etc), if you do this it says work is more important than them. Especially with children, they need to have 100% of your attention when you are interacting with them. Don’t make it too rigid though, inevitably something will come up that means you need to adjust it from time to time.

Communication: Be transparent in your communication, make sure that you talk with your family and work. Life is a lot easier when everyone involved understands what’s going on in your life. You will likely feel more supported.

Adam Sheen SOLICITOR

What have been the highlights of your time with Queensland Country so far?

I’ve had a few highlights at Queensland Country including coming across from ECU in the merger to being part of the Hardship team during the pandemic. My personal highlight would be getting admitted as a Solicitor last year.

What are your top tips for maintain physical and mental wellness whilst juggling a professional career and being a parent?

I think the basics help. I try and stay away from sugar drinks/food and limit the alcohol intake on the weekend. I find if I’m well rested I can contribute more at work and at home.

"Helping Men and Boys" Theme

I think the theme acknowledges that Men are significantly overrepresented in many statistics such as suicide, incarceration and homelessness. Importantly, the theme also acknowledges that young boys face many challenges as well including being outperformed in high school and university. I experienced this trend first hand when I was invited to sit on a panel for the “JCU heroes in business” forum that was hosted by Queensland Country where no male participants attended. I asked my friend who was hosting the forum why there were no boys involved and he said they were invited but didn’t show up. I found this interesting as when I graduated high school my friends and I would’ve jumped at a chance like that and I’m keen to understand what factors are contributing to the decline in young boys seeking out higher education.

Adam's top tips for managing a professional career and

fatherhood:

Its very early days for me! From what I’ve experienced so far I think it’s important to be organised but flexible. Babies are unpredictable and our plans often change last minute. I’ve found that if I keep on top of things I can control it makes this unpredictability easier.

KNOW YOUR MAN FACTS

Suicide is the leading killer of men under 55 in Australia

These graphics highlight key facts everyone should know about men's mental health 2 i n

will have a mental health disorder in their lifetime

Suicide kills 7 Australian men a day

3 IN 4 suicides are men

Men not in the workforce have 4 TIMES the risk of depression

IN 3 will have a substance abuse disorder

HABITS FOR MENTALLY HEALTHY MEN

Healthy lifestyle

Take care of your relationships, work life and social life

Healthy body

Eat well and exercise

Healthy connections

Talk with mates, know when and where to get help

R U OK?

Healthy mindset

Be mindful, set goals, reframe unhelpful thoughts

Learning to ask RU OK? could help save a mate's life

THANK YOU TO ALL THE AMAZING MEN AT QUEENSLAND COUNTRY!