THE Dads in Distress group is restarting in Coffs Harbour after a few years’ lapse.
Founder Tony Miller OAM, is stepping back into the role of facilitator and holding weekly meetings every Tuesday night from 6pm-10pm in the Pioneer Cottage at Coffs Harbour Showground.
Dads in Distress supports dads experiencing trauma through family breakdown and separation anxiety, which often leads to stress, depression, isolation, and suicide.
“In this country the service is sadly needed now more than ever,” Tony told News Of The Area.
“We are inviting any men who need the support of other men or maybe even want to volunteer their support, to come along and have a coffee, a bickie and a yarn.”
The group’s first meeting last Tuesday saw four men attending.
They shared their stories and received guidance and support.
“Most of all they were heard.”
It was the breakdown of his own family relationship in 1999, and losing his home and being unable to work owing to anxiety, that led Tony Miller to set up Dads In Distress in 2000.
The founding group first met on the veranda of the Neighbourhood Centre and then the mud huts in Duke Street.
It is now a national organisation, operated by Parents Beyond Breakup, with groups all over Australia and a 1300 853 437 call line.
“The group has saved many lives over the years, mostly dealing with men going through the devastation of separation and divorce but also [men] needing a safe place to express how they feel and gain some support from other men.”
In 2023, there were 2419 deaths by suicide for males and 795 deaths by suicide for females.
“That’s on average almost 47 male suicides every week, seven a day, with the highest demographic [being] males aged 30-59 years.
“If this many Aussie men were dying in a war at the moment it would be front page news, but it’s happening, and no one seems to care and there’s minimal funding for men’s services.”
“[There] are a lot of men in town as fly-in fly-out workers on construction of the by-pass, and many have left their families behind, putting a lot of stress on their marriages.
Tony believes schools have a part to play in navigating relationship breakdowns.
“Relationships and rejection should be school curriculum subjects as important as maths and English.
“There are no winners in divorce or separation, especially our children.”
See Facebook Tony Miller OAM for more information and contact details.
All support is free, confidential, peer based and non-judgemental.
Tony was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division of the 2010 Queen’s Birthday honours for his contribution to the welfare of men through his role as the founder of Dads In Distress.
Parents Beyond Breakup (PBB) is an Australian Suicide Prevention Charity operating Dads in Distress (DIDs), Mums in Distress (MIDs) and Grandparents in Distress (GIDs).
By Andrea FERRARI
