FUEL deliveries might look a little bit different this month across central and northern Victoria as fuel supplier and transport company Lowes Petroleum gets behind Movember.
The company says primary producers and agriculturalists will get a little something extra with their fuel delivery this month – a red moustache.
Depot and service station staff, as well as delivery drivers are all sporting a ‘mo’ in the company’s signature red to highlight the importance of men’s health.
Across Australia’s east coast and Tasmania, Lowes team members will run various fundraising events, along with happily sharing and sporting red ‘moustaches’ in an effort to strike up conversations about men’s health.
Chief Executive Officer Cameron White and sales and marketing head Sharon White said while the company had a large male workforce, the red moustaches allowed female staff to also show their support.
“It is a great way to take the conversation out of the doctor’s room to the workplace and living room, encouraging men to discuss serious health issues in an everyday setting,” Mr White said.
“There are too many young men dying from preventable diseases and if a bit of levity helps start a conversation, then it’s so worth it.
“My father passed away from cancer – he was too young, and it meant he didn’t get enough time to spend with his grandchildren. He was typical of that generation who didn’t really talk about their health.”
Mr White said Movember is helping break down the barriers, and helping ensure men are better equipped to manage health issues during their lives.
Sharon White said she still remembers a lunch with the owner of a company she previously worked with when he broke the news, he had cancer.
“Years on I remember that awful feeling,” she said.
“It was just by chance he discovered he had prostate cancer after a routine blood test: it knocked me for a six. That early detection saved his life.
“Across Australia health authorities have reported a significant decline in Australians undertaking annual medical health checks so critical to that early detection. We are hoping it makes people have a laugh and ask each other ‘how they are doing’, since mental health is also such a critical issue at the moment.”
Extracted from Bendigo Advertiser