Walking the talk in Albury

When Anthony Maw asked if anyone in the tiny town of Jindera near the NSW/Victoria border wanted to go for a social walk one Sunday morning, 60 people turned up. Some drove 15km from Albury to join in.

Anthony, an extrovert who loves chatting and listening to people, started the Jindera Blokes Walk after struggling with the isolation of covid lockdowns and remote working. 

“I’m quite a strong person, emotionally and mentally aware, with strong family connections. I thought, if I’m struggling through this, who else in my small town is doing the same - and probably worse?”

“So I created this group, put it out on social media and said ‘On this date, I’m going to start a walk. If anyone would like to join me for some social connection, come along’.”

Fast forward and the group now has 170 members, with about 20 setting off from the local footy ground at 8am every Sunday morning. They range from teens to grandparents and come from all walks of life - teachers, trainers, technicians and truck drivers, to those running businesses from cattle genetics to a brewery. 

The group’s oldest member, 80-something year old Brian ‘walked’ in his mobility scooter. A stroke might have stopped him joining the walks regularly now, but it hasn’t stopped him joining events for social connection, including the group’s Christmas 2023 celebration.

It may be called the ‘Blokes Walk’, but everyone’s welcome. ‘Honorary blokes’ include four year old Poppy, who rides her bicycle alongside dad Gus (she started ‘walking’ as an 18 month old on his shoulders), and 21 year old Sarah, the daughter of regular walker Mark.

“Sarah asked if she could join us to help her achieve some physical fitness goals and we said, ‘Absolutely’. She openly shares her appreciation for the group and how it has helped her, both physically and mentally,” Anthony said.

“We talk the whole way. We talk about footy, fishing, family - but the massive thing I’m so proud of is that people are now sharing their thoughts and feelings.

“If things are a little bit tough, they’re happy to share that. They know they’ve got a group of people they can share their worries, frustrations or disappointments with. It happens every week, without prompting. It’s just amazing.”

A second group hits the road

So amazing that Anthony’s best mate Adrian Bergic was inspired to start another group, the Thurgoona Blokes Walk group in his hometown on the outskirts of Albury.

“Seeing Anthony’s passion and what he did at Jindera was the inspiration,” Adrian said.

“I went to a couple of the Jindera walks and liked the connection. They all made you feel welcome, it didn’t matter who you were or what your story is. I just walked in there and it was a hug and a handshake and a how are you going. It makes you feel really good.

“So I thought, let’s give it a go. I want to get that going in our little town too.”

What started with two members grew to 45 within three months. About 15 regular walkers are there every Sunday, with others joining when weekend work shifts allow.

“When guys come in, we say if you don’t know someone, at the end of the walk, have a chat with them. That’s our goal here. Make a new connection each time.”

“The biggest thing I found initially was that because we talk about mental fitness, I had a lot of people reach out and say ‘Do I have to talk about my feelings? I’d say you can talk about the footy, your cars, general chit chat. It took away that fear of having to open up.”

Now, the ‘opening up’ naturally happens at Thurgoona too, where starting one conversation can become the entry point into deeper conversations and connections. And it’s not all about talking - listening is just as important. People don’t always want an answer, they just want someone walking beside them to listen.

Building - and rebuilding - social connections

Both walking groups are living what Gotcha4Life does - nurturing a village and helping people to be vulnerable to share things, and building social connections that encourage help-seeking behaviours - where people feel comfortable to ask for help when they need it. 

That inspired Anthony, a site training manager at Mars Petcare in Wodonga, to reach out to Gotcha4Life to take the message even further in their community.

“I thought it would give us a real kick along, both in our small town and in the greater region, if we could get Gotcha4Life to come down and help us spread the word about the importance of mental fitness and physical fitness, particularly in men.”

A date was set and 20 people joined a workshop at the Thirsty Devil, the Albury microbrewery part owned by Anthony.

“I was super proud to see how eager the crew were to engage. Nobody balked at it, they were so open.”

“When they were asked to send a text message to people they loved but hadn’t connected with lately, it was so powerful to see them confidently hit the send button, and see their faces when they got their responses back. 

“There were some beautiful replies that really helped reconnect some people where a connection had become if not broken, then slightly frayed.” 

One of those people was Poppy’s dad Gus.

“Adrian sent a text to a mate he hadn’t spoken to in years, so I thought OK, I’m going to send one to my old man. I can’t remember the last time dad said he’s proud of me, if ever, and I’m 46. So I sent him a message to see what happened.”

“I sent one to me brother too and he got back to me within 60 seconds. He asked, ‘You alright?’. I replied, ‘Yes buddy, I’m all good’.

“Then, a couple of hours later, my old man got back to me with a love heart. That’s the most he’s ever done. He got back to me, which was good. I honestly didn’t know if he would.”

Reaching more communities

Now, Gotcha4Life community champions Anthony and Adrian have their sights set on building more social connections and awareness of mental fitness and help-seeking behaviours. 

Anthony has shared the link to the free online Gotcha4Life Mental Fitness Gym with Mars Petcare staff at Wodonga, and wants to bring a Tomorrow Man workshop to youth at his local football club.

And, if you’re anywhere near Albury on a Sunday morning, keep an eye out for more Blokes Walk groups hitting the pavement.

“We are talking about getting it into other little towns,” Adrian said. “If it worked for me, it could work for someone else.”

Anthony agreed. “I would encourage any community, if it was 100 people or 100,000 people, to create a group. The link between social connection, and mental fitness and physical fitness is real. Reach out, create a space where people feel safe and comfortable to come and start connecting.”