Walking group helps Broken Hill Indigenous men get 'on track'

On a cold spring morning, Dieri and Barkindji man Darren Bates puts on a hoodie and sweatpants before heading to his local park.

There, the 54-year-old joins a dozen other Aboriginal men, ranging in age from their early teens to their mid-50s, for their weekly three-kilometre walk, during which they discuss men’s affairs and their life.

For Mr. Bates, beyond the social interaction, each step reminds him how lucky he is to be alive after a health scare earlier in the year.

Two indigenous men wearing hats and sunglasses talk while walking with another man in the background. — Darren Bates (right) has a renewed sense of cultural unity and a path to better health. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)

“About 18 weeks ago I had a heart attack…I could have died, (so) I try to stay fit, and walking helps the old heart keep going,” Mr Bates said .

Beyond the physical benefits, he said the supportive interactions with other men in the group helped him stay mentally strong in his decision to quit smoking after his heart attack.

“You feel good (after the walk), you feel relaxed, you go home, wash up and can just go about your business (or go) to work,” Mr Bates said.

A safe space for Indigenous men

Group creator Anthony Hayward said promoting physical and mental fitness was only part of what the walking group could do for Broken Hill’s Aboriginal male community.

A native man wearing a t-shirt, cap and sunglasses walking down a street next to a brick wall. — Walking group creator Anthony Hayward was blown away by the community support. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)

The Ngiyampaa man said he was inspired by the Sydney-based Tribal Warriors Indigenous Association, which aimed to empower indigenous people to become proud members of society.

“They’re doing walking groups for Indigenous men in Sydney, and I thought, ‘We need this in our community,'” Mr Hayward said.

“It’s so simple: these guys get together every Friday, we walk and talk.

“Everyone laughs, everyone gets to know each other.”

Since the local group was established a few months ago, Mr Hayward said it had gone from strength to strength, growing from two or three weekly walkers to around 10 semi-regular walkers.

Although he has a “the more, the merrier” attitude, he said his main goal is to provide a safe space for men and encourage them to be positive about themselves and their community .

“We need to hold a place for ourselves as Indigenous men in our own community,” he said.

An older indigenous man wearing a sweater smiling at the camera as he walks on a trail next to a park. — Rossi Morris is one of the oldest participants in the Broken Hill walking group. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)

“We need to be able to come together on a positive note (and) talk and experience things and support each other.

“We have (both) younger warriors and older warriors (here). This is the type of leadership by example that we need for our community.”

Bridging the generation gap

Ngiyampaa man Sheldon Hall, who works with school-aged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men to improve their lives, regularly joins the walk.

He said the group had helped bridge the gap between younger generations and ideal male role models.

“All of these (men) who are doing this walking group (have) jobs, families, houses (and) cars,” Mr Hall said.

A man and boy walking on a path throwing a rugby ball with a barbecue set up in the background — Sheldon Hall (right) regularly brings up to three school-age boys to interact with models. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)

“It’s good to show the boys that you can break that cycle and that there’s so much more to being an Aboriginal man and a proud man.”

Academics welcome positive initiatives

Creating a designated space for Indigenous men to come together is not a new concept, but one that Indigenous mental health academics say we can never have enough of.

“Support, understanding, connection, respect is rare in society for Indigenous men, so any place they can get it is important,” said Gregory Phillips, assistant professor of Indigenous health at the Faculty of Medicine from Griffith University.

An Indigenous man in costume smiling in front of a chart. — Indigenous health practitioner Gregory Phillips is a big proponent of solution-focused groups. (Provided: Gregory Phillips)

Professor Phillips, a Waanyi and Jaru man, said many of these values were removed during colonization.

“Native men were slaves for almost 100 or 150 years (and when they) stood up and started (demanding) equal pay, the cattle ranches and the miners fired them all,” he said. -he declared.

“(So) if you treat a group of people in society like they’re trash and you don’t pay them (and) respect them, they will turn that anger and frustration on themselves and the towards each other.”

Professor Phillips noted that initiatives similar to this walking group exist across Australia.

“Other communities do things like that (too). They might do it through football (or) bush tucker groups (or) ranger programs.

Two indigenous men wearing hooded sweatshirts smiling at the camera while walking along a trail next to a park. — Walking discussions range from personal and broader community issues to interests like sports. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)

“Anything that connects Indigenous men to a healthy sense of self, health and well-being (is) really encouraging and strong.”

While remaining committed to ensuring the Broken Hill walking group continued to benefit local Aboriginal men, Mr Hayward hoped other communities would be inspired like him to create their own spaces.

“Our warriors have walked for over 40,000 years (so) we must continue to walk (and) develop (and) create these positive notions about life that give us strength again,” he said .

“If we can start to solve some of our major problems here through walking, then I think we’re on the right track.”