For the last three years, Victor MacGill and Hardy Bachert have undertaken a major initiative to make men’s groups more visible and accessible to the public and now they are offering sessions for the men in Murchison.
Victor has been a member of men’s groups since 1982, but a few years ago felt that the groups were mainly made up of the older generation, with dwindling membership numbers.
So, he teamed up with Hardy to enliven the group’s sessions and direction, which has been a success with men’s groups now formed and meeting regularly in Nelson, Golden Bay, Reefton and, very recently, Murchison.
“We see ourselves as a part of an international movement and together we have formed four new groups in the past two and a half years as well as hold retreats for deeper personal development work. We also run International Men’s Day events annually, promoting our work and the services available to men,” Victor explains.
He says that it’s important for men to share what’s happening in their lives.
“We like to chat about what’s on the top for each of us - health, relationships, money, family, addiction - we all have something going on.”
Last year they held a retreat for beginners and an open day in Reefton which led to a Reefton’s men’s group forming. Following that success, they recently held a Murchison event and from that have formed a Murchison drop-in café for men.
“We held a little low-scale event in Murchison and got a few men along, so we are going to offer a few more drop-in coffee sessions which we hope will grow.”
Usually, men’s groups meet fortnightly for an evening and the groups believe in taking responsibility for their own issues without blaming others, building caring, empathetic relationships with loved ones, making amends to the ones they may have hurt, all while supporting each other and holding each other accountable.
Each group also has its own local network of support and resources from other groups.
“We will be at the Murchison tea rooms every second Wednesday around 2pm, come and say hi,” Victor encourages.
