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Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Three

mo v em b er mom ent u m Changing the face of men’s health Men ’s health From only fairly hairy beginnings with 30 ‘Mo Bros’ in Melbourne in 2003 to four million Mo’s in 2013, Movember has become a truly global movement that is changing the face of men’s health. Travis Garone and Luke Slattery were having a quiet beer at a Melbourne pub just over a decade agowhen they questioned the demise of the Mo and joked about bringing it back. Inspired by a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer, they decided to make the campaign about men’s health and prostate cancer and talked a few of their mates into growing a Mo. The first 30 Mo Bros grew their moustaches with such momentum that in 2004, a decision was made to formalise the concept and get all participants growing for a cause. They designed rules and guidelines for Movember (which are still in place today) and a price of $10 per Mo was set. Adam Garone stepped up to help take Movember to the next level, registered a company and created a website, and Justin Coghlan came on board to run the campaign in Queensland. The guys researched men’s health issues and agreed to formally support prostate cancer as their cause. Adam approached the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) which agreed to accept $54,000 generated from 450 Mo’s in 2004 campaign, but it was not acknowledged as an official men’s health partner. That same year, Spain and the UK became the first international Mo Bros. The entire proceeds were donated to the PCFA - all costs were covered by the four co-founders through the 2005 campaign. That first Movember cheque to the PCFA was the largest single donation it had ever received. In 2005 a new campaign creative with the concept ‘Give Prostate Cancer a Kick in The Arse’ was hatched and a formal agreement was struck with the PCFA, and they became Movember’s first official men’s health partner. The campaign that year saw 9,315 Mo Bros raise $1.2 million for the PCFA. The following year, the four co-founders Pindara M 34 agazine Summer | 2014/15


Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Three
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