Oscar Parry
Sunbury Neighbourhood House will launch Sunbury Dads – a new group that aims to create connections between local fathers and a supportive environment for them to spend time with their children.
The group will facilitate bonding activities for fathers and their children, aged 0–5, and peer support activities for fathers to discuss parenting highs and lows, including mental health challenges.
It will also host occasional barbecues and group pram walks.
Sunbury Dads Group facilitator Nick Burnett said the initiative will help fathers develop their parenting skills and challenges traditional narratives.
“Short-term, this is a place for dads to have to connect about something we all have in common and learn a couple of new skills from each other. Long-term, there is a hope to change the dynamic that playgroups are for mums, and see more dads showing their children what healthy social relationships look like,” Mr Burnett said.
Mr Burnett is a Sunbury resident and is eager to re-enter the workforce after spending about two years as a stay-at-home parent.
He said he hoped to alleviate some of the most common issues fathers face, with the help of the community support and resources offered through the Sunbury Neighbourhood House.
“The incredible stresses of being a father are greater than they have ever been, and we need to break down some walls we all hold up as men,” he said.
“It would be amiss not to mention male suicide, and that according to AIHW’s [Australian Institute of Health and Welfare] national mortality database, suicide is the leading cause of death among people aged 15–44.”
The initiative received funding from the state health department.
The Sunbury Dads playgroup will meet Friday afternoons during the school term at Sunbury Neighbourhood House, starting from July 19.
The group is open to fathers and father-like figures of children aged 0–5 years old.
Registrations: www.sunburyhouse.com.au/
