Adrian Morgan, a Koori Health Liaison Officer with Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, said more men working in the field will help other men to come forward, seek help and get their health right, helping to close the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal people and other Australians.

“Men don’t like to express their feelings. They like to keep things bottled up in themselves, so to speak. I think some people feel ashamed. They don’t like talking to a doctor or nurse. But it’s important to talk so you can be healed and get the help you need,” he said.

“A lot of the men are stubborn. They don’t want to listen. They’ll say, ‘I’ll be right’, and then they get sick and they start to worry. And sometimes, it’s too late.”

Adrian said a relative of his passed away recently.

“He just didn’t wake up one day. If he got checked a week or two before, he might still be here. These are the things that are happening, and a lot of this stuff is preventable.”

Adrian made the comments ahead of the National Day of Recognition for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners.

The theme for this year’s event is More Men for Our Mob, which acknowledges the vital role men play in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and the benefits of improving their representation in that workforce.

Adrian – Ringo to many people across East Gippsland – has been with BRHS’ Aboriginal Health Unit for six years and worked for 17 years previously with the Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Cooperative, which has its own health service.

Adrian’s mother, Auntie Helen Morgan, pioneered the BRHS Aboriginal Health Unit as its first Aboriginal Liaison Officer back in 1982.

“She was the first ALO here in Gippsland and I think only the second in the state,” he said.

“I like it. I like to help people. I have seen a lot of issues with family passing away. I used to go to funerals nearly once a week, growing up. Now, you’re lucky to go to a wedding every few years but to go to a funeral once a month. That’s what it’s like for us.”

Men who want to get involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health can receive Certificate III or IV qualifications in Aboriginal Health through agencies including the Victorian Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) in Melbourne.

“I reckon it’s a good start. I’ve done training. I am starting a new Diploma next month – a Diploma of Community Services – so that I can do a lot more with communities that I work with and do more networking. And that will go hand in hand with my Diploma in Mental Health,” he said.
BRHS is supporting Adrian to get his latest qualification, he said.

Find out more about VACCHO training in Aboriginal Health here: https://www.vaccho.org.au/learning-hub/courses-aboriginal-health/