Masonic Charities MND Donation
Masonic Charities $228,490.00 donation to the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association of SA On behalf of all Freemasons throughout South Australia and the Northern Territory
RSB OPK9 Program
The Royal Society for the Blind (RSB) is inviting veterans who are current Freemasons to apply to join the RSB OPK9 program!Contact RSB TODAY ON
St John NT Advanced Training
TRAINING: St John NT Katherine received funding from Masonic Charities to implement technologically advanced training. Photo: Kate Hulls – of MW Bro Lloyd Pocock
Support Dogs For Veterans
RSB receives a $300,000 funding boost providing more support dogs for Veterans 25 May 2021 A waiting list will be shortened for Veterans in desperate
Walk to D’Feet Motor Neurone Disease
Walk to D’Feet Motor Neurone DiseasePinky Flat, Sunday, 2 May 2021 Approximately 1000 people participated in the 4.5km route around the River Torrens Precinct to
$80,000 gift to target those most at risk of diabetes
The offical handover event was held from 2pm-4pm on 9 September 2021 at Diabetes SA Hilton premises. South Australians at risk of developing type 2
Community News SA & NT
Freemasons mental health initiative: A collaboration between Masonic Charities and the University of South Australia’
A major priority of Masonic Charities is to instil hope, support community health and well-being and to reduce rates of suicide. At the meeting on Wednesday March 11 the Board of Masonic Charities resolved to endorse an agreement for a Freemasons Mental Health Initiative between Masonic Charities and the University of South Australia. The initiative will see the creation of a free tailored online self-help tool that equips Australians with practical, evidence-based strategies to better manage stress, adapt to change and improve their mental well-being. Bro John Behenna, Chairman of the Masonic Charities, said that this on-line service will not only be available to individuals directly but time -pressured GPs would be able to use this as a resource to help their patients tackle mental health issues. Importantly, it will help to bridge the gap in time between Australians needing and accessing primary care and mental help support services.
Key facts:
- 45% of Australians will experience a common mental health disorder at some point in their life.
- 20% of adults experienced a mental disorder in 2017-2018 – Suicide takes the lives of around eight Australians a day.
- There are about 65,000 suicide attempts each year
- 1 in 8 GP visits are related to mental health
- 86% of households have internet access.
In the absence of face-to-face services, online interventions have been shown to be effective at reducing mental health distress for specific target conditions and widely acceptable even in difficult-to-reach populations. Many Australian GPs support the notion of supporting their patients’ mental wellbeing via web-based interventions. While online tools exist, there remains a demand for services that are more applicable to a broader audience. The tool will build on an existing, widely accepted, farmer-focused and evidence-based www.ifarmwell.com.au website, leveraging from the $500,000 already invested in that initiative, for the benefit of the broader Australian community. A formal announcement of this exciting initiative will be made in the near future.
Pictured below with Bro John Behenna at the signing of the Collaboration agreement is (left to right) Professor Deborah Turnbull (Chair in Psychology) from the University of Adelaide, Mr Chris Moylan (Partnerships Officer) and Dr Kate Gunn (Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow) from the University of South Australia.
Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing (FCMHW)
The Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing (FCMHW) is Australia’s only multi-disciplinary men’s health research centre.
The centre began as an initiative of the Freemasons Foundation in 2007 as the charitable arm of Freemasons South Australia/ Northern Territory (SA/NT).
In keeping with their mission, from 2007 to 2019 the Freemasons Foundation provided 3.6 million, matched by the University of Adelaide. These funds have supported students and early career scientists undertaking research and funded community engagement activities and initiatives to advance the health and well-being of men, and therefore their families and communities.
Excitingly the Centre has expanded and is now a collaboration of The Masonic Charities Trust, The University of Adelaide, Charles Darwin University, The Menzies Health Research Institute and SAHMRI.
The rebranded centre supports a network of South Australian and Northern Territory researchers undertaking internationally recognised research. FCMHW’s network extends to centres of research excellence and stakeholder organisations at the state national and international level.
