By Victoria Stone-Meadows
The first ever OM:NI (Older Men, New Ideas) Group in the City of Casey is celebrating 10 years of support for men in their retirement years.
The group meets on a monthly basis at the Mechanics Hall in Narre Warren, with a focus on improving the health, well-being and lifestyle of men over 50.
The Casey OM:NI group were established in 2007 following an agreement between the City of Casey, the Australian Council on the Ageing and founding OM:NI members.
Bernie Bond, John Doutch and Spencer Wanklyn are the original and still active members of the group who bought the OM:NI to Casey.
Over the last 10 years, the group has attracted members from many and varied skills and experiences to ensure discussion in the group is informative and helpful for all members.
The group is guided by a set of guidelines about the expectations of people participating in the group on respect, trust, confidentiality and acceptance of each other.
Brian Regan of the Casey OM:NI said the success of the discussion group can be attributed to the dedication and hard work of the involved volunteers.
The groups model has been replicated by other OM:NI groups in the region including at Balla Balla Community Centre, Brentwood Park in Berwick, Beaconsfield Community Centre, Outlook Community Centre in Pakenham and at Woodlands Park retirement villiage in Berwick.
Anyone interested in joining an OM:NI group in Casey can contact John Doutch on 0431 844 833 or Brian Regan on 0408 545 984.
