A GROUP of intrepid soccer players from Swan Hill’s migrant community took part in a sporting event in Bendigo at the weekend.
In a collaboration between Mallee Family Care and Bendigo Community Health, the men, most of whom have arrived in Swan Hill from Afghanistan or Pakistan, played eight games of soccer as part of the Multicultural Soccer Tournament on Saturday.
Bendigo Community Health coordinates its own event at this time every year to encourage a holistic approach to men’s health where the community is encouraged to take part.
Physical activities and communication are promoted in an effort to reduce the incidence of men’s health problems, including mental health issues.
The participation of men from Swan Hill is a first and one inspired by a talk from Bendigo Community Health Services’ men’s health nurse practitioner Peter Strange.
Mr Strange travelled to Swan Hill to give migrant men a general presentation about various health issues and said the idea of a soccer match had been warmly received.
“Obviously it’s great for the physical side of their health, that goes without saying, but it’s also about companionship and integration,” Mr Strange said.
“These cultural groups are in all sorts of cities now — so we went about picking a sport that’s probably the most international, then putting on an event for everyone to come to and have a friendly, competitive game.”
Community groups taking part in the games included the local ambulance and police services, Bendigo Community Health and teams that travelled from Dandenong, Swan Hill and Werribee.
Mallee Family Care settlement officer Samia Fox said it was one of the many positive things coming out of their successful program.
“This is a great way to get active and get social, especially for the multicultural men because it is really hard to get engaged,” Ms Fox said.
“The relationship and the trust we’ve built with these guys is what has made it a lot easier for us.
“Assessing health is a greater challenge with the men, they all say ‘I’m okay, I’m okay’ but they can really be too stubborn to get engaged.”
