A number of brave local businessmen have bared all in an effort to boost spirits and give people something to laugh about in the face of the current crippling drought, while raising funds for local mental health services.
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Decent rainfall and dedicated business owners are two things Moree cannot survive without and that’s exactly what the It’s Raining Men Moree 2019 calendar aims to promote and showcase.
The calendar was the brainchild of The Royal Hotel manager Maddie Evans, who, after seeing the effects the drought was having on local businesses, approached Moree Chamber of Commerce member Dibs Cush with the idea in September this year.
“We were at the height of one of the worst droughts our region had experienced in living memory,” Ms Cush said.
“We hadn’t had any significant rainfall all year and the overwhelming feeling across the region was one of looming despondency.
“Moree lays at the heart of the largest agricultural shire in Australia. With an economy that is dependent on the wealth of its agricultural production, a drought can see every single business in town dramatically affected – from agricultural resellers and service providers, main street retailers to even professional services – everyone feels the pinch.
“This calendar was born from the desire do something about that, in any small way we could.”
Working under the umbrella of the Moree Chamber of Commerce, Ms Cush and Ms Evans approached local businessmen who were members of the Chamber, to see if they’d be interested.
The idea was to find 11 businesses and businessmen who were not only willing to sponsor a month in the calendar, but strip off in front of the camera for a series of “cheeky” photographs.
“We wanted to raise morale in our local business community, we wanted to raise awareness of the effects of the drought on the whole community and we wanted to raise funds to support local mental health services who are dealing with the knock-on effects of the drought,” Ms Cush said.
“It didn’t take long for the seed behind our ‘It’s Raining Men’ to take root and grow - a ‘cheeky’ calendar featuring several of our well-known local businesses and businessmen baring all for a good cause.”
Assefs Moree, McGregor Gourlay, Kenway and Clark, Mobas Batteries, The Royal Hotel, Reado’s Meats, Gwydir Chiropractic and Physiotherapy, Simply Print Anything, Scott Stewart Earthmoving, Moree Veterinary Hospital and SprayerBarn Moree bravely agreed to bare all and will feature in the calendar throughout the months of January to November. Most of them then came together for a Christmas shot, which will feature in the month of December.
Ms Cush, who took all the photos herself, said all the men were “so fantastic and so brave”.
“It takes guts to get your gear off in front of someone you don’t really know but they were all 100 per cent enthusiastic,” she said.
The calendars are currently available for pre-order for $29.95, with all proceeds from the sale of the calendars to go towards mental health programs, particularly those that support men, in the Moree Plains Shire.
“We’ll administer the funds as the Chamber, and during the year we’ll do different things such as workshops,” Ms Cush said.
“We wanted to keep it local, but didn’t think the funds should just go to drought relief. The idea eventually evolved to men’s health and mental health, as being on the land can be quite isolating and men don't talk about it or share when things are really tough.”
All the work involved in creating the calendar, from coming up with the ideas for the different photoshoots, to taking the photos and promoting it on social media has been done voluntarily by Ms Cush and Ms Evans.
Simply Print Anything are printing the calendars, which are expected to be available in local businesses around town mid next week.
The calendars are 20cm by 30cm in full colour, with ring binding.
“It’s a quality product that will give people a giggle all year,” Ms Cush said.
“Laughter is one of the best tools we have and we’re sure this calendar will crack a smile throughout 2019.”
If you would like to pre-order a calendar, go to itsrainingmenmoree.bigcartel.com. For more information, check out the It’s Raining Men Moree Facebook page.
