His Story : Men’s story-telling night

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when a friend and I went to “His Story” https://hisstory.live/ a story-telling night held last night at the Beresford Hotel. Honestly, walking into the Beresford felt slightly surreal. My strongest memories of that place are anchored in the 90s and 00s—Mardi Gras laneway recoveries and wild Melrose Place nights—so to be there for something so introspective and raw was a completely different experience.

The main reason I went was to meet Scott Reardon, someone I’ve been chatting with about doing my podcast on limb loss and resilience, which I’m calling The Limb Shift.

Scott is a man in his 30s who lost a leg as a teenager while working on a farm in Temora. He has since become a Paralympian and is a fantastic motivator who speaks to people all over the country. Since he lives in Canberra, I was keen to meet him face-to-face.

It’s funny—when you connect with other amputees, there is an immediate shorthand. While some people do want to talk about the trauma of what happened, I find that introductory conversations usually gravitate toward the practical—who looks after your prosthetics, the pros and cons of different types of gear, and the lighter, day-to-day aspects of life.

Beyond that, the event itself—titled “Growing Up Without A Map”—was genuinely fascinating.

I’ll admit, I was skeptical going in; I wondered if it would be some New Age fringe event, or perhaps a “men’s rights” gathering or something similar. Instead, it was a profound evening featuring six men from a variety of backgrounds sharing their personal life stories.

One of the younger speakers gave an incredibly deep and touching presentation about his struggles with suicide, even reading a poem he wrote for his parents, which the audience absolutely loved. Another man shared his raw experiences with body dysmorphia and using drugs to self-medicate, while others spoke about everything from growing up with a single mum to surviving childhood sexual abuse, and the loneliness that can come with being suddenly single.

The audience was overwhelmingly male, and there were far more younger men there than I expected. My friend, who was just as skeptical as I was, ended up enjoying the night immensely and is already looking forward to the next one in October.

It was a great reminder that there are plenty of reasons to say no to things in life because of preconceived ideas, but sometimes it pays to walk in with an open mind. I’m really glad I did. While I’m not sure I would commit to becoming a regular, I’m tempted to go back for one more just to see if it’s something I want to attend on an ongoing basis.