This is an in person event only and registration is essential.

Join us in a special conversation with Rob Mills about his book Putting On A Show – Manhood, Mates and Mental Health which follows Rob as he grapples with questions about his identity and the concept of the ‘Aussie bloke’ after the deaths of two friends. Through conversations with experts and friends, he explores topics such as gender roles, mental health, family, sex, mateship, violence, and vulnerability, offering a humorous and insightful exploration of his own life and the lives of everyday men. Conversation hosted by Dr Dana Jazayeri with panellists Prof Jane Pirkis, Prof James Smith and Martin Fisk.

About Rob Mills:

Distilled from a footy playing, pub singing tradie from the south east suburbs of Melbourne, the much-loved Rob Mills has built an impressive career across screen & stage over nearly 20 years. In more recent times he has developed into an accomplished presenter and subsequently an author! Rob has had celebrated roles in musical shows like Wicked, Hairspray, GHOST, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Chess, Puffs! and his latest role as Shakespeare in & Juliet in 2023. His on screen credits include Neighbours, Winners and Losers, the Peter Allen Telemovie, Dancing With The Stars, The Masked Singer, Have You Been Paying Attention and has been a regular on Carols by Candlelight.

Rob has enjoyed hosting all the colour from Flemington across Network Ten’s Spring Racing Melbourne Cup Carnival coverage for the past few years and presenting travel and tourism stories on the Nine Network’s Postcards.

Rob is the youngest of three boys, has always had a fondness for stories, a yarn, and a bit of blokey banter (yet always very much a mummy’s boy), he rose to “fame/infamy” off the back of Australian Idol in 2003, and has recently released his first book exploring what it is to be a modern Aussie man, Putting On A Show – Manhood, Mates and Mental Health through Affirm Press.

About the Panellists:

Professor Jane Pirkis is the Director of the Centre for Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. She has a background in psychology and epidemiology, and much of her research focuses on suicide prevention. She has a particular interest in how to prevent suicide in boys and men. She is currently leading the Buoy Project, which is evaluating a range of programs designed to encourage boys and men to reach out if they are struggling and/or to ensure that when they do seek help, they find that services meet their needs. Jane has won a number of awards for her research, including the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s Stengel Award.

Professor James Smith is the Deputy Dean for Rural and Remote Health Northern Territory and a Matthew Flinders Professor of Health and Social Equity at Flinders University. He is a Fellow and Life Member of the Australian Health Promotion Association; and is regarded as a national and global leader in men’s health promotion. He is currently leading research about the social and emotional wellbeing of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in the NT; and is an Executive Committee representative on the Society for Mental Health Research.

Martin Fisk has worked in men’s mental health for over ten years as CEO of Menslink in Canberra. During that time, he campaigned extensively to change traditional perspectives of masculinity: from “tough” and stoic loners to kind and collaborative people living in and helping build their communities. Importantly, through the power of conversations, he has helped hundreds, if not thousands of young men live their best lives, with the least amount of harm to themselves or those around them.

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