BETTER MEN Australia was officially registered in Victoria on October 21, 2008. However, the skills, expertise and initiatives underpinning the business have been developed over the last 25 years of family work in a variety of settings.
Founding Director Rob Koch has been involved full-time in the personal development field since 1985. The first 15 years involved pastoral ministry focussed largely on developing youth leaders and training men and women for community work, including overseas aid and development. He initiated a variety of cutting edge programs and initiatives, and facilitated a number of teams including an all-male retreat program for clergy and a number of rugby league teams.
In 2000 Rob left pastoral ministry and commenced work as the Senior Family Services Case Manager in an agency funded by the Department of Human Services, Windermere Child & Family Services. This challenging work involved in-home coaching of families with complex needs; children at risk, family violence, behavioural issues, drug and alcohol addictions and mental health problems. It became evident that fathers were difficult to engage in the intervention process so he created a parenting course for Dads called 'Pit Stop - an eight session parenting tune-up for Dads who like to see their family firing on all cylinders'. He was also instrumental in creating a regional Men's Health Action Group that attracted large numbers of men and women to their health forums. The success of these initiatives established Rob as a pioneer in the field of men's work which led to his appointment in 2004 as a full-time men's worker with Victoria’s largest municipality, the City of Casey. He was the first person in Australian local government dedicated to support the needs of men. Over the next four years he developed a reputation for innovation, pioneering many successful initiatives, partnerships and programs. Casey embraced the Pit Stopprogram which was developed to a professional standard and packaged for delivery by other professionals. Around 50 men and women from around the State have been trained so far to facilitate the program in their locality. Other regions also began to adopt the men's health promotion model set by the Casey-Cardinia Men's Health Action Group Inc. Through a variety of programs and events men were getting involved in unprecedented numbers which has attracted interest way beyond the municipality. More and more invitations came from around the State to provide professionals with proven principles and insight.
In September 2008, Rob resigned his position to take up these opportunities further afield. With this new found autonomy and flexibility as a consultant, Rob's sphere of influence has has grown, adding value to organisations and councils seeking to support men and their families. The establishment phase of BETTER MEN Australia is still continuing with the addition of other consultants, coaches, speakers, peer mentors and 'adventure therapists'. So far BETTER MEN Australia is proving to be a viable business, complementing the growing number of great organisations and initiatives that are surfacing in this emerging field.
In February 2009 the worst natural disaster in Australia's history engulfed Victoria with the Black Saturday Bushfires. Rob was one of many who answered the call to join the Victorian Bushfire Case Management Service assisting families in the difficult recovery and rebuilding process.
Since October 2009 the focus is now back on building Better Men throughout the country.
