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A new outdoors group is helping bring gay men together in Western Sydney, writes Reg Domingo.
It was in 2007 when long-term Blacktown resident Mike Moore felt something was missing in his area.
“I’m a member of the Southern Cross Outdoors Group,” Mike, 43, tells SX. “And I found that there were a lot of events held in the Blue Mountains, the Eastern Suburbs and the North Shore. But there was really nothing going on out west.”
Recognising a need that wasn’t being fulfilled, Mike, along with his partner, Jeff Lees (both pictured), decided to establish their own social group for gay men in Blacktown and Western Sydney. Today, they are the force behind the Blacktown Outdoors Group.
“Our aim is to bring together gay men in Western Sydney,” Mike says. “We’re after a social network for people out west through outdoor events and activities.”
Mike says those events include bushwalks, historical walks and barbeques. Recently, the group embarked on a walk through Lapstone Zig Zag, the first railway track of its kind in Australia, and coming up, the group has bushwalks planned at Lake Parramatta and Bungarribee Parklands. “And on the second Sunday of every month, we have a little get together at the Blacktown Workers Club for a few beers,” Mike says.
Currently, the group has more than 40 people on its mailing list, a number that is slowly, but surely, increasing. And Mike says that people don’t have to live in the Western Suburbs to be involved – anyone is welcome.
“We’re really open to everyone. We believe there’s a need for a social network of this kind for gay men. The girls seem to have it all sorted out; they’re very organised in the way they have their groups. But for gay men, there really isn’t anything for us around. So that’s what we’re aiming for. Just anyone. We don’t care which part of Sydney you’re from.”
Through its website, Mike also hopes the group becomes an information portal for gay men living in the outer Western suburbs. “We’re aiming to be an information stop for people in Western Sydney, for people who want to see what’s coming up, gay-wise, in this area,” he says. “They can come along to our website, have a look at it, and if they like any of the events we put on, they can give us a call or shoot us an email.”
Mike believes that groups such as theirs play an important part in Sydney’s gay social landscape, especially in providing support and networks in a city as disjointed and sprawling as Sydney.
“Western Sydney and Sydney in general is very spread out. Transport is hard to get between areas, so it’s very important for outer-metropolitan and regional centres to have a gay network because it can be very lonely. And even downtown it can be very lonely. You might be amongst all of gay Sydney, but you can still be very isolated. And we just find that, in some cases, you do need a social network of like-minded people.
“We’re not after sex or anything like that,” he adds. “It’s just a get together – a bit of fun and laughs and general support in this area.”
The Blacktown Outdoors Group meets every second Sunday of every month at the Blacktown Workers Club. Their next meeting will be held on Sunday, April 13. For more information, visit users.on.net/babybear8 or email
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