This past Thursday, a sea of shoes was placed on the lawns of The Domain, Sydney (pictured above). Thousands of empty boots, sneakers, and shoes. Each representing a life lost, a family impacted, and a call for action on male suicide. Watch Dads4Kids’ short documentary to find out more.

The visual representation of the male loss of life is shocking, and it truly is an urgent national crisis. Thanks to the hard work of Paul ‘Paulo’ Withall and his team at Zerosuicide Community Awareness, this is the ninth 2500 Too Many Shoes display event, and the momentum for change continues to build. Here’s some background from Paulo on the numbers that should shake us all into action:

In the year 2000, Australia was losing 5 males per day to suicide, about 2,100 each year.

In 2015, we saw an increase to 6 males per day, about 2,270 per year.

15 years to increase by 170 per year.

In 2022, Australia saw a jump in male suicide of 97 males in one year, taking us to 7 males per day, around 2,455 per year.

7 years to increase by 185. BUT 1 YEAR TO INCREASE BY 97! We heard CRICKETS from our leaders.

In 2024 (last available reporting), we saw a rise to a loss of 2,529 males per year. Surpassing the 2,500 and beginning to head towards 2,600.

Males now make up more than the entire Australian suicide rate from 2013, only 13 years ago. In 2013, the total suicide rate for both genders was 2,455 — the 2024 male suicide rate alone was 2,529!

The people tasked with reducing and stopping suicide won’t talk about this gender-based emergency, so it’s up to me and you.

These deaths are rising at a rapid rate, and it’s highly possible we will begin to see 8 males lost per day by 2028 if we don’t fight for change NOW!

This is an emergency! You and I are the only voices these souls have. Please help us stop this!

It’s time for a gender-based emergency response to male suicide, and we can’t wait one more year. THE TIME IS NOW, NOT NEXT ELECTION!

Sobering words indeed, and I’m so thankful for Paulo’s passion and advocacy for men and boys. He’s an everyday bloke with a dogged determination for doing as much as he possibly can to reduce male suicide. Dads4Kids will continue supporting the #2500 Too Many initiative, and I hope Paulo inspires you as much as he inspires me.

It’s been another action-packed week here at Dads4Kids. Thanks to our good friend Chaplain Glenn Berry and my father, Dads4Kids cofounder Warwick Marsh, on Tuesday, we graduated a group of dads from our Inside-Out Fathering Program at South Coast Correctional Centre (SCCC). It was a wonderful time of food, fellowship and encouraging dads doing it tough. Many thanks to Glenn, my father and all the staff at SCCC!

This weekend, over 50 dads, grandads and their kids are enjoying the outdoors together at the annual Dads4Kids Fun Camp! (we’ll have a short film to inspire you coming soon). Which reminds me, here in Australia, this Sunday, 25 October, is Grandparents Day! Check out a great tribute to Grandparents from Charlie Mathis, son of regular Dads4Kids contributor Don Mathis, here.

My daughters and I are looking forward to spending the weekend with Grandad (Warwick) Marsh and my father-in-law Grandpa Ray at the Dads4Kids Fun Camp. As our friends from the US-based National Centre for Fathering write, ‘Dad: one of the best investments you can make in your children’s lives doesn’t cost much money or require a lot of planning. It’s keeping them connected to their grandparents — to the heritage, the stories, the traditions, and the living picture of where your family comes from.’

Australia faces many challenges, but I’m convinced as we continue inspiring fathers (and grandfathers) to help their children be the best they can be, we will transform this nation for the better.

Lovework

Watch, like and share the 2500 Too Many videos on YouTube and Facebook. The issue of male suicide in Australia is confronting, but we must face it. If we as a nation, both at the grassroots and at all levels of government, work together, we can reduce suicide to zero.

Yours for ending male suicide,
Nathaniel Marsh

P.S. Massive thanks to all Dads4Kids supporters who make our work building men, growing fathers, and changing generations possible. If you’re encouraged and can partner with us financially in this much-needed work, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis.