Poppy prevailed and received custody, becoming the first man in Australia to win custody, and therefore, setting the precedent for the future of men’s rights in Australia.

Becoming a single parent was not part of my long-term life plan, and I would venture to say that most single mothers and fathers would agree, but like I always say, “We all have a story.”

In the early seventies, Barry Williams became acutely aware, as a single father to four young children, including a 13-month-old baby, of the lack of support for men and fathers. His lifelong advocacy for single parents and their children has been phenomenal.

My name is Wayne Butler. I have known and worked with Barry Williams, the founder of the Lone Fathers Association, since 2001. Please find my video tribute to my dear friend and colleague Barry Williams here below.

I want to get as many quality years and moments as I can with my daughter. I don’t want to live in pain if I don’t have to, because it impedes my ability to enjoy her and being a parent.

Just because your circumstances have changed doesn’t mean you can’t still leave a strong legacy to your children. In fact, you may have an even greater opportunity now. Adversity, if approached right, can reap great rewards.

Workplace sexual harassment morphs into a far larger animal requiring workplaces to promote “substantive equality between men and women” — feminist code for discrimination against men.

One day, I realised that these wonderful awakenings would not last forever. One of these wondrous leaps would be the last one, and it would never happen again.

I don’t think God’s plan stipulated that children were supposed to live apart from their fathers – but this is what’s happening all over the world. So, I wrote a poem that I hope will raise awareness of this injustice, that I hope will make a change.

If a father had done what the mother in the story below did, there would have been a police chase, which would have been on the nightly news. The headline would have been ‘Criminal Father Abducts Daughters’.

Due to the inaction of the Family Court in enforcing court orders and punishing contravention of court orders, they have aided the parental alienation and psychological abuse which my sons are experiencing from their mother.

My role in their lives wasn’t exactly the same, but I realised that I was just as valuable — if not more so — than I was before. My worth had nothing to do with the ‘single’ and everything to do with the ‘dad’.

Maybe you never asked to be a single dad, but there is much joy ahead with your kids if you can navigate these tricky waters well. You’re not alone. Not by a long shot.

I can appreciate Mrs Claus’ argument that her ex put the business ahead of family, especially with his patterned history of disappearing on Christmas Eve, right as the in-laws were due to visit for their own family celebrations.

I’d argue that not only are you able to raise incredible kids as a single dad, you’re also uniquely positioned to do it. You have opportunities that two-parent families don’t.

I delight in that time that is exclusively ours. Time spent one-on-one with either of my daughters is a rare treat for dad and daughter. Making exclusive time for my children is critical for us. Our relationships are so much better for it.

I know my sons love me, but I’m preparing myself for the day they say they’d rather live with their Mum because her house is more fun.

This year, the team at Dads4Kids gave Paul Withall the 2023 International Men's Day Australian Courage Award for his amazing work on promoting the desperate need to reverse the silent epidemic of male suicide in Australia.

If Australia’s male suicide rate could be reduced to that of the rest of the world, 10 men per week would be saved from an early death.

2500 Empty Shoes is a visual presentation on male suicide, held this year on 16 and 19 November on the lawns of Parliament House, Canberra. Day 2 coincides with International Men’s Day.