Dads in Distress - Meetings

meetings

A call comes in - my wife took the kids and left...
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What Dads in Distress is and what we do in a meeting - by Tony Miller
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What Dads in Distress is and what we do in a meeting - by Tony Miller

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Dads in Distress provides service throughout Australia.
Phone 1300 853 437 for more information.
Either weekly meetings or Dids verified contacts are available in the following locations:

Foreign Language Support:

Indonesian - Terry 04 0828 8900
German - Frank 04 2584 2643
Portuguese - Antonio 04 1271 8236
Greek - Elias 04 0530 7833
Greek - Marc 04 1520 5049
Italian - Pasquale 04 2169 6235

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra
Meetings every Thursday / 7.30pm, Griffin Centre, Level 3, Civic, Bunda St. (opp Gus's)
Contact: Alex 1300 853 437

New South Wales

Anna Bay
Contact: Chris 1300 853 437

Armidale
On Hold
Contact:1300 853 437

Bankstown
Meetings every Wednesday / 7.30pm, Chester Hill Community Centre, 25 Chester Hill Rd
Contact: Paul 1300 853 437
View the short film - Every Second Weekend - made at our Bankstown meeting

Blue Mountains (Springwood)
Contact: Keith 1300 853 437
Email: bluemntsdids@optusnet.com.au
Blog: bluemntsdids.spaces.live.com

Bowral
Contact: Harry 1300 853 437

Coffs Harbour
Meetings every Tuesday / 6.00pm, Mens Survival Centre, Mud Hut 2, Duke Street
Contact: Tony 1300 853 437

Dee Why (Sydney)
Contact: Michael 1300 853 437

Forster
Meetings every Monday / 6.30pm, Block F Old TAFE College, Taree St, Tuncurry
Contact: Rick 1300 853 437

Grafton
Contact: Paul 1300 853 437

Kanwal (Central Coast)
On Hold
Contact:1300 853 437

Kempsey
On Hold
Contact:1300 853 437

Lake Macquarie
Meetings every Monday / 7.30pm, Anglican Church, 16 York Street, Teralba (across from Primary school)
Contact: Phil 1300 853 437

Lismore
Contact: call 1300 853 437 for details

Liverpool
Meetings every Thursday / 7.00pm, 306 Macquarie Street
Contact: Phil 1300 853 437

Maitland
Contact: Phil 1300 853 437

Nambucca
On Hold
Contact:1300 853 437

Newcastle
Meetings every Wednesday / 7.30pm, Tighes Hill Public School, Elizabeth St., Tighes Hill
Contact: Peter 1300 853 437

Penrith
Meetings every Tuesday / 7.00pm, The Family Relationship Centre, 27 Lawson Street (Cnr Henry Street), Penrith
Contact: Greg 1300 853 437

Port Macquarie
Meetings every Monday / 7.00pm, Port City Church Hall, Munster St.
Contact: Nigel 1300 853 437

Rooty Hill
Meetings every Monday / 7.00pm, Senior Citizens Hall, 34A Rooty Hill Rd (South)
Contact: Gavin 1300 853 437

Tamworth
Contact: Mark 1300 853 437

Tweed Heads
Contact: call 1300 853 437 for details

Wollongong
Meetings every Thursday / 6.00pm, Centrecare, Corner Auburn & Ellen Sts.
Contact: Stuart 1300 853 437

Wyong
On Hold
Contact:1300 853 437

Northern Territory

Alice Springs
Contact: Kailas 1300 853 437

Queensland

Atherton
Contact: Neil 1300 853 437

Gold Coast (Mermaid Beach)
Contact: Jason 1300 853 437

Logan City
Meetings every 2nd and 4th Wednesday / 7.30pm, Family Relations Centre, 25 Ewing Road, Logan Central
Contact: David 1300 853 437, (please call first to confirm days)

Maryborough
Contact: 1300 853 437

Noosa
Contact: Gerry 1300 853 437

South Australia

Adelaide
Contact: Lou 1300 853 437

Tasmania

Are you interested to open a Dids group in your area? contact us

Victoria

Ashburton (Melbourne East)
Meetings every Tuesday / 7.30pm, Craig Family Centre, 7 Samarinda Avenue, (entrance through children's playground on north side)
Melways ref 60 E10
Contact: Brad 1300 853 437

Bairnsdale (East Gippsland)
Contact: Anthony 1300 853 437

Dandenong (Melbourne South East)
Contact: Dean 1300 853 437

Frankston
Meetings every Wednesday / 7.30pm, Orwil St Community House, 16 Orwil Street
Melways ref 99 F12
Contact: 1300 853 437

Geelong
Meetings every Wednesday / 7.30pm, Norlane Neighbourhood House, Windsor Park, Rose Avenue, Norlane
Melways Ref 432 B12
Contact: Robert 1300 853 437

Korumburra (South Gippsland)
Contact: Jamie 1300 853 437

Mornington Peninsula
Contact: Pierre 1300 853 437

Morwell (Central Gippsland / Latrobe)
Meetings every Thursday / 5.30pm, Senior Citizens Club, Maryville Crst
Contact: Pete 1300 853 437

Narre Warren South (Melbourne Outer South East)
Meetings every Tuesday / 7.30pm, Oakgrove Community Centre, 89-101 Oakgrove Drive
Melways ref 130 C3
Contact: 1300 853 437

Pakenham (Melbourne Outer South East)
Contact: Anthony 1300 853 437

Ringwood (Melbourne Outer East)
Contact: Karl 1300 853 437

Sale (Gippsland)
Contact: Mark 1300 853 437

St. Albans (Melbourne West)
Meetings every Monday / 7.00pm, Westvale Community Centre, 45 Kings Road
Melways ref 13 F11
Contact: Colin 1300 853 437

St. Kilda (Bayside)
Meetings monthly on first Tuesday / 7.30pm, Alma Road Community House, 200 Alma Road
Melways ref 58 H9
Contact: Hugh 1300 853 437

Thornbury (Melbourne North)
Meetings every Tuesday / 7.30pm, Church of Christ, 390-395 St. Georges Road
Contact: John 1300 853 437

Wonthaggi (South Gippsland)
Meetings every Monday / 7.30pm, Mitchell House, 6 Murray Street
Contact: Matt or Jamie 1300 853 437

Western Australia

Bunbury
Contact: Ed 1300 853 437

Kalgoorlie
Contact: Ken 1300 853 437

Mandurah (Perth South)
Contact: Paul 1300 853 437

Perth City
Contact: Allan 1300 853 437

All meetings are free, everybody is welcome.

DADS IN DISTRESS MEETING POINT / FORUM

Share your story with other dads in distress. Find fellow men in your local area, contact them to offer or find help.

Tell us about your feelings and your experiences with Family Law and Child Support after separation and divorce. Give other dads in distress tips on how they can archive their goals.

ENTER MEETING POINT (Guestbook)
ENTER FORUM

From a small meeting on a veranda in Coffs Harbour a group of dads in distress met. We didn't know what we were doing only that we couldn't find any help for our circumstances. We met in the 'empty time' on a Sunday night after we had returned our children after weekend access and faced the coming week or fortnight alone and without our children. It was in our grief over the loss of our families that we shared with each other our pain. We came together week after week and for those of us with thoughts of ending our lives it gave us a reason to continue. By sitting there on that veranda. Telling our story to another dad in distress and listening to his. Without interruption, without advice giving, without someone rescuing and without judgement. Somehow we felt relieved, we felt vented, we felt we weren't the only ones, we felt someone cared, someone understood our pain. How can I suicide when I am keeping the guy sitting next to me alive......

On our journey we soon developed our motto of there being three sides to every story, his, hers and the truth. And somewhere on the journey we come to that truth. It can be very painful for some men but hugely empowering. Night after night we saw the miracles take place. Of dads who were filled with anger, remorse, bitterness, depression, loneliness, helplessness and who were often suicidal suddenly turn a corner.

Dads in Distress was born.

Slowly these dads formed friendships, trust and began networking amongst themselves and as their health both mentally and physically improved many began to mentor new dads as they came in. Many crawl in feeling their legs have been cut beneath them. They are bitter of a system that they feel has let them down. They feel powerless to effect any change to their circumstances. They are grieving the loss of their families. They are grieving the loss of their children. Often they have court orders to obtain fortnightly access to maintain a relationship with their children. Often these court orders mean nothing and access is continually denied. Often they are continually engaging solicitors to fight through the courts to have this access re-established. Only to end up on the merry-go-round and often either run out of finances or walk away to then be labelled a deadbeat dad.

We don't denigrate woman at our meetings, in fact we encourage men to look in the mirror to understand what part of the blame they own, if any. We simply guide men to become the cause of their future and not be the result of their past. We believe that storing up bitterness, grief, anger, revenge....is like getting a glass of poison for your enemy and then drinking it yourself.....eventually it will eat you away.

By the nature of our sharing we learn from each other how to handle the complexities of being a weekend dad. We learn how to handle the depression, we learn how to handle the sorrow. We learn how to make contact work. Many believe they are better dads now than they ever were in the marriage. Many dids now get together on weekends with their children and with other dids and their children for bbq's and outings. Its part of what we encourage, its called community based peer group support. And it works. Often we refer dads to specialists if needed, often we show them where and how they can gain specific help in the area of their need. Often we seek out and encourage those specialists to provide free or discounted services to these dads. Often we cannot find the services that are sadly needed. Often they are just not there...

Tony Miller Founder Dads in Distress

There are risks and costs to a programme of action, but they are far less than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction..........John F. Kennedy


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		Donations will gladly be received and appreciated. Every $ you give goes towards saving lives, please if you can give what you can. Tony Miller Founder Dads in Distress


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