Medal for former AMHF board member
Chris Johnson, a former board member of the Australian Men’s Health Forum (AMHF), has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to community health.
Chris has been involved with Men’s Wellbeing, one of AMHF’s longest standing member organisations, for more than 20 years.
In 1998, he oversaw the amalgamation of the Men's Help Line and the Sunshine Coast Men's Emotional Support Resource Initiative, which led to the formation of Men’s Wellbeing.
In 2003, he co-founded the Rock Bush Retreat located near Esk, in the hills west of Brisbane. The Rock is still used today for a range of men’s events and rites of passage programs.
From 2004-2008 Chris became President of the Men’s Wellbeing Board during which time he also joined the AMHF board, serving as Vice President between 2007 and 2009.
In 2005, he was instrumental in setting up the Australian and New Zealand Men's Leadership Gathering, which brought together men’s group leaders from across the two countries.
He later chaired the organising committee of the National Men’s Health Gathering in 2007 (Adelaide) and 2013 (Brisbane).
Chris is known for his financial acumen and served voluntarily as Treasurer for both Men’s Wellbeing (2004-2008) and the Australian Men’s Health Forum (2007-2013). He later worked for AMHF as a part-time financial controller from 2013-2018.
Chris remains involved with Men’s Wellbeing, being a Life Member since 2008 and a member of the Elders’ Circle since 2010. He is also an individual member of AMHF.
You can read more about Chris’s contribution to men’s work in the excellent history of Men’s Wellbeing on the organisation’s website.