Movember 2021 in Hong Kong is about growing a moustache and spreading a message about the importance of looking after physical and mental health; here’s how to help

Annual global campaign puts men’s health in the spotlight; knowing your family medical history and having a better relationship with your doctor is a good start

Women can play their part too – Claudia Leung has raised nearly $250,000 in the six years since her father got a prostate cancer diagnosis

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Movember started out a a movement to grow a moustache for a month, but has gone beyond that as it has grown - and these days involves women such as Claudia Leung (pictured), who was the campaign’s top Hong Kong fundraiser in 2020.

Published: 6:15pm, 7 Nov 2021

’Tis the season for moustaches – a time for brave men to grow a moustache and women to step up to support them to raise awareness about men’s health, especially prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.

Now a global movement with more than five million supporters around the world, Movember began in a Melbourne pub in 2003. Chatting over a beer, a few friends hatched the idea to grow a moustache in the month of November and ask friends, family and colleagues to support their effort with cash donations to support men’s health.

There are basic ground rules: Mo Bros must begin with a clean-shaven face on November 1, grow and groom their moustache for the entire month, use the moustache to create conversation and raise funds for men’s mental health.

Robert Dunne met the Australian founders in London in 2006. He volunteered for the charity and is now Movember’s country director for Hong Kong. In the early days, he says it was a challenge to get people to grow a moustache. That changed.

Movember is now a global movement with more than five million supporters around the world. Photo: Shutterstock

“About eight or 10 years ago, it was hard to get people to shave them off, they got too attached to it, that’s the challenge of trends,” says Dunne.

In addition to raising funds through sponsorship, he says the Movember campaign aims to get some positive messaging out to the community about the importance of knowing your family medical history and having a relationship with your doctor; using exercise as a great preventive tool; and maintaining social connections.