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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
2CALLS2DADS
WITH DUNCAN ARMSTRONG AND
PETERO CIVONICEVA
While it’s generally our fathers doing the listening, national charity The Fathering Project recently launched 2Calls2Dads, which encourages fathers to call a mate and discuss how family life is going in isolation and to let off some steam. Retail Pharmacy Assistants’ journalist Emily Devon spoke with Olympic gold medallist Duncan Armstrong and former NRL player Petero Civoniceva about how and why they came to be involved with 2Calls2Dads.
Duncan, tell us what inspired you to help launch 2Calls2Dads.
I was feeling isolated and missed chatting with my mates.
I spoke to one by phone and he told me how hard things were for him, and that just chatting with me had made a difference. I realised that this program could help many of our mates who just need to be able to talk with someone about how they’re feeling and what they’re going through.
Petero, why were you interested in supporting this?
I have several mates who are really struggling at the moment in my community. I know it’s been really tough for so many families and I wanted to do something that could support them. This seemed like a very good idea and something we could all do easily from home to make sure our mates are OK.
What have your isolation experiences been like so far? Duncan: I’ve had my kids schooling from home. I’ve been working from home, as has my wife. One of the first things we needed to do was sort out our spaces – where I was going to work, where the kids were going to do their home schooling and how we were going to have a few rules on boundaries
and space in the house. I also started to see how important it was for us to go walking and to get out in the backyard and just kick a ball and do some sport, so we started a bit of a schedule. At school they [the kids] have structure, so I saw the necessity to create this at home also. It’s not been easy, but I think we’ve become more mindful of each other’s space.
Petero: I’ve found it good to get out and go for a run most mornings so I can keep up my training, fitness and mental wellbeing. My work has remained extremely busy working from home: lots of Zoom calls and juggling the use of
the bandwidth, with our four kids mostly at home during this phase.
Has there been a noticeable shift with your mental health/ wellbeing during the COVID-19 crisis, and is this also something your mates are experiencing?
Duncan: I think this has largely been in recognising the need to keep fit, mentally and physically, especially if you’re used to training on a regular basis. I usually train at the Telstra gym, so I’ve had to think about how to manage my training and mental and physical wellbeing from home.
RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • JUL 2020