The Mates Association started in 2023 as the Harry Hooper Ball, after one mate recognised that too many of his mates weren't checking in with one another.
Determined to bring men's mental health to the forefront of everyday conversations, he created a community that encourages connection, promotes meaningful conversations, and reminds us all of the importance of looking out for our mates. Today we are building more than events, we are building a community: the annual Mates Gala, Walk & Talks and local catch ups, with every event raising funds for men's mental health and suicide prevention.
One bloke in Brisbane noticed his mates had stopped checking in on each other, so he put his own name on a ball and asked everyone to show up. Saturday 18 November 2023 at Chelsea Lane, voco Hotel. Three live acts, 15 raffle prizes, and $14,441.93 donated to Movember. Suit Society signed on as the very first major sponsor.
CHELSEA LANE, VOCO HOTEL
On Mates Day, 8 May 2024, the Harry Hooper Ball became the Mates Ball: a name for the idea, not the bloke. The second ball took over the Officers Mess in New Farm on 30 November, the MATES letters lit up for the first time, alcohol free tickets arrived, and $16,100 went to Movember.
THE OFFICERS MESS, NEW FARM
The third Mates Ball filled The Princess Theatre in Woolloongabba on Saturday 29 November. Then the question became: why only once a year? Monthly Walk & Talks along the river and brewery catch ups started, and Mates became something you could turn up to any month.
THE PRINCESS THEATRE
Mates incorporated as a registered association, the Mates Ball became the Mates Gala, and the fourth one lands at Waters Edge, Portside Wharf on Saturday 14 November with 350 guests, a seated dinner and a six hour drinks package.
GET GALA TICKETS →More regular catch ups across Brisbane, more partners lending a hand, and a few big announcements we are keeping under our hat for now. Subscribe and you will hear first.
GET IN TOUCH →
Low pressure, high turnout. Pick the one that suits you, or come to all three.
Socials at partner venues around Brisbane: brewery Fridays, pub sessions, maker workshops. Walk in, grab a drink, find a familiar face.
Every month, rain or shine. Shoulder to shoulder along the river is where the real conversations happen. All paces. All ages.
The flagship. 350 guests, seated dinner, live music, raffles, and mental health leading the conversation all night.
Brisbane, join us for a night out at The Osbourne Hotel in Fortitude Valley. $10 Young Henry's pints from 6pm. Bring a mate, or come and make one.
350 guests for an unforgettable evening celebrating community, connection and conversation, all centred around a single focus: positive change for men's mental health.
Plus a deluxe two course seated dinner.
Beer, wine and soft drink package all night.
Once the plates are cleared, the dance floor opens.
Mental health leads the conversation on the night.
Prizes donated by the businesses backing us.
Proceeds support Movember and men's mental health.
Stone & Wood, Byron BayTasting experience for twoClick to open on Instagram ↗
LSKD$100 gift voucherClick to open on Instagram ↗
All About MeatGourmet meat trayClick to open on Instagram ↗
Use the arrows to flick through at your own pace. Click a post to open it on Instagram. More prizes are announced there every few days.
Early bird has sold out. First release is going fast, and the second and final release opens when it is gone. Checkout happens right here through Luma.
Every prize in the Mates Gala raffle is donated and every sponsor table helps fill the room. These businesses give their products, their money and their name so that every dollar raised on the night goes straight to men's mental health.
Some of them have been with us since the very first Harry Hooper Ball. That kind of generosity is what "when mates come together, great things happen" looks like in practice.
Suit Society was the very first major sponsor of the Harry Hooper Ball in 2023 and has lent a hand at every Ball and Gala since. This year they are donating a $250 Suit Society voucher to the raffle.
PowerMoves Newstead and West End have backed the Mates raffle for three years straight. This year they are donating a 10 class package, redeemable at either studio.
Stone & Wood, Byron BayTasting experience for twoClick to open on Instagram ↗
LSKD$100 gift voucherClick to open on Instagram ↗
All About MeatGourmet meat trayClick to open on Instagram ↗
Use the arrows to flick through at your own pace. Click a post to open it on Instagram. More prizes are announced there every few days.
The easiest way for a local business to get in the room. Logo on the site, the signage and the emails.
TALK TO USA dedicated branded table on the night, plus the website, signage, brochure, email features and social mentions.
TALK TO USThe headline spot. Two Gala tickets, a branded table, the stage shout out and your logo everywhere from this website to the background signage.
TALK TO USOnly 35 sponsor tables exist across all tiers, with exposure to 3,000 collective attendees and a 25,000+ social media reach. Sponsorship is a marketing arrangement with benefits in return, so it can come from your marketing budget rather than a donation.
Mates started with one room a year. Muster is how we get to one room a night. It is an app that points at every real, in person gathering in Queensland, then gets you and your mates through the door.
The Mates committee has been building it since June. Right now it is a trial: real Queensland events, your own character, and a lobby that shows who is in. Nothing is saved to a server yet. We want you to poke at it and tell us what is missing.
Facebook, Luma, Eventbrite, a group chat, a poster in a pub. One in four Australians experience problematic loneliness at any given time, and the thing that fixes it is scattered across six apps.
Muster gathers every physical, community event in Queensland into one map. No online only events, ever. If it is not a room you can walk into, it is not on Muster.
You build a character, you see who is in the lobby, you earn kit by showing up. It is the GTA meetup for real life, and the headcount is always honest.
Mates measures success in people through the door. Muster is how we go from 2,000 mates over four years to 2,000 a month, across Queensland.
Want to come along, sponsor the Gala, donate a raffle prize, or just talk to a mate? Write to us. Every message lands with the committee.
Sending opens your mail app with the message ready to go. Prefer to write it yourself? Email hello@matesassociation.com.
