Although he’d been there countless times over the years to watch his beloved Bulldogs, 45 year old Jonathan Manallack approached Victoria University Whitten Oval full of trepidation.

It’s May 17, 2014 and the Western Bulldogs had just launched the Sons of the West men’s health program to help tackle the alarming health outcomes of men living and working in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

MORE INFORMATION: Learn more about the Sons of the West Men's Health Program

Recently diagnosed with a heart condition and coupled with a growing list of bad habits and inactivity, Jonathan’s weight had begun to balloon out of control and he was becoming increasingly self-conscious.

Even train rides to the city were becoming a thing of the past.

“If I absolutely had to travel it would be off peak because the last thing I wanted to do was take up other people’s space and have to squeeze them in. And I never ever sat down. The whole thing made me feel uncomfortable and I avoided it.”

He had reached a point in his life where he was stuck and didn’t know where to turn.

“So I put my hand up and attended the first Sons of the West Men’s Health Expo.”

But that too came with its own battle: “ For me to get up on the scales was stepping so far out of my comfort zone it wasn't funny, not only would I get to see the weight I actually was, but I had to do it in front of another people.“

He left the ground that day stunned and a little hurt. It had been so long since he had weighed himself that when the needle settled on the number it did, it him hard. If you speak to him today, he’ll tell you that it it was on that day that his journey to better health began.

It was and continues to be a long journey and day he’s quick to say that he’s only halfway there.



ABOVE: Jonathan Manallack (left) is congratulated by Western Bulldogs Hall of Famer Chris Grant after graduating from the 2015 Sons of the West Men's Health Program.

“I only attended 2 sessions last year and felt a bit disappointed that I hadn’t achieved the goals that I wanted, which was losing weight, but I had in my mind I would do it better when the program ran again the following year.”

The seed had been planted and by the time year two came around, a more determined man arrived at VU Whitten Oval for his health check and he got a pleasant surprise when he again hit the scales at the 2015 expo.

“Of course, I was nervous about standing on the scales again but when I compared where I was with the previous year, I had managed to lose a larger amount of weight than I thought I had by just following the program online.  So I was even more motivated to make it work this time around.”  

As the calendar flipped to 2015 Jonathan was good to his word. It was a rare day when he missed a session, something that he is really proud of.  He puts it down to a couple of things, not the least his own determination to not let himself down two years in a row, but to be able to do it alongside other men, all there for the same reason as he was, to get healthy.

“We learnt that it was OK to say, hey I am not OK and ask for help.”

By the time the 15 week program neared its conclusion and it was time to do another health check, he couldn’t wait to get down to VU Metro West in Nicholson Street to jump on the scales.

And he got the result he was hoping for.

Jonathan has lost 28 kilograms since that day in May 2014 when he turned to his football club for help. While the weight loss has made a significant difference to his everyday life, it’s the newfound knowledge about how to improve and maintain his overall health, and the tools and the motivation to keep going that has been the real benefit.

“I fully believe I am on the track to better health and while some changes are visible, others are not. But since starting the program I’m completely off all blood pressure tablets and I have also reduced other medications by 2 tablets a day.”

“Without a doubt, the Sons of the West program hasn’t just changed my life, it is helping save my life.”

Jonathan kept a video diary of his 2015 Sons of the West experience. “Make the Rest of your Life, the Best of Your Life: A Sons of the West Journey” will be released in August 2015.