At Home Valley Station, the setting for this year’s Big Fire – Big Dream: Strong In Our Way Men’s Forum 2026, participants gathered on Country to connect, reflect and strengthen their journeys of healing.

Following three powerful days of conversations, learning and connection, Associate Professor Dr Clinton Schultz and forum co-facilitator Jeremy Donovan sat down to share their reflections.

Together, they spoke about the importance of being on Country and the willingness of the men who attended to engage in conversations about healing, growth and wellbeing. They reflected on the need to normalise discussions about healing, creating safe spaces where men can speak openly, support one another and draw strength from culture, identity and connection.

The conversation explored how strength-based approaches can help shift the narrative, focusing not on deficits, but on the strengths, knowledge and leadership that already exist within men. In doing so, the forum demonstrated what culturally responsive practice looks like in action—creating opportunities for men to connect on Country, learn from one another, draw strength from culture and lead their own conversations about healing and wellbeing. They discussed the importance of creating positive environments that men can take back to their homes, workplaces and communities, helping to build stronger futures for the next generation.

They also reflected on the forum’s theme, Big Fire – Big Dream. Jeremy shared that a fire fuelled by petrol will explode and burn everything around it, but a fire built carefully with wood can provide warmth, bring people together and sustain a whole community.

Just as fire is used to heal and care for Country, creating renewal and new growth, the forum challenged men to consider how they can build and nurture their own fire—one that regenerates, rejuvenates and creates positive change for themselves, their families and their communities.

As the forum concluded, one message remained clear: when men are given the opportunity to connect, heal and lead in their own way, the impact reaches far beyond the gathering itself.

Thank you to all of our presenters, the team that bought this together and the men that stood in the fire.