The Gathering
The Gathering is a weekend event for men of all ages run by the Centre for Men and Families Australia. A lot has been said about toxic masculinity and the damage it does in our society. The Gathering is a celebration of healthy masculinity where men can be equipped to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Whether you are new to the CFMF community, or a regular face, there will be something for you. The Gathering will include electives and workshops to help you navigate the beauty and pain of life as a man, along with plenty of time to relax, unwind and connect.
The Gathering 2026
All the details:
- Date: Friday 22nd May to Sunday 24th May 2026
- Arrival: 4-5pm Friday
- Depart: Approx 2pm Sunday
- Venue: The Outlook, 4001 Ipswich Boonah Rd, Boonah QLD
All meals, accommodation, bedding and all sessions are included in the cost.
Cost:
- Early Bird $395 (closes 31st October 2025) – cabin accommodation at The Outlook
- Early Bird with Single Hotel Room – $495 (closes 31st October 2025) – Single room at the Boonah Motel (offsite)
- Early Bird with Twin Hotel Room – $475 (closes 31st October 2025) – Twin room at the Boonah Motel (offsite and shared with one other person)
- Full Price $475 (closes 19th May 2026) – Onsite shared cabin accommodation at The Outlook
- Full Price $390 (closes 19th May 2026) – BYO camping at The Outlook
- Day Passes $300 (closes 19th 2026 May)
If you are travelling from interstate and need airport transfers your flights must arrive PRIOR to 2pm on Friday 22nd May and leave AFTER 4pm (preferably 5pm) on Sunday 24th June.
Payment Options: Full amount can be paid by Credit, Debit Card or Direct Debit. To secure your place without playing the full amount immediately a $100 deposit can be made by choosing Direct Debit at checkout, then transfer $100 to the listed account.
Can’t come for the whole weekend? Come for a day instead!
We have a number of options for men that may only be able to attend one day, or live local and would prefer to sleep at home. Click the buttons below to register.
Come along for the full Saturday which includes all meals and full Saturday program
Come along for Sunday which includes breakfast and lunch, and Sunday program (event wraps up at 2pm)
Attend the whole event and sleep at home which includes all meals and full program Friday-Sunday
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us: admin@cfma.org.au
Traveling from Interstate?
A free private bus will collect any participants from Brisbane Airport on Friday 30th May and return on Sunday 1st June. Please indicate that you will require this service once you register.
If you are travelling from interstate and need airport transfers your flights must arrive PRIOR to 2pm on Friday 22nd May and leave AFTER 4pm (preferably 5pm) on Sunday 24th June.
Esther and William Diplock are down-to-earth, experienced therapists who get it—relationships can be amazing, but they can also be stressful, confusing, and frustrating at times. With over 50 years of combined experience in counselling, and workshop facilitation, they’ve helped countless men, women and couples cut through the noise and find real, practical ways to build stronger, more connected relationships. As co-founders of Resonance Together and creators of the ENGAGE for Thriving Relationships program, they specialize in straightforward, real-world strategies that actually help relationships thrive—without the therapy jargon or endless talking.
They are senior trainers and facilitators for Gender Equity and Reconciliation International (GERI) and co-authors in Gender Equity and Reconciliation: Thirty Years of Healing the Most Ancient Wound in the Human Family. Based in Brisbane, Australia, they are deeply committed to nurturing their own relationship and love starting each day with a waterfront walk with their dog.
David Tensen is an Australian poet, author, and teacher known for his evocative and soulful writing. Blending elements of personal experience, spirituality, and deep empathy, David’s poetry has gained widespread acclaim for its capacity to touch the human spirit – offering readers solace and connection in times of struggle and growth. With a background in leadership, pastoral care, and emotional healing, David brings a unique blend of compassion and insight to his craft, which is evident in both his public speaking and four published collections. David is married to Natalie, has 3 young adult children, and lives on the Sunshine Coast where he currently spends his work-week in aged care chaplaincy, lecturing, and completing a PhD at UniSC.
Discover more at www.davidtensen.com
Dom Fay is a radio announcer, podcaster, and Head of Faith & Spirituality (Secondary) at Coomera Anglican College.
Alongside co-hosting the Zach & Dom show on the KIIS Network, Dom also hosts podcasts exploring two of his great passions – emergent spirituality (On The Way) & the Brisbane Lions (The Roar Deal).
Neil has been married for 40 years and has 4 sons between the ages of 22 and 34. Having trained as a counsellor in the UK in the 1990s,
Neil has nearly 30 years’ experience counselling individuals and couples through relationship issues. He currently has a private counselling practice on the Gold Coast, is a seasoned lecturer and clinical supervisor and presenter.
Dom Fay is a broadcaster, a podcaster, and a comedian. He is currently one half of the comedy duo Zach & Dom, heard nightly on the KIIS Radio Network around Australia, and also co-host of AFL podcast The Roar Deal and spirituality podcast On The Way. Alongside his media work, Dom is also employed at an Anglican school as Faith & Spirituality Coordinator, working alongside high school students as they wrestle with the big questions of life, faith, identity, and meaning. He has recently created Private Speaking, a card game to move people into deeper conversations.
For many years Joel McKerrow has been holding together the tension of being a Father and a husband, as well as a full-time creative. He is a writer, performer, poet, educator, speaker, podcaster, university lecturer and a host of other things. Before poetry took over his life Joel was running courses in identity and spiritual formation and now spends much of his work focussing on the intersection between creativity and spirituality. Joel has five published books as well as five spoken word/music albums. He is the director of The School for Creative Development and is the artist ambassador for TEARFUND Australia
Janet is a Clinical Counsellor with Centre for Men and Families who has journeyed with women for decades in various roles. She has been married to Mick for 34 years and is mother to five daughters and grandmother to two grandchildren.
Richard Fay is a clinical psychotherapist in private practice, ambassador and past CEO of the Centre for Men and Families and a weaver of the Men’s Rites of Passage. Richard’s work specialises in trauma, couples therapy and spiritual direction.
Dan Foster is the CEO of the Centre for Men & Families and has a passion for providing safe places for men to process their emotional wounds, to overcome trauma in a deep and profound way. In his professional life, he has worked as a youth worker, school teacher, and pastor. He pioneered a work for young men to engage them in ritual work that helps to deepen their maturity and gives them a framework to process their pain. He is a prolific and passionate blogger and poet. He and his wife Ann-Marie are raising three children and are forging a path together through the complex word of understanding adolescent minds.
Robert has learnt to love himself so he can love others. He loves communing in nature at the beach and in the bush. He specialises in supporting others to understand who they truly are with the help of Counselling, Coaching and Mentoring one on one and in educational group webinars. Robert is a clinical registrant of The Psychotherapy And Counselling Federation of Australia and a Certified Coach with The Morter Institute in the USA. He is an Elder through Mens Wellbeing Inc.
A Brisbane based urological surgeon with a passion for men’s health and well-being. With years of experience in 3 countries, addressing common and complex urological issues, with a practical, no-nonsense approach to conversations that many men shy away from—but need to have.
Beyond the operating room, he has been involved with the Centre for Men and Families since 2015, supporting men on their journeys toward becoming better men, better husbands, and better fathers. His own transformative experience began with rites of passage that set him on a path of self-discovery, shaping his understanding of what it means to live authentically as a man.
David Cluff is a husband, father, grandfather, and an experienced counselor and trauma psychotherapist with over a decade of post-graduate experience. His counseling background spans the not-for-profit sector, sessional lecturing, and private practice. David has a deep fascination with understanding the impact of traumatic events, attachment trauma, and grief on an individual’s sense of self and daily functioning. He is particularly passionate about exploring, studying, and applying effective remedial therapies to support healing and recovery.
I am a passionate lover of nature in all its forms, in particular human nature. I love to see the potential released all things from buildings I have worked on as a tradesperson, old furniture and houses I have restored and renovated and people who I walk with as a therapist and guide.
I work in ways that are nature-based and wholeness-focussed, not merely wanting people to not be struggling, but rather creating the conditions for thriving: Uncovering gifts and living them into the world.
I am a husband of 26 years, Father of 4 grown children, Businessman for 25 years, Tradesman, Counsellor (Since 2008), Group Facilitator & Soul Work Guide. I have been involved in Centre for Men since 2004, as a counsellor, Group facilitator, retreat leader, Board member & MROP Elder.
Tim Rose is a qualified Counsellor and Creative Arts Therapist with a passion for body-based practice and movement, Somatics, and expressing with the body that which is occurring within.
With a long-standing background in the people-helping field including pastoral ministry, twelve-step recovery work, trauma recovery, and lived experience peer support, Tim is a deeply intuitive practitioner. Coupled with his contrasted lived experience, Tim brings a very rich and diverse collection of skills and abilities to his collaborative working with others which leads to his unique embodied facilitation.
Tim resides in Melbourne, Victoria, and is an author and poet, self-confessed ‘fussy foodie,’ and ‘group junkie.’ In his personal time, Tim enjoys writing, music and film, photography, architecture, cooking, dining out, and the ‘other’ love of his life – Lego.
Phil Cox is a listener, learner, thinker, and communicator with a deep curiosity about life in all its complexity—its devastating wounds, its ecstatic joys, and the Spirit that holds it all together. As a Spiritual Director, he creates spaces where people can share the fullness of their stories, be heard without judgment, and reflect on their lives with honesty and depth.
Phil is especially passionate about helping men find the freedom to live courageously from their deepest and most authentic selves.
He lives in Brisbane with his wife, Suz, and their three children, Aria, Porter, and Levi. A lifelong baseball fan, he follows the Atlanta Braves with devotion. He is also captivated by the music and poetry of Bob Dylan and Ryan Adams and can occasionally be found behind a drum kit whenever the opportunity arises.