Radio interview with Dan Repacholi MP, ABC Radio Darwin – 15 June 2026

LIZ TREVASKIS, HOST: Can you remember the bunches of flowers that made you feel special, and are you feeling treasured thinking about those moments? And blokes, can any of you remember this feeling? Ladies, I bet you can. Blokes, how about you? Has anyone ever given you flowers? Apparently, most blokes will only ever receive one bunch of flowers in their lifetime, usually at their funeral. This Men's Health Week, how about changing that? Dan Repacholi is a former Olympian and Special Envoy for Men's Health. He is a big, bearded bloke-y bloke, but reckons he wouldn't mind to be receiving some flowers himself. Hello, Dan.

DAN REPACHOLI, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MEN’S HEALTH: Gidday, Liz, and gidday listeners.

TREVASKIS: Has anyone ever sent you flowers?

REPACHOLI: Look, I haven't had flowers sent to me, but I have had some given to me when I've been lucky enough to represent our country. So, yes, in sport, but I haven't had any sent to me personally, yet.

TREVASKIS: Tell me about the bouquets that you received in sport.

REPACHOLI: So, I've been lucky enough to get some bouquets from the Commonwealth Games and some national championships and things like that, and some international events as well so it's been quite good. But nobody has actually just sent me some flowers.

TREVASKIS: [Talks over] Can you remember the first time? What was the first time that you were – I'm assuming this is like up on a podium, when you're getting the flowers?

REPACHOLI: Yeah, up on a podium. Yes, up on a podium. The first one was when I was a younger shooter, it was the first time it happened. And it was special. I don't know whether it was special for the flowers, but it was special because I won, and the flowers are just part of it. But for us blokes, we don't get flowers sent to us usually. And usually when we do it's at our funerals, unfortunately. So, the more flowers we can get out there to the blokes the better, because everybody likes to smell a nice bunch of flowers. There's no doubt about that. It's just not something that men usually do. 

TREVASKIS: Yeah. I want to spend some more time on this podium with you at the Commonwealth Games, though, because you're you were a shooter – big, bearded shooter, bloke-y bloke bloke - and you wouldn't have - well, you’d just said you'd never received flowers before. How did you feel getting flowers? Did it feel like a strange thing? Did you clock for a moment, aw, why - yeah, why don't we get flowers? Like, do you remember reflecting on it?

REPACHOLI: Right then in that moment? No.

TREVASKIS: No.

REPACHOLI: I definitely didn't. But …

REVASKIS: [Interrupts] Because it was about the shooting.

REPACHOLI: I was more – that's exactly right. It was all about the shooting. It was all about doing your best and representing your country, and if you were lucky enough to come out the number one person or number two or number three. So, but –

TREVASKIS: [Interrupts] On reflection then, how are you feeling about getting flowers as a bloke?

REPACHOLI: So reflections is good, and there's no issues with getting flowers as a bloke – I think it's a great thing and we should see more of it. And I hope we hear a florist in the NT area that's listening to this in in Darwin today, is getting some blokes in there that are getting flowers for other blokes.

TREVASKIS: Have you ever given – I'm assuming you've probably given flowers in your life?

REPACHOLI: I've given many, many flowers in my life, but not many to blokes to be perfectly honest, and that's something that I need to do better at as well. So, we'll make sure that we look into this as well. But it's Men's Health Week, and it's all about raising awareness for men's health. And if that means giving a bloke a bunch of flowers, that is a great thing. And you know, what else we could do? We could uh give a bloke a bunch of flowers when they send their bowel cancer test screening kit back to the government. Because it's the only time you can crap in a bag and send it back to government. So, make sure the blokes out there do it and then they can get a bunch of flowers too, and actually a little thank you for sending that back to government.

TREVASKIS: It'd be nice if the government sent the flowers out as the thank you, but I don't think they're going to do that.

REPACHOLI: [Talks over] Well, I might put that forward him. I might put that forward to the Health Minister and see what he says – every test kit that comes back they get a flower.

TREVASKIS: Yeah. Do you think – like, I really would like to hear from men about this because, you know, that's who we're talking about and it is Men's Health Week and this is a bit of a conversation starter really to talk about Men's Health Week. Do you think men want flowers or are men – are we ready for a world where men are getting flowers and giving flowers?

REPACHOLI: Look, plenty of men give flowers – there's no doubt about that, I do know lots of men that do give flowers.

TREVASKIS: To other men, though?

REPACHOLI: To other men? Yeah, not so sure how many of them are doing that. But you know what though? Men do like being appreciated too. Men do like the fact that when somebody appreciates what they do, quite often it could be with a box of beer but a bunch of flowers could be the same thing as well.

TREVASKIS: Yeah. I would love to hear from blokes who love getting flowers or who have given flowers. Because I can imagine – like, when I'm imagining this in my mind, Dan, it is maybe like the women who've received flowers and thinking, yeah, that was really nice. I'm going to turn the tables on you and send some flowers back. But it's taken a long time for my mind to conjure up men giving other men flowers.

REPACHOLI: Yeah, that's right, and let's give it a go. Let's give it a go and ask the blokes that do go and give a bunch of flowers, ask the bloke how it made them feel. Ask their partner how it made them feel as well. If a bloke's giving it to another bloke and speak to the partner of that bloke and see how that made them feel. Because I guarantee you, when somebody gives you something and shows appreciation, it's not very often it doesn't make you feel good.

TREVASKIS: All right. Who is the bloke in your life that you're grateful for – and they're probably not listening in because they're probably not in Darwin – who are you going to give flowers to, Dan Repacholi, Special Envoy for Men's Health?

REPACHOLI: I'll use a good Darwin bloke here. I'd love to give a bunch of flowers to Luke Gosling – to the Gos himself. He’s a good bloke. I get along with him well.

TREVASKIS: [Talks over] Okay. Are you going to do it, though?

REPACHOLI: Yeah, we can do that in Canberra. I might even take a photo of it and send it into you guys.

TREVASKIS: Yeah, please do, and see how it goes and then we can talk more about, you know, how that feels to give and receive flowers. Because I reckon there'll be some blokes who feel a bit like, oh, that's a bit – flowers? But maybe we’ve got to get over that and just share the appreciation a little bit more easily. 

It is Men's Health Week. You are the Special Envoy for Men's Health. What else do you want men to be thinking about and talking about and taking action on this week?

REPACHOLI: So Liz, we want men to be getting excited – getting excited about putting their health front and centre. Because quite often, blokes aren't doing that. Quite often blokes, we’re putting our health sometimes down as far down as number 10 on the list of things that we've got to get on top of. 

So, if we can get some excitement around it, get blokes to book into their GP – just make that big step and make that booking. It doesn't have to be you get checked this week, but just make that booking this week. And then sometime the next 3, 4, 5, 6 weeks, however long it is, however long it is to suit a time that suits you and the doctor, to get out there, get check-ups, and get a blood test every 12 months. If we can do that, if we can just get 10 per cent more of our Aussie male population to be out there getting a blood test every 12 months, we will literally save thousands of lives in this country. 

And the more awareness we can get, the more that we can send the bowel cancer test kits back to government, the more we can help with testing these people. Because so many blokes are just throwing them straight in the bin or chucking them in the drawer and going, 'I'll get to that one day' or 'I'm not even going to bother'.

TREVASKIS: All right. Crap in a bag and send it back to the government, and give a bloke in your life flowers. Those are some of the top tips for Men's Health Week this week. Dan Repacholi, Special Envoy for Men's Health, thank you for the reminders. 

REPACHOLI: Thank you, Liz. Thank you, listeners. And remember, blokes, get out there and get it tested.

TREVASKIS: We will talk again. Have you sent back your bowel testing kit screening thing? Do a poo in a thing, send it in the bag, and make sure everything's working well. That's one thing you can do this Men's Health Week.