The usual habitat for the goons of Tough Guy Book Club (TGBC) is in pubs and bars around the world, while engaged in heated debate, putting robust discussions back into these venues one book at a time. So how does the club respond to a formal invitation from one of the highest offices in Australia? We damn well scrub up, put on a tie and jacket, and represent as the stand-up members of society that we are – even if we might not give that impression at first glance.
One morning in August 2024, the TGBC were invited to a breakfast hosted by Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC, Governor of Victoria. We are grateful for the recognition from the Governor of all the hard work and dedication that our volunteers and members put into the running of the club on a daily basis. The Governor was impressed with our club, what we do, and the communities we've built. This sort of stuff is encouraging and shows how all TGBC members make a difference and help us to deliver on our mission of getting men to read more, talk more, and have more friends.
Nineteen of our best dressed members had the pleasure to attend the breakfast, enjoying the change of scene and noting how far the club has come since being founded on the beer drenched streets of Collingwood all those years ago. The Governor expressed that she was impressed with how TGBC is providing more and more men with a community to connect and was stated that “This organisation’s dedication has helped countless men across the globe find a healthy, positive way to express themselves.”
Breakfast was eaten, photos were taken, and coins were swapped. Who knew that the Governor of Victoria has her own challenge coins? Thank you to Rob O’Reilly who sacrificed a hard earnt TGBC challenge coin in exchange to ensure that her excellency was left with a lasting memento of the club. Books were also discussed - as you would expect from a book club. The month of the visit we were reading The Riders by Australian author Tim Winton, and a copy was presented as a gift.
Well done to the Goons who represented us, you scrubbed up well. And a sincere thanks to all of our Goons who help make our club what it is whether that be attending the monthly meetings, stepping up to the monthly challenges, contributing to our community online, and to the over 200 volunteers that work behind the scenes to make it such a success.
