A haircut is a simple thing, but "it can change someone's life".
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That was the aim for Walkabout Barber founder Brian Dowd and his team who saw more than 60 boys and men in their mobile barber shop in Lavington yesterday.
Their visit was part of a free community event led by the Department of Communities and Justice at Jelbart Park aiming to connect the community.
Mr Dowd is an Indigenous trauma and recovery specialist who hopes to foster self confidence and equality through making people feel good on the outside.
"Walkabout Barber provides an opportunity for communities to not only feel fresh on the outside but also feel fresh on the inside too," he said.
"The barber chair is a magical chair - when men get in there they sort of let their guard down a bit and they start to talk.
"I try to tell them my story and I can give them professional advice while just giving them a simple haircut."
Mr Dowd shared his story of struggling with mental health with more than 100 people at the event and said the idea for the barber came about "by mistake".
"It is always more than a haircut for me," he said.
"I was bankrupt at 26 and tried to take my own life at 27, I then spent three years getting my life on track.
"And once I saved my life I said I wanted to save other people."
That is what he has been doing for the past 17 years.
"My barber journey started actually with my little boy," Mr Dowd said. "He was diagnosed with autism and he had sensory issues with getting a haircut.
"So I bought a set of clippers and gave him a trim and I think at the end of that haircut we were both in tears.
"All I wanted to do was give my son a haircut but we had to hold him down and cut his hair and it wasn't an ideal situation.
"I wanted this to change so with positive repetition we got better with his haircuts over time." Mr Dowd said the barber is about using his experiences to better other people's lives. "These little blokes walk into the trailer with their head down and they walk out 10 centimetres taller," he said.
"Their self esteem, confidence and ability to look you in the eye changes. That is what it is all about."
