What happens to a town when there are fewer places for people to run into familiar faces?
It’s a question Tough Guy Book Club (TGBC), the world’s largest men’s book club, says more regional communities are beginning to face as traditional gathering places continue to disappear.
“We often talk about the infrastructure regional communities need to thrive, but that conversation usually stops at roads, housing and essential services,” says TGBC founder, Shay Leighton. “Communities also need regular places where people know they’ll see familiar faces. Those connections don’t happen by accident. They need somewhere to happen.”
The story follows recent discussion around declining reading habits in Australia, with ABS Time Use Survey data showing men are significantly less likely than women to read on an average day. Through volunteer-led local chapters that meet monthly, TGBC uses books as a reason for men to come together, read more, talk more and build friendships.
TGBC’s own member data suggests that approach is working:
- 75% joined to make more friends
- 70% say they read more after joining
- 53% have experienced loneliness, anxiety or depression
- 97% say the club delivers on its mission to help men read more, talk more and have more friends.
Hamilton (VIC) local Jack Kennedy has watched community groups, small businesses and local pubs disappear over the past decade, while TGBC has become one of the few regular places where men from across the region still come together.
“Over the past decade we’ve seen small businesses, community groups and pubs close their doors because people just aren’t participating like they used to,” says Jack, who is also a TGBC Volunteer Officer. “Only about a quarter of our members actually live in Hamilton. The rest travel from surrounding towns, and we’ve even had people drive more than an hour to attend because there wasn’t anything like it where they lived.”
Jack recalls one member in his late 50s who had never had a social circle or hobby outside work. Within months of joining the club, he was swapping books, sharing produce from his veggie garden and heading away on weekends with other members. Today, he’s one of the first to check in on others when they’re doing it tough.
Regional Australia has become one of TGBC’s fastest-growing areas, with 60 regional chapters now making up 30% of the club and supporting around 1,200 regional members. Attendance across regional chapters has grown by 30% over the past 18 months, with five new regional chapters established this year alone.
Despite this growth, TGBC says it receives enquiries from regional men every day asking how they can attend a local chapter. Without additional funding to recruit and train volunteer leaders, many communities remain beyond its reach, with regional Victoria and New South Wales identified as priority areas for expansion.
TGBC is actively seeking funding to meet this demand, with approximately $2,000 enough to establish a new regional chapter, including local promotion, volunteer recruitment and training, and ongoing support.
Rachel Demarco
Senior Account Director
Good Talent Media
