The group has been hard at work raising awareness and raising money to coincide with prostate cancer awareness month in September. The group has just recently partnered with John Dodds Pharmacy to create a display on awareness and hopefully motivate Griffith men to get tested.

In conjunction with the month, the group is taking part in "The Long Run," a goal to run, walk or wheel 72 kilometres over the month of September to raise money and awareness of the disease and the importance of support.

The 72 kilometres is to represent the 72 per cent of men who will not seek help after being diagnosed, despite 1 in 5 developing anxiety or depression as a result.

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Barry Maples is the facilitator of the Griffith group, and said that this year marked some notable anniversaries.

"This year has been 25 years since the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has been going. They were going to have an Australia-wide conference, but unfortunately because of COVID, they had to cancel that," he said.

He added that those 25 years have marked notable improvement to the outcomes for men battling prostate cancer.

"From 1996 to 2020 - in 1996 the survival rate was 73.5 per cent. but in 2020, that was up to 95 per cent. I think by 2040, they're hoping to have that to 100. It's a long way, but there's time."

The Griffith group will have been running for a decade next year, and currently have between 90 to 100 members. Mr Maples said that Griffith had a high rate, but the group was working hard to combat stigma surrounding it.

"We've got a fairly close knit support group ... Men often say 'ah, she'll be right' or 'I'm untouchable' and that's not it at all. This area where we are, it's got a tendency to have a higher percentage than other groups."

To support John Dodd Pharmacy's team in The Long Run click here.

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