The Newsport: It’s just over a week into Movember – is it driving you crazy,  or are you growing a masterpiece?

Jeremy Nordkamp: It’s driving me crazy! It’s so itchy. [Normally] I shave every day - always have. So to sit there and feel growth on my face - it feels a bit unnatural! I wasn’t sure how much of a mo I could grow initially, so I went for the beard, too. But now that I have a bit of [mo'] growth there, I can get rid of the goatee.

Steve Oakley: Trying for a masterpiece, but it’s as the weeks go on…Initially, it’s nice when it’s nice and short, but it can get a bit rough and raggedy and need a bit of a tidy-up week-to-week. Any by week 3 and 4, you want to get rid of it.

What about your ‘tache family history?

Jeremy: My Dad carries a very good goatee, and my Dad's brother used to have a full beard - it used to scare me as a kid! But this is my first attempt at growing any kind of facial hair, mostly because of the industry I work in.  

Steve: I’ve never really been one for too much facial hair, to be honest. Partly because of the industry, but also there’s probably been a bit of change lately - men having beards is more acceptable and deemed to be a little bit cool. But generally, not for me! I’m growing one purely to support mens health. No family moustaches in the past – Dad maybe when he was a young fella.

Why is raising awareness of men’s health important to you?

Jeremy: It's close to home at the moment; a friend's father may be going through prostate cancer – he’s currently having tests.

I think as men, we're a bit stubborn – we don't go to the doctor when we start feeling a bit weird. So I think Movember is a great way to get the message out there - especially for this generation - that it's okay to go to the doctor and say, “I'm feeling a bit weird”, and get checked and (if needed) fixed, before anything becomes a big problem.

It’s my first time doing Movember; I have the opportunity now (as General Manager), to have some influence. And with my Mum dying of cancer a few years ago, I believe it's always good to be involved with these sorts of initiatives.

Steve: I’ve got a few close friends that have suffered from a few different illnesses, ranging from cancer to mental illness and everything else…I just firmly believe that men have just – excuse the pun – had to have a stiff upper lip and just carry on.

And particularly as I’m getting older, and seeing people – friends, family, colleagues – exposed to some of these different killers. Over the past five years, it’s made me try and step it up. So every year (bar the year I got married), I grow the mo.

What are you expecting by the end of the month?

Jeremy: I don't want to think about it - I'm scared! And I might need bail money.

Steve: Everyone seems to give me the Mark ‘Chopper’ Read call.

What about maintenance?

Jeremy: I haven't had to trim it or anything, yet. I moisturise every day, but once it gets a bit longer, I'll start to trim it and make it less...feral.

Steve: A bit of grooming, it’d be rude not to.

Tell me about your respective Movember teams.

Jeremy: Peppers Mo’s have a target of $500. But we're at $250 already, so we might review that. Five of us are doing it, and the other boys are carrying much healthier mos than me. So I'm a little bit envious.

Steve: I’m team captain for QT. There are eight of us in the team but we’re inviting all Douglas residents to join the team and raise as much money as possible. We aim is to put FNQ on the map when it comes to changing the face of men’s health.