It’s Mo month, and even if you’re usually sporting a clean-shaven face, it’s not a bad idea to let the hair on your upper lip grow wild for a good cause.

Movember isn’t just a fundraising effort for men’s health but an awareness-raising, month-long period which aims to convince men to look after themselves. Mo Bros have added a fun twist to their goal to “change the face of men’s health”. The Movember Foundation challenges men to grow moustaches during Movember.

Top on Australia’s leader board is a Greek Australian man, who managed to raise $29,160. Nick Halkitis, from Darwin NT, who runs a family construction supply company, has been a Mo Bro for five years now, religiously joining thousands of Aussie males as they mo up for November.

“Initially I can’t remember why I decided to take part in Movember the very first year, but gradually it’s become pretty clear, that sickness, whether it’s physical or mental, actually touches a lot of people, and with that in mind, I’ve kept it up ever since,” Mr Halkitis tells Neos Kosmos.

“It’s amazing when you start explaining why you’ve got a moustache and end up lecturing people about the Movember motive, trying to convince them to get a check-up, take care of themselves”.

Every year he tries to wear a different moustache; there’s literally a style-guide!

“This year I’m going by the o-Mo. Since year one, we’ve been tapping first place in the Northern Territory. Now we have been trying a little bit harder and entered the top ten of Australia. Three years ago we were on number three, last year we ranked number two. We are going to keep trying, not only for first place, but for the overall reason. For me it matters more what we can do together. Not just what I can do. I’m more than happy to motivate and discuss it with people, trying all the way, raising awareness,” he explained.

The broader community of Darwin has been surprisingly supportive, not just the Greeks – even though the Greek community is big here, placing Nick in first place nationally.

“I’m number one currently. We’ve still got a week to go. The reason we do get a lot of funding is the generosity of the Darwin people. We’ve been in business for a long time, over 50 years,” he said.

“I use all my email contacts, my friends and family, my clients. I email them twice during November. I send 800 messages a day. We put a great deal of effort in it. The Movember movement really motivates people.”

The Movember Foundation has, since 2004, run several Movember events to help fund programs in the areas of Awareness & Education, Living with Cancer, Research and Mental Health. The Movember community has raised more than $580 million, which is saving and improving the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems.