Media Release:

Men and Breastfeeding - The New Frontier: Warwick Shanks Biography

By day Warwick Shanks works as an accountant for KPMG. By night he is a man on mission. The father of four and Chartered Accountant is dedicating his spare time towards changing the way that Aussie dads view breastfeeding. He believes there is a mindset in Aussie male culture that keeps dads distanced and uninformed about breastfeeding, which essentially makes them spectators instead of helpful supporters. To him, turning your back on the process and walking into the next room is the easy way out. There are ways in which men should help and support their partners.

Warwick is a 38 year old father of 4 children Meg (11) Toby (9), Tom (7) and Luke (5) and has been married to Sharon for 14 years.

Born in Dubbo and educated at Dubbo South Primary School and the Kings School in Parramatta, Warwick earned a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney and commenced work with KPMG in Sydney in 1991. Warwick qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1993. In 1994, after they were married, Warwick and Sharon moved to the UK where Warwick worked in the KPMG office in St Albans, just north of London, and Sharon worked as a teacher in a school in Bethnal Green in London's East End.

They returned to Australia in October 1996 and moved to KPMG's Wollongong office and settled in Jamberoo (NSW). Warwick was admitted as a partner in KPMG in January 2001.

He is actively involved in his communities, both the business community in the Illawarra and his local community at Jamberoo.

After the birth of their daughter Meg, Sharon became involved with the Australian Breastfeeding Association, whichs was called the Nursing Mothers Association at that time. She became a community educator, then a trained counsellor, group leader and is currently the regional leader of ABA in the Illawarra. Sharon began presenting a seminar on Breastfeeding and early parenting and Warwick became involved in speaking with the fathers at these seminars. They decided that he should "do this properly" so Warwick became qualified as an ABA Community educator, one of the few males in Australia to perform this role.

Over recent years Warwick has continued to present at the seminars, and has also presented at prenatal classes. He has also presented at a number of conferences and training days for midwives, the NSW Lactation College and the ABA, including that ABA National Conference "Hot Milk" in August 2007. At the end of August 2008 he will be one of the keynote speakers at the NSW ABA State Conference.

At these various events Warwick regularly received feedback that it would be great if there were more males talking to new and prospective dads about the important role that they play in their babies lives, both from a breastfeeding perspective and also from a bonding and engagement perspective. After hearing this for a few years and realising that whilst there were a number of books aimed at the first time dad, there were not any DVDs or other products aimed at providing information to new dads in a light-hearted and uncomplicated style, 'Blokes Babies Breastfeeding' was born. The DVD was produced with support from the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service and all profits from its sale go to the Illawarra ABA group to be used to further promote and support breastfeeding.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the DVD simply visit www.blokesbabiesbreastfeeding.com.

Read our Men and Breastfeeding Media Release.

Mum Zone Release Date: 21st October 2008

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