IT'S THAT time of year when moustaches sprout on the upper lips of men all over the country as they participate in Movember and help raise funds to assist men's health.

Who knew when two mates - Travis Garone and Luke Slattery - met for a quiet beer in Melbourne in 2003 that a global movement called Movember would be born.

The guys felt that the moustache had almost disappeared from fashion trends and wondered if they could bring it back.

They went about searching for blokes willing to take up the 'bring the moustache' back challenge, found 30 participants, and now the Movember Foundation is one of the top 500 NGOs in the world, helping to raise millions of dollars towards men's health projects and, perhaps more importantly, raise awareness of men's health issues, getting men to open up and talk more.

The Movember Foundation works to bring awareness to the forefront about prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health issues and suicide prevention.

You don't have to grow a moustache to be involved...although why not?

You can host an event, fundraise or just spread the word...it all helps.

More about Movember at website: movember.com