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Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from ACM, which has journalists in every state and territory. Sign up here to get it by email, or here to forward it to a friend. Is the mullet back? Did I miss the memo? Of the many unexpected things to come out of 2020, the mullet making a comeback is yet another of unprecedented proportions. ‘All business in the front and party at the back’, it was the defining hairstyle for a good chunk of the 80s and 90s. Now it appears the flamboyant symbol of those retro times is back in 2020 and bigger than ever. Meet the man who just might be sporting Australia’s best mullet. Twenty-three-year-old Jake Kinzett from the NSW lllawarra region decided a standard mullet wasn’t going to cut it for him. Instead he took it up a notch, fluffed up his luscious locks and added some bleach to finish the look for his stand-out, afro-mullet. “I started growing it out with just a rats tail from the top of my head,” Kinzett said. “Then I grew it into a mohawk, but everybody started getting mohawks, so I shaved the top of my hair to be different. “People started getting mullets, so I decided to bleach mine blonde. I’m fortunate to grow a fluffy afro, so it stands out.” Unlike the elusive and endangered night parrot recently spotted in Western Australia, Kinzett wouldn’t be to hard to spot in a crowd and often gets stopped in the street for mullet fans to take a cheeky photo with his mullet. But Kinzett knows it won’t take long before some people decide to replicate his unique style. And when that happens, it will no doubt be time for his hair to evolve to the next level of craziness. For anyone feeling a little mullet envy, The Black Dog Institute’s Mullets for Mental Health has declared September mullet month. People are encouraged to shape and grow out their mullets throughout next month, and raise funds for mental health research. Figures from the institute show suicide is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15-44, and 60 per cent of Australians reporting symptoms of mental illness don’t seek help. So through the very hair on your head, mullet lovers can help raise awareness and drive change to improve research into the early detection, prevention and treatment of common mental health disorders. There’s no doubting the past month has been a tough one for everyone in the Group Seven Rugby League community, after losing numerous individuals to self-harm. One club that has had enough is the Gerringong Lions, who’s playing group have decided to grow mullets for mental health awareness. Also spreading the word for mental health – especially for men’s mental health is Milad Kado – who through his own story of resilience wanted to share his own message: to never give up and keep trying. Other are encouraged to share their own stories of resilience and build support networks as part of a new project titled Tackling the Challenge: Talking Men’s Health. If you or someone you know needs help, you can call to speak to someone on the following: Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; MensLine Australia 1300 789 978; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36; Headspace 1800 650 890; QLife 1800 184 527 Sign up to get our Voice of Real Australia updates straight to your inbox

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Jake Kinzett’s mullet has raised some eyebrows. Photo: Robert Peet.

Is the mullet back? Did I miss the memo? Of the many unexpected things to come out of 2020, the mullet making a comeback is yet another of unprecedented proportions.

‘All business in the front and party at the back’, it was the defining hairstyle for a good chunk of the 80s and 90s. Now it appears the flamboyant symbol of those retro times is back in 2020 and bigger than ever.

Twenty-three-year-old Jake Kinzett from the NSW lllawarra region decided a standard mullet wasn’t going to cut it for him.

Instead he took it up a notch, fluffed up his luscious locks and added some bleach to finish the look for his stand-out, afro-mullet.

“I started growing it out with just a rats tail from the top of my head,” Kinzett said. “Then I grew it into a mohawk, but everybody started getting mohawks, so I shaved the top of my hair to be different.

“People started getting mullets, so I decided to bleach mine blonde. I’m fortunate to grow a fluffy afro, so it stands out.”

Unlike the elusive and endangered night parrot recently spotted in Western Australia, Kinzett wouldn’t be to hard to spot in a crowd and often gets stopped in the street for mullet fans to take a cheeky photo with his mullet.

The endangered night parrot. The bird was believed to be extinct but Mount Isa bird expert Rex Whitehead says the night parrot still exists in North West Queensland. Photo: Nick Leseberg.

But Kinzett knows it won’t take long before some people decide to replicate his unique style. And when that happens, it will no doubt be time for his hair to evolve to the next level of craziness.

People are encouraged to shape and grow out their mullets throughout next month, and raise funds for mental health research.

Figures from the institute show suicide is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15-44, and 60 per cent of Australians reporting symptoms of mental illness don’t seek help.

So through the very hair on your head, mullet lovers can help raise awareness and drive change to improve research into the early detection, prevention and treatment of common mental health disorders.

There’s no doubting the past month has been a tough one for everyone in the Group Seven Rugby League community, after losing numerous individuals to self-harm.

Also spreading the word for mental health – especially for men’s mental health is Milad Kado – who through his own story of resilience wanted to share his own message: to never give up and keep trying.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can call to speak to someone on the following:

Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; MensLine Australia 1300 789 978; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36; Headspace 1800 650 890; QLife 1800 184 527

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