For a long time now I’ve done my best to surround myself with good people. The type of people who will bring out the best in me. I had a lot of friends growing up, through school, family and the various sports I played. Back then I prided myself on that, I liked having lots of friends, it made me feel good. Now I’m more than happy just to have a few really good friends around me.

Dirk and Adrian exemplify what good people are. I’ve known both of these guys for over 15 years. Adrian was the Best Man at my wedding - he was the Best Man at Dirk’s wedding to - which goes to show how highly we think of him.

This time the conversation takes place at Dirks’ house. We sit in the light filled living room at the back of the house, a new addition to this lovely little home nestled in middle of the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Dirks wife Amanda brings us water (no coffee this time). We probably need that water as we are about to hit the town to watch my Giants lose to Dirks’ Magpies.

I sit across the table from them. I’ve known these guys for so long I wasn’t really sure how to start the conversation. I wanted their thoughts on friendship and how they envision their friendship. They’re probably the smartest guys I know and generally have a realistic (and often sarcastic) take on the world - and they usually pull me into line.

They met way back in 2003 through their girlfriends (now wives) who were at university together, and they hit it off straight away. They have similar tastes in books, music, TV shows and both have a slightly weird and dark sense of humour, you know the usual ‘mate’ stuff. But that doesn’t automatically mean you become friends on a deeper level.

When asked if they had ever sat down and chatted about things other than sport and TV shows, they replied “not really”. Dirk went on to say “we know we have each others backs and if there ever was a problem we know we could rely on each other”. Adrian added ”we have a genuine interest in the same things and sometimes all you need to do is hang out”.

Their sense of humour was on show when Adrian said “there is a golden rule with mateship, you don’t judge your mates” but Dirk replied “well, not to their faces anyway”.

Even though at Gotcha4Life our mission is to get blokes talking I realised that Adrian and Dirk didn’t need to put ‘D&M’ into their diaries and chat about there feelings on a regular basis. They are comfortable with their relationship and take most things in their stride - As Adrian puts it “being friends with the right people makes being friends easy, you don’t have to work on it”.

THIS IS THE FIRST OF MANY CONVERSATIONS I WILL BE HAVING WITH BLOKES EXPLORING THE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF MATESHIP. I WILL SIT DOWN WITH GUYS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, CHATTING WITH THEM AND FINDING OUT WHY THEY’VE STUCK TOGETHER. HERE’S IS MY FIRST COFFEE CONVERSATION.

Tucked away in a cafe in Parramatta, the heart of Sydney’s western suburbs, I await the arrival of John and Kyle, cousins and life-long best mates. Their lives have always been intertwined, both were born in the Philippines and spent much of their time youth in Australia only a few streets away from each other.

I don’t have to do much, these two love to talk, are extremely comfortable with one another and have no problems expressing how they feel. We order coffees and accompanied by the muffled sounds of the lively cafe, we start talking. We speak about how they grew-up practically as brothers that always had each others back. They reflect upon their small disagreements and how they helped each other through the transition from being family-reliant teenagers into the arduous journey of adulthood. This was what really cemented their friendship and took it to the next level.

Kyle did well at school and wanted to keep up the momentum in his tertiary education. He enrolled at university and after his first year he felt drained and unenthusiastic. He didn’t know what to do, but he knew he wasn’t happy. As he had done many times before he turned to John for advice. John had gone through a similar situation and didn’t hesitate to help. They would grab coffees or just sit in their car for hours on end, just talking, that’s all they needed.

‘It’s harder for me to open up to other friends and it is easier to talk to you (John)’ Kyle says, they both look at each other and agree that they feel no judgment which is why they can open up to each other.

Just like anywhere, growing up in Western Sydney can have it’s challenges, especially when it comes to masculinity or revealing your emotions. In most parts the stigma and pressure to be a “tough guy” still exists but after sitting down with these two I doubt that stereotype is as rife as it used to be, and that it will be continue to be dismantled.

It is refreshing to talk to two young men who not only so comfortable in their own skins but are learning at a young age that they’re not alone and that life is a team effort.