‘Why dad alone, when we can dad together?'

“We all need a village, but what happens when there are literally no villages?”

When Shaun Chandran’s children were born, so was a father. 

Then, somewhere between the sleepless nights and the Sunday playground visits, the Perth father of two stumbled upon a stroke of genius.

“We all need a village, but what happens when there are no villages?” Shaun asked Kidspot. 

So Shaun took one look at the playground and thought: “Why dad alone, when we can dad together?” 

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From a frothy coffee to fatherhood connections 

He decided to research local community groups dedicated to dads, and found none. 

“I very reluctantly decided to plant the flag,” he recalled. 

“It was kind of just meet up in a playground on a Sunday morning.“

Attending with his daughter Syreeta and son Marley, it didn’t take long before Shaun was carrying that flag as the leader.

The group swelled from a handful of dads sharing takeaway coffees to a thriving community of fathers, navigating the chaos of nappy changes, tantrums and self-doubt, together. 

“It went from zero to 500,” Shaun said.  

In 2024, Shaun was named Community Father of the Year for his efforts.

As his children grew out of the toddler trenches and into their school years, Shaun decided it was time for his dads group to grow up too. 

Shaun with his kids, Syreeta and Marley, and wife, Kylie. Image: Supplied

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"It's made me realise how much I've missed in the last six years"

He brought the same spirit of connection into the schoolyard.

With the support of The Fathering Project, Shaun helped launch a school-based dads group where fathers could connect, show up and support one another.

“They can support any school, anywhere,” Shaun explained.

“They take out all the thinking work. They'll have the resources about how you can run a dad’s group.” 

When it comes to the fun factor, there’s more than enough to go around. There ain’t no party like a dad’s group party. 

Last year, the group ran a Paper Planes and Pizza Party. This year, families enjoyed a Hotdogs and Handball theme. 

“We ended up having 200 families, dads and kids, at the school. It was all because the kids were pulling the dads, saying, ‘We wanna go to the pizza party!’” he explained. 

“They’re just super fun and really uplifting.”

Shaun recalls one interaction with a fellow dad that put the group’s impact into perspective.

The father, a FIFO worker, had spent limited time with his kids over the years. That one night meant more than most.

It was enough for him to reconsider his priorities and opt to work closer to home

“He just said, ‘it was such a beautiful night. I had so much fun. The girls had the best time and it's made me realise how much I've missed in the last six years,’” Shaun shared. 

“It kind of gave him this sense of like, yes, this is the place I need to prioritise.”

Last year the dad's group enjoyed a Paper Planes and Pizza Party! Image: Supplied

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"Mums get to run a hot bath in peace"

Getting dads involved hasn’t always been easy, but Shaun believes the gateway is through the mums.

It was so unheard of that the lady at the front counter thought he was lost when he turned up to a P&F meeting to share his idea for a school-based dads group.  

“By the time I pitched why we needed a dads group at the school, I had all the mums around the table handing me their partners’ numbers,” he recalled.

He says it’s also an added bonus for mums, who get a moment of peace while dad’s off with the kids. 

“While dads are running around with paper planes, mums get to run a hot bath in peace,” he explained.

But mums are always welcome to come along and join the fun too.

What’s likely to strike the most joy into the heart of any school mum, though? 

“For the last two years, since we've had a dad's group, the dads are running the Mother's Day stall. Which kind of makes sense,” Shaun said.

But beyond the events, Shaun knows the real impact runs deeper. It’s about connection. About giving dads permission to show up and be vulnerable.

“Let's create spaces where we're inviting dads to just come together to connect and check in,” he said.

“If we do well by dads, it really helps the families and it really helps our communities.”

Shaun is quietly rewriting the book on modern fatherhood. One paper plane and pizza party at a time.

Head to the The Fathering Project to find or start a group local to you. 

Originally published as ‘Why dad alone, when we can dad together?'