Menslink Great Walk participants at the end of their trek at Parliament House. Photo: Todd Wright.
Paul Eccles has a couple of critical feet-saving tips for participants who sign up for the Menslink Great Walk.
The first is to band-aid up those blisters before they burst.
The second: “Don’t turn up on the day in a new pair of shoes and wonder how they’ll go.”
Paul, who heads up sales and performance at PSC Insurance Brokers Canberra, certainly knows what he’s talking about, given this will be the fifth time he has taken on the 142-kilometre, five-day trail to raise funds for the Menslink charity.
This year’s event, which starts on 11 November from Parliament House, will see 31 CEOs, business and community leaders walk the Centenary Trail on a mission to support Canberra’s young men in becoming better blokes.
If the walk itself isn’t challenging enough, those involved also commit to raising at least $10,000 each. In 2024, that effort resulted in a record-breaking $365,000 injection of funds for programs that support young men and boys across Canberra who are struggling.
Menslink says the contribution goes directly to life-changing mentoring, counselling, school and workplace programs that “help improve mental fitness, combat domestic violence, reduce youth suicide by encouraging help-seeking behaviours, increase respect and positive behaviours”.
Paul, who has supported the walk since it began in 2021 and is now a Menslink board member, is currently sitting at the top of this year’s fundraising leaderboard, with nearly $38,000 raised of a $50,000 goal.
Such is his belief in the work of the organisation that has been in operation for more than 20 years, he has extended his commitment of time, energy and (pledged) money to the cause.
He says government funding for such services is not guaranteed, and community and corporate support are vital to ensuring the survival of programs that, in the end, repay us all.
“It’s why I strive for a bigger fundraising target – it’s a moral duty that if I can, I should,” he says.
“There is always a need, and when you speak to the staff, the parents (who are often single mums) and even the young men themselves, there is so much gratitude for the work being done by Menslink.
“Parents of daughters want to know there are good young men in our community because that’s better for everybody.”
Kate Coultas of Ray White Canberra agrees that Menslink plays a vital role in the community, “assisting 10 to 25 year-olds to be better all-round people, from being teenagers to moving into adulthood”.
In outlining her reasons for signing up for this year’s walk, Kate points out that in the past year, Menslink has provided 1800 free counselling sessions to young men, matched 92 teenagers/young men with mentors, with 82 per cent of parents reporting a positive impact on family relationships as a direct result of the charity’s education, mentoring and counselling.
Walking with purpose … the start of the Menslink Great Walk at Australian Parliament House. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
To date, this year’s fundraising tally stands at $255,000, but Paul says participants really ramp up their fundraising efforts with friends, family, clients, customers, and the wider community in the last days before the walk commences.
He believes one of the strengths of the Great Walk is that it provides an opportunity for like-minded community and business leaders to engage with each other and support a cause that, in the end, supports all of Canberra.
While it’s a tough physical challenge, he says, “you do get a pillow to sleep on at night”, with walkers accommodated at Abode in Belconnen, and taken by bus to each day’s leg of the trail.
This allows participants to check emails and stay connected to the business world, and it means participants are more likely to return a second or third time to support the walk.
Legal firm Parker Coles Curtis, for instance, has been represented on the walk twice by director Catherine Coles and now by fellow director Jacquelyn Curtis.
Of her involvement this year, Jacquelyn states: “I’ve built my career on supporting families through some of the hardest chapters of their lives. I know how powerful it is when someone extends a supportive arm, offers a safe space, and helps chart a way forward.”
Menslink itself is set to benefit from a further supportive arm after it was announced as the main beneficiary of proceeds from the Chamberlain Foundation’s 10th Anniversary Gala on 15 November.
Canberra is a “giving community”, Paul says. “This is a critical service that has a track record of delivering outcomes.”
Much like the structure of the Menslink programs, this group of Canberrans has signed up to support, participants tackle The Great Walk at their own pace, according to Paul.
Attaining a degree of fitness ahead of the event is strongly recommended, particularly since walkers will be covering between 20 km and 30 km a day over quite varied terrain.
“But at the end of the day, our challenges and physical pain on this walk are short-lived compared to the challenges some of these young people face,” Paul says.
To find out more or donate to individuals or the Great Walk cause, visit Menslink.
