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For months, Tony Pearce has pounded the pavements around Melbourne – on an average day he’ll walk 15 to 35kms. When he’s not walking, the Emergency Services Foundation (ESF) chair cycles or works out at the gym.
The 62-year-old is serious about getting fit – for good reason.
On Friday, 10 March Tony left the State Control Centre in East Melbourne and began an arduous 1,440km solo walk. It will take him 50 days and his route will cover many of the areas destroyed by the Black Summer Bushfires.
The Trek will raise awareness of the impact of mental health issues faced by Victoria’s emergency workers. It will also highlight ESF’s work to improve mental health outcomes for emergency workers and will raise funds to implement two new evidence-informed, prevention-focused initiatives.
“Over my journey in emergency services I’ve had colleagues who’ve taken their own lives as a result of the impact of their work, and many other workers become debilitated because of the impacts of their mental health injury,” says Tony.
“Emergency workers, including volunteers, are happy to help others, but they don’t want to talk about what is happening to them. Once those people leave their organisation, they lose that wraparound camaraderie and culture that exists in their workplace and their lives are terribly disrupted. In this day and age, in a country like ours, to have people who work to protect others suffering to the extent some of them do is untenable.”
Tony hopes his trek will ease the stigma of reaching out and asking for help.
“We want to encourage people who are suffering to recognise the signs and seek help, rather than getting into a spiral they can’t get out of,” he says.
The ESF hopes to raise funds to introduce a lived experience program which will see ESF train mental health ambassadors from across the sector to safely share their stories of mental health injury and recovery. There are also plans to introduce a pilot residential wellbeing program that will bring together emergency workers facing mental health issues and, with support from experts, help them process trauma and develop resilience skills.
“The focus will be early intervention and prevention so illness isn’t an inevitable outcome,” says Tony.
He’s aware the trek will be physically and mentally challenging and Tony has already faced a few obstacles before getting to the starting line. Tony’s Trek was due to begin in September 2022 but as a result of his training regimen, Tony suffered a stress fracture in his hip and ended up on crutches.
“In my mind I am 22, but in my body, I am 62!” he says. “The injury was devastating and there were moments when I wondered if I’d get the trek done. But I’ve been staggered by the amount of support and I’m ready to go. I have to succeed.”
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Phoenix Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and pays respect to all Elders, past and present. We acknowledge continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to land, water and communities—places of age-old ceremonies, of celebration and renewal—and their unique contribution in the life of these lands.
We are committed to fostering an environment in which the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their fellow Australians is characterised by a deep mutual respect, leading to positive change in our nation’s culture and capacity.
Phoenix Australia are experts in trauma-related mental health and wellbeing. For 25 years, we have been Australia’s National Centre of Excellence in Posttraumatic Mental Health and internationally recognised leaders in our field. We are committed to driving forward the mental health agenda both at home and abroad.
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