From the Principal

A Triumph of Courage and Compassion

Nedd Brockmann’s amazing feat of Resilience, Courage, Commitment and Respect – all motivated by his concern for others

Few people across the nation would not be aware of the herculean effort of Nedd Brockmann who ran for 46 days from Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia to Bondi Beach, a journey of almost 4,000 km crossing the breadth of one of the world's most inhospitable continents. 

Nedd Brockmann is one of our own, graduating from Kinross Wolaroi in 2016. His conquest of epic proportions was motivated by his desire to raise funds to support the homeless. An electrician working in Sydney, Nedd was distressed by the hardships experienced by the homeless sleeping rough. Rather than feeling sad for their circumstances Nedd was determined to do something about it. He teamed up with the charity ‘Mobilise’ who support the homeless and set about raising funds to make a difference.

Nedd planned his massive feat to cross the continent and aimed at raising the substantial sum of $1 million. He captured the nation’s attention and received contributions from over 20,000 people. By the time he crossed the finish line in front of Bondi Surf Pavillion he had raised the immense sum of $1.4 million, a figure which quickly rose to over $2.5 million in the days after the run.

Nedd only took up running as a hobby during COVID in 2020, a year in which he raised over $100,000 for the Red Cross by running 50 marathons in 50 days. 

His most recent challenge demanded a superhuman effort. His courage, resilience and commitment to achieve his goal are astonishing. Starting at 5am each morning, every morning for 46 days, aiming to run for 10 hours and 100km each day, enduring extreme pain and agony every day.

The mental and physical strength to endure such an ordeal can only be achieved by a very special person indeed. And done so to provide comfort and support for those less fortunate than himself. His mantra for the event was ‘Get comfortable being uncomfortable’. 

Nedd said, ‘I love challenging my body and my mind to see how far I can actually go and see the capabilities of the human body ... and in turn using that to raise awareness for the issue of homelessness’. 

At one stage Nedd aimed at breaking the record for being the fastest person to run across the country but his injuries were to make that impossible. He confessed, ‘that was not important as it was more about showing that people can do a whole lot more in their lives and being an inspiration for people.'

His physical challenges were substantial and how he mustered the mental grit to overcome these is unfathomable! He suffered ferocious pain in his knees and by day eight he experienced severe tendonitis in his shin muscles, causing him to seek an MRI and then receive two cortisone injections to relieve the pain and inflammation in his legs. His blisters were excruciating.

“I was running on tarmac every single day, just the smashing of the tar underneath your feet each night (meant) I could hardly walk... so much pain." He even experienced maggots between his toes! 

Among the thousands of people who have cheered Nedd on was Australian of the Year and Tennis Champion Dylan Alcott who said, “Mr Brockmann has real Australian of the Year vibes about him."

Speaking of the $2.5 million already raised, Nedd said, "that amount of money will just change in the homeless sector a whole lot of lives and make some big change.”

His diet also captured attention across the globe and was closely documented on his Instagram page. For sustenance Nedd fuelled his body on meat pies, Sour Patch Kids and Krispy Kreme donuts. 

Nedd was wonderfully supported by his team that included his parents Kylie and Ian, girlfriend Jemma Griffin and friend and photographer Bradley Farley, his physio and sponsor. 

We hope our students emerge from Kinross Wolaroi possessing a desire to contribute to their community and to help those less fortunate than themselves. Nedd has certainly done that, and in doing so shown his immense resilience, courage and determination.

We are immensely proud of what he has achieved. His efforts will make a significant difference to many who have fallen on troubled times. 

Congratulations

Debating

Our Kinross Wolaroi Debating teams finished 1st and 2nd in the District Dudley Cup, contesting the final at Duntryleague last Thursday evening. Carefully constructed arguments were splendidly articulated by both teams.

Congratulations to the winners:

George Hogg

Sala Orme-Smith

Anabelle Van-Wyk

Ollie Krause

And Runners Up:

Lulu Clinton

Alice Scholte

Gretel Sobotta

Issy Wong

Well done!

Thank you – Australian National Field Days, Orange

I am immensely proud of our students who attended the recent Australian Field Days. I have received many reports of what wonderful ambassadors our students were as they visited stalls and exhibitions at the Field Day. I am also extremely grateful to our many student leaders who helped promote the School at our Kinross Wolaroi tent and for the manner in which they so warmly engaged with our community. 

We all have much that should make us very proud.