The 444 Run 

Mino's Murray Marathon For Mental Health

It was an unforgettable moment on the long drive to Mildura for our Senior Boys Cricket Team on Tuesday morning – stopping to support hometown hero Ben 'Mino' Welch! 

Ben has been taking on an incredible challenge this past week: running 380km (the equivalent of 9 marathons) from Mildura to Echuca in 4 days, 4 hours and 44 minutes, to honour his late brothers and raise funds for mental health. 

Every dollar raised is going directly to Headspace centres in Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura.

Ben is a true inspiration, proving that one person can make a lasting impact. Not only is he an extraordinary individual, he’s also the father of one of our students here at St Joseph's, Solomon Welch. We want to acknowledge his entire family for their determination and courage in turning personal pain into hope for others.

His current fundraising tally is just over $400,000, so very close to reaching his goal of $444,444!

We are beyond proud to cheer Ben on as he pushes through the final stage of this epic journey. If you can, we encourage you to contribute via his GoFundMe and help support this incredible cause.

St Joseph's College Finish Line Guard of Honour 

We are aware that many of our staff and students would love to celebrate with Ben this afternoon when he arrives at Vic Park in Echuca to completes his mammoth 444 Run.

While this event is outside of school hours (i.e. not a ‘school event’) we’d love to show our support as a whole school community.

We invite all St Joseph's College students and families to get down to Vic Park after school today (Friday) to form a guard of honour along Crofton Street and cheer Ben through to the finish line.

We encourage students to assemble near the entrance to the Vic Park oval on Crofton Street around 4pm so we can line the street as a group before he crosses the finish at 4.44pm.

Families are then welcome to stay on for live music, food, entertainment and a heartwarming celebration of resilience and generosity at the Finish Line Celebration (details below) from 4-10pm at the Haw Pavilion, Vic Park Oval.

We look forward to coming together as a school community to show our support for Ben, his family and this incredibly important cause.