MARCH FOR

MENTAL FITNESS

March for Mental Fitness

On Thursday 10 September for R U OK? Day, the Frankston High School community came together for our inaugural March for Mental Fitness, an initiative developed and led by our Year 12 VCE VM students in collaboration with Wayne Holdsworth from SmackTalk.

From 7.00am, students, staff, families and members of our wider community gathered on the Junior Campus Oval to walk, talk and connect. With the sun shining, it was incredible to see so many people out together, sharing conversations and raising awareness of the importance of looking after not only our own mental fitness, but also checking in on those around us.

The event was inspired by Wayne’s work through SmackTalk and his powerful advocacy following the loss of his son, Mac. Our students were incredibly moved when Wayne spoke to the Year 12 cohort earlier this year and wanted to turn that impact into action. What followed was weeks of planning, promotion, fundraising and collaboration to bring the March for Mental Fitness to life.

A huge congratulations must go to our VCE VM team, who embraced this project with enthusiasm and purpose. In particular, we would like to recognise Reeve Keher, Taiden Miller-Gebbing and Tyler Robson, whose leadership, dedication and countless hours of work were instrumental in making the event such a success. Watching our students take ownership of an idea that mattered to them and turn it into something that brought our community together was an incredibly proud moment.

We extend our sincere thanks to Wayne Holdsworth for his willingness to work so closely with Frankston High School and our students. Wayne’s generosity with his time, his openness in sharing his story and his commitment to improving the mental fitness of young people have made a lasting impact on our school community.

We would also like to acknowledge the wonderful businesses that supported the event: Carman’s Bars, Somerville Egg Farm, Fruit TalkandBaker’s Delight. Their generosity helped our students turn their vision into a genuine community event.

Finally, thank you to every staff member, student and volunteer who helped with the early-morning set-up, cooked, served, supervised, welcomed guests or assisted behind the scenes. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the walk, purchased a ticket, made a donation or simply showed up to support the cause.

We are thrilled to share that, through ticket sales, donations and the generosity of our community, more than $4,000 was raised for SmackTalk. An outstanding result that will support Wayne’s ongoing work with young people, families and communities.

Ms Brittany Harvey

Head of Year 12