As part of the Tony’s Trek 2026 – Paddle for Awareness fundraising campaign, we are proud to make available a strictly limited number of Emergency Services Foundation Commemorative teddy bears. The bears were commissioned to both celebrate the ESF’s 25th anniversary, but also to commemorate our origin, the devastating 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. As many would know, 75 people died in these fires, including 47 in Victoria of which 14 were Country Fire Authority volunteers. Many positive things came out of the destruction of Ash Wednesday, including the creation of the Emergency Services Foundation.
These beautiful plush teddy bears stand 47cm tall and their tunic is the double-breasted British Lancer style used by firefighters from the 1890s until the late 1980s and worn during the Ash Wednesday fires. The number ‘83’ on the tunic remembers the tragedy of Ash Wednesday and the many people who lost their lives. On the sleeve is a set of chevrons, each one representing five years’ service and the circle indicating that our bear can drive a fire engine. One red and one yellow collar recognises the roles of the MFB and CFA at that time. The helmet insignia ‘ESF’ represents the Foundation, with the axe and turnkey as genuine replicas recreated in miniature for this unique, limited edition bear. Each bear comes with a numbered tag of authenticity and arrives in a specially created presentation box.
Your purchase will be going towards supporting Tony on his 2,400km paddle, and importantly, helping ESF to improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes for Victorian emergency workers.
Victorian Container Deposit Scheme
Next time you crack open a cold one, don’t just toss it – donate it!
Through the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme, you can earn 10 cents for every eligible container you return at one of 600+ refund points across Victoria.
You can keep the refund or donate it to ESF to and show your support for Tony’s Trek 2026 – Paddle for Awareness, a 2,400km solo, unsupported paddle down the Murray River from Bringenbrong (NSW) to Goolwa (SA) which starts in April 2026.
This trek aims to shine a light on the mental health challenges faced by emergency workers and their families and raise $50,000 to fund an ESF Residential Wellbeing Program for those who need support on their journey of mental health recovery.
To donate, simply download the CDS Vic App or enter the donation ID C2000073327.
Emergency Service Minifigures
“At the end of the day, emergency service workers are normal too…. how we sleep… how we laugh… how we cry is all normal. What we sometimes see isn’t normal…that’s where we differ and that’s where we sometimes need help to keep on track.
Organisations like the Emergency Services Foundation work help to keep us on track. The love of Lego is normal too. If we can raise funds for ESF by selling Emergency Service minifigures that fit with the world’s best known building block brands, they can help our colleagues across the sector. It will be a win for us all.”
– Jo Algie, Ambulance Victoria Paramedic
ESF Coffee Blend
Did you know that you can now enjoy your morning brew while also supporting the mental health and wellbeing of those who keep us safe? We’ve partnered with @coffee4heroess and @woundedheroesaustralia_ on an exclusive ESF coffee collection.
Every bag sold helps fund ESFs work to help prevent mental injury for our emergency services community.
BENY Partnership
