Tony’s Trek Side by Side 2024

“Been there, done that” has never seemed to carry so much meaning now that I’ve been to Everest Base Camp. This trek holds so much meaning. Working side by side with other emergency agencies all my adult life, and now walking side by side with them to more than 5 kilometres above sea level has been monumental. When Tony Pearce agreed to join Adam Broad and me on this adventure, we hoped to attract a few more people to raise awareness and funds for the Emergency Services Foundation – when 26 people set out from Kathmandu we could hardly believe what we had already achieved. When all 26 of us set up for a group photo at Everest Base Camp on the Khumbu Glacier, it was beyond comprehension. So many challenges – the elevation, the trail, the narrow bridges, the Yak trains, the various illnesses – yet we all made it. One of the reasons we all made it is because we walked side by side, we looked after each other. By the time we returned to Kathmandu we had made new friends and contributed a significant amount of donations to ESF. We had also contributed to Nepal. Giving sports equipment and school supplies to students at a school in the village of Khumjung, as well as collectively carrying 75 kilograms of recyclable waste from Namche Bazar to Lukla. It was an adventure of body, mind, and spirit, and one that I will remember forever.” - Ian Hunt

So there you have it, Tony’s Trek Side by Side 2024 is done and dusted. I would like to thank and congratulate Ian Hunt and Adam Broad from Side by Side Trek for approaching me with the idea of partnering with Tony’s Trek to raise money for ESF by trekking to Mt Everest Base Camp. We hoped to maybe get a dozen participants but ended up taking 26 emergency services related participants on this amazing journey, and despite the trials and tribulations attached to doing this all 26 made it to Base Camp and all 26 came home safely. I want to thank all of those participants for their support of the work of ESF and for their dedication to helping to improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes for Victoria’s 139,000 volunteer and paid emergency workers. Finally, a huge thankyou to all of the community members that donated to our fundraising effort, your contributions will assist the foundation to continue the very important work that it is doing, without your support that would be very difficult. At this time your support has raised approximately $37,000 for ESF. Thanks again to everyone involved in this event.

Having 26 people sign up for this adventure was incredibly humbling to begin with. But to have all 26 make it, side by side, just as we work, all the way to Everest Base Camp, and make it back home safely was truly amazing. Every one of us faced our different challenges at times across the course of the 160km, whether it be physical or mental battles, but thankfully the support from each other within the group, as well as the support from back home, made the trip a huge success. Thank you to everyone that has donated and help us raise over $35K for ESF and help raise awareness for the mental health issues facing some of Victoria's 139,000 emergency service workers. Personally a huge thank you to Tony Pearce and Ian Hunt for supporting an initiative that we started in Kokoda in 2022. We look forward to hopefully making this an ongoing event as we continue to help those that help others.