Positioned in the top ten on the fundraising leader board, Justin Brosnan signed up for this year’s Healthy Harold Hundred after good friend and 2022 event ambassador Khara Johnson-Smith urged him to join the challenge. They’ve called their team – Worst Pace Scenario.
But despite the self-deprecating team tag, the active duo – both fitness buffs – are setting a cracking pace, covering big distances with weekly running targets, and raising more than $3,000 in donations between them.
Knowing that all money raised will help Life Ed Queensland reach more than 100,000 children across Queensland with respectful relationships education programs, is a big motivator.
“With domestic violence rates reaching a staggering level where one in five women have experienced abuse - whether emotional, physical, or verbal – it is more important than ever that we reinforce and role model the message of respect,” Justin says.
“It is essential that we establish the message of respecting everyone - especially for school-aged kids - to help break the cycle of abuse and reinforce positive behaviours around respect at an early age. Life Education’s respectful relationships programs are an excellent resource for starting this conversation and sharing this message across Australian schools.”
Cyber generation facing more bullying
Justin, 29, who lives in the northern Brisbane suburb, Grange, recalls witnessing bullying incidents during high school and says much of the bullying took place online.
“Social media was relatively new then and there wasn’t very well-established messaging or awareness around acceptable behaviour between people online, especially for younger people,” Justin says.
“This contributed to a rise in cyberbullying at my school. Hearing Khara’s stories about the physical and verbal bullying she received at school was also a very eye-opening experience and a big reason for my participation in this event.”
Shared stories
Like many of this year’s participants, Justin has enjoyed setting exercise goals as part of the Healthy Harold Hundred but says hearing so many stories about people’s bullying experiences has been the biggest inspiration; cementing in his mind the need for a campaign that raises awareness about bullying and violence.
“I remember visiting the Life Ed Healthy Harold program when I was in primary school. I can still remember the great advice they gave us.
“Life Education provides an invaluable program by introducing kids to serious social topics – bullying, sexuality, drug and alcohol use – in a positive and safe environment, while being easy to understand.
“I think it is integral that we start these conversations with kids early, so we can better promote positive behaviours around these topics.”
Fundraising support
Justin is thankful for the fundraising support from his colleagues at GroundProbe, a global technology company specialising in monitoring geo-hazards for the mining sector.
“The GroundProbe team have been extremely generous in donating towards my efforts, so I am really thankful to be part of the company!
“I also received several direct emails from team members across the organisation who shared their own experiences of bullying with me and commented on how important they found this awareness-raising campaign to be.
“And I’ve had a lot of friends, as well as some LinkedIn connections provide support and donations, so a big thank you to all of them too!”
With CrossFit, soccer, touch footy and running on the menu, Justin isn’t done with the challenge yet, and has fuel in the tank to reach his 100 K target before the June 30 finish line.
“The support I’ve received from everyone who has donated to me has also really helped drive me to achieve my weekly running targets and help a great cause at the same time, so thank you!”
