Stepping up to the challenge

Local SES volunteers Monique Hillenaar and Jasmine Ammer will be carrying more than their 20kg backpacks up 28 floors of stairs this Weekend as they hope to raise vital funds for cancer research and mental health. On Saturday, firefighters and emergency services personnel from across Australia and the globe will descend upon Melbourne to ascend the gruelling 28 floors of the Crown Metropol, raising vital funds for cancer research and crisis support. The event’s goal is to raise $1 million to support beneficiaries Lifeline, Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation and 000 Foundation. Instead of the heavy firefighting gear equipped with a breathing apparatus many of the CFA climbers will be wearing, the two SES volunteers will be made to wear a backpack of around 20kg in their lighter SES gear to simulate a big search and rescue mission. The tough nature of the climb is to represent the burden of significant health and well-being issues faced by our first responders and their families on a daily basis. Ms Hillenaar said the fundraising for crisis support for emergency service members was very relevant for the local SES unit who often respond to road incidents “There's quite a bit of trauma associated with that,” she said. “It's so important that we do look after the mental health of our emergency services, and it's timely that we're talking about it now with everything that's been going on. “I work in mental health promotion, so I'm quite passionate about it.” After completing the challenge multiple times in the yellow of the CFA, Ms Hillenaar said she decided to give the challenge a go in the orange of the SES. Ms Ammer said her participation in the climb with the local SES was a good motivator to stay fit and active and helped spread awareness of the local unity and their role in emergencies statewide. “It’s vital that people in emergency services have access to mental health supports,” she said. “We all know someone affected by cancer and I’m glad that the event raises money to help support Peter Mac’s mission. “I’ll definitely be glad when I get to the top.” While the pair say they haven’t been doing as much preparation as they would like, when they do they have been climbing the stairs of the Wangaratta Showgrounds grandstand, at Merriwa Park and hitting the stair climber at the gym. “It's pretty hard to train in Wangaratta without high story buildings,” Ms Hillenaar said. Both Ms Hillenaar and Ms Ammer’s partners will also be taking the climb representing their local CFA brigades from Wangaratta and South Wangaratta. You can donate to Ms Hillenaar’s climb via the link: https://www.firefighterclimb.org.au/cli.../moniquehillenaar/ and Ms Ammer’s via: https://www.firefighterclimb.org.au/climber/jasmineammer/

Stepping up to the challenge

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