The team from Bannockburn brigade is getting ready for the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb
Today marks International Day of Friendship, an opportunity to celebrate friendships within countries, cultures and individuals and the positive impact those friendships can hold.
In CFA our members form and maintain strong friendships within their brigades, districts and across the state.
At Bannockburn Fire Brigade, seven members are currently fostering their friendship by training together for the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb.
Inspired by the importance of talking about mental health, the group have been training hard for the physical challenge which takes place on 10 September.
Ainsley Robinson is one of the members taking part in the Climb. She said the group have prioritised training together.
“None of us have ever competed in the Climb before, so it’s a new experience for us all. We are all training together, which is nice. Having a group varying in age, fitness abilities and jobs has shown to be a bit of a challenge, but we’ve worked around it," Ainsley said.
Ainsley said she was inspired to take part in the challenge after seeing the impact that mental health can have on people.
“During the past couple years in and out of lockdowns, I’ve seen not only close friends of mine but also family members deal with mental health issues. I’ve seen friends lose siblings and parents due to mental health, and I myself have struggled. This is why I’m pushing myself to achieve something I truly thought I’d never be able to do.
“The Climb is so important as it brings awareness to mental health and shines a light on people you wouldn’t normally think deal with these things, and tries to normalise the fact that it’s ok to reach out and that there are many people surrounding you that are there to help.”
In the spirit of International Day of Friendship, Ainsley said that training for the Climb is helping to bring the group closer together.
“I completely believe that training to do the stair climb together is bringing us closer as friends as well as teammates.”
The seven members taking part from Bannockburn Fire Brigade are Ainsley Robinson, Heath Thanas, Billy Trezise, Daniel Nouwen, Jordan Carruthers, Nick Watt and Trey McAuley.