Barbarians Group was set up in memory of our own much-loved barbarian, Conan, who was a generous, fun-loving, guitar-strumming, ball of energy. He loved nothing more than to hang with his mates, having a surf or sharing a beer or two. He was a son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, partner, work colleague, good mate. He also struggled with his mental health and sadly took his own life at the age of 23.
The Barbarians began in 2018 by Conan’s mum, Wendy, and his siblings, who came together with the idea of creating arduous treks and using these to fundraise for mental health. These treks are tough, and we believe that this is symbolic of the struggles that many people face in life. As a group we support each other and as an individuals we learning to take that helping hand. Since then, we have continued to grow, adding several new fundraising events including our infamous, annual Stair-A-Thon. And we have raised over $100,000 since we began a few short years ago.
We support our community widely through our programs and initiatives, but focus a little more closely on men's mental health. Men often share the good times with their mates, but then try to fight the tough stuff alone. We know mental health outcomes are far better when extra support is called in. And we’ve experienced first-hand the devastating loss when men try to go it alone. This is why we have a special focus on bridging this gap - providing support, events, and skills workshops for men to help them not only show up for their mates, but to show up for themselves.
All of our team (every single board and committee member) are volunteers. We know how frustrating it is to donate a chunk of cash to a large charity, never knowing whether that money is going to paying a large staff wage or to the cause you're passionate about. Rest assured, we are as passionate as you, and every single dollar of our profits goes directly toward community programs that aim to improve mental health and prevent suicide.
We are so grateful to all those who support the Barbarians. We think Conan would be really proud of what we have achieved so far and all the hard work that we do to hep other people and their families who are going through a tough time right now.
And to those who are struggling, we see you. Keep going.
Together, as a community, we can move mountains.
