Help me create a mentally healthier world!
G'day,
I am Matt Kane, a 36 year old, fat, married, father of 2
precious little feral’s.
Over the years I have had many struggles with the vicious
Black Dog. My mental health has had more ups and downs than the Kokoda track,
though it pales in comparison to the likes of the mental trauma that was thrust
upon our soldiers who once traversed this infamous trail.
Though I have had my share of battles with mental health I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by a loving and supportive network of friends and family, in my darkest hours I have been shown the light by some very special people around me. This is not always the case, not everyone is lucky enough to have such a network, others simply cannot find the right path out, no matter how much support they have from loved ones.
That is why I believe the Black Dog Institute is one of the
great organisation shedding not only light but undertaking the necessary
research to uncover the mysterious of mental health and how we can hopefully
not only manage it but possibly overcome it all together.
I currently weigh 105kg and stand only slightly taller than
a Hobbit at 174cm tall. That puts me in the obese category and I can tell you
being in such a state does not do great things for my own current mental state.
That is why I have decided to push myself beyond the boundaries of what my
current physic should undertake and walk the 96km Kokoda track in the mountains
of Papua New Guinea.
Throughout this massive endeavour I am going to ask that you
dig deep and help me help a cause that I think is worth pushing the limits
for............ Mental Health.
In return for your support you will not only being
supporting a fantastic cause and organisation in the Black Dog but I can
guarantee a good laugh and a feel good story as you join me on an adventure
that takes me from depressive dad bod to mum cant keep her hand of me rad bod!
I wont sugar coat it, there’s a chance I may die (laughs nervously), but it’s a
risk I’m willing to take for a better me and a mentally healthier world.
Attcall Civil Contractors have generously donated for this
trip to be possible and I along with The Black Dog Institute will be forever
grateful though this is only the beginning. The Black Dog Institute has asked
that each individual trekker fundraisers $5,000.00. For this I will need the
help of those that would wish to make the world a brighter place, a world where
one day we may be able to live without constantly battling with mental demons.
All jokes aside (for now), please help me raise the much
needed money to bring the Black Dog to its knees rather than those of us that
have to look up to it from the same place. Together we can make a difference.
My Achievements
Uploaded Profile Pic
Added a blog post
Self donated
Shared page
Reached 50% of fundraising goal
Reached 100% of fundraising goal
My Updates
A Family Affair
Thursday 23rd Feb
This weekend’s adventure was to be a family bonding experience, hiking to Boolijah falls through the rocky outcrops of the Jerrawangala National Park just a few kilometers east of Sasssafras, NSW.
The morning was cool and overcast, the sky threatened rain though nothing too foreboding. The family, my wife Loz, our two boys Axel, 10 and Arlo, 6 and myself, drove to the Yarramunmun fire trail along Braidwood rd. Here we pulled up roadside, disembarked and undertook our final checks of equipment and supplies for the day’s activities. The mission was to reach the falls at the bottom of the escarpment roughly 5k’s into the park off the main road, maybe we were a little optimistic and naïve to think we could complete such a task with the children.
With a slow and painful start to the morning getting the young fellas ready and trying to convince the boys that hiking 8km’s+, possibly in the rain, was going to be a fun and exciting adventure for the whole family, we finally arrived with smiles on our faces. Body’s fresh and now our spirits high, we began the easy walk down a the reasonably well-maintained Yarramunmun fire trail. The easy part of the track should have been the first 3km’s straight down the fire trail, though with children, the easy ended after the first few hundred meters.
It started with “I’m hungry, are we there yet?” from the littlest trekker in our party, Arlo, we could still see the car at the gate to the fire trail (insert face palm emoji). “Not yet buddy, we don’t eat until we complete the mission and get to the falls” I replied with a smile through gritted teeth.
Now before we go too much further, let me add some context to the story. Some may think that taking your children on an 8km trek into the bush would be some form of child abuse, BUT, my children are not your average run of the mill 10 and 6 year old’s, they are more like overly energetic, hyperactive demon spawn, crafted in the pits of hell, sent to suck the life from their mother and I! Our boys live with us on our 200-acre property in the middle of nowhere, at home they do not stop, they are like the ever-ready bunny, if the ever-ready bunny had offspring with Chucky! Their rooms present more like a Yemen or Syria, tiny little warzones, debris everywhere, none dare enter unless some sort of cease fire is arranged prior, their boundless energy manifests into endless running, jumping and tortuous screaming as they whirlwind through the house, lounges become launching platforms, beds more like trampolines and god forbid if anything fragile is left within a nerf bullets range. With the above in mind, I cannot leave out the facts that they can be really great kids too, they have beautiful manners, are kind, caring and pretty darn cute at times too, during this walk though, few of these qualities were present.
So, back to the endeavor of coercing our two little angels down the beaten track to the falls. Not far on from the already “are we there yet?”, dad, that’s me, found a fantastic hiking stick, it had all the greatest qualities you could ask for in a hiking stick, solid and firm, rounded at the top with the perfect circumference for the hand, no sharp, splintery bits and a nice thick, but not too thick handle that gradually thinned out to a sturdy tip on the end, perfect for aiding in balance down the steeper slopes of the trail. As I picked up the perfect stick, my boys went into a frenzy, circling me like sharks, both had their eyes fixated on my exquisite trekking aid nature had so graciously provided. The boys turned on each other, pushing and tripping each other until the younger of the two’s shortcomings in age and stature shone through and got the better of dad and I intervened to reduce the bloodshed, Arlo had won for now. This was to be the first of many sibling disputes throughout our journey, they both wanted my stick, I wanted my stick, in the end I had no stick, the baby now had the stick and I spent the next 15 or so minutes, trying to find another stick of somewhat equal quality for Axel.
Once the stick saga was over, we settled into a nice pace, for a short time the kids were quiet enough that we could here the birds singing and a gentle breeze rustling through the undergrowth, ah peace at last, this is what hiking is all about, quality time spent with the……………………….. “dad, my legs hurt, I’m still hungry, are we almost there!” Arlo began again, “this stick sucks! Arlo’s got the better one! Axel exclaimed. This then set the mood for the final kilometer of the fire trail before beginning into off road section of the hike, Loz clever enough to pick up the pace and stay well ahead of the bickering and whining that followed behind.
Finally, we reached the overgrown, partially visible track through the scrub that we had hoped would take us through to the falls. “We are just about there!” I declared excitedly, “come on family, its not far now” I assured them. We pushed through the green, lush shrubbery, thrilled to be on the brink of a successful mission and a lunch by the falls. This was not the case at all, we were nowhere near the falls, or lunch, we found ourselves standing at the precipice of a cliff falling away immediately at our feet, a successful mission laid at the bottom of a ravine, easily 40mtrs below us. I looked at Loz and she at I, our eyes then tracing the impossible track down along the ridge line, we would barely make it down there, let alone with two children, already tired and sore, and then we would need to get back up. With little deliberation we decided not to continue to the bottom but instead walk the ridgeline towards some interesting looking caves we could see not too far ahead.
Finding the caves made it all worth it, they were beautifully interesting, we explored for a little while before getting stuck into a feed. Everyone was happy, for now. Just like last weeks adventure, we thought the trip in was tough, I’m learning the trip out is always tougher. We barely made it out of the sticks back onto the track when Arlo started again, “my legs are tired” he cried as he just sat down on the path. “Carry me dad” he begged. Being a sucker, I gave in, and so began the trek out with a 17kg critter perched upon my shoulders, his chin digging the button of my hat into my head with every step. Axel also started to complain about being tired when I reminded in of what a soldier needs to endure, Axel is obsessed with our armed forces and one day wants to be diesel mechanic for the Australian Army, so not to let the soldiers down and with a little encouragement from dad in the way of a whisper “one foot in front of the other, Ive got to get home” he picked up the pace, muttering the words “one foot in front of the other, Ive got to get home” all the way back.
All in all it was a pretty good trek, no injuries, and though it was touch and go at times we returned with both the children. We completed 8kms of walking for around 13000 steps, I was very proud of my boys, even if I did have to carry one for a while.
Will we hike again next weekend? Hell yeah! Will we take the kids? Not on your life!
If you enjoyed the story of the weekends shenanigans or would just like to support a great cause in the Black Dog Institutes fight against mental health please click the link to donate and help us make a difference!
Bring on the Pain
Thursday 23rd Feb
As I write this, my everything hurts! From the soles of my feet, up my calves, through to my tender gluteus, right into the little will I have left to live today, it all just hurts.
We knocked last weekends efforts of just over 20km in 2 days out of the park by an excruciating extra 14km this weekend just gone. 34km all up over Saturday and Sunday has taken a toll on my optimism of a 'she'll be right, it's just a long walk' approach to tackling the Kokoda track.
A comfortably cool, Saturday morning started early, a light fog dancing between the tree's as it slowly lifted from the low lit Australian bush. 2 eggs on a piece of toast was to be the mornings nutrition before beginning the leisurely 3.5km stroll around the property with our pack of 8 energetic pooches. This was pretty easy, aside from the fact we had our 8 energetic pooches, if you have ever walked a dog that prefers to walk you, this is that, except on steroids, 3 pre teen puppies, an adventurous mongrel uncle, two feuding sisters and two geriatrics make for an interesting walk. Throw in the numerous local wildlife just waiting to be chased through the scrub by clueless puppies and my use of the words 'leisurely stroll' now becomes redundant. They definitely keep us on our toes, but then again, I hear stress can be a fat burner yeah?
Once home, covered in spider webs, dog slobber, soaking from dam water thrust upon via 8 non absorbent canine coats, the voice horse from the constant, oi! Come! Where are the puppies?!? F@#%ing Puppies! DIESEL!(the mongrel uncle), the morning walk was over. It was now time to get covered in chicken excrement and clean the chicken sheds. Once all was said and done, we settled into a couple of bottles of wine and tracked the day that was with our handy, dandy fitbits tracking our every step throughout the endeavour, we clocked up a massive 20,000 steps for 14.65km.
Sunday, bloody Sunday! Another beautiful morning was to become an arduous test of grit and determination as we decided to tackle the White track through the Bungonia national park down the 750metre decline to the Shoalhaven River.
We arrived at the park at around 10.00am to start the trek, the weather was cool, a mild 20 degrees was to be the opening stages of a walk neither my wife and I were prepared for.
Starting in a flat tarred carpark, the walk ahead seemed to be more than achievable, we had been told that the walk would turn steep, but steep did not even begin to describe the stairway to hell we would find upon reaching the summit of Mt Ayre.
Mt Ayre boast one of the best lookouts over the Bungonia Valley you could wish to experience but the vast, lush bushland hides the gruelling, slippery, sheer, sharp, near vertical trails that would take us to the depths of our fortitude and deliver us at the stunning rocky banks of the mighty Shoalhaven River.
Upon arrive at the point of the first drop off my wife Loz and I looked at each other in shear terror of the task that laid ahead of us, the track literally fell away at our feet, made up of slippery, shifting shale, with undulating roots creating a natural makeshift, vertical stairway, this decline would last for only 300metres but for a loss of almost 200metres in elevation before flattening out for a very short stint. This decline was not as taxing on the endurance as it was on the knees and toes, it was more painful than tiring, the next part would multiply this pain by hundreds!
The next decline and final section of the track to the river was to be taken over 1.5km but the elevation would fall by around 550metres, again the track was loose rocks with only tree roots to hopefully stop you falling to an almost certain death if you were to loose your footing.
Looking back up at Loz as we made the way down, I was greeted with death stares and a clear gaze of utter disgust in my choice of activity for what should have been a nice easy Sunday, her face red with anguish, I could see the pain in her eyes as the pressure on our knees seem to compile as we slowly navigated the rigorous track beneath us.
Finally we reached the bottom, it was spectacular! We arrived at the Junction where the Bungonia Creek meets the Shoalhaven River and to say it was stunning would be an understatement. We had a quick bite to eat, stripped off and jump in river for a swim, looking down river as it disappeared around the bends at the feet of the mountains was awe inspiring, for the few minutes we swam it all seemed worth it!
Inspiration, awe, the feeling of accomplishment was all to be too short lived, as we dried off in the now sweltering 30+ degrees in the sun and humidity to match we looked at each other again with painfully anguished faces knowing of the mammoth task of scaling the mountain was just about upon us.
We had a quick drink of water, through out apple cores away, packed the backpack, high fived our achievement of getting to the bottom and began the climb back up.
Holy shit! WTF! F@#$k this! These phrases would become the bulk of our conversations for the entire duration of the way back up.
Stopping every 20metres or so we could literally hear our hearts dying, mine, more specifically was yelling at me, you dumb fat shit good luck making it out of here! More than once we stopped in what little shade was available and discussed the price of a helicopter to come and get us, there were multiple points I considered just throwing myself off the edge and hoping for the best.
This was no walk, this was a climb, a 750metre climb, the ladder? Roots and loose rocks!
The descent took us about an hour and a half, the ascent almost two and a half. It was slow, hot, painfully agonising, two thirds the way up we ran out of water, we were not prepared!
Through all of this though, we were determined, we had no choice, we needed to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, even if it was only a few feet between rest breaks. We powered on and eventually we made it and to my surprise still married, I’m sure she thought of pushing me back down the track multiple times, only to then remember she would have to carry the pack.
We stopped again at the top of Mt Ayre, sat on the bench kindly provided by the park and once again looked out over the valley, this time with a major sense of accomplishment and a new found respect for the rugged terrain below. We had done it! Blistered, burned, thirsty and tired we steadily made our way back to the carpark.
Once at the car we again high fived the achievement, half heartedly gave each other kiss and fell into our car seats. We agreed that this would be nothing compared to Kokoda, that Loz would never do it again and that I would need to drag the rest of my team back here in the coming weeks to do it all over again.
We ended the night in town for some pub grub while listening to a great band, Marshall and the Fro at Tatts in Goulburn and after agreeing there was no way we would be able to get up and dance because we were so sore, we got up and danced until we couldn’t anymore.
It was a fantastic weekend, rounded out with over 50,000 steps and 33.78km, we tested and pushed ourselves to out physical limits and came out on victorious, very sore, but accomplished.
Bring on next weekend!
Training Begins
Thursday 23rd Feb
And so it begins!
With the company of my beautiful wife we decided to kick training off with Ben's Walk along the Shoalhaven River in Nowra, NSW.
What a stunning way to kick things off!
Before heading out we stopped off at Boss Outdoors in Nowra to grab a new set of hiking boots. Lowa Renegades were the pick as they were light and durable, lined with Gore-tex fabric to make them waterproof. It was like walking on air! They were fantastic!
It was an early start, the track is usually 5.5km but we took a few detours and rounded it off at 8km.
Bens Walk is a great place to step out and stretch your legs during a visit to Nowra. The walk loops around the Shoalhaven River, through its gorges, forests and grassy shores.
The walk begins at the Nowra Showground, where you can enjoy a barbecue, and superb elevated views of the river and mountains from Hanging Rock.
The complete track provides a leisurely return walk of about 5.5 kilometres taking around two hours. A short return walk from the footbridge to the Showground and Hanging Rock takes around 10 minutes.
A suspension bridge provides a fun crossing of the river and also gives access to Depot Farm Reserve and its picnic area.
Usually this walk would be an easy 3 but due to my wife and my adventurous side we took a few detours to find the waterfall hidden off the beaten track, this made it a moderate 4 in difficulty having to navigate up and over the steep, rocky inclines.
I recommend this walk for anyone visiting Nowra looking for something a little different to undertake.
All in all it was a fantastic start to a momentous adventure of which the next 6 months leading up to and completing the Kokoda track!
Stay tuned for reviews on the various tracks we will complete over the coming months!
Thank you to my Sponsors
$250
Goulburn Mulwaree Council
$50
Nathan Morton
Absolute legend, you've got this Matt!
$52.50
Anthony Steer
$50
Peter Mcnally
Good Luck Matt it is a great thing you are doing
$20
Kesone Doi
Good luck MATT
$50
Tina Robinson
Great cause . All the best with this !
$100
Tricia Kwast
Good luck, I'm sure you'll conquer Kokoda
$500
Chen Wei Ng
Great work Matt, you'll smash this challenge!
$50
Wenny Kosasih
Good on you Matt!! You'll nail it!!
$20
Laura Davis
I support you whole hearted. Goodluck!
$20
Craig Wenck
Good luck Matt. Definitely a great cause to support, well done mate! Cheers, Craig
$30
Donna Mason
An amazing goal for a great cause! Good Luck!
$100
Paul Roberts
$1,000
Paul Roberts
$100
Malcolm Smith
Hi Matt My message to you. "There are always people worse off in the world than us". Good luck with your travels. Stay strong
$50
Libby Martin
Good Luck and stay positive throughout this journey. Such an awesome cause
$50
Michelle Kouskoumbekakis
Together for mental health. Have fun trekking!
$50
Anonymous .
Love your work Matt, and your aspirations!
$30
Duilio Aliberti
Great cause Matt. All the best with the Walk
$20
Marty Skelly
Well done Matt, great cause the Black Dog Institute. All the best with the walk.
$25
Anonymous .
All the Best Matt. I feel proud working with you mate
$200
Michael Mcdermott
U got this bro.
$70
K & P Chesterton
Much admiration - you can do it 😀
$100
Ian Watling
I've seen your zest for family and nature, you couldn't be better equipped mate...you will smash this casual stroll😄👍
$500
Gaylene Knight
So proud of what you are doing Matt. Love from Mum & Dad
$50
Anonymous .
$200
Beth Nasser
Oh I’m going to enjoy watching this unfold!
$100
Patricia Davis
Think of all the things you thought you couldn’t do n did. You’ve got this
$200
Sonia Holdsworth
We're gunna be on your back to get fit and do this. You can do it. Such a great cause.
$200
Mitchell Rushby
You got this brother. Wish I could join you, as it would certainly be a journey to remember for ever and a great story when you get home. All the best Mitch, Kate and the kids.
On behalf of Goulburn Mulwaree Council I wish you and your wife all the very best with the trek and commend you for joining such a worthwhile fundraising effort. Mayor Peter Walker