Background to the Topless Challenge
6 SEPTEMBER 2022 01:10
What is that old saying? “Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today”. Our intentions are good but we get carried away with our busy, bustling lives, living each day as it comes, fixing things when they break. It’s all too easy to forget about the things that really matter, like our family, our friends and even our own wellbeing.
We are a just group of everyday, normal Dads, from a varying array of backgrounds who live in a small rural setting. Each of us know someone who has chosen to take their own life, including members of our own community, parents, just like us, and even our own family members. When a situation like that occurs, regardless of how well you knew the person, it is very difficult to not think about why and wonder if there was anything, no matter how small, that you could have done. We too identified that, as typical blokes, we never take the opportunity to discuss our darker thoughts.
After a few beers, we started to talk to each other, and we found out that many of us have been touched by mental health issues either directly or indirectly. Some experiences were in the past, some had family members who have struggled and some of us may still need a little help now. This is when we decided we were going to do something about it! What could we do to ensure that we kept talking to each other, to raise money for charity and do something just for fun?! Conversation turned to cars and how ridiculous it would be to drive in all weathers with the top down in a convertible. Additionally, car journeys can be an excellent opportunity to talk openly. A couple of weeks later, one of the group sent a picture of a convertible car that they had just purchased. The Topless Challenge was born!