Creating golfing memories

It was a golfer’s dream when a group of first responders from the NSW Mid North Coast travelled to Melbourne last week to watch the 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open Golf Tournament at the esteemed Kingston Heath Golf Club. They were among the 40 first responders invited to watch the event from the VIP marquee last Thursday as part of a Fortem social connection activity.

In fact, the group enjoyed it so much, they made a 2,500km round trip to return on Monday by car to play against other first responders and some of Australia’s big corporates, an event which raised about $15,000 for Fortem.

Together with the family fun day held on the Sunday, these events were all thanks to our partnership with Fujitsu Australia, who selected Fortem as their charity of choice for the event, and were immensely enjoyed by all who attended.

The event also allowed Fortem to spread the word about its work, with our CEO Mick, Fortem staff and first responders chatting to the many corporate representatives in attendance about the work of Fortem and how it supports the mental health and wellbeing of first responders. That included an address at the charity dinner by Snr Sgt Greg Dean from Victoria Police who spoke about his own experiences and the impact his work has had on his family.

There were also some golfing celebrity moments, including with pro-golfers Danielle Kang, who donated her signed bag for the charity auction, and Marc Leishman who was more than happy to sign a golf shirt for the auction.   

A big thank you to all those who helped make this incredible opportunity happen.