Cronulla RSL

Weight of War

Cronulla RSL has taken meaningful steps to address one of Australia’s most pressing veteran wellbeing challenges: the rising rate of Defence and veteran suicide. Inspired by the findings of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, the Club sought to become more relevant and connected to the 3,500 current and ex‑serving Defence members living across the Sutherland Shire. Through strengthened partnerships, visible community engagement and hands‑on support, Cronulla RSL now plays an active and contemporary role in veteran mental health and inclusion.
In 2025, the Club stepped up to facilitate the Cronulla Weight of War Run after the original Holsworthy–Canberra run was cancelled. More than 60 participants aged 11 to 86 completed distances of 1–21 km in severe heat, symbolically carrying the “invisible weight” faced by many veterans. Cronulla RSL transformed its bowling green into a hydration and support station, ensuring safety, connection and community spirit.
Alongside partners including Zero79 Foundation, Southern Districts Rugby Club and local Defence personnel, the event contributed to the $24,000 raised nationally to support veteran programs such as Survive to Thrive Nation. This initiative has established a growing, long-term partnership that provides purpose, connection and hope for veterans and their families.
Cronulla RSL is ensuring every veteran knows they are seen, supported and never alone.

Bankstown RSL Club

Building a Stronger, More Resilient Community

Bankstown RSL is taking a proactive stand on one of Australia’s most urgent challenges — mental health. Through its strong partnership with Gotcha4Life, the Club has become a leading advocate for mental fitness, emotional resilience and meaningful social connection within the Canterbury‑Bankstown community. Gotcha4Life’s mission to end suicide by building mental fitness aligns closely with the Club’s belief that wellbeing is a community responsibility. With significant financial support and hands‑on involvement, Bankstown RSL helps deliver practical, evidence‑based workshops and programs across schools, sporting groups and workplaces — teaching emotional literacy, resilience and the power of authentic mateship.
A highlight of this partnership is the Club’s annual fundraising event, which unites members, local businesses and community leaders for an inspiring night of storytelling, entertainment and wholehearted support. Every dollar raised goes directly to Gotcha4Life.
Beyond this flagship event, the Club promotes mental wellbeing year-round through staff training and ongoing community messaging. Its commitment has created lasting impact — reducing stigma, strengthening connections and helping build a more resilient community.
Bankstown RSL proudly continues this vital work because stronger individuals create stronger communities.

Bankstown Sports Club

Supporting Minds, Strengthening Community

As mental health challenges continue to rise across Australia, Bankstown Sports Club has made community wellbeing a central priority, deepening its partnership with Lifeline to support crisis response, prevention and education across the Canterbury‑Bankstown region. In 2024–25 alone, Lifeline responded to more than 1.32 million crisis contacts, highlighting the growing need for accessible support services.
Bankstown Sports contributed close to $17,000 in toys for Lifeline’s community programs, with members raising an additional $12,000 through Christmas raffles. Earlier, the Club donated $13,000 in Easter eggs, with members contributing $8,500 through raffle sales. These initiatives helped fund crisis support services across western Sydney and Macarthur.
The Club also provided more than $10,600 in venue support, enabling Lifeline to run free mental health, first-aid and SafeTalk workshops, and will direct all proceeds from its 2026 Annual Golf Day to Lifeline.
Lifeline Macarthur & Western Sydney CEO Veronica Macdonald says the partnership has strengthened crisis operations, volunteer training and community outreach — ensuring more local residents can receive help close to home.
Bankstown Sports is equally committed to staff wellbeing, offering wellbeing leave, an Employee Assistance Program, staff sports days and the internal Communities Program to promote connection and support.
Through this partnership, Bankstown Sports is helping create a more resilient, supported and mentally healthy community.

Workers Lifestyle Group

Carrying the Weight Together

Blacktown Workers Club is proud to support the mental wellbeing of young men through its partnership with the Top Blokes Foundation — but the real impact came from the staff who chose to turn funding into action. Through ClubGRANTS, the Club contributed nearly $20,000 to help deliver Top Blokes programs in local high schools, giving boys the tools to speak up, build resilience and support one another.
Inspired by the program’s impact, staff went a step further. Led by community coordinator Sharon Williams, team members donned 10kg weighted vests and walked laps of the Club’s rooftop car park as part of the “Lift the Load” campaign, raising $10,467 and powerful awareness for young men’s mental health. Many participated because they had seen first‑hand the toll mental illness can take on fathers, brothers, partners, friends and teammates.
Their message was simple and human: “We see you. We hear you. And we’re carrying this load with you.”
By combining funding, action and empathy, Blacktown Workers Club strengthened mental health support for young men across the Blacktown LGA — proving that community impact is strongest when staff lead with heart.

Cabra Bowls

A Place to Connect

Cabramatta High School opened its Outdoor Table Tennis and Sport Wellbeing Centre in February 2026, funded through a $70,000 ClubGRANTS contribution from Cabra Bowls.
Serving 1,600 students from more than 55 language groups, the covered facility — featuring six professional tables and a viewing area — was designed as a space for recreation, connection and positive interaction.
Located near the outdoor gym and Wellbeing Hub, the Centre builds on the success of informal staff–student play within the Intensive English Centre, strengthening relationships beyond the classroom.
The shaded design ensures year-round access, and the space is already buzzing with activity, supporting hundreds of positive interactions each week.
By investing in this Sport Wellbeing Centre, Cabra Bowls has helped create a welcoming environment where students, staff and community members can connect, build confidence and support everyday mental wellbeing.

Campbelltown Catholic Club

Clubs Building Mentally Fit Futures in Campbelltown

Campbelltown Catholic Club, Ingleburn RSL and Wests League Club Campbelltown have come together through ClubGRANTS to support the delivery of Gotcha4Life’s Mentally Fit Schools program across four primary schools in the Campbelltown LGA. Their collective investment has enabled local primary schools to access a whole-of-school, prevention-first mental wellbeing program focused on building lifelong mental fitness skills.
Mentally Fit Schools strengthens emotional adaptability, social connection and help-seeking behaviours by working with students, teachers and families over a multi-year partnership. Through Discovery Sessions and tailored Mental Fitness Action Plans, schools including Ambarvale Public School, Mary Immaculate Primary School, Holy Family Catholic Parish Primary School, Ingleburn Public School and Campbellfield Public School are embedding mental fitness into everyday school life.
Each school supports an average of 600 participants, extending benefits beyond students to families and the wider community.
By investing in early intervention, the clubs are creating lasting, sustainable impact — strengthening school communities and helping ensure children, and the adults who support them, have the skills they need for life.

Club Lennox

Building Resilience Through Connection Club

Club Lennox Sports has redefined what a school holiday program can be with its innovative Connection Club — a wellbeing‑focused initiative designed to help children reconnect with themselves, with others and with their community. Created to counter rising screen dependence and the growing emotional challenges faced by young people, the Connection Club blends physical activity, creativity and mindfulness to strengthen confidence, emotional regulation and resilience in children aged 5–12.
Each four‑hour session delivers a holistic experience: high‑energy sport, teamwork and movement in the early hours, followed by breathwork, meditation, cooking workshops and a guided cold‑plunge experience to teach calmness under pressure. The program is built on a strong foundation of respect, shaping how children interact, collaborate and express themselves.
Delivered in partnership with local facilitators — including Rainbow Roos Soccer Academy, Kira Sports Performance and Soul House Studios — the Connection Club is a community‑powered initiative made accessible at just $25 per participant, with Club Lennox covering operational costs.
Parents praise the program for its meaningful, affordable approach to wellbeing. Children leave feeling calmer, more confident and more connected — learning skills that last long after the holidays end. Connection Club is more than an activity; it is an early‑intervention investment in the mental health of the next generation.

Club Taree

Southern Alps Challenges our Mental Health

Club Taree places the mental health and wellbeing of its team at the heart of its culture. In October 2025, six employees — including CEO Paul Allan — embarked on the Club Taree Mental Health Challenge, a 77km trek across New Zealand’s Southern Alps during Mental Health Month. The initiative, fully funded through an internal scholarship program, was designed to build resilience, encourage open conversations about mental health and create deep, lasting team connection.
After months of preparation, the team faced harsh alpine conditions, steep ascents, isolation and personal vulnerability. Each participant carried their own lived connection to mental health — from personal struggles to supporting loved ones or honouring those lost to suicide. The trek became a powerful metaphor for the importance of teamwork, support and shared experience. Participants were paired as “buddies"", creating genuine bonds and a safe space to reflect, talk and grow.
The challenge sparked wider cultural change across the Club, encouraging daily conversations about mental wellbeing, supported by trained staff, accessible resources and visible messaging throughout the venue.
With the success of the 2025 expedition, the program will return in 2026, with a new team set to tackle Flinders Island — continuing Club Taree’s commitment to fostering a mentally healthy, connected and compassionate workplace.

DOOLEYS Lidcombe Catholic Club

Purposeful Pathways Improve Your Mental Health

Mental wellbeing is shaped by far more than clinical care — it is strengthened by confidence, stability, connection and opportunity. Recognising this, DOOLEYS partnered with the Women’s Housing Company and Cumberland Women’s Health Centre to establish Purposeful Pathways, a trauma‑informed program supporting women recovering from domestic and family violence, homelessness, isolation and long-term disadvantage.
With $174,793 in DOOLEYS funding across 18 months, the program recruited a full‑time social worker and delivered workshops, skills training and one‑to‑one case management focused on rebuilding confidence, strengthening resilience and creating pathways to education, employment and community participation. In its first year, 196 women engaged, 52% reported increased confidence and 21 participants moved into work, study or volunteering — outcomes that significantly exceeded targets.
A Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis found that every dollar invested generated $2.24 in social value, with a projected long‑term return of $6.40 per dollar, driven by improved mental health, reduced crisis service usage and increased economic participation.
Purposeful Pathways demonstrates DOOLEYS’ long-term commitment to mental wellbeing through evidence‑based, community‑centred support that empowers women to rebuild their lives with dignity, stability and hope.

Hawks Nest Golf Club

The Blue Tree Project

Hawks Nest Golf Club has become a catalyst for meaningful community connection through its partnership with the Blue Tree Project and the creation of R We Ok, a grassroots mental wellbeing initiative founded by long-term member Ray Tisdell. What began as a small monthly catch-up of eight mates has grown into a committed group of around 30 men, meeting on the last Friday of each month in a relaxed, judgement‑free environment to talk openly, share laughs and support one another.
The Blue Tree Project— discovered by Social Club president Phil Jones during a golf trip — adds national significance to the Club’s efforts. Its mission to break the silence around mental health and suicide aligns perfectly with R We Ok’s focus on connection, awareness and stigma reduction. Together, these initiatives provide a powerful reminder that it’s okay not to be okay, and that community support is always close by.
Through genuine mateship, proactive leadership and a willingness to start conversations that matter, Hawks Nest Golf Club demonstrates that some of the most important moments happen well beyond the fairways — changing lives through connection, compassion and conversation.

Liverpool Catholic Club

Lifeline ― Support That Saves Lives

Liverpool Catholic Club is deeply committed to strengthening mental wellbeing across South West Sydney, particularly as emotional distress and financial pressure continue to intensify. Since 2023, the Club has provided more than $130,000 in funding to Lifeline Macarthur and Western Sydney, supporting crisis response, community outreach and early‑intervention services.
A key component of this partnership is the Outreach and Financial Counselling Program, which LCC funded with $40,000 in 2024 and again in 2025 to expand Lifeline’s ability to support individuals before they reach crisis point. In 2025 alone, the program delivered 63 outreach events, supported 71 new financial counselling clients and provided 180 funded counselling hours — addressing financial stress, housing instability, relationship breakdowns and other pressures closely linked to mental health decline.
Financial counselling helped clients negotiate debts, develop budgets and avoid legal escalation, while outreach staff engaged vulnerable community members at local events, providing suicide‑prevention education and pathways into support.
Through long-term partnership and sustained investment, Liverpool Catholic Club is helping ensure that mental health support is visible, accessible and immediate — reinforcing its role as a committed community leader in mental wellbeing.

Mounties

Gotcha4Life Mentally Fit Primary School Programs

Mounties Group is taking a proactive, prevention‑focused approach to mental wellbeing through a major investment in the Gotcha4Life Mentally Fit Schools (MFS) program, committing $200,000 in 2026 to support 10 primary schools across the Fairfield and Liverpool LGAs. With half of all adult mental health challenges beginning before age 14, this long‑term, whole‑school initiative embeds mental fitness into the fabric of daily school life, ensuring emotional wellbeing is strengthened early and sustainably.
Unlike short-term programs, MFS partners with each school for a minimum of three years, delivering staff training, student learning experiences and parent engagement that prioritise resilience, emotional literacy, help‑seeking and strong connections. Dedicated Mental Fitness Educators tailor action plans to each school’s needs, ensuring the program meets children where they are.
The 2026 rollout is expected to benefit up to 8,000 students, educators and family members, creating ripple effects across the broader community. The program reduces pressure on crisis services, improves teacher wellbeing, strengthens family communication and embeds mental fitness practices that last well beyond the delivery period.
By partnering with Gotcha4Life, Mounties Group is supporting a nationally recognised leader in mental wellbeing and reinforcing its profit‑for‑purpose commitment to helping children grow into strong, resilient and mentally fit young adults.

Parra Leagues

Supporting Young Men’s Mental Health Through Mentoring

Parramatta Leagues Club is taking a proactive, preventative approach to youth mental health through its partnership with the Top Blokes Foundation, funding three delivery rounds of the 14–17 Mentoring Program across the Parramatta region in 2025–2026. With many teenage boys feeling pressure to stay silent, self‑reliant and emotionally guarded, the program provides a safe, structured environment where young men can build emotional literacy, resilience and healthy social connections before challenges escalate into crisis.
Supported by $14,449.20 in ClubGRANTS funding, the six‑month mentoring initiative delivered weekly sessions at Northmead Creative High School, helping students develop self-awareness, communication skills and positive decision-making. Outcomes were significant: 43% improved their ability to talk about feelings, 57% strengthened help‑seeking behaviours, 78% improved emotional control and 67% gained clarity around values and identity.
Students described the program as transformative, learning it is “okay to talk about things” and how to manage thoughts before reacting. Continued funding has expanded delivery into 2026, ensuring more young men can access early mental wellbeing support regardless of school resources. Through this partnership, Parra is helping shape mentally fit, emotionally aware and connected young men — strengthening community wellbeing long before crisis intervention is needed.

Seven Hills RSL

Supporting Veterans, One Paw at a Time

Seven Hills RSL is proud to stand beside Australian veterans through its long‑term partnership with Defence Community Dogs (DCD) — a life‑changing program that pairs highly trained assistance dogs with former service personnel living with PTSD, anxiety, depression and other psychological injuries. These remarkable dogs are trained to recognise signs of distress, interrupt panic, provide grounding support and offer constant companionship. For many veterans, they restore confidence, independence and connection to daily life.
In 2025, Seven Hills RSL contributed $60,000 to the program, bringing its total support to $180,000 in the fourth year of a five‑year commitment — with an additional five years of support already pledged. This sustained funding ensures more veterans can access transformative K9 partnerships that genuinely save lives.
A highlight of the past year was welcoming Yvette, an assistance dog sponsored by Seven Hills–Toongabbie RSL through ClubGRANTS, as the Club’s first-ever K9 member. Watching the impact Yvette has had on veteran Ron and his family has deeply moved the Club’s community.
Through compassion, consistency and meaningful support, Seven Hills RSL continues to honour veterans in a way that restores dignity, connection and hope.

Tamworth Golf Club

Birdies for Better at Tamworth Golf Club

At Tamworth Golf Club, golf is much more than a game — it is a powerful catalyst for connection, compassion and community impact. Through its “Birdies for Better” approach, the Club hosts a series of major charity golf days each year, raising funds and awareness for life-saving and life‑changing organisations across the region.
Key annual events include the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Charity Golf Day, supporting emergency aeromedical services that protect rural and regional communities, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities Golf Day, providing families of seriously ill children with vital accommodation and care. The Club also proudly supports Mullet Mentality, using golf as a safe, social platform to spark open conversations around mental health.
Tamworth Golf Club maximises fundraising impact by providing free use of facilities, reduced green fees, donated memberships and auction items, and hands‑on event support. Community groups are also welcomed to use meeting spaces at no cost, reinforcing the Club’s role as a trusted community partner.
Every putt, auction bid and volunteer hour helps strengthen local networks, uplift families in hardship and support essential services. At Tamworth Golf Club, “Birdies for Better” isn’t a slogan — it’s a community commitment in action.

The Shellharbour Club

Breaking the Man Code

The Shellharbour Club is leading a powerful cultural and mental wellbeing movement across the Illawarra through its partnership with Healthier Illawarra Men (HIM) and the Tomorrow Man Breaking the Man Code workshops. Backed by $90,000 in ClubGRANTS funding over two years, this initiative confronts outdated stereotypes around masculinity and provides teenage boys with the emotional tools they need long before crisis point.
In 2024–25 alone, more than 60 workshops reached 1,600 boys and young men across schools, sporting clubs and community groups. These sessions break long‑held silence by challenging harmful norms — helping boys discuss emotions, build self-awareness, develop help‑seeking behaviours and support their mates. Feedback has been profound, with participants describing the workshops as life‑changing and club leaders calling them “the best thing we’ve ever done"".
Beyond funding, the Shellharbour Club’s leadership team has personally attended workshops and supported program delivery through venue access and operational support. The program’s impact has been recognised nationally, including at the National Men’s Health Gathering.
This partnership is reshaping how young men in the Illawarra understand themselves, their mental health and each other — building a stronger, more connected and mentally fit generation.

Wenty Leagues

Building Mental Strength Beyond the Classroom

Wenty Leagues is proud to support the Top Blokes mentoring program, an evidence‑based, early‑intervention initiative that provides critical mental health and wellbeing support for young men aged 14–17 across the Cumberland LGA. Through eight six‑month mentoring programs delivered in 2025, experienced youth workers created safe, structured environments where boys could speak openly about pressure, identity, relationships and emotional health — often for the first time.
Participants learned emotional regulation, resilience, respectful relationships, online safety, consent and decision‑making skills that directly strengthen mental wellbeing. Many entered the program facing complex challenges such as family violence, trauma, substance misuse, or diagnosed mental health conditions. By engaging boys during a peak risk-taking life stage, the program helped prevent harmful behaviours and set positive pathways for the future.
The impact was significant: stronger emotional literacy, improved behaviour, better communication at home, increased school engagement and healthier peer relationships. Schools reported calmer classrooms, parents saw reduced family tension, and young women benefitted from more respectful attitudes among peers. By investing in Top Blokes, Wenty Leagues is addressing the underlying drivers of male mental health issues and helping shape safer, more connected and resilient communities.

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