Meet the Avalon couple who raised $1.5 million for charity – by rowing
Rowing machines across the Beaches are set for a workout as this year’s 24 Hour Row is will take place from 13 to 14 September.
The event, started by Avalon Beach couple Mel and Nathan Wellings, is a powerful challenge where teams row in a relay for 24 hours to raise funds for Gotcha4Life, a foundation established by Beaches local Gus Worland to inspire and enable people to build their mental fitness.
Mel and Nathan started the event after losing a fellow Avalon Beach SLSC member, a surf boat rower, to suicide. In the time it has been running, the 24 Hour Row has raised just over $1.5 million for Gotcha4Life. Every dollar raised has gone on to fund programs that equip people with the tools to strengthen relationships and prevent suicide.
“When Nath and I started the event eight years ago, we just hoped that we could somehow make a difference for people struggling with their mental health,” Mel says. “We could have never expected the event to grow and succeed as it has. To have clubs all over Australia believing in this cause, and acknowledging the importance of the event, which raises funds to be sent straight back into their own communities to help those struggling with their mental health, is something that we are both so proud of.”
Seven Surf Life Saving Clubs on the Beaches have already signed up for this year’s event, including South Curl Curl, Avalon and Mona Vale. But participants can join in from anywhere – their home, local gym, sports centre or even their school. All they need is access to two or more rowing machines and a team to keep the machines going. “The rowing machines don’t stop for the whole 24 hours,” Mel explains. “And we use Zoom to broadcast footage of all participating clubs around Australia throughout the event.””
Jaimee Rogers gets rowing
Jaimee Rogers, a Gotcha 4 Life ambassador, will be out supporting teams during the 24 Hour Row. Last year she visited Saint Augustine’s College in Brookvale. “The thing I loved about it, especially last year, is that I went to a lot of high schools that had arranged their own 24-hour row,” Jaimee says. “I just thought it was really cool that all these amazing students were actively out there trying to work on their mental fitness and get their friends involved.”
Jaimee has long supported Gotcha4Life, raising $75,000 for the charity by successfully swimming the English Channel in 2022, and is keen to get her two sons Hudson, seven, and Archer, five, involved in the 24 Hour Row. “Everyone’s welcome, everyone’s included,” Jaimee says. “It doesn’t matter how fit you are… even if you just row for a few minutes or a few hours, it’s just great to get involved.”
Mel agrees. “I’m not a rower, however I try to always jump onto a rowing machine for at least a full hour,” she says. “My husband Nathan does many of the overnight hours with the younger rowers. As you can imagine, we are exhausted by the end of the event, but it’s always worth the pain and exhaustion.
“The work that Gotcha4Life does makes a difference, and I will continue to support their cause for as long as I can.”
For more information or to donate, visit: 24hourrow.com.au