I took part in ‘Toss the Boss’ this morning – abseiling off the gantry at Forsyth Barr stadium with 30 others. It was great fun and quite unnerving stepping over the handrail 35m up.
Blair Tucker nominated me for this a few months back now. I told him I was super keen to support SYD and take part, but I didn’t think I could reach the of $1,000 target because I have a lot on, and I had just asked everyone for money for Movember - I didn’t want to do the fun abseiling bit without hitting that goal. So I attempted to politely decline, but Blair didn’t have a bar of it. He activated his infectious enthusiasm mode and told me he would be my chief fundraiser, and that not only would we beat the $1,000 target, but we would get more sponsorship than anyone else too. He didn’t just talk the talk, since then he has bombarded you all with emails (apologies, but not really because it is for a good cause), produced and distributed posters across our workplace, arranged a sausage sizzle at mitre 10 and even had me on the radio a few weeks ago telling Callum from ‘The Hits’ about SYD, ‘toss the boss’ and my experiences jumping off the 3m board at moana pool. Thanks, Blair, for your amazing dedication to raising money for SYD – you’re a top fundraiser (and an even better WT supervisor). We eventually raised over $2,400! Henry Ford (apparently) tells us ‘whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right’…. I’m a big believer in that one – but maybe an exception to the rule is when you have someone else who thinks they can, on your behalf.
We didn’t quite get the most sponsorship, which (competitive streak aside) is fantastic because its more money for SYD. I am absolutely blown away by everyone’s generosity and the amount we raised. Most importantly, SYD has almost $30k to support their work. Thanks to you all for your most excellent support. It is very much appreciated.
Here’s a picture from the event.
