A year supporting Operation Flinders

We’re pleased to be in a position to support our local communities through the BADGE Foundation. Each year, our offices select their own focus charity to support, and in 2019 we in South Australia adopted a unique organisation called Operation Flinders.

We were introduced to Operation Flinders last year when our colleague Nick Yorston participated in the Epic Impact Bike Challenge, a 700km bike ride from Adelaide to Yankaninna Station in the Flinders Ranges.

The outback location north of Adelaide is more than just the finish line for the ride – it’s the home of Operation Flinders itself. Here, the organisation takes at-risk youth out of their comfort zone and into the natural environment, where they undergo an intense adventure experience to rebuild their confidence, people skills and positivity. Most of the activities are kept secret to maximise the experience for future participants, so I can’t go into specifics about what the challenge involves!

But what I can say is that Nick proudly raised over $10,000 for Operation Flinders, inspiring the office to further contribute to this incredible organisation throughout 2019.

Gearing up
The BADGE Foundation encourages staff to become involved in philanthropy by engaging with local charities and learning first-hand about what they are trying to achieve. So to support Operation Flinders, we wanted to join together in a participation-based activity that demonstrated the nature of the organisation’s work with youths. Since walking is a little more popular than cycling in the BADGE office, we settled on Operation Flinders’ annual half-marathon walk through the Adelaide Hills.

There was also a connection back to our business – I was really enjoying the leadership training workshops our Chief Executive Roger Zammit had been conducting with BADGE senior management personnel, and I saw an opportunity to apply that theory when forming and motivating the team to finish the 21km.

We secured 12 keen walkers and many eager sponsors, and devised a training program to tackle a section of the walk once a month. This in itself was a great team-building exercise for the diverse mix of staff in the walking team. As we scheduled extra training in the build-up to the event, I loved seeing a core group of walkers respond by battling through some extremely wet and windy elements – demonstrating the leadership we knew would need on the day of the event to get us across the line together.

Training on Mt Lofty

Fundraising efforts
On top of a $3300 pledge from the BADGE Foundation, the fundraising effort was warmly embraced by colleagues and their networks throughout the year. Our three key fundraising activities – a retro 1970s casual day, a wine sale in partnership with Signature Wines, and a raffle with generous donations from subcontractors and suppliers – drove us past the $6000 mark ahead of the walk.

The fundraising lifted up a gear in May when myself and BADGE HR Officer Amber Dawes returned from a visit to Yankaninna Station and shared our experience with the office. For me personally, this visit was when the final pieces of the puzzle clicked together on what Operation Flinders was all about. We were invited to watch teams of youth participants as they walked up to 10-15km for eight days through a process of forming, storming, norming and performing. Witnessing these teams come together in a physically, emotionally and psychologically challenging landscape was truly inspirational – as was the way the Operation Flinders staff ran the event like clockwork with fantastic teamwork and leadership.

The office 1970s dress-up fundraiser

And they’re off!
Our big day finally arrived on October 12. With a mixture of nervousness and excitement, we gathered at the start line, and then set off at 7:00am into the beautiful Adelaide springtime.

Our group training kicked into action during the walk just like it was supposed to. We supported each other right from the start, ensuring everyone was taken care of and nobody was left behind. A great example was when one of our team members started struggling with the bag of supplies she’d brought along – we each stepped in and took turns carrying the bag uphill to relieve her and keep the group moving together.

This was the same process of teamwork that the Operation Flinders youth participants go through, and seeing it come to life on our own walk meant it was present in our minds the whole way. By the end of it we truly understood why they do what they do out in the Flinders Ranges.

We finished the walk in just over 4.5 hours, and I was really proud of the way our team members helped and motivated each other.

The buzz didn’t stop at the finish line for us either. The following week one of my colleagues told me she was still feeling ‘warm and fuzzy’ about conquering the course as part of the team, and said she wished she worked with all of us every day in that way. That highlighted to me that on top of raising money for a great organisation, we had achieved our aim to feel some of the organisation’s purpose. We created a high-performing team, pushed ourselves towards an agreed end goal together, and achieved personal growth with the result.

Thanks to my fellow walkers, generous colleagues and other donors involved in BADGE’s support for Operation Flinders in 2019. It was a year to remember!