08/06/2026
💙 TODAY’S THE DAY… THE HAMMER DROPS AT 10AM. Make sure you have pre registered well before 10am…
It was a day I’ll never forget at
Big Freeze Echuca / Moama
Most people probably wouldn’t know this, but I’m actually pretty shy. Unless I’m talking trees and gardens of course you will never shut me up.
I don’t love being the centre of attention. I’d much rather be talking plants, loading a trailer, or wandering around a nursery than standing in front of a crowd. Maybe it’s the ADHD everyone tells me I have. Maybe I just enjoy the simple things.
But sometimes your community asks you to step up.
And when that happens, it’s time to park the fear and dig deep.
Or in my case… plunge deep.
Yesterday, 18 locals just like me dressed up, climbed a giant slide and launched ourselves into freezing water for a cause much bigger than ourselves.
Now somewhere between climbing the stairs and standing at the top of that giant slide looking out over the crowd, I had what can only be described as a terrible idea.
The kind of idea that seems brilliant for about three seconds.
I looked at Naomi and said,
“Hey Naomi… can you blindfold me?”
Then, because apparently I wasn’t finished making poor decisions, I added:
“Stand back… I’m going down head first.”
Now in hindsight, and after extensive medical review by absolutely nobody, I can confirm this was not one of my greatest life choices.
What followed was a splash big enough to register on the Murray River tide charts.
The crowd roared.
The kids loved it.
And for a brief moment I felt like an action hero.
Then I stood up.
It was about then I noticed one of my fingers was pointing in a direction fingers generally aren’t designed to point.
A few stitches later, a slightly wonky finger, a bruised ego and a very cold backside, and I’d do it all again tomorrow.
Because hearing those kids laugh, seeing our community come together and knowing every dollar raised is helping fight MND made every second worth it.
But the real heroes aren’t the sliders.
The real heroes are Naomi and Lisa.
For months these two legends have worked tirelessly behind the scenes planning, organising, fundraising, coordinating volunteers, sponsors, venues and about a thousand other things nobody sees.
With the incredible support of Rich River Golf Club, sponsors, volunteers and our community, they helped create an event that attracted more than 1,500 people and raised over $100,000 for FightMND.
Just stop and think about that for a second.
Over $100,000.
From a regional community.
That’s bloody amazing.
When I hit my original fundraising target of $5,000, I said, “Let’s double it.”
I got close.
Very close.
But I was still about $700 short of my personal $10,000 goal.
So I rang Naomi and said…
“What if we get some local landscapers and suppliers together and create a Backyard Blitz-style project for the Big Freeze?”
What I didn’t think about was how much extra work that meant for the girls.
A new auction platform.
More approvals.
More meetings.
More paperwork.
More checking what we could and couldn’t do.
But by then it was too late.
The businesses had committed.
The community was behind it.
And suddenly we had a package worth nearly $50,000 ready to bring to our region.
So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.
Today, at 10am, one lucky bidder will win the Ultimate Landscape Package and together we’ll help push the Big Freeze fundraising total even higher.
None of this happens without these incredible local businesses digging deep:
🌿 The Garden Planners
The Garden Planners
🌿 Echuca Shepparton Plantfarm
Echuca - Shepparton - Plant Farm
🌿 Greenazz Landscape Construction
Green A*z Landscape Construction
🌿 Rock Solid Garden Supplies
Rock Solid Gardening Supplies
🌿 A&R Water Solutions
A & R Water Solutions
🌿 Echuca Steel
🌿 Coolabah Turf
Coolabah Turf
Together they’ve donated a package valued at $46,595.
Not vouchers.
Not discounts.
A genuine landscape transformation.
And today someone gets the keys to it.
If you’ve been thinking about bidding, now is the time.
The auction closes at 10am.
Current highest bid is at 6am Tuesday $28,500.00- important info is the wedding bidder must be located within 30kms of Echuca..
Bid here 👇
👉 https://www.openn.com/bigfreeze
And if bidding isn’t for you, please take a moment to like, comment or share this post.
For the 18 sliders who got uncomfortable for a cause.
For Naomi and Lisa, who turned an idea into something extraordinary.
For every volunteer, sponsor and donor.
And for everyone living with MND.
Because communities like ours don’t wait for someone else to make a difference.
We show up.
We dig deep.
Sometimes we go down giant slides blindfolded and head first.
And together, we’ll play on… and beat the beast. 💙❄️💙