Perth Voice Interactive

A MARATHON 24-hour swimming event to raise cash for Perth-based charity Mens Talk runs this weekend at Inglewood’s Stirling Leisure. 

Mens Talk was set up to normalise conversations about men’s mental health and support prevention of suicide.

Two of Stirling council’s top brass will join a slightly milder nine-hour swim, with mayor Mark Irwin and CEO Stevan Rodic taking the plunge as part of a 10-person staff team swimming the relay. 

A 10-person team, the Stirling Aquatic Masters, will tackle the 24-hour relay from 5pm Saturday November 23, and the nine-hour crew starts the next day at 8am to synchronise-swim their way to the finish line. 

Mr Irwin has a background in surf lifesaving, and while he says his best swimming days are behind him he’s spent recent weeks swimming laps in the Inglewood pools to prepare. 

“I’m certainly not in the best shape of my life and I’m expecting the last few legs of the relay to test me, but this is about raising money, not breaking records,” he said via media statement.

“It’s good to dive head-first into a challenge every now and then, and this is such a worthy cause to support. 

“Men should feel comfortable talking about their mental health and sharing how they’re feeling because it doesn’t just benefit them – it benefits the men around them as well.

“I like what the team at Mens Talk are doing and I’m happy to give the Swim for Life a crack to support them,” Mr Irwin said.

There’s a community fun day on Sunday with fun stuff for the kids from 10am to 3pm, entry via gold coin donation to Mens Talk.