Hello and welcome to @whattomhasdunn! This website and blog is a continuation of a personal goal to pursue a career of 'Advocacy through Adventure'. Sounds impressive, but what does it actually mean? What are you actually going to see when you check back in on this page?
In late 2014 I kayaked 2,200km and raised $14,802 for a deaf and blind early intervention centre. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but looking back on it I know it was the best idea of my life so far. The challenge of pushing myself down a river when physically my body wanted to give up opened my mind to what I was capable of. At 19 years old, and having only stepped in a kayak 3 months before I began the trip, no one (including myself) thought I was actually going to complete the trip. When I did however, I realised that with a bit of help and some dedication almost anything is possible. Combine this realisation with the incredible feeling of handing away a cheque for a lot of money, and I was hooked! A little over 2 years later and I've just completed my second trip; a 3,750km SUP journey along Australia's longest river system, becoming the first person ever to have SUP'd the length of the Darling River along the way. I stood on a SUP board for the first time just 3 weeks before this trip and again I proved to myself that it's our attitude not our skills that determine our success. Thanks to the decision to begin that trip, 'SUP4DCA', has now raised over $24,000 for Deaf Children Australia to help children in rural and remote Australia get access to services they need so they too can achieve their best. At 21 with 6,000km paddled and over $39,000 donated to charity, these two trips have proven to me that I was capable of more than I, or others, ever expected. With that, I've realised that it's the same for others too, given an opportunity anyone can do extraordinary things. This page won't change someones entire life, but hopefully it can give someone the opportunity for them to improve their own life and pursue their own goals. With more trips like the last two planned I'm can't wait to share the adventures and pursue my goal, Advocacy through Adventure. Tom