The local community shows up for flood victims

On 26 March 2022, Kane and Peta Gois, together with their dedicated Connective Fitness team and the amazing local Nambucca Valley community, raised $8,000 for flood victims… in a very unusual way!

The challenge: Spend 5 hours doing burpees.

Seeing the floods in Lismore and northern N.S.W. heavily impacted Kane.

“The floods were a pretty devastating thing that hit the community. Hearing about young children that didn’t have school shoes, you know, they were basically in the same clothes for two weeks they had been when the flood had actually hit.

“I’m a big old softy when it comes to kids. I have two of my own, so knowing that they would be going without really affected me. So I knew I had to do something. It wasn’t a choice, it was just a matter of how.”

Once Kane decided how, his wife Peta and friend M.J. worked hard to make the fundraiser happen and sourced the raffle prizes from local businesses.

On the day, Kane and his best friend Amanda competed. Amanda, the newly crowned Burpee Queen, ended up with 200 burpees more than Kane. You can watch all the action unfold in the video below.

Macksville Sea Eagles Rugby League club, Connective Fitness customers, family, friends and others from the community also came to show their support. Some people even stepped up, hit the floor, and then stepped up again and again to join Kane and Amanda for parts of the burpee challenge. During the last two minutes of the challenge, everyone joined in.

We’re also lucky to have Kane involved in our Active U Program, which gives Nambucca Valley young people opportunities to increase confidence and self-belief, make connections, and improve their health and well-being.

The fundraiser was a huge success, and Kane says the support from the Macksville and Nambucca Valley community was “phenomenal”.

“We had anywhere from 50 to 80 people walking in and out of this gym throughout the entire five hours.”

Peta was also surprised by the support they received.

“The community really turned out, really showed up, and everyone got involved. It was amazing. In those dying minutes, MJ and I were both standing there and watching them going, ‘Wow,’ and we both had tears welling up.”

When Kane and Peta wanted a lifestyle change, they moved to the area with their family. Kane’s weight loss journey inspired him to leave his career in banking and start his own fitness and health business to help others, first from their rural property and now from the gym in Macksville.

Connective Fitness’ ethos is inclusivity. There are classes for everyone from mums and bubs, kids, teenagers, over 50s, and everyone is welcome regardless of their fitness level.

Kane is particularly focused on improving health and building self-belief for children and teenagers and knows the impact it can have.

“My passion for fitness with kids all comes back to my own self experiences. I suffered from bullying as a child, and I’ve had ADHD my whole life [and it’s] something you learn to adapt to.

“I was never given the right tools because I was so young and people didn’t quite understand it, so a lot of things I’ve had to do, I’ve had to learn myself.”

He says the right approach is vital when working with young people and teaching them that fitness shouldn’t be a chore but part of their daily life.

“I want them to learn that fitness is about fun. “It’s not about you versus anyone else. It’s about you versus you.”

When Cass Wilson, Becoming U’s Community Impact Co-ordinator, approached Kane about a unique, new well-being program for Nambucca Valley young people. Kane didn’t hesitate to become involved.

Kane and Cass had known each other for several years through their previous careers in banking. Cass knew Kane would be perfect to work with teenage boys to help them gain confidence through fitness training and weightlifting.

“I really wanted to make a difference in these young boys’ lives and show them there are other ways to deal with connections with emotions.

“I think a lot of young people sometimes can get caught out lifting with ego, and I teach them to take it all and leave it at the door.

“I’ve noticed a lot of them start to come out of their shell.

“I started by sharing [my story]… They had similar struggles, whether it’s with ADHD, autism, Asperger’s, whatever it might be, we’ve shared and we’ve connected.

“Not only has their fitness become better, but their general communication’s become better.

Check out the fundraiser gallery below. Thanks to Kane and Peta Gois, the Connective Fitness team and the supporters for allowing us to use these photos.