A million push-ups could cost this teacher his beard

A BEARD shave, dunk tanks and ice bucket challenges are on the line as Iona College students aim to power their way to one million push-ups for mental health.

The college is again taking part in The Push-Up Challenge after 448 students collectively completed 430,000 push-ups last year.

This year, staff are putting themselves on the line to encourage even greater participation.

Year 9 wellbeing leader Dean Millard said students suggested he shave off his beard if the college reaches 430,000 push-ups, while other wellbeing leaders will face dunk tanks, ice bucket challenges and other punishments as totals climb through 500,000, 600,000 and beyond.

“We actually don’t need people to do the whole challenge, because the challenge is really big,” Millard said.

“Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, we want the community to go, ‘What could I do? What could I contribute in some way?’

“If everyone signed up and did 10 push-ups or an equivalent exercise every morning, if the other thousand-odd people in the community did that, we’d hit our million target really easily because that would go on top of the nearly half a million we got last year.”

Now in its 10th year, The Push-Up Challenge encourages participants to complete 3,307 push-ups across 24 days, representing the 3,307 Australians who died by suicide in 2024.

Millard, who has participated in seven of the past 10 challenges, said the campaign’s message extended beyond the number of push-ups completed.

 

“The really sad thing is with all of those people that we’ve lost, we’ve lost what they could contribute to our society,” he said.

“We want to say to all of our kids: sometimes you can see the people around you and go ‘I’m not as good as that guy, I’m not as strong as that guy’, or ‘I don’t have much left to give’, but if you’ve only got 10 per cent, that 10 per cent’s your 100 per cent today. And if you give it, our world gets a little bit richer.”

Participants who find the full target daunting can choose to complete half the push-ups or substitute alternative forms of exercise.

“It’s any exercise that symbolises getting yourself back up again after being down,” Millard said.

“Whatever the thing is that you can do, we want to see it because that helps us get a little stronger.”

The challenge officially begins on Wednesday 3 June and runs until 26 June.

For more information or to sign up, head to thepushupchallenge.com.au

If you or someone you know needs mental health support, head to beyondblue.org.au or phone their 24/7 hotline on 1300 224 636. You can also head to lifeline.org.au or phone them on 13 11 14. Help for young people is available at kidshelpline.com.au or by phoning 1800 551 800.