IES gives a duck

Help us raise much needed funds for mental health through October.

When hearing about Ducktober for the first time, one would be forgiven for initially thinking of quacking feathered waterfowl. It’s actually an annual fundraising event for independent charity, Waves of Wellness (WOW), during the Mental Health Awareness Month of October.

Industrial Environmental Services has formed a team of duckers who have accepted the challenge of a daily ‘duck’ in cold water. Their mission is to experience if and how a daily hit of cold water improves their own mental health while raising money to help provide free surf therapy programs for people experiencing mental health challenges.

It’s a ducking good cause. Please show your support and encourage the team to keep going – we’re raising funds for a great cause and one that’s close to our hearts. You can donate to our entire team or individually (it’s OK to play favourites). No amount is too small, every bit helps!

Support the entire team

IES Ducktober team

Alternatively, support your favourite team member, brother, son, father, uncle or neighbour from the list below:

Matt Smillie
Dung Tran
Steve McCoach

What’s involved?

Ducking into cold water every day in October means we’ve been jumping into the ocean, hopping in a cold shower or (Steve has been) plunging into an ice bath.

How’s it going?

Reflecting on his Ducktober journey over the past two weeks, our General Manager, Matt Smillie said, “Standing on Port Melbourne beach, right before my very first duck, I’ll admit to questioning my sanity. That thought was quickly replaced by a huge rush when I was in the water.”

“The more I do it, the better I feel throughout each day. I had high hopes about the mental and physical benefits of taking a cold plunge. I can now confirm it’s all true. Ducktober has been a great time to start – even more so because we’re raising money for a good cause.”

Who is WOW?

Waves of Wellness is an Australian mental health surf therapy charity supporting the Australian community with free mental health programs in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland. It believes dealing with mental health is not just about dealing with a crisis; it’s also about finding healthy outlets for people who are struggling, recovering and doing fine.

Surf therapy is an innovative approach to mental health support that merges group therapy, primarily grounded in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), with the therapeutic benefits of the outdoors. It delivers intentional, inclusive, and evidence-based therapeutic interventions, promoting psychological, physical, and psychosocial well-being by harnessing the transformative power of surfing and the natural environment.

Waves of Wellness is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR).