Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation

04/09/2026

Wallaroo, round up your mates! 💜

Join us for Mates, Meals & Mental Health, a free evening of connection, conversation and practical tools for recognising and managing mental distress.

Hear from guest speakers John Mannion, Tom Jonas and Comedian Marc Ryan The Beautiful Bogan while enjoying dinner and connecting with your local community.

📅 Friday 2 October 2026

⏰ 6:30pm–9:30pm

📍 Wallaroo Community Sports Club

🎟️ Free to attend, with dinner provided

We’re incredibly grateful to Country SA PHN for supporting Breakthrough as a Rural Health Innovation Fund Round 4 grant recipient. This initiative has been made possible through grant funding from the Rural Health Innovation Fund , helping us bring communities together and strengthen mental health and wellbeing across regional South Australia.

We also sincerely thank Copper Coast Council and Preventive Health SA for their valued support in helping bring this event to the Wallaroo community.

Click here to register for free: https://breakthroughfoundation.org.au/events/mates-meals-and-mental-health-wallaroo/

04/09/2026

Who's up for a game of cricket, on the historic Adelaide Oval !!!!

Join us for the Biggest Backyard Cricket Bash, proudly supported by South Australian Cricket Association
We have three spots left!
Tickets see below!

Biggest Backyard Cricket Bash on Sunday 11 October 2026 The backyard game played on the world’s best stage! Step up to the crease this October for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play cricket on the iconic Adelaide Oval, all while making a real difference for South Australians. Breakthrough Me...

31/08/2026

Race day just got a whole lot more exciting! 🗽💙

We are incredibly proud to partner with the amazing team at lululemon Burnside, who welcomed our runners into the store last week and helped each of them choose a race-day kit for the TCS New York City Marathon.

It was such a special night and another reminder of how lucky we are to have wonderful people and partners around us who genuinely want to support our fundraisers and the difference they are working so hard to make.

Alongside Adventure Time Travel, we’re getting ready to take this incredible group all the way to the start line this November.

We’re also building our team for 2027, so if you’re interested in joining us, please get in touch ASAP!

A huge thank you to the entire lululemon Burnside team for making our runners feel so special. Next stop, NYC! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

27/08/2026

“I am running today for…” 💜

One of the most special parts of the Barossa Marathon weekend was hearing what came next.

For someone they love. For someone they’ve lost. For their own mental health. For a challenge they never thought they could take on.

Every runner had their own reason for being on that start line, and we felt incredibly privileged that so many of you stopped by to share yours with us.

With $1 from every race entry donated to Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation, every step also helped support vital mental health research.

Thank you to everyone who ran, walked, cheered, supported and came by to say hello across the weekend.

What an incredible Barossa Marathon 💜

27/08/2026

We’re incredibly grateful to the Kokoda Centurions for coordinating this exceptional trek, sharing our vision for better mental health, and turning every step into hope and action.

The funds raised for Breakthrough will support vital mental health research focused on creating a future free from mental illness. With just five weeks to go, we invite our community to walk alongside us, by donating to our cause https://kokoda-2026.raiselysite.com/

Together, we can help save lives. 💜

5 weeks to go. And there has never been a more important time to come together.

The conversations happening in our communities right now are confronting
male su***de, gender-based violence, disconnection and the urgent need for healthier, positive masculinity.

At Kokoda Centurions, we believe prevention starts long before a crisis. It starts with connection, conversation, education and community …. men and women working together to create change.

In just over five weeks, our 2026 Centurions will take that purpose to the Kokoda Track, while raising vital funds for Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation and The Man Cave.

You don't have to walk 96km to walk alongside us.

Donate. Share. Start a conversation. Help us make every step count.

💜 Breakthrough: https://kokoda-2026.raiselysite.com/kokoda-centurions

🤍 The Man Cave: https://www.mycause.com.au/page/399761/kokoda-centurions

Two causes. One community. One very important reason to keep walking and keep talking.

Seeley International – Premium Partner
Toyota Australia – Platinum Partner
Henson Lloyd Accountants Pty Ltd – Professional Services Partner
Derrick McManus – Professional Services Partner
Darcy Furnell – Co-Founder
Mignon Furnell – Co-Founder
Scott Matthews – Co-Founder
Australian Kokoda Tours - Expert Tour Operator

26/08/2026

We were moved by the courage and leadership Jordan Dawson showed in speaking openly about mental health at last night’s Annual AFL Awards.

Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation CEO John Mannion commended the Adelaide crows Captain for sharing such a powerful and deeply personal message.

Jordan’s words remind us that you don’t have to be an expert to start a conversation about mental health.

Evidence shows that men do want to talk about their mental health, but they often don’t have the right space to do so.

We remain committed to helping create safe spaces for these conversations in our communities across Australia.💜

25/08/2026

🚨 New Breakthrough podcast Episode today

From a footpath barbecue to more than 80 groups across rural Australia, non for profit organisation Fat Farmers shows what can happen when a simple idea meets strong community spirit and a growing focus on mental health and resilience in rural communities.

In this preview from Episode 4 of the Breakthrough Safe Space Podcast, Fat Farmers CEO Ben Wundersitz shares how teamwork, physical activity and social connection helped turn a grassroots initiative into a growing rural movement that supports both physical and mental wellbeing.

He is joined in the full episode by Justine Drew, Acting Director, Emergency Management, Drought and Resilience at Department of Department of Primary Industries and Regions who brings a broader perspective on rural resilience and recovery across South Australia.

Episode 4: Life in Rural Communities launches today 25 August.🚀

Proudly brought to you by Catapult Wealth

20/08/2026

This is what our work on the ground looks like 👉 meeting people where they are, creating space for meaningful conversations and building more connected, mentally healthy communities.
Last weekend, Breakthrough hosted a free Mates, Meals and Mental Health session in Mantung Town Hall, kindly organised with the help of local mental health community champion Suzi Evans
More than 20 people from farmers and FIFO workers to newcomers and community support workers, aged from their early 20s to 80 came together for open and honest conversation.
👉It was a powerful reminder that impact isn’t measured by crowd size, but by the quality of the connections made.
John Mannion was joined by former Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas, who shared valuable insights on resilience and mental health.
Taking these sessions directly into rural and isolated communities helps create opportunities for connection where they’re needed most.

This event was supported by Department of Primary Industries and Regions through its $119 million drought support package for rural and isolated communities, alongside the generosity of Elders Rural Services West End Draught and the Adelaide Footy League . Special thanks also, to Loxton Rotary Club for supporting transportation.

19/08/2026

What if your next marathon could help transform mental health?

Join Team Breakthrough for the 2027 TCS New York City Marathon and take on 42.2 unforgettable kilometres through all five boroughs, while raising vital funds for mental health research.

Through our partnership with Adventure Time Travel , an Approved International Tour Operator of the TCS New York City Marathon, you'll have the opportunity to experience this iconic event with a powerful purpose.

Whether it’s your first marathon or a long-held bucket-list goal, you’ll receive fundraising support, connect with like-minded runners and experience New York with a powerful purpose.

🏃 55,000+ participants

🗽 Five iconic boroughs

💜 One extraordinary cause

Don't miss your chance, sign up by 30 September.

👉Contact Leesa Scanlan [email protected]

Register today: https://breakthroughfoundation.org.au/events/new-york-marathon-2027