Here, we explore the fundraising strategy that saw a local identity raise over $150,000 and leave a lasting legacy for The Portsea Camp.
The Beginning of a Fundraising Journey
As Melbourne plunged into lockdown in March 2020, two strangers, less than 500 meters apart, grappled with the reality of survival in a pandemic. Newly appointed Camp CEO Sandra Martin—just five weeks into the job—sat alone in her camp office, contemplating the once-thriving social enterprise around her, now plunged into silence with its gates firmly shut. Closed for business for the first time since 1946.
Below her, in the crystal blue waters off Portsea’s front beach, a lone swimmer crawled up and down during the allowed one hour of outdoor activity, keeping physically and mentally fit. Little did either know that in the face of such adversity, one of The Portsea Camp’s most celebrated moments would be born: a grassroots fundraising project that would see locals and strangers alike raise over $150,000 for a charity they knew little or nothing about.
Nick’s Reflections on the English Channel Swim
Fast forward two and a half years, and Nick reflects on his English Channel swim with his trademark modesty and shares some words of advice for anyone contemplating taking on a project – large or small – in the name of charity.
“You must be authentic. And your connection to the cause must be real,” says Nick.
“It was never just about me swimming the English Channel as a personal challenge. My personal connection to the Camp was critical and kept me going when training – or the actual English Channel crossing – became overwhelming.
“We worked hard to help people understand what The Portsea Camp meant, what its purpose was, and create an emotional connection to the kids behind the Camp gates.
“Once we told the story, it became about the collective impact the community could have on a deserving and worthwhile cause.”
Nick believes it was getting the story out about the Camp that really resonated with donors. Suddenly, it wasn’t just Nick, the local swimmer and former lifesaver, taking on a personal challenge—it became about the kids. The swim would become their story too.
Nick’s Training and Motivation
Not surprisingly, Nick’s emotional connection to the Camp became his greatest motivation during his gruelling training schedule and Channel swim. 10km swims became 20, 30, and then a 48km swim across the Channel. He connected with a long-distance swim coach. He overcame shoulder surgery. He learned to eat and drink in the water. He trained himself mentally to look into darkness for 10 hours at a time. He tried to mimic the conditions of the Channel swim. And always, he swam in the waters just below the Camp, in full view of his goal.
“Throughout all the training, all the setbacks—which invariably there are—a critical motivation was always the kids and not letting them down. Kids need to know that things get tough. But it’s the tough times that enable the good times.
“Giving up was not an option.”
It was this determination not to let the kids down that ultimately became Nick’s saviour at the most critical point in the swim. Within sight of France—just a couple of kms from land— the wind and tides started to pull him backwards.
Nick says this was the moment he felt the kids, more than 15,000 kilometres away, push him forward, one agonising stroke at a time, urging him to reach their goal together. Telling him: “Don’t give up. Don’t give up.”
“You can’t let the kids down was ringing in my ears”.
Looking Ahead
Nick Martin continues to swim each day in the waters off The Portsea Camp and maintains a keen interest in the charity and the kids who benefit from it. Asked if he has another big swim in him, Nick laughs and says he’s probably more suited to dry land fundraising these days but admits he still thinks of the kids spurring him on as he swims below. And maybe, just maybe, there’s another swim challenge, because there’s always a need for a challenge that combines personal and community goals.
