Perth men putting in marathon effort to Swim for Life

SIXTEEN swimmers are taking on a marathon relay to raise awareness of male mental health and suicide.

The men, aged from 15 to 60, will swim laps at Scarborough Beach Pool on Sunday from 8am to 5pm raising money for the Black Dog Institute.

Paul Litwin and friend Nik Zivanovic came up with the idea, calling it Swim for Life, and approached The Sandbar Scarborough Beach owner Ben Randall for sponsorship.

The team grew and Mr Litwin said all participants had been affected by male suicide.

“This cause is important to me as I have lost both a family member and friends to male suicide,” he said.

“I wanted to make a difference and saw an opportunity through Swim for Life to do so.”

The Booragoon resident said they chose swimming because it was an iconic Australian sport and suitable for a wide range of ages.

“Swim For Life is an opportunity to raise awareness, celebrate inspiring males and honour those males that were lost to suicide,” he said.

“The dream is to create a national day of awareness and remembrance on the final Sunday of November.”

Mr Litwin said he also hoped to create awareness programs for students and adults.

“We want people to support this worthy cause and help us to change the conversation for male mental health,” he said.

“It is clear that this needs to happen in our society and now. Only together can we make this change happen.”

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