Canberra public servant Nick Weickart has a tattoo on his right arm bearing the date August 11, 2020.
It's the day his best mate Robbie died by suicide.
The tattoo is a reminder to 22-year-old Nick of the best and worst in life.
"It's not only a reminder of that terrible day but also that it's the day my life changed, in a positive way as well because from that day onwards, I didn't view life the same," he said.
"Life became this whole new thing that I really enjoyed and that I wanted to cherish because from that day I found out everything can be gone in a second and you've got to hang on to every moment and just enjoy it."
Nick, a federal public servant who lives in Lawson, said part of that changing mindset was giving back.
He's signed up for the sixth year to participate in The Push-Up Challenge, Australia's largest mental health and fitness event.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of Australians take up the challenge to complete a set number of push-ups that represent the number of lives lost to suicide in Australia in the most recent year of available data.
This year, Nick, along with all the other participants, will be completing 3037 push-ups between June 3 and 26. The number represents the number of lives lost to suicide in 2024, the most recently available data.
Sadly, Nick says the number of push-ups he and others have done in the challenge is rising, not falling; meaning deaths by suicide are also rising.
Nick's biggest hope is that he can help to reverse that trend and see the numbers start to fall.
This year, Nick has set his highest fundraising goal, at $5000. But what matters most to him isn't just fundraising. It's getting people to start the conversation around mental health. That's another reason for the tattoo. People ask what it means and Nick can talk about Robbie and what happened.
The two mates grew up in the same suburb in the north of Sydney.
"He was one of my best friends growing up and in high school. We originally met at the same primary school in year 2," Nick said.
"We did a lot together. We played soccer together. We caught the bus home together. We basically saw each other every day."
Nick has his own battles with mental health, diagnosed with depression when he was just 10. In Canberra, he found Menslink, finding somewhere he could talk and not be judged.
"It's the best thing I've ever done," he said, of reaching out to Menslink.
These days, he manages his mental health as needed. Sometimes he might need to go for a walk; other times he knows he needs to speak to his counsellor, usually when he finds the things that usually bring him enjoyment are not working as well anymore.
He's also conscious of checking in with the friends and others around him.
"What I say to them is, 'I know you're saying you're OK, but is that actually the truth?'," Nick said.
The Push-Up Challenge is a free event, and participants can choose to fundraise and support beneficiary partners Lifeline or headspace, or the charity which runs the event, the Push for Better Foundation. Fundraising is an optional part of the event.
