One Step Beyond

BY GERRY COLEMAN

IT ALL STARTED AS A SIMPLE PHONE CALL ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO WHEN OUR FAMILY FRIEND KATE, WHO SUFFERS FROM THE INSIDIOUS AND DEBILITATING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS CONDITION, SAID SHE WAS CONSIDERING DOING THE ANNUAL ‘CENTRAL PARK PLUNGE’ ON NOVEMBER 14, 2021.

The Plunge is a fundraising event event run by Zenith Promotions and Multiple Sclerosis Western Australia (MSWA) and sees participants abseil from the top of Perth’s tallest building, Central Park, which stands at a frightening 52 floors or 220 metres high. This is a fundraising charity event with limited spots, whereby you pay a $100 registration fee and sign up to raise a minimum $1,100 for your nominated charity out of a choice of nine. The phone call was to my wife Julie and Kate asked if she would be interested in partnering up with her and taking the plunge! As Julie couldn’t do it, she asked me if I would be interested and it was a flat NO, as I’m scared of heights and have never abseiled before. However over the course of a few days I thought more and more about it, and thought that if Kate was considering doing it, who am I to wimp out considering that I’m a fairly fit and healthy sexagenarian, and even though this challenge would take me well and truly out of my comfort zone I agreed! Over the next few days we were trying desperately to rope in others to join our team of four for MSWA as registered spots were running out quickly. Then unfortunately Kate was unable to commit to the Plunge. So this let me off the hook but burning in my mind was the challenge and having already committed mentally I decided to ask my 28 year old son Ben if he would be interested in partnering up with me and join two others on the day to make up a team of four. “But you know dad I’m absolutely petrified of heights – I did this once in a Year 9 school gym and what a horrible feeling taking that step off the edge and putting your whole weight and trust in a harness and rope”. Over a couple of days I badgered Ben and he thought about it a little more and said if you’re mad enough to do it dad then I’ll have a go. We both signed up. Over the next few months Ben kept saying, I don’t know how you talked

Left: Gerry & Ben during their big drop down Central Park tower in Perth, raising funds for MSWA

me into this and just the thought of it gives me sweaty palms. We tried our best to raise funds and a week prior to the event we had only raised $700 and $600 respectively and not the target amount each, so we were advised we could not participate, but organisers would compromise and combine both amounts and let only one of us have a spot. This was not an option as I was most certainly not doing it without Ben and Ben not without me! Two days before the event and much pleading and many phone calls we were both allocated a spot, second last and last. We were so delighted and relieved not to let all our sponsors down, family, friends, workmates and total strangers, and I naively thought that was the hard work done. My way of coping with nerves was to not think about it and just block it out until the day itself, whereas Ben was quite anxious just thinking about it all the while. On the morning of the event for I watched a Youtube video of a previous Central Park abseil from a participants view and that was the “WOW what have we got ourselves into” moment. When we arrived at the venue to register I looked up to the top of the building from the grassed area and broke out into convulsions of laughter, saying “you have got to be kidding”, with a lady standing beside me saying “are you doing it YES?”, which triggered her hysterical laughter! It was only when we got to the 50th floor for our induction that I truly realised how petrified Ben was. Our chaperone who brought us up in the lift beckoned us to the window to check out the amazing view, when Ben retreated to the middle of the room and sat down with his profusely sweating palms. We watched a motivational video which amongst other things was designed to encourage each other on the way down like ‘you’ve got this, you can do it, girl power’! We found this video to be more scary than anything else and found ourselves staring at each other aghast with mouths open, and then on to the next harness induction and weight bearing practice. The abseil itself was nerve-racking, but the fantastic trained Zenith professionals helped us take that fearful step off the building not once but twice, as it was in two stages. As we were the last two participants after three days, my mind was racing with anticipation and I was wondering if they were in a rush to get home for a beer, why did they pack away the safety ropes, hopefully they are not too distracted and fatigued and forget to lock off the shackles and kabana’s which hopefully were not manufactured in a Chinese sweatshop and should I have wore my heavy boots as I’m a lightweight leprechaun about to traverse this thing like a flea on a gorilla at the top of a blustery New York landmark! Ben who is a muay thai martial arts fighter said the whole experience of stepping off a 52 storey building is mind blowing and was more daunting than stepping into the ring with someone who wants to kick you in the head. I have come to the conclusion that I have a normal healthy fear of heights whereas Ben is bordering on acrophobic, which made his effort even more phenomenal. What a father/son bonding experience and I have nothing but immense pride for Ben taking that leap of faith over the edge and into the unknown. What did you do on the weekend? ☘