The Blue Green Crew

4x4 escapes to help emergency services and defence personnel impacted by mental health issues.

- Justin Walker

Emergency Services, Police, the Defence Force. The general population knows they are there when we need them, but too often these essential people in our lives blend into the background of why you see them. Whether it is a motor vehicle accident, a violent situation, fighting bushfires, rescuing those in peril or being deployed to a conflict in a distant land, the true impact of being front and centre in these (and other) scenarios is only felt by those first attenders. It’s incredibly hard to put yourself there mentally, to even try and understand the effect of seeing some of the worst things humanity can do to itself, and then trying to dismiss it – or at the least, bury it deep in the back of your memory. Many understandably cannot, and the resultant post-traumatic stress disorder – and other stress and grief-related mental illnesses – can be incredibly difficult to deal with, for not only the one suffering but also their loved ones. It can take a unique approach to allow those affected to see beyond the grim reality of their jobs.

The Blue Green Crew (aka TBGC; the Blue acknowledges the police; Green the defence force, and Crew from the fact ambos work as a team) takes a unique approach, and it’s an absolute belter. It takes groups of Defence and Emergency Services personnel out of their intense environment for a weekend (or sometimes longer) of off-road touring and camping. It was an idea borne from TBGC founder Marcus Nash’s own battle with mental health issues.