Remembering Two Extraordinary People

This week marks the anniversary of Trevor Barker’s and Ray Wilson’s passings – two very important people to Challenge. 

Many would remember Trevor as the high-flying St Kilda superstar, who wore his heart on his sleeve and epitomised the word loyalty in all its facets as he stuck by his club through one of its darkest periods. But outside of footy, these qualities of unwavering devotion and passion for his community shone even brighter.    Prostate cancer sadly cut his life prematurely short, but his legacy lives on through the Trevor Barker Foundation – a charity partner of Challenge. The Foundation has helped steer the innovation and development of many of our services, so much so we named two of them after the extraordinary man himself – the Trevor Barker Surf Camp and Trevor Barker House in Torquay. 

Ray Wilson was also a man who embodied these qualities of selflessness and generosity in his attitude towards life and others. Ray – together with his beautiful wife Ann – was a wonderful member of the Challenge community, always willing to lend a helping hand wherever he could. Perhaps Ray and Ann’s greatest contribution was their donation of Wilson’s Retreat – named in both their honour. This home has helped so many Challenge families create beautiful memories with each other and we consider ourselves lucky every day to be the beneficiaries of such a wonderful gift. 

Please join us in remembering these two incredible individuals. Their love and support of Challenge has helped us grow into the organisation we are today, and we are always guided by the extraordinary examples they set for everyone else.