I want to share with you the story of two local initiatives that have become beautifully intertwined – one about the power of human connection, and one about how that connection is now fuelling an urgent community project that could change thousands of lives.
The first is a group I started called the Sunrise Wanderers. The second is a project close to all our hearts: the Fusion Village.
“I Expected Nobody”
About two and a half years ago, I found myself in one of those life transitions that quietly reshapes your world. My eldest daughter had moved interstate for university, and suddenly the weekends felt different – emptier in some ways, yet full of unexpected space.
I’ve always been an early riser. Sunrise walks have long been my reset button, that precious time for clarity and movement before the chaos of the day begins. One morning, as I watched the sun paint the sky over Mount Martha, I had a thought that wouldn’t let go: Would anyone else join me? Anyone I didn’t already know?
I rarely saw men walking together in that early light, and I wondered if there was a deeper, unspoken need for connection among local guys. Were others feeling what I was feeling – that pull toward community, toward being truly seen and heard?
So I did something that felt a bit vulnerable. I put a hopeful post up on Facebook, chose a meeting spot, and set a time: 6:15 am for a 5km walk and a coffee afterwards.
I truly expected nobody.
But with minutes to go, about 15 men showed up. A few I knew, but most I didn’t. We walked awkwardly at first – you know that initial stiffness when strangers come together. But as the sun rose and we found our rhythm, something shifted. We began to share stories. Laughter emerged. Guards came down.
That sunrise walk was the beginning of the Sunrise Wanderers.
Photo: Peninsula Films
When Connection Becomes Community
From those first 15 men, something remarkable has unfolded. Today, more than 2,000 men – ranging from 15 to 82 years old – have wandered with us at first light on Sunday mornings in towns across the Peninsula.
The format is beautifully simple. No expectations, no affiliations, no religious or political agenda. We just show up, consistently, in all weather. Rain or shine, winter or summer, we wander.
But in that early morning light, as we walk side-by-side with the sun breaking over the horizon, something magical happens: Connection.
Connection changes people. I’ve witnessed it over and over again. When someone is truly seen and heard – not for what they do or what they own, but simply for who they are – something fundamental shifts. I’ve seen it give men a sense of purpose, relief from isolation, and a deep feeling of belonging they sometimes didn’t know they were missing.
And when connection becomes community, the impact multiplies exponentially.
The Wanderers began asking me, “How can I help my community? How can I give back?” So, we created a Wanderers Community WhatsApp group to coordinate service projects. In the time since, we’ve collectively given over 400 hours of community service, including:
- Helping with the weekly bread run at Mornington Community Support Centre, feeding over 80 families
- Transforming the Tanti Community House with regular working bees
- Showing up monthly for working bees at Fusion, rolling up our sleeves to maintain and improve the facilities
What we’ve discovered is profound: communities with strong connections are more resilient and more willing to carry each other through the hard times. People who feel connected don’t just receive – they want to give.
A Crisis We Cannot Walk Past
This brings me to the project that the Wanderers – and now hopefully many of you – are helping to deliver.
There is a crisis unfolding close to home, and it’s one we simply cannot walk past.
Every night, over 600 people are homeless on the Mornington Peninsula. Six hundred of our neighbours sleeping rough, in cars, on couches, or in unsafe situations.
Last year alone, more than 4,000 family violence incidents were logged locally. Three-quarters of the victims were women. Right now, hundreds of families remain on waiting lists for stable housing with no safety net beneath them, nowhere safe to land.
These aren’t just statistics. These are real people – mothers fleeing violence with babies in their arms, teenagers who’ve aged out of foster care with nowhere to go, families one paycheck away from losing everything.
The Response: A New Model of Care at Fusion Village
As supporters of Fusion, you know this organisation has been faithfully serving the Peninsula for 40 years. The Fusion Village represents the next vital step in that journey of service – and it’s ambitious.
This project, located at the Mount Martha site, isn’t just about providing shelter. It’s about creating community. It’s designed for long-term transformation, not just crisis management.
The Fusion Village will include:
- Six therapeutic family homes with a specific focus on women and children escaping violence – safe, dignified spaces where healing can begin.
- A Village Centre that will serve as the heart of the community, offering training, connection programs, and resources.
- On-site carers and trauma-informed staff available 24/7, ensuring residents always have support when they need it most.
- Comprehensive life-skills programs covering everything from parenting and budgeting to employment readiness and ongoing education.
This isn’t just housing. It’s a holistic model that addresses the complex, interconnected challenges these families face. And once this model proves itself here, our intention is that it can be replicated in other communities facing similar crises.
Photo: Fusion Mornington Peninsula
The $10 Million Challenge: An Invitation to Our Community
To build this vision, we need significant resources. The capital costs for the homes and infrastructure will be approximately $3 million. Beyond that, we need roughly $5 million over the next 10 years to operate it sustainably – to pay for skilled staff, run essential programs, and maintain the facilities.
The total ask is $10 million.
Let me be clear: this is not a project for government alone. It cannot be. This must come from us – from the community that will benefit from its success.
Our entire community can help in three key ways:
- Networks: Connecting us with trades, donors, suppliers, and local leaders who want to be involved.
- Funding: Direct financial support, fundraising initiatives, and campaigns that spread the word.
- Service: Volunteering your time, mentoring residents, and lending your professional expertise where it’s needed.
The Sunrise Wanderers discovered a simple but powerful truth: locals who connect deeply want to serve authentically. Many of these men told me they’d been waiting a lifetime for permission to make a real difference.
The Fusion Village is that permission – for all of us.
Building Hope Together
The Village isn’t just six houses on a property. It’s a declaration that lives can be rewritten, that safety and dignity are not luxuries but necessities, and that hope is something we build together, brick by brick, relationship by relationship.
It’s a proof point that communities can lead transformational change when they choose to act.
Just like those first 15 men who showed up at sunrise not knowing what would happen, we’re now asking you to show up for something bigger. To be part of a movement that says: Not on our watch. Not in our community.
Let’s build the Fusion Village together. Let’s show – once again – that when our community rises with intention and compassion, hope becomes gloriously, tangibly real.
Merv Stewart (Program Manager for the Village Project)
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Those interested in supporting the Village Project can make tax-deductible donations here or contact Fusion Mornington Peninsula at 03 5974 1442 or morningtonpeninsula@fusion.org.au