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The Wounded Heroes 24 Hour Challenge is more than just a physical challenge. Participants will continuously ascend and descend Castle Hill over 24 hours, symbolising resilience and the ongoing challenges many veteran families face long after service. It's an important community gathering showcasing the endurance and mateship synonymous with Australia's veteran community.
Veterans First Consulting is the proud major sponsor of this gruelling charity fundraiser, supporting crisis aid programs that provide emergency accommodation, food, fuel and urgent assistance for Defence families.
8am Saturday, Sept 19, 2026 - 8am Sunday, Sept 20, 2026 Castle Hill, Townsville QLD Opening ceremony @ 7.30am Saturday, 19 Sept Community entertainment, sponsor charity challenge, family activities Presentations and acknowledgements throughout the event Closing Ceremony 9am - 10am, Sunday, 20 Sept For more information or to register, click here
The Wounded Heroes 24 Hour Challenge brings together ADF personnel, veterans, families, businesses, and the wider North Queensland community for 24 hours of continuous climbs and charity fundraising at Castle Hill in Townsville.
More than just a physical challenge, every step and every dollar raised helps Wounded Heroes Australia provide immediate local crisis support, including emergency housing, supplies and assistance for Defence families doing it tough.
Veterans First Consulting is thrilled to be presenting sponsor of the event that is set to become the largest community fundraiser in North Queensland.
"We see it as much more than just a physical challenge. Every dollar raised is helping to provide immediate local crisis support for struggling Defence families," said Veterans First Consulting co-founder: Tom Kliese.
"In a city such as Townsville, which is synonymous with the ADF and home to Lavarack Barracks, Ross Island Barracks and the RAAF Base, Wounded Heroes’ programs play a crucial role in delivering these much-needed services.
"For an event set to become the largest community fundraiser in North Queensland, we had no hesitation lending our support as the presenting sponsor," Tom added.
Prizes, giveaways, fundraising leaderboards, and recognition for standout teams and participants — these will all be part of the experience.
Every participant will receive an official Wounded Heroes 24 Hour Challenge event shirt with registration, and additional merchandise.
At Veterans First Consulting we believe it’s not just about claims and compensation. We believe it’s about community and giving back to that community in a tangible way, whether through charities, events, or veterans just doing incredible things.
One of our top priorities is contributing to veteran initiatives that provide essential aid, housing support, mental health care, animal-assisted therapy and more. To us, these community programs are vital to continue to support.
Hear from Hundreds of Veterans
I couldn’t recommend Veterans First Consulting highly enough. From the very beginning of my DVA journey right through to my compensation outcome, they have been amazing. They are incredibly knowledgeable and professional, and made the entire process as straightforward and stress-free as possible.
The team took all the stress and hassle out of every step of the process. Kept me highly informed at every stage. Highly recommended!
Extremely organised, proactive and efficient team here. These guys are professionals and each call and email comes across that way. Lastly the results they achieve and the support are phenomenal, highly worth the investment, couldn’t be happier.
I highly recommend Veterans First Consulting. The communication was frequent, clear and professional. The team were extremely helpful and easy to deal with from start to finish. I’m very happy with the service I received and would have no hesitation recommending Veterans First to other veterans.
Veterans first were excellent to deal with, very understanding and reliable. They built trust from the start and stayed true to their word. If your a veteran in doubt make the call to use veterans first.
Veterans First provided an excellent level of guidance, support and understanding through the claims process. They made everything easy and hassle free. Not a single member of the team ever made me feel like anything other than their top priority. Highly recommend.
I honestly cannot speak highly enough of Veterans First Consulting and the support I have received throughout my DVA claims process. They far exceeded my expectations, and looking back, engaging them was one of the best decisions I could have made.
I tried to navigate the DVA process myself and found it incredibly difficult. I heard about Veterans First and decided to give it a shot. They handled my case with compassion and took all the burden away from me. Thanks to Veterans First my claims are settled and I can receive the treatment I need.
I have had a very good experience with Veterans First, very helpful in arranging appointments, and dealing with DVA
Veterans First has been a tremendous help throughout the claims process. Their team provided excellent support and made everything much easier to navigate. I would absolutely use their services again in the future if needed and would highly recommend them to other veterans.
Amazing support from all the team from the very first call, right the way through the process. I highly recommend getting in touch.
Vet 1st have been NOTHING but Great from the very 1st phone call until the very last email I had no idea and these guys in my opinon saved me years of dealing with DVA. it really did help my mental health and took 99% of the stress out of it. So if you are not sure give them a call.
Exceptional service, patient and it was a breeze and a great pleasure working with them.
I highly recommend this Veterans First consulting for anyone navigating the DVA claims process. Their knowledge, professionalism, and dedication made what seemed like an overwhelming experience much easier to manage. They took the time to explain every step, and ensured my paperwork was accurate.
Made the process easier. Clear direction and transparency of process.
The team at Veterans First Consulting are unreal to deal with, communication is easy and response time is rapid, they're very helpful and you're never having to stress about sorting anything as they cover it for you. Excellent service
As a veteran this team went above and beyond, explaining all entitlements. Very knowlegable around the whole process and systems. Nothing was ever an issue. The team handiling mine where amazing and you wont find any advocates as nearly as good as them or caring and commited
Veterans First Consulting were so easy to work with, from the start of the process all the way through to the end. They were professional, thorough and patient with my claims process. They checked in regularly and looked into any queries I had. Highly recommend to handle your DVA claims.
Great to deal with, very knowledgeable and helpful every step of the way.
I am absolutley grateful for the team at Veterans First Consulting in their support through my DVA permanent impairment claim. The outcome I received reflected proper preparation and expert advocacy. If you're a veteran considering a DVA claim: don't go it alone. The expertise VFC provides is worth it.
From the first phone call, they told me: "Personalised DVA claims. Done once. Done right." That stuck with me, and they backed it up the entire way through. They took something that could've been stressful and made it straightforward. And the result was nothing short of life changing. Highly recommended
I had the absolute pleasure of dealing with the team at Veteran’s First. They made the whole process a breeze with no stress at all. The team were all extremely helpful, friendly and professional. I’d highly recommend Veterans First to any Veteran thinking about going through with the DVA process.
The only reason I give Veterans First 5 stars is there isn't a higher option. They were incredible. They achieved an outcome I could not have gotten myself.Working with them was the best financial decision I have ever made. You don't need to deal with DVA directly. Well done team. From my family, thank you.
Leaving the ADF is very daunting, especially if it is due to medical matters. Veterans First consulting were there to support me from the very first phone call. I would have never been able to navigate through all the doctor’s appointments and discharge obligations without their help.
They walked me through the whole initial liability process and all conditions were accepted. During the permanent impairment stage, the Veterans First team were easy to talk to and I received maximum compensation. I was particularly impressed that when I asked to speak to the Director he called me within a few hours.
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I honestly can't recommend Veterans First Consulting highly enough. Throughout the whole process I was constantly kept up to date and informed. Every member of this team is a pleasure to deal with, nothing is ever too hard. Their knowledge of the full process from start to finish is second to none, no stone is left unturned.
I couldn’t recommend Veterans First Consulting highly enough. From the very beginning of my DVA journey right through to my compensation outcome, they have been amazing. They are incredibly knowledgeable and professional, and made the entire process as straightforward and stress-free as possible.
The team took all the stress and hassle out of every step of the process. Kept me highly informed at every stage. Highly recommended!
Extremely organised, proactive and efficient team here. These guys are professionals and each call and email comes across that way. Lastly the results they achieve and the support are phenomenal, highly worth the investment, couldn’t be happier.
I highly recommend Veterans First Consulting. The communication was frequent, clear and professional. The team were extremely helpful and easy to deal with from start to finish. I’m very happy with the service I received and would have no hesitation recommending Veterans First to other veterans.
Veterans first were excellent to deal with, very understanding and reliable. They built trust from the start and stayed true to their word. If your a veteran in doubt make the call to use veterans first.
Veterans First provided an excellent level of guidance, support and understanding through the claims process. They made everything easy and hassle free. Not a single member of the team ever made me feel like anything other than their top priority. Highly recommend.
I honestly cannot speak highly enough of Veterans First Consulting and the support I have received throughout my DVA claims process. They far exceeded my expectations, and looking back, engaging them was one of the best decisions I could have made.
I tried to navigate the DVA process myself and found it incredibly difficult. I heard about Veterans First and decided to give it a shot. They handled my case with compassion and took all the burden away from me. Thanks to Veterans First my claims are settled and I can receive the treatment I need.
I have had a very good experience with Veterans First, very helpful in arranging appointments, and dealing with DVA
Veterans First has been a tremendous help throughout the claims process. Their team provided excellent support and made everything much easier to navigate. I would absolutely use their services again in the future if needed and would highly recommend them to other veterans.
Amazing support from all the team from the very first call, right the way through the process. I highly recommend getting in touch.
Vet 1st have been NOTHING but Great from the very 1st phone call until the very last email I had no idea and these guys in my opinon saved me years of dealing with DVA. it really did help my mental health and took 99% of the stress out of it. So if you are not sure give them a call.
Exceptional service, patient and it was a breeze and a great pleasure working with them.
I highly recommend this Veterans First consulting for anyone navigating the DVA claims process. Their knowledge, professionalism, and dedication made what seemed like an overwhelming experience much easier to manage. They took the time to explain every step, and ensured my paperwork was accurate.
Made the process easier. Clear direction and transparency of process.
The team at Veterans First Consulting are unreal to deal with, communication is easy and response time is rapid, they're very helpful and you're never having to stress about sorting anything as they cover it for you. Excellent service
As a veteran this team went above and beyond, explaining all entitlements. Very knowlegable around the whole process and systems. Nothing was ever an issue. The team handiling mine where amazing and you wont find any advocates as nearly as good as them or caring and commited
Veterans First Consulting were so easy to work with, from the start of the process all the way through to the end. They were professional, thorough and patient with my claims process. They checked in regularly and looked into any queries I had. Highly recommend to handle your DVA claims.
Great to deal with, very knowledgeable and helpful every step of the way.
I am absolutley grateful for the team at Veterans First Consulting in their support through my DVA permanent impairment claim. The outcome I received reflected proper preparation and expert advocacy. If you're a veteran considering a DVA claim: don't go it alone. The expertise VFC provides is worth it.
From the first phone call, they told me: "Personalised DVA claims. Done once. Done right." That stuck with me, and they backed it up the entire way through. They took something that could've been stressful and made it straightforward. And the result was nothing short of life changing. Highly recommended
I had the absolute pleasure of dealing with the team at Veteran’s First. They made the whole process a breeze with no stress at all. The team were all extremely helpful, friendly and professional. I’d highly recommend Veterans First to any Veteran thinking about going through with the DVA process.
The only reason I give Veterans First 5 stars is there isn't a higher option. They were incredible. They achieved an outcome I could not have gotten myself.Working with them was the best financial decision I have ever made. You don't need to deal with DVA directly. Well done team. From my family, thank you.
Leaving the ADF is very daunting, especially if it is due to medical matters. Veterans First consulting were there to support me from the very first phone call. I would have never been able to navigate through all the doctor’s appointments and discharge obligations without their help.
They walked me through the whole initial liability process and all conditions were accepted. During the permanent impairment stage, the Veterans First team were easy to talk to and I received maximum compensation. I was particularly impressed that when I asked to speak to the Director he called me within a few hours.
I honestly can't recommend Veterans First Consulting highly enough. Throughout the whole process I was constantly kept up to date and informed. Every member of this team is a pleasure to deal with, nothing is ever too hard. Their knowledge of the full process from start to finish is second to none, no stone is left unturned.
