Para climber’s initiative to give back to community

When para climbing Australian team member Matt Caruana travelled to Austria two months ago to compete in a world cup, he was carrying more than his climbing gear.

He was carrying the support of the Australian Jewish community.

Cremorne Synagogue and its community had launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Caruana fund the trip – support that contributed to one of the most significant moments of his climbing career.

He achieved his first international finals appearance, placing sixth in the world cup series round held in Innsbruck.

Now, Caruana wants to give something back, starting on August 30.

In collaboration with Cremorne Synagogue, he is launching The Belay Project: Someone’s Got You – an inaugural community event using climbing as a way to explore resilience, trust, belonging and the importance of showing up for one another.

The concept comes directly from the sport itself.

In climbing, one person is on the wall, but another person is holding the rope.

The climber has to trust their belayer to be there if they fall.

For Caruana, that has become a powerful metaphor for community.

“Climbing has shown me that you can be strong and independent, but you still need people around you,” he said.

“Your belayer is literally there to catch you.

“You have to trust them, and they have to show up for you.”

Caruana converted to Judaism in 2023, and said the support he has received from the Australian Jewish community has strengthened his connection to both community and resilience.

“I’ve had to live resilience in my own life, but I’ve also learned that resilience isn’t something you build completely by yourself. We don’t go through the hard stuff alone. The people behind you matter.”

The Belay Project will bring members of the community together for an afternoon of climbing and conversation.

The inaugural event will be held from 4pm to 7.30pm on Sunday, August 30, at a secure venue to be revealed to participants prior to the event.

Caruana will share parts of his personal journey, while participants will be encouraged to consider their own strengths, how they can use those strengths to support others, and when they need to trust someone else to support them.

The event is open to all people in the Jewish community, regardless of climbing experience.

Belay lessons and harness hire are included.

For Caruana, the project is a small act of gratitude towards the community that has actively believed in him.

“This is a small way to give back to the community that has backed me so much.”

Tickets can be purchased at events.humanitix.com/the-belay-project