20thMan Fund

How It All Began…

The 20th Man was a sports column written by Les Twentyman over 25 years ago in the Times newspaper.

In the early 1980’s, Les and Ron Coleman, who was running the paper at the time decided to run a fundraising event which provided a Christmas Party for 10 young homeless people in Sunshine.

From this initiative, the 20th Man Fund was born.

Since then, the 20th Man Fund has been involved in many other fundraising events and programs. The Back To School program, which has helped 11,000 kids through school and 250 through university and the building of the Smorgon 20th Man Fund Accomodation Units in Sunshine, which provides crisis accommodation for around 200 kids annually, are two such initiatives.

The 20th Man Fund has gained momentum over the last 25 years and is now looking towards a very active future. Proactive programs around sport, recreation and drama to prevent kids from falling into the clutches of crime, prostitution and drugs, will be the primary focus.

The 20th Man Fund was born in the western suburbs for the western suburbs.

Aims & Objectives

“Every child, young person & family has a right to a future free of poverty, discrimination and abuse”.

– Les Twentyman, O.A.M.

Every child, young person and family has a right to a Future. Poverty, family breakdown and discrimination restricts many of them from reaching their full potential.

The 20th Man Fund advocates on their behalf with the aim to reconnect them with family community and society through its educational, sporting and counselling programmes.

The 20th Man Fund’s mission is:

To provide educational, sporting and counselling services & programs to the homeless and disadvantaged.

And the vision for the future is clear:

To have no child, youth or adult homeless in Victoria.