People often ask us how TaskWiz began.
The truth is, it wasn't the result of market research, a business plan or a grand ambition to build software.
It started by being part of a community.
If you've ever spent time around a surf club or the open water swimming community, you'll understand what makes it special. If you haven't, you're about to.
People give their time freely.
They coach, they kayak, they crew support boats, they stand on beaches before sunrise and long after dark.
They encourage people to achieve goals they never thought possible. They celebrate each other's successes and quietly support each other through the setbacks.
Nobody keeps score. They simply show up.
For our family, that community has been Bronte Surf Life Saving Club.
Over the years, we became deeply involved through Nippers, surf lifesaving, IRB crew and open water swimming. Along the way, we discovered that what makes this community extraordinary isn't just the events they deliver - it's the people who make them possible.
When Marc trained for the English Channel swim, that generosity became deeply personal.
Friends generously gave countless hours over many months. They swam alongside him during long training sessions - often in freezing water to help prepare for the Channel's conditions. They paddled beside him for safety and offered constant encouragement and support.
Long before becoming the volunteer coordinator for the Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim, Garry had already become known around Bronte Surf Life Saving Club for helping others. When new Bronze Medallion members wanted to build confidence in the ocean, he started an informal Wednesday morning swimming group. It wasn't part of an official program or a committee initiative - someone simply asked if he could help, and he said yes.
Over time, the group grew. As swimmers gained experience and confidence, they became stronger in the water and more capable surf lifesavers. Many also went on to become regular participants in the Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim.
That willingness to help others extended well beyond Australia. Garry travelled to the UK to join Marc's English Channel support boat crew, playing a crucial role in helping Marc complete one of the world's toughest endurance swims.
That's the kind of support you never forget.
Afterwards, Marc naturally found himself wanting to give back in the same way - kayaking for other swimmers, joining boat crews, supporting training sessions and helping others achieve their own goals.
That's how strong communities work. People support one another.
As the Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim continued to grow, so did the challenge of coordinating hundreds of volunteers. The spreadsheet-based process that had worked for years was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
Garry approached Marc with a simple question - do you think you could build something to make volunteer scheduling easier?
At first, it sounded like a straightforward challenge. Develop a simple tool to make volunteer scheduling easier. That was it. And, of course, like Garry, Marc said yes.
There was no plan to start a business. No intention to build a volunteer management platform.
Just a genuine desire to help a friend and a community that had already given Marc so much.
But it soon became clear that volunteer scheduling wasn't the only challenge. It was just one part of a much bigger problem.
What began as a simple solution for one event soon evolved into something bigger.
Looking back, that simple question changed everything.
What started as a favour for one community became a platform designed to help many more.
At the time, it didn't even have a name.
It was simply one member of a community helping another.
Today, it's called TaskWiz.
What began as one simple question continues to shape everything we build at TaskWiz today - helping organisations deliver better community events by supporting the people who make them possible.
Think about how many logins and passwords you already have. Now imagine being asked to create one because you've volunteered to help at an event. Volunteers are already giving something incredibly valuable: their time.
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