Paul Turley (Founder of What4.Org Ltd) will be riding 4000 k’s across Australia as part of his National Campaign to raise awareness and fundraise for Men’s Mental Wellbeing and Road Safety.
Paul made a tragic mistake as a young man, getting behind the wheel after too much to drink, and killed fellow driver Mr. Yuk Wai Leung. But through his experience he now spends his life giving back by teaching others how to build resilience and make better decisions in their own lives.
He began by discussing what he has identified among WA drivers in his research.
“There’s a lot of people that need help and need support with their mental health and mental wellbeing. Young people, old people, people from all walks of life. So basically, the last couple of years, I’ve been pretty active in this space.”
A Tragic Start
The catalyst of Paul’s story began with a poor decision. He got behind the wheel after having too much to drink on New Year’s Eve. This resulted in the fatality of another driver. He has had to come to terms with this reality for the past 22 years.
“I was very lucky to survive myself. But I had one of two things I could do with this. It was either sit there and do nothing and kind of hope that it would all go away. Or I could step forward and own it and help other people learn off the back of the mistake that I made.”
Since the beginning of last year, he has spoken in over 25 high schools across Australia. Paul and his team run mental health retreats. What4.Org Ltd is a not-for-profit charity that Paul founded to honour the memory of Mr. Yuk Wai Leong, the victim who sadly passed away on December 31st 2004.
Paul spent time in prison reflecting on his mistake and decided to tell his story in order to help people stay safe on the road.
The Big Ride
“This big ride across Australia is something that I’ve done a lot of other different endurance events and raised money for charity, but I thought this is something that can really have a nationwide reach, travelling from Perth, 4,000 k’s across the Nullarbor to Bondi in Sydney.”
The ride will stop in regional centres and in Port Augusta, then Broken Hill, Dubbo and will finish in Bondi.
“I can’t go back 22 years and put an old head on young shoulders and not start up a car that night. The next best thing I can do is step forward, own it and show people that you can make a mistake and still come back. It doesn’t have to be the end.”
Encouragement For The Young
He offered an encouragement for young people:
“Make right decisions from the start, lean on that support that’s there and speak up if you need support and if you need help and hopefully save a few lives there in the process.”
Paul is planning to do a 12-hour spin event on Sunday, September 30th, in preparation for the big ride.
“There’s a chance to meet and greet and have a chat and ride together. If you’re an avid cyclist and you’ve got good technique and some good pointers, you know, I’m going to need all the help I can get. To anyone who’s in the area and wants to pop in and say g’day, please do.”
The Start of Retreats
While Paul was speaking regionally, he realised he was able to share a big story without being able to expand on the journey it took to get him where he is today.
“I needed something else to provide after that. It’s all about helping other people and not just sharing what I’ve done, but in the hope that they can then open up and share what might be going on with them.”
He began by running a retreat with a friend in Jarrahdale, where they went for a bike ride and BBQ breakfast in the bush.
Wim Hof Method
“Then we went for a little walk down to a waterfall and sat around an open fire and had a chat. It was a really good morning. And then from there, the group participated in ice baths, a method introduced by extreme athlete, Wim Hof, “The Ice Man”.
“It’s a lot of breath work and then it usually it’s about controlling your breath and then controlling your mind so that you can then enter an ice bath and breathing through it,” said Paul.
We had some people come up there and just a really great weekend, great food, lots of stories, breathworks, everyone jumped in an ice bath yesterday afternoon. And yeah, we’ll be doing another one in Perth.”
The retreat will be happening from August 22nd, 2026.
“It will be down at Noble Estate in Dwellingup. There’s a few spots left… it’s really worthwhile weekend just to get with some like-minded people. We don’t have the answers to fix everybody. We’re not miracle workers, but we can definitely offer support and just… make slight improvements for things that you might be struggling with or things that you want some help with.”
He said these retreats are designed to offer a few tips and tricks to help you breathe through hardship, lean on support and become the best version of yourself.
Check out the full chat with Paul Turley below.