Officers at the Mango Hill North Lakes Police Station are taking on The Push-Up Challenge to raise money for Lifeline Queensland, and going by the numbers so far, they’re not holding back.
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With the challenge still running until 26 June, the 29-strong team has already pushed past its $3,500 fundraising goal, pulling in more than $3,610 and logging upwards of 54,000 push-ups between them as of writing.
The team, led by captain Steve Love, sits within the wider Queensland Police Service Community on the Push-Up Challenge platform and competes on the First Responders leaderboard, where it currently ranks 205th out of every fundraising team registered nationally.
The cause hits close to home. Every day, Queenslanders ring Lifeline in their hardest moments, and organisers say taking part in the Challenge helps raise awareness of mental health while supporting a service that’s there around the clock, whether someone is doing the push-ups themselves, cheering on a mate, or just sharing the message.
About the Push-Up Challenge
The Push-Up Challenge began life in 2017 as a much smaller affair: Perth local Nick Hudson and three mates set themselves the goal of 3,000 push-ups in a month to get fit for summer, and found that checking in with each other kept them connected as much as it kept them fit. The following year, after recovering from open-heart surgery and a tough bout of depression, Hudson decided to grow the idea into something bigger, turning it into a vehicle for raising awareness of mental health.
The challenge is now run by the registered charity The Push For Better Foundation, and since that first year it has raised more than $70 million for mental health programs and engaged over a million Australians. In 2025 alone, 234,000 people took part, raising $12.8 million for charity partners including Lifeline Australia and headspace.
This year’s challenge runs from 3 to 26 June, with participants asked to complete 3,307 push-ups, one for every life lost to suicide in Australia in the most recent year of available data, or take on the half target of 1,654 reps. Push-ups aren’t compulsory either; sit-ups, squats or any other exercise count just as well. A free app sets daily targets alongside a mental health fact, so participants are learning as they go as well as building up a sweat.
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Anyone wanting to back the team can donate or sign up to join via the station’s page on thepushupchallenge.com.au.
Published 22-June-2026
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