Written by Chloe Atkinson

Aussie athletes give their all for charity 

We were amazed by the passion and perseverance of ultramarathon runner, Nedd Brockman, who completed a 1600-kilometre run at Olympic Park over 12 days. Averaging 128 kilometres a day, he raised $2.6 million (and counting) for the We Are Mobilise charity, which provides support for Australians facing homelessness.  

Fellow Aussie athlete, pro cyclist Lachlan Morton, also recently accomplished ‘The Lap’ (a chill 14,201 kilometres) around Australia. Starting in his hometown of Port Macquarie, Lachy averaged 400 kilometres per day and smashed the previous record by more than a week.. 

Raising over $130,000 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, Lachy planned his route through remote regions, recognising the unique challenges faced by Australians. To celebrate his massive achievement, Lachy and a crowd of supporters enjoyed free coffees from Oatly at the finish line back in Port Macquarie.  

Oatly is an IMPACT client. 

Vale George Negus, the gentle giant of journalism 

We were saddened to learn of the passing of TV news icon and veteran journalist, George Negus, who passed away this week at the age of 82 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was considered a trailblazer in Australian journalism, making his mark as the founding host of the Nine Network’s 60 minutes and the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent programs.  

For his significant contribution to Australian media, Negus was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 and won the Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism in 2021. He will also be remembered for raising awareness around dementia and serving on the board of Soccer Australia. 

Wagamama brings the food waste conversation to the table 

In the fight against food waste, restaurant chain wagamama has saved more than 720 kilograms of scraps from going to landfill in the UAE through its ‘Wasteless with wagamama’ campaign.  

Originally launched as part of World Environment Month in June, customers were encouraged to purchase branded Tupperware to take their leftovers home in a bid to promote mindful consumption and reduce food waste.  

Meta tests ‘comments off’ function for ads  

In social media news, Meta recently announced that advertisers would soon be able to turn off comments on ads before they are published. In addition to better managing conversations on social media, brands will also be able to control which profiles their ads will appear on across Instagram and Facebook. 

For brands running sensitive campaigns, this feature could ensure that the social media machine doesn’t erode your messaging. However, there are concerns that it might come across as overprotective, and even deceptive. 

The feature is currently available to a limited number of business profiles, as Meta continues testing this functionality.