Safe accommodation is one of the most basic human needs. Even in Australia, with established housing systems and support networks, ensuring everyone has a roof over their head remains extraordinarily difficult.
Imagine, then, trying to provide that safety in the aftermath of one of the largest natural disasters in recent history.
The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami devastated communities across the Indian Ocean. In Thailand alone, more than 1,000 children lost one or both parents.
Australian forensic specialist Peter Baines was deployed there as part of the international response. What he encountered led him to establish Hands Across the Water, initially to provide a home for children who had lost their families in the disaster.
The Real Estate connection with Hands Across the Water
Today, an unlikely but enduring connection has developed between Hands Across the Water and Australia's real estate industry.
“I think it resonates so much with the real estate industry because Hands Across the Water was born from the need to provide children with a family and a home after the tsunami,” said Taskforce National Sales Director for Housing Damon Hill, who took part in his first fundraising bike ride for the charity last year. “That purpose has continued to evolve over the past 21 years, providing a home and support for children who might otherwise have nowhere safe to go.”
That relationship with real estate was spearheaded by industry figure Steve Carroll, who brought his network together for the first Digital Live ride and has continued to rally the industry behind Hands ever since.
2025 Digital Live Bike Rides
It was through that community that Damon, sponsored by Taskforce, eventually found his way onto a bike, joining his friend Hayley Mitchell of Mitchell PT and other riders for a 500-kilometre journey through Thailand in February 2025.
“I probably just treated it like, ‘Hey, this will be cool. It’s a good cause, we’re going to ride 500 kilometres, it’ll be a fun experience.’ But it was genuinely life-changing,” he said.
“You become vulnerable when you wear yourself out, and the riding does wear you out. When you finish at the home, all the kids come running to find you before you’ve even seen them. They grab your hand and drag you off to show you around.
“It was incredibly eye-opening to see how little they had but they were the happiest children I’ve ever met. After the ride, Taskforce donated 60 towels because we discovered that three or four kids at Home Hug were sharing a single towel. Seeing how appreciative the kids were changed the way I think about housing and homelessness.”
The experience also helped Damon understand something about his growing focus on housing at Taskforce.
“I realised I really loved doing the ride — not for the riding, but for what we got to do with the kids,” Damon said. “And I realised that's probably why I enjoy working in housing here at Taskforce; there’s an element of humanity about it.
“That same sense of doing something that has a real impact on people’s lives was what I was getting from the work I was doing in housing. Once I did the ride, the two sort of married up.”
2026 Home Hug and Coastal Rides
Damon will return to Thailand in October for both of the 2026 Digital Live rides, covering approximately 1,000 kilometres.
First comes the Home Hug Ride in northern Thailand, which Damon completed in 2025. It will give him an opportunity to return to Home Hug and see some of the children he met on his first trip.
“The Northern Ride is smaller this year, with about 10 of us,” he said. “We’re going to spend a couple of days off the bikes working around the home, getting our hands dirty and getting involved. I think that will probably be the highlight of the whole thing.”
He’ll then join approximately 40 riders for the Coastal Ride, travelling between Bangkok and Phuket and finishing at another Hands-supported home he hasn’t previously visited.
Having experienced the ride once, Damon has little hesitation recommending it to others in the industry. “Everybody who does it genuinely walks away realising how special it is,” he said. “It really is a team effort. Nobody gets left behind, everybody waits, everybody gets cheered in and people help push those who need a hand. In a world where it’s often every man for himself, it’s not like that at all when you do this ride.”
Supporting Team Flamingo
This year, Damon is riding alongside Hayley as Team Flamingo, with a goal of raising $20,000 for Hands Across the Water.
Taskforce has contributed more than $10,000 towards that target as part of its 2026 sponsorship. Funds raised will support Hands' work providing safe homes, education and future pathways for children and young people in its care.
OR
Enter the HATW raffle ... for your chance to win a seven-day luxury holiday in Thailand valued at $8,000. Tickets are $20 each or 7 for $100 with all proceeds going to Hands Across the Water.
