He turned unimaginable grief into a mission to save lives.
Wayne’s lived experience has helped drive national support for raising the social media age to 16, protecting children from exploitation and helping to save lives as suicide rates continue to grow.
Turning grief into action
Mac took his own life 100 days after his mother died. It was the shocking experience of being sexually extorted by a middle-aged man posing as a teenage girl that led to those devastating consequences.
Within weeks of Mac’s death, Wayne Holdsworth became determined to help stop other families going through the same thing.
He moved quickly to become an expert, so he could support other families in Australia and internationally. Those learnings grew into a presentation now shared with tens of thousands of Australians. Each one sparks fresh requests to speak to other groups.
Alongside his charity work, Wayne is CEO of the Frankston and District Basketball Association, whose efforts have earned multiple awards including:
- The Jack Carter Memorial Administrator of the Year Award from Basketball Victoria (2024)
- Head of the Association of the Year Award from Basketball Victoria (2022)
- Finalist in the Victorian Disability Awards (2022)
Today, Wayne continues to teach people to listen for cues, offers questions they can ask, and encourages the real, sometimes challenging conversations that matter.
What people say
“Wayne was an incredible advocate, and I cannot find words in any language on this earth to commend him for his courage and strength. He spoke about an issue so incredibly important to all of us.”
“Wayne was fantastic and gave a presentation that resonated so powerfully throughout our group, not a dry eye in the room.”
“Wayne’s story (is) so incredibly inspiring.”
Wayne in the community
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Wayne with Sarah Harris while appearing on The Project -
Wayne at Parliament of Victoria -
Wayne with Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan -
Wayne with Treasurer of Australia Jim Chalmers -
Wayne presenting a SmackTalk presentation -
Wayne presenting SmackTalk at St Bedes -
Wayne at a speaking event -
Wayne getting a disability award -
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