AN EGG, A BOY, AN ICON, AND AN AMBITION TO BUILD A TRAUMA LITERATE SOCIETY.

Words by Sian Gooden, storyteller at  s p a c e.

s p a c e  is where ideas meet influence. We are building a collective of unlike-minds with a passion for making the world a better place through action. Unlock ideas you didn't know you had and meet those you didn't know you needed to know.

Bringing together an unlikely mix of misfits isn't without its controversy. Will Connolly, aka, Egg Boy, aka the 17-year-old who infamously cracked an egg on Fraser Anning’s head and shot to overnight Insta-stardom, was a divisive person to invite to the inaugural edition of s p a c e. It was clear some cadets had mixed feelings about him. But it was also clear to us that there was more to Will’s story. He had turned down many egg-related sponsorship offers. Insta-fame is not Will's end game. And we wanted to know why?

So who is the boy behind the egg? And how did he stumble into an unlikely friendship and long term collaboration with one of Australia’s most loved public figures, Magda Szubanksi?

Magda Szubanski and Egg Boy - it’s an unlikely collaboration. How did it come about? 

Will- “On the first night of s p a c e Jules Lund interviewed me in front of everyone. I was so insecure but I was answering his questions and people seemed to like what I had to say. Magda walked up to me afterwards and told me she was going to look after me.

It wasn’t until I went back to my room later and Googled her that I realised that was a big deal. 

We got to know each other a little on the way back to Melbourne. Then, after the bushfires hit at the start of this year, I felt like I needed to do something and asked her if she wanted to join me.”

Magda- “Everyone in the country had seen Will smash an egg on a politician's head and how you felt about it depends on your politics (I understood him). When I heard him speak I knew there was real gold in him. I felt really protective of him and didn’t want to see the beautiful thing that was in this young boy get wasted or shoved in the wrong direction.

As a boomer and a millennial we’re meant to be each other’s enemies. But for a lot of us Boomers, kids like Will are exactly what we’d hoped would happen in the world.

When he contacted me off the back end of the bushfires saying he wanted to do a fundraiser, I agreed, without hesitation. As a country, we were all so desperately beside ourselves with what was happening. I’d personally spoken to friends who were running from the flames. I wanted to do something to address long term trauma after the bushfires. Little did we know there’d be so much trauma to come.”

What has this unlikely collaboration led to so far? 

Will- “Magda and I raised almost $200K following the bushfires and thanks to Magda’s connections in government, charity, and research, we’ve now got a team of professors and experts creating a program that we’ll take to Tumut, Kangaroo Island, and other locations most heavily impacted by the fires, to support people who have gone through trauma. It’s crazy that thanks to an idea, an Instagram post, and Magda’s connections, we’re now at this point. I can honestly say, Magda has become one of my really close friends.”

Magda-  “In 2016 I released my mémoir, Reckoning, which is about intergenerational trauma. I’ve now become an ambassador for Phoenix Australia which is the National Centre of Excellence for post-traumatic mental health. The Director, David Forbes is Vice-Chair of the Body responsible for setting the international guidelines for trauma treatment, so we have an incredible network of people here in this country. David Forbes connected Will and I with Ian Drayton, an ex-armed services veteran from the University of Canberra. In conjunction with the Department of Defence, Ian has been running an art therapy program for war veterans suffering from PTSD.

Will and I donated the money we raised to create a new program, “Regeneration” based on Ian’s program, and we are part of the steering committee. Regeneration will run three, five-to-seven day programs in areas most impacted by the fires.

They will cover a combination of art therapy and clinical support, including trauma preparedness and suicide prevention, and rigorous research. In essence, we’re bringing the world’s best trauma expertise to bushfire affected Australia. And through the in-kind support coming from collaborations Regeneration has made, we’ve been able to hugely increase the value of the funds we initially raised.”

Amazing! And where to from here for Will and Magda? 

Magda- “Our real hope is that these programs will be scalable and can be tailored and co-devised with any community impacted by trauma. Having Will in the program is so important because there are so many young people affected by trauma who need someone they can relate to.

And let’s be honest, I think everyone is experiencing some level of trauma at the moment. The world as we know it has ceased to exist. People have lost livelihoods, they’ve lost loved ones. 

Understanding how trauma affects your life in unexpected ways is really important, not least of all to maintain a civil society. Bushfires and natural disasters are going to continue to happen in the midst of Covid. Hopefully, our efforts can create a trauma literate society that will help us develop a resilience narrative in this country that isn’t based on denialism or unhealthy ways of coping.”

Will- “We’ve created something that could possibly help others impacted by trauma in the future. It’s so exciting!”

And in a broader sense, how would you like to see Australia build back better from the current situation? 

Magda- “The world is really weird in so many ways at the moment - geopolitically, environmentally, Covid. But all these issues come back to one thing - how humans relate to the rest of the planet. To build back better we have to build back differently, to understand what sort of community and what sort of nation we want to become. I think awareness is the foundation of that. 

I think we’re on the brink of something that could be exciting. I want to contribute to our healing in whatever way I can. To quote one of my favourite films, Frozen “When you can see no future, the only thing you can do is the next right thing.” At least that’s what Will and I are trying to do.”

Will- “I think that this pandemic has allowed people to question what’s really important. I think the more we ask questions, the more we advance as a human race. I think that there is a big opportunity on the other side of this. At least I hope so.”

As founding cadets, what was your experience of s p a c e in 2019?

Will- “When I got invited to s p a c e I didn’t have any expectation beyond learning a few things and meeting a couple of cool people. But, it was honestly one of the best things that have ever happened to me.

It changed my life. It gave me hope for the future and pulled me out of the bubble I’d been living in. 

There was no ego at s p a c e. It was all about collaboration, not competition. People were spreading their knowledge, making real waves, and going the extra mile to do good. People were having conversations about fixing the school system and the government. I felt equal to those around me even though I was surrounded by adults. It was a strange, awesome, humbling feeling and I soaked up the energy and wisdom of 300 amazing people.”

Magda- “I loved the whole idea of co-designing an event that was part festival, part conference. It appealed because it was adventurous. There was so much serendipity to it. I also loved the fact that it challenged the common perception that you need a leader or a hierarchy. Everyone was equal.

For a group of disruptors, everyone was incredibly well-behaved. There was such goodwill and good intention from everyone involved. The whole experience was so exciting and ultimately, 

s p a c e made me really hopeful. I met so many great people who want to do good things. And it wasn’t just a lot of hot air. s p a c e put something really great into the world.”

s p a c e is where ideas meet influence. We are building a collective of unlike-minds with a passion for making the world a better place through action. Unlock ideas you didn't know you had and meet those you didn't know you needed to know.

Join us for Australia’s Biggest Unconference, November 11-13. Or apply to join us in Byron Bay, May 2021.