In 2017, Grant ‘Axe’ Rawlinson set out to connect his two homes — Singapore and New Zealand — completely by human power alone. The idea was simple, but the reality proved far from it. Cycling and rowing for thousands of kilometres, countless setbacks — most of them on the Tasman Sea — turned what he thought would be a linear journey into a huge test of the human spirit.

Time and time again, the sea smashed Axe and his boat. But instead of giving up, he returned with new ideas, stronger boats, and a never wavering sense of belief. After multiple failed attempts and 8 years of trying, he finally succeeded in completing the connection between Singapore and New Zealand completely by human power in March 2025, after a record-breaking 22-day-long crossing of the Tasman Sea.

This talk is about more than one journey. It’s about what it takes to stay with a goal that seems impossible, how you find the will to keep going when you are beaten down time and time again, and what such a path can teach us about the power of focus, resilience, and humility.

Join us at The British Club Singapore on 20 November 2025 for an interactive session with Axe to learn more about this extraordinary journey!

Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/grant-axe-rawlinson-never-back-down-tickets-1891902664799