The story of an American father and his two sons who swam Australia’s longest river, the Murray, is now available for streaming in Australia for the first time since the film’s release in 2019.

‘Take Your Dream’ was made by the Helmick family – father Eric Helmick, his wife Terry and their sons Hunter and Tuck – who wanted to inspire a nation, turning people from depression and suicide.

They founded Team Help! to achieve their goal and in November of 2016, they began their attempt in the icy waters of Corryong where they set out to break a world record – to swim the length of the Murray River in just 90 days.

Though the team failed to break the previous record of Olympic swimmer Petria Thomas, they succeeded in inspiring youth to follow their dreams and turn to hope instead of suicide.

The film features their 120-day swim down the Murray from Corryong, through Lake Hume and Lake Alexandrina, eventually ending at the mouth of the river in Goolwa, South Australia.

Fighting cold, snakes, snags, flooding and extreme heat, the film recounts their struggle and ultimate victory in overcoming these obstacles and more.

During the swim, Team Help! embarked on a journey to visit as many schools as possible, telling their story of inspiration and hope.

“It is our desire that many people across the country will watch the film and remember the days we climbed from the currents of the Murray to cheers of school children who had gathered on the shore to hear our story of courage and adventure,” Eric said.

‘Take Your Dream’ can be streamed on YouTube and also RedeemTV.com.

Today, Hunter and Tuck Helmick continue to inspire audiences as they embark on filmmaking in Eastern Europe. Eric Helmick and his wife Terry continue their work of serving those less fortunate through their non-profit organisation, Help World Tour.

This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 31 October 2024.