The Before5am 2026
Opening Letter

There’s a job to do in 2026.

There are lives to build, problems to solve, challenges to overcome and much needed hope to restore. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

People are suffering, communities and our rural townships are falling apart, our children are struggling and good, honest people are finding it hard just to keep a roof over their head.

More and more people are collapsing under the weight and stress of constant financial struggle, illness and health issues, the loss of their jobs and main source of income and feeling like they have nowhere to turn and no real way forward.

What’s called for now is empathy, awareness and leadership on the ground. Leadership in our homes, in our neighbourhoods, in our schools, in our workplaces and across our nations.

There’s good honest work to do in 2026 and it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty solving problems, helping mates out, getting behind people and finding ways to reduce the burden that so many people are feeling in their hearts right now.

There is work to be done across the board to protect what is good and right, to keep ourselves and our loved ones away from trouble and to make sure we hold ourselves up and hold those around us up as well.

There are people counting on you at home, at work and in your community to lead, to keep them safe and to be a beacon of light in a world full of uncertainty, trauma, constant and unfair challenges.

We’ve got work to do in 2026 to turn things around, stop the suffering, stop the despair and make things a little brighter and better and that job is going to take all of us and take a whole lot of heart & courage.

It’s a job we can all do - regardless of our race, religion, geographic location, our political preferences, income level or social status. It’s an honest job and it’s a job that requires human effort and human skills. It’s not something that money, qualifications, policy, machines or Ai can do.

I’ll be working overtime in 2026 to get to more people, help more families, build stronger communities and make sure that people get the support they need to stay on the right track and don’t fall by the wayside.

Let’s get to work.

- Joe Duncan