Millions of men are looking for hope. Be a man who commits to bettering yourself as a man and dad so that, one by one, we will continue building men, growing fathers, and changing generations.

Dads4Kids founders Warwick and Alison Marsh, my marvellous parents, have written previously about our Marsh Family Band years. In the late 1980s, Dad and Mum hired a small campervan, and as a family, we headed west to South Australia, then up through the Red Centre, across to Cairns in Northern Queensland, and then back home to Wollongong, NSW.

Something special happened during that family holiday. Not long after, Dad and Mum sold all their meagre earthly possessions and bought a Coaster Bus and caravan. Then, in 1990, we headed off on a 12-month adventure circumnavigating Australia.

From 1991 through to the early 2000s, at least twice each year, the Marsh Family Band travelled to various parts of Australia. We played music in churches, schools, shopping malls, and prisons. The band also visited over 15 countries during that time. What adventures we had!

All these years later, I’m so grateful Dad and Mum took that step of faith and launched out in 1990 on a 12-month adventure of a lifetime.

Dad recently told me that year was one of the best of his life, which is notable considering he’s about to clock up 71 years on the planet. It was definitely one of the best years of my childhood.

During our travels, we played music everywhere we went. I’m thankful for the gift of music, and the constant gigging allowed my brothers, sister, and I to hone our musical abilities.

These days, we each stick to our preferred instruments, but every now and then, in the early years, my brothers and I, accompanied by Dad and Mum, would sing a little song onstage called “One by One”.

Won by One

I came across “Won by One” by Mylon LeFevre and Broken Heart (I had their 1986 album Sheep In Wolves Clothing on audio cassette tape, which is a blast from the past) while researching. The lyrics are:

(Verse 1)

Day by day
Millions are looking for hope
Inch by inch
They come to the end of their rope
They’re caught up fighting with their circumstances
Unless you offer them a chance

(Chorus)

One by one
Somebody’s got to tell your world
One by one
Take His message to every boy and every girl
One by one
There is no need to fear it
Cause your friends need to hear it
And they are waiting to be
Won by one

(Verse 2)

Step by step
Take them into the Light
Bit by bit
Lead them out of the night
You can help them beat their circumstance
If you will offer them a chance

“Won by One” is an ’80s Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) toe-tapper, but the simple song chorus my brothers and I used to sing went like this:

One, one by one

One by one

The world will be won

Both songs employ some fun wordplay. I can’t locate an audio recording online of “One by One”, but hopefully you get the idea.

While certainly different in style, both songs encapsulate the important work of Dads4Kids. Just as Mylon LeFevre and Broken Heart sang, today millions are still looking for hope. Inch by inch, they come to the end of their rope.

We can all get caught up fighting with our circumstances, but if we keep our eyes fixed on the One, our Father in Heaven (the Bigfella, as my friend Tony Miller says), step by step, we’ll get closer to the light.

One by one, Dads4Kids will continue building men, growing fathers, and changing generations.

Lovework

If you enjoy ‘80s CCM, give “Won by One” a listen. Take the message of one by one and apply it to your life, the life of your family, or the lives of those around you. Step by step, day by day, commit to bettering yourself as a man, as a dad, as someone who can lead others toward the light.

Next week’s Dads4Kids newsletter will come to you from the Men’s Leadership Summit at the beautiful Tops Conference Centre. Bookings for 2025 have now closed, but over 90 men will join the Dads4Kids team next weekend to be encouraged and to spur each other on towards the light.

Next year’s Men’s Leadership Summit is locked in for 28–30 August 2026, and our next Courageous Fathering Course commences Thursday evening, 9 October 2025. Please save the dates – more details coming soon!

Yours for one by one, 

Nathaniel Marsh

P.S. If you’re encouraged by Dads4Kids and would like to support us in our ongoing work to help give Australia’s children the best start in life, please consider making a tax-deductible donation here.

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Image via Adobe.