MEMBERS of local cardiac health group Heartbeat Ballarat will soon honour a long-time contributor one year after his passing.<\/p>\n
On Saturday 5 October, the organisation’s walking group members will gather for a commemorative walk to remember Kevin Tolhurst, who passed away on the same date in 2023.<\/p>\n
A volunteer with the group for more than half a decade, Heartbeat Ballarat’s volunteer lived experience educator and walk leader Barry Nixon said Mr Tolhurst was an incredible advocate for cardiac illness in the community.<\/p>\n
“He walked very regularly with the Heartbeat walking groups so we’ll be celebrating his life with this,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Heartbeat’s a peer support group that supports those living with cardiac illness. Kevin reached out to us when he was a new patient and benefited greatly from the association.<\/p>\n
“He went on to repay that by becoming an active Heartbeat volunteer and sharing his experiences with new cardiac patients at St John of God Hospital’s cardiac rehabilitation program.<\/p>\n
“He used to represent us at medical conferences as well and was a great activist for positive cardiac results.”<\/p>\n
Based in Creswick, Mr Tolhurst was involved with Heartbeat Ballarat for about six years.<\/p>\n
He was also heavily involved with fire management research, and was Honorary Associate Professor in Fire Ecology and Management at University of Melbourne’s School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences.<\/p>\n
Mr Tolhurst passed away at the result of a heart attack that took place after giving a presentation on fire management at Mallacoota.<\/p>\n
The memorial event will commence at 9.30am at Victoria Park.<\/p>\n
“It’ll start near the playground and toilet block, and it’s a five-kilometre track,” Mr Nixon said.<\/p>\n
“Kevin regularly walked with us at 9.30am on a Saturday morning. If he wasn’t working in fire prevention he’d be on that walk. That’s why it’s being held then.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MEMBERS of local cardiac health group Heartbeat Ballarat will soon honour a long-time contributor one year after his passing. On Saturday 5 October, the organisation’s walking group members will gather for a commemorative walk to remember Kevin Tolhurst, who passed away on the same date in 2023. A volunteer with the group for more than […]<\/p>\n