AFTER walking from Ballarat to the South Australian border, Alan Thorpe hasn\u2019t put his feet up for long in the leadup to his next outing.<\/p>\n
For the past month, he\u2019s been preparing to walk 25 kilometres a day from Sunday, 25 September until mid-October to raise $8350 for mental health charity Beyond Blue.<\/p>\n
If he reaches is goal, the funds will see Mr Thorpe raise a total of $20,000 for the group within a 10-month period following his first interstate endeavour in March.<\/p>\n
Though he\u2019s keen to reach the overall target, Mr Thorpe said it isn\u2019t about the money.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main thing is about spreading the word and breaking the stigma that surrounds men\u2019s mental health and suicide,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of suicides in my family. My dad was one of them. So, by me putting myself out there with my own issues and speaking up, hopefully people will see that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a lot more confident that I\u2019m going to smash this one, because I can go home and have a proper rest afterwards instead of being out on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following a \u201cslump\u201d after losing his home and marriage, Mr Thorpe started walking early last year, losing 25 kilos and training for six months for his Adelaide trip.<\/p>\n
The trek lasted 10 days, during which Mr Thorpe walked 342 kilometres and surpassed his $10,000 goal with over $11,000 before feet injuries kept him from his final destination.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s looking to walk 500 kilometres locally and has placed more than 40 donation boxes at supporting businesses.<\/p>\n
Initially dismayed at not reaching Adelaide, Mr Thorpe said he was inspired by the encouragement of the community.<\/p>\n
He invites people to have a chat anytime they spot him on his next walk, and said their comments show him he\u2019s already reaching his goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe feedback I get from people is what really helps me keep going,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving people say to me things like my son was really struggling and saw what you\u2019re doing and he\u2019s going to get up and change his life. It\u2019s incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat more can I ask for then to make that impact on someone\u2019s life. This isn\u2019t just impacting my own but others too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFTER walking from Ballarat to the South Australian border, Alan Thorpe hasn\u2019t put his feet up for long in the leadup to his next outing. For the past month, he\u2019s been preparing to walk 25 kilometres a day from Sunday, 25 September until mid-October to raise $8350 for mental health charity Beyond Blue. If he […]<\/p>\n