Mowerman on a mission

THE sight of a retiree pushing a lawnmower has rarely been as inspiring as seeing 74-year-old Claude “The Mowerman” Harvey marching onward with his mower “Moira”.

Mr Harvey will enter Torquay next Thursday (March 19) having spent more than a decade pushing his mower to raise both money and awareness for Bravehearts.

Bravehearts is a charity that provide child protection training and education initiatives across Australia.

To date, Mr Harvey has walked thousands of kilometres and raised $1.3 million for the charity, with his sights set on reaching $2 million.

But Mr Harvey says changing one life would justify his efforts.

“If I can save just one child from this crime that harms one in five Australian children, I will have achieved what I’ve set out to do.”

Torquay is just one of the 21 towns Mr Harvey will visit on his latest month-long journey, during which he will also travel through Anglesea, Geelong, Apollo Bay and Warrnambool.

Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston paid tribute to Mr Harvey’s mammoth efforts.

“For more than 12 years Claude has dedicated his twilight years to Bravehearts and child protection and we are forever grateful for his remarkable contribution,” she said.

“We hope everyone will welcome Claude as he continues to give his all to support Bravehearts in our Mission to make Australia the safest place in the world to raise a child.”

Mr Harvey said bringing the issue of child sexual assault into the public eye was an important part of what he was doing.

“Although fundraising is a big part of my tours, raising awareness of this horrendous crime among as many communities as possible to help prevent child sexual assault, is my primary mission.”

Surf Coast Shire mayor Rose Hodge will greet Mr Harvey next Thursday at 10am, on Elephant Walk, where Gilbert Street meets The Esplanade.

To learn more about Bravehearts or donate to the charity, head to bravehearts.org.au.