Walker readies for second SA march

HAVING trekked nearly two-thousand kilometres for mental health non-profit Beyond Blue since last year, Alan Thorpe planted his feet at the Ballarat Vintage and Collectables Market last Sunday to continue raising funds for the organisation.

He’ll be there every weekend selling raffle tickets and merchandise until the beginning of September when he’ll reattempt a 630-kilometre walk to Adelaide.

Mr Thorpe’s fundraising journey began when he started walking to the South Australian capital that the same time last year, during which he was forced to stop at Bordertown due to injuries.

With his original $40,000 fundraising goal nearly surpassed and hundreds of kilometres walked in practice since them, he said he’s confident he’ll make the trek with no issues.

“I reckon this time I’ll raise over $20,000. This will be the first walk where I’ll be able to leave and will have already hit my target,” he said.

“Last time, I used the wrong shoes so I’ve figured it out now that Brooks are perfect for it. I’ve got the right support behind me in a Winnebago.

“I’ve learned a lot from last time and anything past Bordertown is a win for me.”

The walk will be Mr Thorpe’s fourth since his initial Adelaide attempt, having previously stepped 900 kilometres throughout regional Victoria and before that, 500 kilometres from daily walks in Ballarat.

Starting at The Sporting Globe from 8am and heading to the Glenelg Highway, his walk will begin from Friday 1 September.

Mr Thorpe expects the trip to take about 24 days of travel with two or three for rest along the way.

Between a newly launched website and support from community organisations, he said his campaigning has continued expanded.

“In Ballarat I’ve got support from the market, The Sporting Globe, D2E Gym, Bluey’s,” he said.

“The Minerdome are doing free parma night for me for the whole of September and they’ll donate the money.

“It’s getting bigger and bigger each time. I’ve got a mate who’s organising sponsors in Adelaide.”

Following his Adelaide trek, Mr Thorpe aims to walk from Ballarat to Parliament in April to take his message to Australia’s capital.

“The campaign’s grown but it’ll never be enough,” he said. “We can’t keep pushing this hard enough.”

Mr Thorpe’s Beyond Blue webpage can be found via bit.ly/3KtMP7u.