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.<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll be there every weekend selling raffle tickets and merchandise until the beginning of September when he\u2019ll reattempt a 630-kilometre walk to Adelaide.<\/p>\n
Mr Thorpe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
With his original $40,000 fundraising goal nearly surpassed and hundreds of kilometres walked in practice since them, he said he\u2019s confident he\u2019ll make the trek with no issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reckon this time I\u2019ll raise over $20,000. This will be the first walk where I\u2019ll be able to leave and will have already hit my target,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast time, I used the wrong shoes so I\u2019ve figured it out now that Brooks are perfect for it. I\u2019ve got the right support behind me in a Winnebago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve learned a lot from last time and anything past Bordertown is a win for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The walk will be Mr Thorpe\u2019s fourth since his initial Adelaide attempt, having previously stepped 900 kilometres throughout regional Victoria and before that, 500 kilometres from daily walks in Ballarat.<\/p>\n
Starting at The Sporting Globe from 8am and heading to the Glenelg Highway, his walk will begin from Friday 1 September.<\/p>\n
Mr Thorpe expects the trip to take about 24 days of travel with two or three for rest along the way.<\/p>\n
Between a newly launched website and support from community organisations, he said his campaigning has continued expanded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Ballarat I\u2019ve got support from the market, The Sporting Globe, D2E Gym, Bluey\u2019s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Minerdome are doing free parma night for me for the whole of September and they\u2019ll donate the money.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s getting bigger and bigger each time. I\u2019ve got a mate who\u2019s organising sponsors in Adelaide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following his Adelaide trek, Mr Thorpe aims to walk from Ballarat to Parliament in April to take his message to Australia\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe campaign\u2019s grown but it\u2019ll never be enough,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t keep pushing this hard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Thorpe\u2019s Beyond Blue webpage can be found via bit.ly\/3KtMP7u.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019ll be there every weekend selling raffle tickets and merchandise until the beginning of September when he\u2019ll reattempt a 630-kilometre […]<\/p>\n