Torquay duo complete marathon trek for charity

A TORQUAY mother and daughter duo has completed a 1,400km trek along Australia’s east coast in memory of their beloved father and husband Philip Humphries.

Beth Humphries walked from Nowra in New South Wales to Coolangatta in Queensland alongside her daughter Jo on her bike to raise vital funds for the Heart Foundation.

Fourteen years ago, Mr Humphries had a sudden and fatal heart attack, aged 58.

Mr Humphries was a maths teacher at Kardinia International College and a lover of numbers.

The date of both his birth and death fell on the 14th day of their respective months, giving the ladies the impetus to try to raise $14,000 and walk 1,400km for the cause.

Upon completion, and $19,000 later, Beth said a plan and dream had been realised.

“It’s hard to believe we actually did it, and I look at photos and read over my journal and realise it actually happened.

 

“The volume of people and support has been extraordinary. The aim was to get to $14,000, which we did after three weeks. We hope to now get to $20,000.

“We are super proud. There’s a lot of hills between Nowra and Coolangatta… [Jo] was so strong and kept us going.”

Beth said many physical and mental challenges came with completing the 1,400km trek.

“Getting caught up in the floods was a challenge for different reasons. We started realising our plans needed to change when a bridge was washed away or a road would be flooded or a national park warned us not to go a certain way.

“It became so severe beaches and parks were closed, so it became a challenge as to how we could get from one place to another.

“That’s where the generosity of people came in. I ended up having four car rides through tricky parts. Strangers who just said ‘We’d take you’… it was just beautiful to be a part of.”

To donate, visit doitforheart.org.au/fundraisers/14FOBY NATHAN RIVALLAND