The last day of the Mudgee2Sydney Walk for MS research had dawned and it looked like a beauty. This was the last day we would pack all the gear into our bags, pack it all into the back of the support vehicles, the last day we would congregate outside our accommodation, gathering ourselves for the day’s march, the last day….
There was a definite sadness mixed in with the excitement at the start of the day – but the excitement was paramount. There were quite a number of people who had come to join us for this last march. There were people from Melbourne, from the Blue Mountains, from around Lithgow and from all over Sydney, friends and families, a wonderful group with whom to savour these last few hours. Closed to 40 people strode off down Herring Road in North Ryde just after 8am on a beautiful Sydney morning and, as always, the support vehicles were right there with them.
There was a definite sadness mixed in with the excitement at the start of the day – but the excitement was paramount. There were quite a number of people who had come to join us for this last march. There were people from Melbourne, from the Blue Mountains, from around Lithgow and from all over Sydney, friends and families, a wonderful group with whom to savour these last few hours. Closed to 40 people strode off down Herring Road in North Ryde just after 8am on a beautiful Sydney morning and, as always, the support vehicles were right there with them.Drinks were taken in a side street in West Pymble, just off Lane Cove Rd. It was kind of like our time outside Sydney, all gathered around the support vehicles, but just a whole lot noisier. Then it was off again heading for the Pacific Highway.
At around 10am, the Walkers arrived at Ravenswood School for Girls, in Gordon. 3 of the 5 all-the-way Walkers are "Ravo" old girls, as were several other Walkers and, of course, Debbie, who had been initiated as an honourary “Ravo” old girl just the previous night.
The School put on drinks, bickies, etc for all the Walkers and support crew. The School had set up a room of archives for the old girls to look through and reminisce. Photos were taken of the Walkers, the old girls, old girls with current students and a last one with the Headmistress. Then it was back to the road, homeward bound, striding down the Pacific Highway, with Barry “The Rocket” Rochester leading the way.The Walkers congregated at the corner of the Pacific Highway and Mowbray Road, in Chatswood, just a few hundred metres from the finish line, so as to walk the last leg together. A photographer from the North Shore Times was there to get some last pictures of the group, especially the 5 all-the-way Walkers.
And so the all-the-way girls led the group down Mowbray Road to the Phillips MS Centre, the headquarters of MSRA and F5m. And there to greet everyone were families and friends, all cheering and applauding wildly. What a moment! Tears flowed, as did the laughter, as everyone started to realise just what we had accomplished. And on the road outside, our faithful support vehicles still waited patiently, as they had throughout the journey.
Everything was set up for a celebration. The Mayor of Willoughby, Cr Pat Riley, arrived to welcome the Walkers. He and our good friend Jeremy Wright, Executive Director of MSRA, said a few words. All-the-way team members, plus Barry "The Rocket" Rochester, were given certificates recognising their achievment. Jeremy announced that the Mudgee2Sydney Walk had not only raised a huge amount of community awareness but a huge amount of money, too – some $120,000 and counting, enough to fund a senior researcher studying the genetics of MS for 2 years.
Mike and Katrina Hemingway said a few words on behalf of the Walkers, support crew and organisers, thanking all the families and friends for joining the Walkers there at the finish, recalling the tremendous fun we had had on the journey and thanking as many people as they could recall for their efforts in making the Mudgee2Sydney Walk for MS research such a success. And then everyone got into some serious celebrating.
We think it will take some time for everyone to realise just what we and they have achieved. But suffice to say, it was a huge team effort and shows what determination, planning, effort and great friendship can achieve when it’s all focussed on a great goal. We have made and renewed many friendships on this road that we will always treasure. And the lasting memory of this adventure will be how much fun it has been to really make a difference.
We were farewelled by the Mayor of Blacktown and presented with a very generous donation by the Blacktown Workers Sports Club. We were very grateful to the Club for its kind welcome and its donation was a wonderful gesture by a very generous club. We would certainly recommend any visitors to the area to drop in to the Club for a drink or a meal in its very welcoming bars and restaurant.
Not very long into the day’s walking, we had one of the very few hitches of the journey – one of our support cars got a flat tyre, in the back blocks of Blacktown. One of our walkers, John, came back to help. So, in the spirit of “the show must go on,” Amara took the other support car and looked after the Walkers while Mandy stayed with the disabled car and John and Mike went looking for a spare. As it turned out, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles sent out a new wheel and tyre with a technician. So, while it took a little time, we got back on the road to support the Walkers.
Barry “The Rocket” blazed a trail along the shady pavements of Pennant Hills and Epping which were a welcome change after the hot hard pavements of this morning’s walk. Most of the way it was hard slog- with heads down, iPods in our ears and one blistered foot after the other. Just before 4 o’clock we turned onto Epping Road, and the Stamford Grand Hotel was in our sights. What a relief to reach this hotel with its cool, welcoming gardens and bar! Champagne and cocktails were calling, swiftly followed by hot baths, Epsom salts and blister packs.
After dinner it was back to the bar at the Stamford Grand. Some of the girls were on a roll and boldly continued fundraising for an hour or so in the foyer - successfully filling our M2S bucket almost to the brim. Others couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a cocktail or two, while the more sensible amongst us tried to get a good night’s sleep before the last day’s walking tomorrow. At 15 km it the Walkers were thinking that it should be an easy hop, skip and jump. And we were expecting a good crowd to join us for the last day of what had been an incredible adventure.
Most of the all-the-way Walkers have been surviving on fleecy web generously donated by Trent the Farrier, a podiatrist from Penrith, gel toe separators, moleskin, blister packs, sports tape, and Betadine for split skin in our feet. But you don't hear any of the Walkers complaining! Believe it or not, they said that (most) of this walk was way too much fun to complain about anything.
The Walkers were launched on their way on this leg by the Mayor of Penrith, Kevin Crameri. He came out to Nepean Shores and said a few fitting words, wishing us well and praising our efforts in what he acknowledged was a great cause. Mary McDermott, 80 years young, was initially going to walk this leg with us but, due to a car accident, was unable to do so. She did, however, come out to see us off and wish us well, which really buoyed the Walkers’ spirits.
The first 15 km of our trip took us conveniently past lots of McDonald’s stores where we could get some protection from the hot sun and of course use relatively comfortable restrooms. Outside, the hard hot pavement really burned up our feet, and it was a relief to see the Bunnings Store at Minchinbury where F5m'er Wendy Stevens and the Cambridge Park Lions Club, led by Alan Bidelaux, had arranged a sausage sizzle for us, with meat provided by Katrina & Mike's local butcher, Allan Waldon and his Eastern Rd Butchery, a long way away in Turramurra. The perpetually smiling Lions Club volunteers provided drinks and sausage sangas for us, as well as selling them to willing Bunnings’ customers, and donating the proceeds to MS Research Australia. Many thanks go to Wendy and Alan for their efforts in this area, and to Allan for his delicious sausages.
After lunch we really earned our stripes. Liz and Katrina, who had walked all these routes in scoping out the Walk, had warned us these couple of days, pounding the pavements, would be the most mentally challenging of the whole walk so we put our heads down and ploughed onwards. Even Barry “The Rocket” Rochester out the front got a blister today, and had to get it treated by our ever-happy-to-help nurse Bron later that night.
Our walk finished (finally) at the Blacktown Workers Sports Club. We collapsed in their beautifully cool interior, and enjoyed the free drink vouchers so kindly donated by the Club. This club is huge with landscaped gardens and children’s play areas. The photographer from the Blacktown Star had us all in giggles photographing our blistered feet, and trying to get us to pose on one leg without falling over (especially Mike, whose MS legs were playing up on him).
The Trivia Night organised by Wendy Stevens was awesome. There was a band, raffle prizes galore, a competitive auction and dinner provided for us all. Mike, determined to win a prize, bought a whole book of raffle tickets. So every time a “yellow” ticket was drawn out, Mike farmed out the ticket to a different table member so as not to appear too greedy. We did win quite a lot of loot in the raffle, with some great prizes. Our intellectual talents came to the fore with our whole team contributing, from our youngest team member, Ally, to our oldest member (unnamed). It also helps to have a former Qantas hostie on your team when it comes to naming photographs of world cities (thanks Amara).
The night ended with our team allowing another team to win, because we didn't want to be seen to be showing off. So we settled for second, adding humility to the list of talents of our formidable team: physically elite, intellectually gifted, fundraising gurus, and humble above all else.
