The Time Has Come The Walrus Said...

A big thanks to my 3 key sponsors:

1. The team at Hudson McHugh - https://hmch.com.au/

2. The team at Basic Bookkeeper’s https://www.basicbookkeepers.com.au/

 

3. The team at McHugh Shoes https://mchughsshoes.com.au/

And thanks to the team at LPS – loving the shirts men!!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/walk-the-bay - Still time to donate!

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The training is done, greens eaten, t-shirts printed – all that is left is 42km and a celebratory Curry. 

There is great satisfaction in planning something that has at its core a real and tangible benefit. Covid 19 has been a wakeup call to many, what we thought was easy is now, for the time being, just a little harder. My children’s school, like so many in Australia, has lost avenues of money that we all thought would never close off. Fete days, auction discos and book parades are all on hold as we tackle this nasty virus, leaving in its wake a gaping hole both in our hearts and in our precious school’s finances. But we are a resilient lot, the market for ideas is always open and with thinking-cap on I came up with the brilliant idea; invent a new walking shoe and in the process raise some much need cash for the school.

The Bay Walk – or Bay Run as it’s called for those who are quite mad. When I “walk” the Bay I sometimes see the same face three times. Some running the Bay like a Marine – the madness of it. The Bay Walk is a jewel nestled around Canada Bay in the Inner West of Sydney. Since my catapult into Australia some ten years ago, the Bay Walk has been my rallying cry. I use my walks to dream big dreams, sort out the wood from the trees and when the kids are taking me to the edge of insanity, it gives me time to breath and breathing is what it is all about. In-out, in-out the relaxing of the mind’s grind as I take the opportunity for two hours to redeem and reframe my inner self.

Covid 19 has bequeathed us many new processes. Some good like the washing of hands and the general improvement in community hygiene. Some bad like mental health issues caused by staying indoors for weeks on end without the ability to socialise. But in all the sadness and all the turmoil, we have been given back walking, that simple past time lost to public transport and the family car has now been reimagined as a health tonic for mind, body and soul. Far from saying thanks to the virus, I do want to acknowledge its power to tilt the game in its favour and make us dance a little faster as we regroup and regain our winning posture. We will win this war with a clear head and a fit body and walking will play its part in the victory.

The walk, in truth, will be easy. I have been blessed with some great sponsors, some who will do the walk with me. I will also be joined for at least two laps by my family. And of course, there are many great coffee shops on the way that if I stop at least once in all of them, I will not sleep for a month.

So, the only thing to concern myself with is my feet in my new “Bay Walker” Walking shoe; the shoe, invented here in Australia and engineered in Korea. I am still testing the prototype, gnarled and cracked as they after many miles of testing. Six more laps to go before they are laid to rest. One more big test before the engineers get their feedback to help them in their task of making the Bay Walker Australia’s best walking shoe!

Keep an eye on the https://freeworldaustralia.com/ for pre-order details. 

If walking is the Gin, then the music you listen to is definitely the tonic. So, bottoms up team Freeworld, here are my 6 signature songs, one for each lap to raise the spirits and dampen the ‘probable’ pain!

1. Comfortably Numb - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTseTg48568
2. Zoom - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMo6Ju8SJ8o
3. A Whiter Shade of Pale - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St6jyEFe5WM
4. Heroes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYp9q3QNaQ
5. Hotel California - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x47aiMa1XUA
6. We are the Champions - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04854XqcfCY

See you around the Bay. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/walk-the-bay - Still time to donate!