Country Hospitality

I have had the good fortune to receive the support of some businesses in Orange and Bathurst. A relaxing night after the trip to Orange will be provided by the Cleveland Bed and Breakfast and Art Gallery. Hosts Sue and Neil have generously offered free accommodation to support the walk. There will certainly be no excuse for not being rested, fit and ready to tackle the walk to Bathurst.

http://www.clevelandbnb.com.au/

After the first 55 km and leading into the next 63 km, a good night's sleep at Bathurst will be critical. Jan and I will stay in comfort in Bathurst at the Governor Macquarie Motor Inn. Located just off the highway next to acres of parkland it will be a great place to rest before undertaking the second day of the walk.

http://www.governormacquarie.com.au/

Starting Each Day

Each day I have a starting point for the walk. For consistency (and to allow recovery time and a decent breakfast) every day starts at 8.30 a.m. The finishing time will vary depending on the distance covered in the day.

Day One: Orange Public School

A beautiful school in the city of Orange, the hospitality of the Principal, John Webb, and the community of the school will provide an excellent starting point for my walk. The school is involved in its local Relay for Life each year and has made a substantial contribution to cancer awareness in its own community and to the Cancer Council project s funded through the Relay. I am looking forward to a brief time with the community of the school as I set off.

http://web3.orange-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/Home.html

Day Two: Bathurst Public School

Thanks to the hospitality of Principal, Kathryn White, and the community of this beautiful school located in the middle of Bathurst city, I will have the opportunity to start my longest day with school children. No doubt this will make me feel at home. The fresher air of the Western Plains may not be the same, but the welcoming nature of children is the same the world over.

As with Orange, the architecture of this school is a wonderful reflection of the time when universal education was becoming a priority for Australian society. It may present its challenges for those who provide modern educational program in buildings designed for a different era, but it provides a wonderful link to the values of public education for over one and a half centuries.

http://www.bathurst-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/

Day Three: Lithgow Public School

Lithgow and my school, Castle Hill, have something in common. Both schools teach French as part of the syllabus. I wish I had spent a little more time attending French classes at my school so I could greet the students of Lithgow in two languages. I hope the generosity of Principal, Kerry Griffiths, and the staff and students will extend to forgiveness for my lack of French skills.

Lithgow is a city that is changing in its nature. I am looking forward to getting to know some of those who live there and am grateful for their willingness to support the Cancer Council through assisting my venture.

http://www.lithgow-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/

Day Four: Wentworth Falls Public School

Nestled on the western side of the Blue Mountains, Wentworth Falls is the my starting point on Friday, 15th May. This is "Walk Safely To School Day". I think I may be accused of taking it to extremes. The Principal, Liz Strasser, and the community of Wentworth Falls school will be looking at the concept of walking a little differently as they host my departure.

This is an exciting day for me as I will be retracing the steps of Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson, the first European settlers to cross the Blue Mountains. When I walk up the western face of the mountains on Thursday, I emerge very close to where these three first saw the Western Plains. While I am tracing their steps backwards, I am looking forward to the opportunity to do this. I am also looking forward to having a footpath for the remainder of my walk. It should be a relief from walking on the comparatively uneven surfaces of the road shoulders and bush tracks of the previous three days.

http://www.wentwthfal-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/

Day Five: Panthers

Panthers have generously offered to host my start on the final day of my walk. I will be joined at Panthers at 8.30 a.m. by the CEO of the Cancer Council, Dr Andrew Penman, who is walking the first ten kilometres with me. He is celebrating ten years of Relays in NSW and the wonderful work they have done to raise funds for research, community information and care over that decade. Andrew is a little faster on his feet than me but I am sure that he will make concessions for the wear and tear of the previous four days of walking.

Panthers are great supporters of the Penrith Relay for Life which is held the weekend before I commence my walk. It is great to see corporations and community organisations getting behind such an important cause. Their participation motivates the volunteers who give their time to organise fund raising activities.

http://www.panthers.com.au/

The Journey

The walk commences at Orange Public School on Tuesday, 12th May at 8.30 a.m. and finishes at the Relay for Life at Castle Hill Showground on 16th May at 3.00 p.m. It will take five days with overnight stops at Bathurst, Lithgow, Wentworth Falls and Penrith. The longest days' walk is from Bathurst to Lithgow (63 kms) this will take between 12 and 14 hours depending on breaks and weather conditions. The shortest is from Penrith to Castle Hill (37 kms).
Leaving Penrith at 8.30, I'll have to maintain a reasonable pace to get to Castle Hill on time. When I practised this part of the trip I took the long way via the footpath/cyclepath on the M7 and was absolutely saturated in a sudden rainstorm. I certainly hope for better weather over the five days.
I am looking forward to some company on the last day. Dr Andrew Penman, CEO of the Cancer Council of NSW is walking the first ten kilometres out of Penrith with me. That will be one kilometre for every year of the Relay for Life.

Who's Helping?

You can't walk 250 km without some help. Already there are sponsors who have offered there help to generate support for the Cancer Council.

Even taking five days, you can't walk 250 kilometres without training. C2K at Castle Hill have been working to lift my fitness to the point where the goal is achievable.
Their personal trainers have developed a program for me and I use their state-of-the-art equipment to train. If you want to know more about C2K you can find them at http://www.c2kfitnesscentre.com.au/
If you see me working up a sweat at C2K, stop me and say hello, I'll be grateful for the break!

Looking after my feet has been important. I found that my expensive joggers were good for about twenty kilometres, but they weren't really designed for walking! Along came my local Athletes Foot stores (Blacktown and Rouse Hill)
http://www.athletesfoot.com.au/content.cfm?pid=4958&search=x&store=303
and Rockport
http://www.rockport.com/home/index.jsp
to the rescue. I can walk fifty kilometres in a day in my Rockport Shoes and Thorlos hiking socks and then back up the next day for another fifty. The thing that hurts least is my feet!

7 Bridges

The 7 Bridges walk provided a wonderful opportunity to have a practice at a 50km day with support in place. Held on 26 October, 7 Bridges is a 25km walk around inner Sydney Harbour. It includes the Harbour Bridge, Anzac Bridge, Gladesville Bridge and seven others. The walk is really picturesque with wonderful views of the harbour and Parramatta River.There were places where the walk was quite crowded and parts where it was almost like a stroll in the park alone. There were lots of wonderful volunteers at "villages" around the course. There were food stalls at the villages and the opportunity to pay a "toll" to help four charities (Cancer Council, Beyond Blue, Heart Foundation and Diabetes Australia).My walk got a bit of publicity. It can be found at www.7bridgeswalk.com.au/pages/media-08/put-best-foot-forward.php and www.7bridgeswalk.com.au/pages/media-08/14-crossings-for-this-fit-principal.phpTwice around took me just over nine hours. Doing it five days in a row in May will be the big challenge.

The Beginning

What inspires someone to walk 250 km from Central NSW to Sydney?Every day thousands of people find they have cancer, are treated for cancer and lose their lives to cancer. We all know someone who is having treatment and we have all lost someone we know.Each year, across NSW, thousands of people participate in The Relay for Life to raise funds for the Cancer Council of NSW to support people with cancer and to fund research to find a cure for cancer. Already funds raised by the Relay for Life have led to many discoveries that improve the treatment of cancer and will ultimately contribute to the defeat of the disease.In 2009 the Hills Relay for Life will again be organised by a voluntary committee, be supported by generous corporate sponsors and attract over a thousand volunteers who will walk during a twenty-four hour period to raise as much as they can to contribute to the fight against cancer.As a lead in to the 2009 Relay, I am walking from Orange to Castle Hill to promote the Relay and to enlist the aid of individuals and corporations in the fight against cancer.