I'm fundraising for the Royal Flying Doctor Service

Australia is a big country, and for those living in remote, rural and regional areas, access to immediate care isn’t a guarantee. For some communities, the nearest hospital is eight hours drive away. Having the opportunity in past years with the family to travel and sleep weeks and months in the outback, we witnessed this first-hand.

This October, I’m taking on a month-long fitness challenge to help more people access the care they need. By going further, I hope to raise as much as possible for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). I'm also restoring muscle movement after recent hip replacement and torn meniscus, and as an "oldie", this challenge hopefully lifts me out of laziness, assists heart and mental well-being and gets me fitter in readiness for the 'fire season' ahead. At the same time I hope to contribute a small portion to help our wonderful people of the outback; and want them to know that they matter. We are Aussies! And ... getting a wee bit older, does not mean you have to slow down. Snails fulfill a great role (just ask a well-fed blue tongue lizard), but you don't have to be a slow snail!

The concept: I live in the Shoalhaven NSW, and am undertaking smaller "adventure" hikes in manageable and safe chunks from local ocean and lake areas along roads, beaches and bush tracks which link our villages, and explore magnificent Booderee National Park. These "Journeys" include the foreshore surrounds of Jervis Bay - Pt Perpendicular to Vincentia via Callala, Myola, Huskisson; Governor Head to Vincentia; the northern foreshores of St Georges Basin; then link Vincentia Hub using historic route, travel west and uphill toward Tianjara and maybe Sassafras. Just for fun, 

Every year, the RFDS reach more than 330,000 Australians with 24-hour emergency retrieval and primary healthcare services. That’s one person every two minutes!

Together, we can keep the Flying Doctor flying and continue their life-saving work. Please donate to my challenge today! Just for fun, I have written an anthem/song "Ocean to the Outback" and currently used AI to give backing music as a pop rock with rousing chorus, until hopefully recording in a studio!!

Progress: Week 1. Walked across siltstone and 270 mil yr old fossils of Tallyan Pt, and connected up Old Erowal Bay to Wool Rd intersecting Princes Highway, via foreshores of St Georges Basin and forest of Corramy (drenched by that storm!) Also a short walk heading west from Governor Head, Booderee NP.

Week 2. Now linked up Huskisson to Vincentia Hub to all geographic Pts of northern shore St G Basin and to Princes H'way. Overall target was 70km, but 71km now done in half the time ... so targets have increased. 

Week 3 (my birthday week - from Bledisloe; to uke band lunch; to local education, creative and rfs family; to my beautiful, caring, adventurous grown up children, partners & gorgeous grandkids!) Mmm ... completed link from Governor Headland to Hyams to Plantation Pt to Vincentia Hub. "Ocean-to-outback" anthem/ballad played in public twice!!  111km done; wonderful generous donations from friends. Get ready to go uphill west!