Sydney to Melbourne Kids of Gold Pilgrimage | Community
Sydney to Melbourne Kids of Gold Pilgrimage
Phone: 03 9737 9475 or 0415 427 396
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25.01.2022 2nd Day- 2nd Week- Wednesday 15th January 20- This is the 5th day of the Walk- 5 of us turned up today, and Jim our Cameraman even walked round the oval with u...s before farewelling us! There are no pics of our walking group today- I left out the memory card from the camera! Jim will probably sack me!! We did an interview with Graham and his son, Jonathan, but you might have to turn up the volume to hear Graham! Have also included video of interview with Marianne and Michael which was done last week, also one of Em our friend from Thailand which was also done last week.. Today was the actual middle of the whole January Walk, and weve gone well past it as well! Love to have more walkers join us on Friday- come and join us at 7am on Friday 17th Jan at Colchester Park Boronia. It will be cooler then as we did face 36 degree temperatures today! Although Marianne has been with us on most walks, today as I walked with her I found out lots about her and vice-versa and it was great just sharing! It takes a Walk like this to have the time to chat about everything, and we did! Im discovering this is one of the big pluses of this walk. So different to the Sydney-Melbourne one where much of the time I walked alone! Marianne was making the point today that itss possible to share with others in ways you cant in most other venues, and I couldnt help thinking, how true! We went right to the end today, in spite of the 36 degree heat! The company and the shade along the track seemed to compensate amazingly! If you look at the table now we are up to 834 Km in total. From a Sydney-Melbourne perspective, weve only got under another 200km to reach Melbourne at 1016km. On a personal level at 125km, I would have nearly reached Berry in NSW from Bankstown. Donations today and yesterday came to $540, giving a total of $2025.
25.01.2022 3rd Day- 2nd Week- Friday 17th January 20- This is the 6th day of the walk- 7 of us turned up today, with 4 new walkers! Two of our leaders coming to the Feb ...20 camp came, Nita and Michelle, with Nitas daughter, Kyla also who is coming as a camper. Grahams wife Junette also walked with us today for part of the walk, and of course our Amazing cameraman Jim Groves who even walked with us again round the oval! Marianne and Michael did 12km today, but not with us, but sent their km through which we logged up on the table. A beautiful clear sky and much cooler temperatures made the walk really enjoyable, after the very smokey skies on Wednesday and the rather hot temperatures! After an interview with Michelle ( see below) we set out, greeting the ducks on the way and stopping to do our exercises which was a lot of fun! Junette walked 5km and met us at the 12.5km turnaround point! Michelle, Nita and Kyla all never expected to get that far, so after great hooray they left Graham and Jono and I to do the return journey. Jono was keen to do the return trip, which hed never done before, and all 3 of us made it back! It was a great day and lovely for walking! We together walked 131 km today, reaching 965 km in total! With 1016 km as our aggregate target, we expect to reach that on Monday coming, 20th Jan! Exciting!! Donations today came to $75. Donations can be made direct to Kids of Gold, BSB No: 633 000 and Acc No: 129551552 by internet or at a Bendigo Bank. Card payments can be done on the website at www.kidsofgold.org.au Thanks everyone for your support today! Have a restful weekend! ( Apologies- I left out the table so will include on Mondays report), See more
25.01.2022 !st Day- 3rd and Final Week- Monday 20th January 20- This was the 7th day of the walk, with 8 turning up today, with one new walker, Joy Richardson. What a bea...utiful start to the walk! Beautiful skies, lovely temperature, one of the best starts yet! Marianne was back with us, and after wed gone a few kms this figure came bounding up towards us- Bronwyn! Shed missed the start but ran after us to catch us up! Rather amazingly she had her running shoes on! Joy and Annette came a certain way with us and then had to go back, so after leaving Bayswater and getting to the 6km point, Marianne had to turn back, so it was up to Nita, Kyla and myself to get to the turnaround point which we did, after stopping and exercising along the way! Jim Groves picked up Nita and Kyla after we had been across to the MST ( Melbourne School of Theology) on Mountain Highway, and after lunch I headed back on my own to do the return 12.5 km. Just before reaching Wantirna Rd I stopped and looked up into a tree ( see photo) and it was buzzing and humming so loudly with bees and insects I was rather amazed! I wondered what it was- maybe the sound of rain coming?! I took my poncho out and put it on and soon the thunder and lightning and rain all started to come down. I took some photos of the turbidity of the creek as the rain bucketed down, and tried to take a selfie of me in my poncho! Later on I discovered that damaging storm and hail and rain had occurred in so many places both in Victoria and interstate! About two thirds of the walk back for me was very wet- the poncho was great keeping me dry but my shoes and socks and the bottom of my shorts were saturated! I was so glad that the rest of the group had escaped this, but in the end I counted it a privilege, knowing that if even one child is helped by this effort, it will indeed be worth it! And I know that lots more than one will be blessed, thats for certain! Ive posted the table for last Friday here, as well as the one for today. Although no donations were received, we reached 1067 km today, so as a group we have made it from Sydney to Melbourne ( 1016km)! Yay!! What a great achievement as a group!! Personally, I reached 175km, which is a bit before Lake Conjola. Long way to go yet! Marianne is up to nearly 450km, so shes actually almost to Eden! What an effort! ( Donations can be made to Kids of Gold Inc at Bendigo Bank with BSB No: 633 000 and Acc No: 129 551 552. Payments by card can be made via the Kids of Gold website Donation Button at www.kidsofgold.org.au )
24.01.2022 https://youtu.be/OsGIW8XbZWU Its just over 12 months since the Sydney- Melb Walk! Hard to believe!
23.01.2022 Day 29- Week 5-Day 1-Monday 2nd October 17 Left our farmers field today and commenced the walk from outside of Moe, making our way down Waterloo Rd followi...ng the rail line. Todays walking was the most pleasant in a while- beautiful sunshine, no wind, though a pretty cold start! So much easier to walk! Jim had great difficulty following though because of the narrowness of the off road perimeter. Had a great phone call from a lady ringing at that time- full of support and encouragement. When we came to Trafalgar, we visited a computer shop who examined the computer and advised there was a problem with the internet dongle, and that only Telstra in Warragul could fix it. They kindly allowed me to send last nights report from the shop using their wi-fi, and charged nothing for the diagnosis because of the walk! Continued walking on towards Yarragon, then decided to go straight to Warragul and visit the Telstra shop. They had the problem fixed in 30 mins, so we went back to recommence the walk again afterwards. All is working now as I do this report! Had some wonderful talks with people who stopped- one vehicle had 2 men in it who recognised straight away who I was from WIN News. They were so full of appreciation and praise it was quite overwhelming! We didnt make it to Drouin, but will continue tomorrow from that point. Drove into Drouin to see if we could find a place for the van. When we got there I rang my daughter Jenny, who plans to walk with me part of tomorrow- looking forward to that! Jenny has a good friend in Drouin, Kathryn, and after she called Kathryn, she rang me back, and before long we were parked at the back of the Anglican Church in Drouin, with power and water to the van, and the offer of a shower as well! Dean and Kathryn lead the church here, and when Dean got home we were soon exchanging some photos- see some that we took of them below! Ive known Kathryn for many years through Jenny, but have also known Dean quite a while also, but we didnt quite expect to be landing in their territory tonight! Their daughter Emily brought us each out a lovely ice cream dessert she had made, so weve been thoroughly spoilt, thats for sure! Shes a good cook that Emily! Dean is going to promote the walk with some of the members. See more
23.01.2022 Day 24- Week 4-Day 3-Wed 27th Sept- Today was a good hard walk day! Conditions ideal and covered 30k to Billabong Roadhouse. At one point I was swooped by white... cockatoos- lots of them, and not much further on a magpie dive-bombed right at me over and over! Nesting time! OK, I looked the magpie right in the eye as he swooped the next time and waited for him to divert rather than me! Felt a bit like kamikaze! Guess who swerved first! The magpie! That was a relief! He gave up after that! Not much further on after that a car pulled over and out jumped Shane, a good friend of my son Tim! He came to encourage us and give us a gift as well! It was so encouraging! He is from Marlo and was in Bairnsdale on business, but drove out to meet us! See photos. Pulled up for the night at the Billabong Roadhouse- will push on to Stratford and Sale tomorrow. Plan to be in Sale for the evening. We heard today that permission has been granted by the Parliament for Jim to take the car and the van and park it on the lower carriageway at Parliament House on Fri 6th Oct, from 2-3pm, so that is our official arrival time now on the steps of Parliament. Christine Fyffe will be there to greet us, and another MP we hope can join us also, Neil Angus, together with a number of other friends! Come and join us for that! If you can, bring lunch and well meet at the Myer Music Bowl at 12 noon and walk in from there for a 2pm Celebration! See more
22.01.2022 DONATIONS TO SYDNEY TO MELBOURNE CAN BE MADE BY VISITING THE WEBSITE, www. kidsofgold.org.au and finding the Donation Button there. On Monday 4th September 2017, two walkers are planning to walk out from Sydney towards Melbourne, in the hope of reaching Melbourne by Friday 6th October 2017, for the purpose of fundraising for the Kids of Gold camps.p BACKGROUND:...Continue reading
21.01.2022 Day 28- Week 4-Day 7- Sunday 1st October 17 Left Tricia and Trevors place from Traralgon this morning, and ventured onto some back roads for the first time, be...ing unable to continue along the Princes Highway as it becomes a Freeway from Traralgon onwards. How different we found these roads to be after the Princes Highway! Huge difference in vehicle numbers, much smaller roads, yet in many ways more picturesque for walking! We crossed the Latrobe River early on, and went through the small town of Tyers later. I had a toot and wave from a vehicle near Tyers, and not long after I saw a lady quickly moving down a long farming driveway to her gate. I was thinking that she must have something/someone pretty important to meet, and when I got to the drive she called me and asked if I was the one doing the Sydney-Melbourne Walk. Her husband had recognized me earlier, told his wife, and she had come to the gate with a donation, box of biscuits ( home-cooked!) and an apple! She also wanted permission to take my photo! They had seen us on WIN News and wanted to express their appreciation and give encouragement for the rest of the walk. Jim managed to get a shot of us at the front gate, but from a distance. That was quite moving! From 8am I tried to ring Australia All Over to thank them, until I realized theyd changed their number. Scott was doing the show this time in place of Macca . Jim listened in the car, got the new number, and I rang them and they promised to ring me back for a chat. At about 10 to 10 am when no call had come, I rang them back and they apoligised but it was too late to take a call at that stage. That was a disappointment. I hope I can ring them back next week after the walk finishes, just to thank them properly for their input over the whole time. There were some who stopped to ask questions, but not as many as on the Princes Highway of course. Going past the mighty Yallourn Power Station was quite an experience. My first vision of it was when I saw this massive chimney appearing above the forest line, belching out volumes of white smoke. Could also hear the long hard drone of what sounded like a big aeroplane, until I realized it was to do with the whole generating function of the station! Then the whole massive station appeared in time as I walked When we arrived near Moe, I started giving out business cards to passers by, who all received them well, some promising to donate. I went into one shop that was open, and met 2 ladies inside having refreshment . When I told them who I was, they asked lots of questions and also said theyd seem us on WINNews. One of them took a donation from her bag, and the other immediately followed suit, but they were keen to see things like this being done for the kids. We got permission from a farmer to stay on one of his blocks not far from Moe- he was uncertain at first, but when he saw the business card and heard what we were doing, he agreed instantly, without any charges. Jim liked where we went, because there were about 12 old cars there- he was fascinated with the place! Yes- you guessed it, Jim DOES love looking at old cars! When I came to check the internet I was unable to get it with the dongle, so decided to do this report and send it out tomorrow with the photos when we move into a better reception area. See more
19.01.2022 Marianne and Michael have been out on the Dandenong Creek trail logging up kilometres even before the Walk starts officially on Monday 6th January 20! Marianne has done a total of 40km so far and Michael 32km, at only 11 years of age! Well done to them both! A great start even before Starting!
18.01.2022 3rd Day of the Walk- Friday 10th January 2020- After Wednesday’s walk, I thought my legs were sunburnt, but on visiting the doctor on the Thursday, he said it w...asn’t sunburn but ordered some tests be done and that I report back the next day, Friday 10th. Of the 5 expected today, 3 came, and Bronwyn and I walked while Marianne and Michael and family took up a generous holiday offer at Cowes, Philip Island, and walked down there! They sent a picture of them at the end of the walk overlooking the sea, so they did their kms regardless, walking on the Thursday as well! Bron did an interview before we started, and you’ll see that on this posting also. Bron walked the early part of the walk and then had to go. I hadn’t planned to do the full 25km today, because of the heat forecast, but also to get back in time to see the doctor. When I got to the Eastlink Freeway underpass ( see pictures), I checked my time and realised this was the quickest I’d ever got to the Freeway, and as I didn’t feel hot and my legs felt right, I kept walking to the end, taking photos (without faces!) of the bikes flying past ( scores of them!) and a young family on the trail moving very quickly and showing the Junction of the Eastlink and Dandenong trails as well. Almost had a collision with a bike in a tunnel where 2 bikes turned swiftly and sharply into the tunnel, the front bike assuming no-one was on the RHS. She managed to pull up coming off her bike and me leaning right away with no collision occurring. Bron rang later and said she’d prayed for safety! Close shave! As I walked alone today I reflected on the question I often get asked, Do you get paid for this? and I thought, I reckon I get paid more than anyone! Not in dollars and cents, but in far greater value- the satisfaction and the joy and the contentment of knowing that acceptance, value and love are poured out on kids by the team and they see it and know it and come back for more! Yes, I’m very rich that’s for sure I concluded! Someone once said if you lose your life for my sake you’ll find it- that is so true! And the more I give the more I receive! That is also so true! I meant the other day to restate that donations can be made for sponsoring kids on the website using a credit card, and they can be made direct over the internet to the Kids of Gold Account at: Kids of Gold Inc, BSB No: 633 000 Acc No: 129 551 552 or at a Bendigo Bank using these account details. Make sure you include an I.D. in both of these cases. Sorry I can't add today's table, but Km walked are now up to 575 km in total and donations up $20 received by Marianne to $1455. See more
18.01.2022 The Sydney to Melbourne 2020 Walk Registration online commencing Mon 6th January 2020 can now be found at: http://www.kidsofgold.org.au/melb-to/registration-form.html
17.01.2022 Day 33-Week 5-Day 5- FINAL DAY! So Good!! Yes, the final day has come and gone! There were 10 of us ( with the 2 children!) who met at the Music Bowl for lunc...h! Jim even found a parking spot for the car and van at the Bowl! Hard to believe! Nine of us walked in from there to Parliament House along St Kilda Rd, Flinders St and up Spring St. It was so good to be able to see Steve again who joined us at the Bowl, and joined us in the final 2km walk! Chris Fawkes played the music of Chariots of Fire as we neared parliament! When we arrived, just before 2pm, the MP Neil Angus was there to greet us, and shortly after Christine Fyffe MP arrived to greet us also. There were quite a group of friends and supporters waiting also, and we were soon all chatting quite vigorously! Not long after Jim arrived with the car and van, and after being checked by security was permitted to enter. We watched out for Channel 9 and/or Channel 7, but they did not show. We took photos with Neil and Christine, and also with the whole group, and then we took some shots of approaching and breaking through the finishing line. Chris Fawkes who does a lot of our camp photography was present, and took some good shots for us. The photos below are some of what we took on the day! Lots of chatting and answering questions took place of course across the whole of the time! See more
17.01.2022 As I heard the reports this morning on the news, especially with regard to Genoa, Malacoota, Cann River and on New Years Eve regarding Orbost, I dug out some o...f the photos we had taken in these areas on the Sydney-Melbourne 2017 Walk. We met a young couple outside the Genoa Hotel ( 1st photo below), who were very keen to hear of our walk and gave us a donation to it. Genoa is cut off now as I write this! We stayed at the Cann River Caravan park and the photo of the van with me outside it is in a park in the centre of Orbost, where a number of homes have been lost in outlying areas around Orbost. My son Tim rang me on New Years Eve pretty devastated from a call hed just made to a friend in Orbost who knew many whod lost everything from the fires. Starting on Monday coming, 6th January 2020, on a Walk born out of that Sydney walk, what relevance does Kids of Gold have to all this? Great relevance! On the news today they are starting to now speak of the emotional toll that is coming on top of all the physical loss. It is perhaps more important to build people emotionally in this crisis, and none more so than our precious children! The fears, anxieties, worries coming out of all of this are very real, and for our children especially so! Im glad Im doing this Walk on Monday even more so now, and we are expecting more children to be seeking sponsorship at our Level 1 May 20 camp than we did before. Thanks for those whove already sent donations. See www.kidsofgold.org.au for more details about the Walk. Come and walk with us- you can book online at the website! ( Donations ( Bendigo Bank) can go directly to: Acc Name: Kids of Gold Inc BSB No: 633 000 Acc No: 129 551 552 ) See more
16.01.2022 ANNOUNCEMENT When I did the Sydney to Melbourne trip of 1016km 2 years ago in Sept/Oct 2017, a number of people spoke to me and said they wished they could have come on the walk as well! To transport a number of people to Sydney with 33 days off work, giving them food and accommodation each night etc would have been an impossible task, but if the walk was held here in Melbourne, and it was done on some of the beautiful walking tracks we have here- that would be quite possibl...Continue reading
16.01.2022 Day 31- Week 5- Day 3- Wednesday- 4th October 17 Got on the road early again today from near Bunyip and put in one of our biggest days of walking. Weather was ...beautiful but I struggled with my digestive system this morning, but all was resolved by the afternoon. Once again many stopped to enquire- one lady who stopped was one who had really helped us in Traralgon at the Information Centre- she just wanted to know all was going OK with us. How nice of her! Got to Pakenham in good time, and pushed on to Cockatoo. Jim pulled over in Army Rd to have lunch, but didnt realise we had pulled into a deep seam of loose screenings. The van immediately sank into it, and when Jim tried to pull out, both his car wheel and the van wheel were bogged! Jim found some people down the road with just the right equipment to pull us out, but when they rang their boss he forbad them to try. Jim then rang the RACV being a member, and they agreed to come. "You keep on walking" Jim said to me, but I felt reluctant to leave in such a dicy situation. As I wanted to get a lot more kms done, I did finally go, but not before I had a quiet reassurance within that all would be well. I got right to the top of Army Rd before help appeared- they got Jim out in a flash ( without charge!) and he was soon with me again on the Cockatoo Road. This road was so narrow in places I had to get Jim to take me through- it was too dangerous on foot with no room between walker and oncoming traffic. What a welcome surprise it was later when I heard a voice calling out across the road, " Hello Gary Parsons!" I looked up and it was Jenny Breakel, on her way from Paynesville to Monbulk! She had no idea wed be on this road- she stopped further up the road, got out and walked a short time with me and chatted and caught up on a few things! It was such a good seemingly chance encounter! Two Jennys in 2 days! I walked later tonight than usual- we stopped the walk and drove on to the next town at Cockatoo to find a place for the van for the night. Have a look at the amazing venue we stayed at! Unique to say the least! Looking forward tomorrow to having my son Tim walk with me for the final stretch home to Silvan. Jim played Time to Say Goodbye for the last time tonight! This is a piece Jim loves, and has played it mant times at night, but tonight was probably the most appropriate. Hard to believe this is actually coming to an end! Both Jim and I want to finish well, and look forward to Friday 6th and the Bowl for lunch at 12 noon and being at Parliament House from 2-3pm. See you there if you can- looking forward also to seeing Steve again! See more
15.01.2022 We are in need of volunteers to help at our next Kids of Gold Bunnings Sausage Sizzle to be held on Saturday 2nd November 2019 at the Bayswater North Bunnings s...tore near the corner of Dorset Rd and Canterbury Rd Bayswater North. If you can come and give an hour or 2 on the day that would really be great! Email Kids of Gold at [email protected] or SMS to 0415 427 396 or ring 9737 9475 or 0415 427 396. Thanks! Would be much appreciated! See more
14.01.2022 Day 30- Week 5- Day 2- Tuesday 3rd October 17 Looking forward to catching up with those who are going to walk in with us this Friday, 6th Oct from the Sydney My...er Music Bowl to the Victorian Parliament. Bring some lunch for 12 noon and well walk in by 2pm where Jim will be waiting for us with the van and with 2 parliamentarians to welcome us home. Commenced early this morning and got to Longwarry turn off. We then went back to Drouin to catch the shops and do a collection and meet my daughter Jenny. The very first shop we entered was an estate agent, who gave a generous gift immediately! The others gave donations, but we didnt have enough time to get through all the shops before lunch. Most of the owners were quite impressed with what we were doing, and we are hoping some, where the owner was absent, will donate online. After lunch Jenny arrived and we soon headed off to recommence the walk from where Id left off in the morning. It was really nice walking with Jenny- conditions were excellent all day and mostly flat for walking, so a few hours seemed to pass very quickly as we walked and talked. As you can imagine Jenny did all the talking- that may of course be a slight exaggeration!! Anyway... it was so nice having Jen to walk with and talk with- I can assure you of that!! After we took Jen back to her car, we went in earch for a place for the night, and found the perfect spot in Bunyip right near a toilet block facility. It hadnt been used in quite a while, but Jim soon attended to that in his own inimitable way!
14.01.2022 Charlie and I went to check out the Kids of Gold Walk ( kidsofgold.org.au) commencing Mon 6th January 2020! These are some shots taken along the way ( Dandenon...g Creek Trail). Charlie reckoned it was a great track! We didnt do the whole 25km - just 3km return up to Dorset Rd suited us for today! Had some great fresh air and a great coffee afterwards at nearby Koko Lime Cafe! See more
13.01.2022 Day 27- Week 4-Day 6- Saturday 30th September 17- On our Itinerary, this day was marked by Steve as our Sabbatical! Day off! Why? Grand Final Day, and Steve was... pretty clear that this was top priority! When we woke this morning it was cold and wet outside- most uninviting morning of the walk so far! We checked the weather forecast, got ready, then headed off as normal. Went to the starting point, and the rain stopped, but when I got out to walk, down came the rain again! Got back under cover and waited- within 10 mins it was clear. Started again, with rain gear on, and thankfully the rain all cleared as per forecast and we were left with a howling wind! I must confess I struggled and struggled today against that wind- it was so relentless! Had my big coat on until eventually could remove it, but the wind force never let up all day! 20km felt like 40 km, had to push so hard! I lost count of the number of vehicles that stopped to ask questions about what we were doing- many promised to donate online. One man wanted to talk about his 15 year old son, so I felt like the walk today was a number of conversations as well as a walk. Got some rather unexpected donations today too, which was good! We had more toots and waves today than ever I can remember- I suspect this may be related to the WIN TV coverage from last night. Finally arrived at Traralgon and made our way to the Information Centre, where we were met by the most helpful and lovely lady. Gave us all sorts of help/directions for the coming days, as well as a clear map to find our way to todays destination. She also made a donation! Tricia and Trevor Ronalds had invited us to stay at their place at Traralgon, so we found that quite easily from the map. Not only so, but we were able to enjoy the final 3 quarters of seeing the Grand Final and seeing the mighty victory won by the Tigers, which I have a sneaking feeling will be somewhat mentioned at our church tomorrow by a certain Peter Lusk! So, we did have a partial Sabbatical, watching the final, but were also able to cover some ground as well, in spite of it being so very hard going! We think were on target to meet our deadlines. Had lovely time with Tricia and Trevor, after many, many years of not seeing them. Tricia fed us so well, and helped in every way possible! We were so blessed again! Feedback on SMS, emails, Facebook has been so good still! Remember Jim- his task is a constant and hard one- constantly stopping, starting, watching out for me and my safety etc. He takes nearly all of the photos you see as well in these reports. See more
13.01.2022 Day 32- Week 5- Day 4-Thursday 5th October 17 Walked into Cockatoo early this morning, and we came across a kangaroo jumping right in front of the car for 100m,... just prior to starting the walk. Thankfully jumped clear and not hurt! Tim, Ayla and Jade joined us outside of Cockatoo, with the aim of walking with us to the finishing line! After having my daughter Jenny walk with me the other day, to have my son Tim today was rather special, and to have my granddaughter Ayla also was special too! It was special having Jade also! We walked through to Yellingbo and passed the Lyrebird Park sign as we went where we run the Kids of Gold camps. Who should pass us on the way but Chen-Lu, who manages the campsite with Warren! She got quite a surprise to see us and we chatted briefly on the road! Had lunch at Yellingbo and I visited the local mechanic Andrew Dyer and his Mum as we did so! We then pushed on to the toughest part of the walk- up the pig farm hill and onto the backroads back to Silvan. Some of the hills here seemed to me so long and so hard, but I admit as home got closer it got harded and harder to reach it! Tim urged me forward every step, and when we arrived home we took a number of celebratory photos! We jut missed Helen though who had to go down to do Footstop tonight, so thats where Im heading right now! Looking forward to seeing some of you at the Music Bowl tomorrow at 12 noon for the walk into Parliament to meet Jim and the other MPs at 2pm. Channel Nine have told me they plan to be there. See more
12.01.2022 Day Eighteen- Week 3- Day 4-Thur 21st Sept 17- Woke with the beautiful roosters of Genoa camping ground crowing at the tops of their voices! A successful days walking followed! Nothing especially significant today, except the Victoria Police this time checked that all was well. It was so nice for us each to have a hot shower at Cann River after 3 days without! We are camping the night in another free caravan park- a lovely one. No power, but toilets and water available. We... got our free shower at the United Service Station! When the attendant heard what we are doing he decided to reward us with a free shower each! Collected a few donations in the town. Tomorrow we start outside of Cann River- walk in, and then head to Orbost, 70 km away, which will take us 2 and a bit days to achieve. Jim is not feeling 100%, but a good nights sleep will go a long way! Had some good chats with my wife Helen today which was really good!
11.01.2022 After trying to publish a table on Facebook and failing, this is our attempt to take figures from the table and publish as best we can in text format. We start... with km walked by participants and finish with donations received: Marianne Nicholas- 25km-Monday 6th-249km before that. Michael Nicholas- 12.5km-Monday 6th- 49km before that. Michael Nicholas- 12.5 km cycled- 49km cycled before that. Gary Parsons- 25km-Mon 6th Bronwyn VanBockel- 9 km-Mon 6th Graham Lee- 25km- Mon 6th Steve W- 5km on his mountain bike- Mon 6th Jim Groves- Our Cameraman Total km walked on Mon 6th- 96.5km Total altogether counting before Mon 6th- 395km Sponsorship/Donations received( 7/1/20)- $1460
11.01.2022 Day 25- Week 4- Day 4- Thursday 28th September 17- We started off early this morning from the Billabong Roadhouse at Ross and the weather was truly lovely. Made... good progress and met lots of white cockatoos again who were very upset with me. I tried to assure one pretty angry Mum that I wouldnt go near her babies, but she obviously didnt believe me! We passed the important 250km post, happy to realise we had 3/4 now behind us and only 1/4 ahead. A commercial/business van pulled up in front of me shortly after so I ran ahead to greet him, but it wasnt me he wanted to see- it was Jim! He wanted to buy the Fairlane! Jim very kindly didnt sell! Today received lots of beeps and waves and well-wishers. One lady called me over to see if Id lost anything- shed seen us yesterday looking as well! She was amazed when we told her what we were doing, so gave her a brochure and she may contribute. Another 2 cars called and one lady said she would send a contribution online. Ive not been able to help noticing the many animals struck down by vehicles. Passed a lovely big wombat and an echidna today- so sad! Such lovely creatures just cut down! So many roos and wallabies Ive seen also! Jim had a big scare today from what he thought was a snake, but turned out to be a blue-tongue lizard! Phew! Had a phone call while walking from WIN News (TV) and they asked if they could have an interview-planning for one soon. I think our good friend Shane whom I introduced yesterday had a hand in lining this up! Thank you Shane for being so proactive and diligent! Had another call tonight from Channel 9 and they are planning to meet me on the road tomorrow once they knew where Id be walking, so that sounded like a good thing also! Made it to Stratford - seemed a long, long way, but Sale was much closer. When we got to Sale we found the Baptist church very easily, rang the pastor, and he was round in a flash! Another one organised by our good friend Tony, Steves brother. We were given access to toilets, shower, rooms- felt like kings! Thank you Sale Baptist and Pastor Robert for such wonderful hospitality! We have been truly blessed like this so often on this trip- just amazing! Jim cooked up a beautiful meal again and Im sleeping tonight in the church. We have been so blessed! Thank you for all your support and comments and calls etc- just so encouraging! Hard to convey to you all in words how I feel- read all your comments and all those who send likes etc- feel a sense of being quite overwhelmed! See more
10.01.2022 My apologies for no report tonight from the Walk. Lost internet access. Report done with photos and will send tomorrow as soon as we move out of this seeming internet hole. Optus working but not Telstra! Gary
10.01.2022 Day 26- Week 4- Day 5- Friday 29th September 17. Left Sale early this morning bound for Rosedale. Crossed the Thomson river, and not long after had a call from... Channel 9, who soon arrived. We spent 30 mins approx with Alex and Ethan doing interviews and walking and posing for shots etc. I couldnt believe how thorough Ethan was with everything as the cameraman. Alex also was very thorough with the interview- it was all a marvellous experience! Later in the day, Rachel and Brett from WinNews interviewed us, and they too were so thorough and good, just as the others had been! They asked lots of good questions and promised the www.kidsofgold.org.au website would be displayed on the story. When we got into Rosedale later today, we found a hotel that was willing to let us watch the 6pm news. We rushed round to the local caravan park ( for free), had our tea, and planned to get back to the hotel to catch the news. While doing this, Jim spoke to some people nearby us who invited us to their spacious Mobile Van Home to watch it on their TV! Jim collected a donation from another lady who gave when she heard what we were doing. Our guests wanted to watch WinNews, and we saw ourselves on TV and saw the coverage given, and felt the Channel had done a very good job! They also put our website up for all to see to encourage donations, as promised. Weve had feedback from a number of people already who saw it, and each one felt they had done well! Our guests turned back to the other channel, the Channel 9 one, with Jo Hall, but we saw nothing on there from todays interview. We may have missed it in the first half while watching WinNews, but so far we have not found anyone who saw it. If any of you did, please let us know! The TV would have to be set on Channel 8 to get it. The Channel 5 setting was the WinNews one. Both were on at 6pm Wed love to get a copy of both of them if anyone knows how to do that! We passed the 80-20 barrier today! 80% behind us and 20% ahead. The 191 post below means were under 200k. Actually, were about at the 82-18 barrier tonight! Met a number on the road today calling me over to ask what were doing! Gave them all a brochure and some said theyd give! Our gas ran out today- just as Jim finished cooking the tea! Had lasted all this time away without running out once! We raced up the street after tea and found a place open that had gas, quite cheaply! When we got back, I couldnt find the dongle for the internet connection, but after intensive searching, and prayer, it was discovered on the floor under the big bed! Had fallen down accidentally! Phew! I was getting quite worried!
10.01.2022 This is now the first anniversary of the Sydney-Melbourne 2017 Pilgrimage Walk. This Friday 5th October will be the day the walk was completed at Parliament House Melbourne, with $13,200 raised, and another $400 promised yet to come in. This money has enabled Scholarships and further sponsorships to be made as a result. The link below will take you to a PowerPoint Slideshow of the Walk: https://1drv.ms/p/s!ApQkU1VnvnTGgqlwPMn9ZgUoxQ_r3g
09.01.2022 Day 19- Week 3-Day 5- Very poor reception here-I hope this gets through! Were at McKenzie River Rest area between Cann River and Orbost. Hope to be in Orbost t...omorrow with the van, but unlikely Ill make it that far on foot. Will come back to complete it the day after. Good days walking today. Couldnt help noticing the beauty of the rainforests I was walking through- the beautiful and many cries of the birds when the traffic was gone- to be replaced by the thunderous roar of the trucks and vehicles with their clanging and banging and harsh noises. AtIf one point today, Jim passed me with the van, and at that exact moment, a van tried to pass Jim- the 3 of us were caught simultaneouslyin a straight line. The van came so close to me, and I was walking as far off the road as possible, it was quite scary! Protection again! No photos today- not enough internet to attempt them, but I do want to say a big thank you to the many who are giving us feedback with comments and encouragement, and to the many also who are sending their likes! We note all of them! I wish I could respond to them all but know I cant! Your support in every way, whether by words, encouragement, prayers, likes etc all count enormously! Thank you, thank you and thank you! See more
09.01.2022 Marianne and her son Michael are on the Dandenong Creek trail getting in some early walking already! Good to see this prior to the official Walk starting on Mon 6th Jan 20! See kidsofgold.org.au for more details- email us at [email protected] to book in. Online application coming soon on the website!
09.01.2022 2nd Day of the Walk- Wednesday 8th January 2020- Of the 7 people expected 6 arrived, and after doing a number of video interviews we set off. The weather for ...the day was overcast at the start, but it turned into a sunny and quite warm afternoon in the end. Annette Stone and Em were first time walkers with us, and the interview with Annette youll find on this posting. With the medical challenges she has faced in recent times it was such an inspiration for us all to see her joining us for part of the walk! Em is from Thailand and has been studying in Australia, always keen to help in causes that help other people, especially in working together with communities to that end, as he told me of what he had done in Thailand. Em and I had some fascinating conversations as we walked, sharing with each other about our lives, faith and motivations in reaching out to others, making the walk seem even shorter as a result. A posting of a table showing numbers of km walked and donations received so far is shown here. We are very pleased to announce that 413km have been walked in total so far, with $1435 in donations. See more
08.01.2022 Whoooohoo! It is finally done. I rejoined Gary for the last segment of the walk. The first time I have had shoes on for three and a half weeks. Walked with him from the Myer Music Bowl to Parliament House with a few faces from Kids Of Gold camps as well. The tender spot on my heel is a little sore but OK. We met a couple of polititians there and a group of our deicated supporters.
08.01.2022 2nd Day- 3rd and Final Week- Wednesday 22nd January 20- This was the 8th day of the walk, with 4 turning up and one cancellation. There were 2 others walkin...g however, but not at the Dandenong Creek Trail - Marianne, who walked again yesterday as well as today, and Kelley-Page Kelly who is on holidays and sent a photo of where she is.The lake pic below might give it away! Weather again was beautiful for the walk, and in talking to Nita and Kyla who again turned up, I commented that we owed a lot to the ladies for their support on this Walk, with well over half of our walkers coming from the ladies! Nita and Kyla went with me to the turnaround point once again, and this time the horses came out to meet us so we tried getting some photos of this. A lady began talking to us at the exercise area and asked us lots of questions abour what we were doing and why. We invited her to check it out on line and gave her details of it. She took some photos of us with our camera which was really nice of her. When we got to the turnaround point, Kyla, whod been struggling said she was now no longer tired. Pretty amazing! I did the return trip on my own, but was able to avoid the downpour this time- it was a beautiful weather return with little to worry about! Marianne logged up over 500 km today, putting her past Eden and well on the way towards Genoa on the map as the Sydney to Melbourne would have looked like! The table shows 1162km walked in total, with the Total Donations received now coming to $2150. On Friday, 24th Jan, we will be doing the final leg of the Walk for this holiday period! Come and join us if you can! Would be great to finish on a high!
05.01.2022 Day 22- Week 4- Day 1- Monday 25th Sept 17- Today was the coldest one yet, combined with the strong winds and rain! First rain weve had except for a little lea...ving Eden. Not that it rained for long, but it did require the raingear out and coats out. Jim visited the Trestle Bridge that was part of the railway system joining Orbost and Bairnsdale. He was so impressed with the height of the bridge ( we think about 75 feet) and how the men all those years ago could have built such a massive structure with such minimal equipment- horses, chains, ropes, shovels etc. The history of these areas is pretty amazing we felt! Big highlight! We passed the 333km from Melbourne post-see photos! Only 1/3 of the way yet to go, 2/3 behind us! We spent quite some time going through the shops at Lakes Entrance today, and I was surprised at how many gave, even though a number are struggling! Some shops where the owner was absent, the employees gave out of their own monies, they were so impressed! It was good to be able to bank monies we had held for a while- have been waiting to find a Bendigo Bank and we found an agency at Lakes. Pushed on from Lakes towards Bairnsdale, and found a nice little road leading into the bush and settled down there for tonight. Jim has some drumsticks cooking on the stove- can hardly wait to consume them! It was a good day and we felt weve made good progress. See more
05.01.2022 Day 1 of Kids of Gold 2020 Walk- We soon learned of the 20 we were hopeful of coming today, 9 were coming and 2 of those had to change plans at the last minute,... but we were so glad to see the 7 who did! One was our cameraman, and of the 6 who came on the walk, The rain made walking very pleasant today- just enough to keep us cool and not too wet! Steve W our Director was unable to walk so he rode his bike until he had to turn back not well. Those who walked did nearly 100km today between them. Our first two photos show us getting ready, with the group photo showing Marianne, her son Michael. Bronwyn Van Bockel, Gary Parsons, Graham Lee and Steve W with his amazing dog Willow who came as well. The rain didnt deter us, with Bron and Marianne taking the early lead. The last photo was of 4 of us well on the way on our return journey. Some who couldnt come today plan to come on Wednesday 7th and Friday 9th Jan. Donations are coming in- internet banking can be done using Kids of Gold Inc, BSB 633 000 and Account No: 129 551 552 or using the doation button on the website for credit cards on www.kidsofgold.org.au . and join us if you can on Wednesday 7th Jan at 7am at Colchester Reserve, Boronia. See more
05.01.2022 3rd Day Week 3 Friday 24th January and Final Day of Walk these holidays. It was good to see Michael back with his Mum, Marianne. It was Michaels birthday so... he couldnt stay with us for long, but he showed us the magic tricks hes been learning from his presents and he was one very good magician! We started out with 7 walkers and narrowed down to 3 after Dorset Rd. The rest of the way we had a very lengthy conversation about life- covering I think everything possible! It made the walk seem even quicker as a result! We stopped off at the turnaround point at MST for lunch etc and then headed back, arriving back around 2.30pm, which I think was the earliest group arrival time back for the whole 9 days of the Walk! Michelles feet were hurting at the turnaround point and hurt for most of the way back, but she didnt give up, and was really striding it out as we got closer to the finish line! Over the whole of the Walk we ended up with 16 people altogether participating in it, and with 1267km covered, and a further 67 km covered between Michael and Steve W with riding and skating etc, mostly coming though from Michael. We received $2310 in donations, and we are aware that more is coming in to add to that. Any wishing to add further can do so with a card using the website facility at www.kidsofgold.org.au or with online banking or at a Bendigo Bank using these details: Kids of Gold Inc BSB No: 633 000 and Acc No: 129 551 552 Thank you all for your support, and thank you for some who donated without us being able to send a receipt or say thank you which we do so here instead! Thank you all!
03.01.2022 I finally succumbed to retire from the walk to get the proper rest I desperately needed. That evening the mate looking after my dog messaged to say she was unwell. The next day he said she will not walk or even stand. When I got there the next evening, she would not get up to greet me after two weeks absence. My first day of rest? (monday) was Macey barely moving and yelping in pain. An appointment at the vet for teusday morning, I had faded vision and flashing bright l...ights in my left eye. Macey at the vets for Xrays, I went to an optometrist who said an occlusion (blockage) in the main vein of my retina. Collect Macey then to Melbourne to the eye and ear hospital. They agreed ... blood tests and a visit to my GP. The eye settled and still have 20/20 vision, Macey inproves each day. Awaiting blood test results for my eye. Macey seems to have dislocated her hip and will recover well. All "calm" for the moment but the time has not been restful in the slightest. Although definately the right time to arrive home (well ... mums place). Almost forgot ... foot is healing well, swelling is gone and I can do a little bit. Antibiotics for another week. Still looks angry though. See more
02.01.2022 3rd Day of the Walk- Friday 10th January 2020- After Wednesdays walk, I thought my legs were sunburnt, but on visiting the doctor on the Thursday, he said it w...asnt sunburn but ordered some tests be done and that I report back the next day, Friday 10th. Of the 5 expected today, 3 came, and Bronwyn and I walked while Marianne and Michael and family took up a generous holiday offer at Cowes, Philip Island, and walked down there! They sent a picture of them at the end of the walk overlooking the sea, so they did their kms regardless, walking on the Thursday as well! Bron did an interview before we started, and youll see that on this posting also. Bron walked the early part of the walk and then had to go. I hadnt planned to do the full 25km today, because of the heat forecast, but also to get back in time to see the doctor. When I got to the Eastlink Freeway underpass ( see pictures), I checked my time and realised this was the quickest Id ever got to the Freeway, and as I didnt feel hot and my legs felt right, I kept walking to the end, taking photos (without faces!) of the bikes flying past ( scores of them!) and a young family on the trail moving very quickly and showing the Junction of the Eastlink and Dandenong trails as well. Almost had a collision with a bike in a tunnel where 2 bikes turned swiftly and sharply into the tunnel, the front bike assuming no-one was on the RHS. She managed to pull up coming off her bike and me leaning right away with no collision occurring. Bron rang later and said shed prayed for safety! Close shave! As I walked alone today I reflected on the question I often get asked, Do you get paid for this? and I thought, I reckon I get paid more than anyone! Not in dollars and cents, but in far greater value- the satisfaction and the joy and the contentment of knowing that acceptance, value and love are poured out on kids by the team and they see it and know it and come back for more! Yes, Im very rich thats for sure I concluded! Someone once said if you lose your life for my sake youll find it- that is so true! And the more I give the more I receive! That is also so true! I meant the other day to restate that donations can be made for sponsoring kids on the website using a credit card, and they can be made direct over the internet to the Kids of Gold Account at: Kids of Gold Inc, BSB No: 633 000 Acc No: 129 551 552 or at a Bendigo Bank using these account details. Make sure you include an I.D. in both of these cases. Sorry I cant add todays table, but Km walked are now up to 575 km in total and donations up $20 received by Marianne to $1455. See more
02.01.2022 On Mon 4th Sept 2017, we commenced a walk from Bankstown, Sydney, reaching the Parliament House, Melbourne on Friday 6th October 2017. This now is the Anniversary of the Pilgrimage/Walk, and is shared here in this Powerpoint Slide presentation. The Walk commenced at the Bankstown Public School where I, Gary, first went to school. We announced at a General Assembly at the school what we were doing, and then took 20 students and teachers to the place where I was born, telling... memories along the way, and then walked to Grandpas house which was unchanged from my youth. This was my first visit to my school since I was 6 years old, and the first time I had walked from school to home etc since then as well. The school formed an arch of honour to send us on our way, and a Kids of Gold camper, Jordyn, walked the first 6km with us. The rest is recorded in this slideshow: https://1drv.ms/p/s!ApQkU1VnvnTGgqlwPMn9ZgUoxQ_r3g A sum of $13,200 was raised from the walk, and this has and is being used to provide Scholarships and sponsorships for children to come to Kids of Gold camps
01.01.2022 1st Day- 2nd Week- Monday 13th January 20- This is the 4th day of the Walk , and out of the 12 expected today we ended up with 7 going on the walk- our best re...sult yet! The problem with the rash on Garys legs reminded him of the very scary night when the annexe got blown right off the van by fierce winds at Bulli and how it almost seemed to spell the end of the 2017 Walk. We were reminded of the words of Daniel who came forward to do a seemingly impossible task, but said to the king there is a God in heaven. Well, when Gary showed us the rash on his legs had gone, with the doctors being completely perplexed by it, we knew again that there is a God in heaven. Today we welcomed Grahams son Jono as a new walker, so 7 of us set out and you can see on he table how many km we did. The pics of eating lunch were rather special as the 3 of us were guests at MST ( Melbourne School of Theology) over a lovely glass table! Donations today increased by $30, which may not sound very much, but we are grateful for all that comes in, whether it be small or great. The effectiveness of a gift is based on the heart behind it, so we look for generous hearts more than anything else! As the bushfire giving is a big thing at present, the contribution that Kids of Gold camps can give is to help kids in the very areas where the long-term impact from the bushfires will very much affect kids- areas such as trauma, stress and anxiety, which is also being stressed a lot lately in the media. Total km today between walkers was 146km, making a total overall amount of 721km.
