By PETER DOUGLAS
HEALESVILLE residents are being encouraged to dig deep and help out wounded, returned Australian soldiers.
Charity organisation Walking Wounded will be holding a fund-raising event at Queens Park Sound Shell on Saturday, August 1, at 2.30pm as part of its nationwide project, Traverse of Australia.
This project will see a team walk 65 kilometres per day for 65 days, followed by a kayak across Bass Strait, starting at Cape York in Queensland and finishing up at South East Cape in Tasmania.
The team is due to reach Healesville on August 1.
The charity aims to help veterans and families of soldiers who did not make it back from war.
They help rebuild lives through meaningful employment, networking, counselling and mentoring programs.
Founder and chief executive officer, Brian Freeman, who is also a veteran, is inviting locals to get involved.
“During the traverse, we’ll travel through 89 cities and towns,” he said.
“Our support teams, fund-raisers and merchandise vehicles will visit and spend time in every city and town we pass through.
“At all larger towns and cities, we’re inviting people to join us for the final 20, 10, 5 or 2km run and/or walk into town.”
Walking Wounded is aiming to raise $2 million, which will go towards suicide prevention and intervention, counselling and employment guidance.
This will help with the recovery, and physical and psychological impairment, of returned Australian soldiers.
Mr Freeman said the project would test out those involved.
“The journey will arguably be the greatest human endurance ever carried out,” Mr Freeman said.
“Our aim is to make a grand and lasting difference to the lives of contemporary veterans while honouring those people who made supreme sacrifice.”
The tribute to the Anzacs started at Mount Everest Base Camp on 2 April this year.
