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Walk wins support for heartfelt cause

28 Sep, 2010 12:00 AM
TEN sore and blistered feet earned a well-deserved rest last Wednesday after their efforts at finding a cure for multiple sclerosis.

Five women finished the inaugural 270-kilometre Mudgee2Sydney Walk in Chatswood after 11 days of pounding the pavement.

The aim was to raise awareness and money for MS, a disease that affects the central nervous system.

It's a cause close to event organiser Katrina Hemingway's heart, after her husband Mike was diagnosed seven years ago.

She and her fellow walkers achieved their initial fund-raising target of $100,000 on day eight of the trek.

Day nine was last Monday, where the women walked the 30-kilometre leg from Tench Reserve in Penrith to Blacktown Workers Sports Club.

They stopped for lunch at Bunnings Minchinbury, where Mrs Hemingway's local butcher from Turramurra made the drive west to donate sausages for the barbecue fund-raiser run by Cambridge Park Lions Club.

They continued to their final pit spot at Blacktown Sports Workers Club, where they were welcomed by the board with free drinks to refuel and a $1000 cheque.

They stayed overnight at Prospect Hotel to attend a trivia fund-raiser before Blacktown mayor Charlie Lowles resumed the walk the next morning.

"One of every four people we've met along the way on our walk knows someone with MS," Mrs Hemingway said.

"It's a difficult disease to live with. It has a big impact on their lives as it strikes during their most productive years."

One of the walkers was Debbie Bird, who has had MS for 18 years.

"Not once has she asked to ride in the support car," Mrs Hemingway said.

"The first days were hard as we were walking along bitumen.

"It's made us fitter as the past few days have been easier."

She hopes the Mudgee2 Sydney Walk will become a bi-annual event, much to the delight of proud husband Mike.

"Katrina walked the Kokoda Track for MS a few years ago but this is the first thing we've been able to do together," Mr Hemingway said.

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Going the distance: MS supporters Bron Dowling, Elizabeth Melchior, Katrina Hemingway, her husband Mike, Debbie Bird and Merran Cooper urged people to take a walk in their shoes during a pit-stop in Blacktown last Monday.Picture: Kieren L. Tilly
Going the distance: MS supporters Bron Dowling, Elizabeth Melchior, Katrina Hemingway, her husband Mike, Debbie Bird and Merran Cooper urged people to take a walk in their shoes during a pit-stop in Blacktown last Monday.Picture: Kieren L. Tilly

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