General News
2 August, 2023
Community backs Alan in second Adelaide walk attempt
This time it's personal.
An army of like-minded businesses and community members are getting behind charity walker Alan "The Walking Bogan" Thorpe, as he makes his second attempt to walk from Ballarat to Adelaide for mental health awareness.
On September 1, Mr Thorpe will again set off from Ballarat with hopes of walking to Adelaide, all the while raising money for BeyondBlue.
It comes after his first attempt in early 2022, which saw Mr Thorpe get as far as Bordertown, before he had to call it quits because of a foot injury which required hospitalisation.
Far from a failure however, Mr Thorpe ended up raising a total of $18,000 for the mental health support charity - and went back to Ballarat with an even stronger desire to bring about positive change.
This time around the charity walker has picked up several local business sponsors, such as The Sporting Globe and Vintage Collectors Market.
"It is unreal to get the local community behind me. I am getting a lot of local sponsors on the Adelaide side as well, because I have a guy over there doing a lot of things for me behind the scenes," Mr Thorpe said.
"I'll have my own webpage up and running shortly. It is really growing."
He had also been given a shoe sponsorship, something which he says will be critical to the success of this year's Adelaide walk.
"My first attempt at Adelaide was my very first walk, so it was a bit of a learning curve. Wrong shoes, there were a lot of issues, but I have learned a lot so I am tackling it again," Mr Thorpe said.
"It was still 340 kilometres, but not where I wanted to finish. I ended up in hospital and my feet were just bad. They were black."
Other issues, such as the support Winnebago following Mr Thorpe having an oil leak, also plagued his first attempt.
Between 2022 and 2023, Mr Thorpe completed several other long walks to raise money for men's mental health charities, including a 900 kilometre walk across 30 days in April.
Once he reaches Adelaide, Mr Thorpe said he planned to walk from Ballarat to Canberra, to deliver his mental health message to the doorstep of parliament.
"Check on your mates, a simple message can save someone's life. Be more kind to people," Mr Thorpe said.
"If you walk past a stranger, just saying hello can change their day, the simplest thing can make a big impact to people. Don't be scared to reach out.
"It is not weak to speak."
To donate to Mr Thorpe's cause, visit his Facebook page.
If you or someone you know is in need of crisis support, phone Lifeline 13 11 14. Help is also available, but not limited, via the following organisations. The key message is you are not alone.