A walk to remember (not the Mandy Moore version)…
- ordinary_jess
- Apr 28, 2018
- 3 min read
It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t meant to be. It was to remember.
This week I attended the Midnight to Dawn ANZAC Day Walk in Millmerran, hosted by my friends at the Pride Active. Mr T had talked up the walk since we first met. I was suitably impressed that he had walked (and run) 22kms in the middle of the night. I was impressed but I certainly did not think that I would be doing it myself. 22km was, in my mind, unattainable. It was something that super fit people do, not ordinary walking women like me. Yet, despite my hesitation, Mr T signed us both up. We would do it together, and with our friends, to support a good cause.
It was something that super fit people do, not ordinary walking women like me.
While I have been improving my hiking fitness throughout the year, I have not yet walked over the 15km mark and definitely not in one go (especially since we had to cancel the Sunshine Coast Great Walk at Easter due to rain). I was nervous in the lead up and spent a great deal of time avoiding thinking about it. Nevertheless, as the event neared, the feelings of self-doubt invaded my mind.
After only 2 hours of sleep and an hour drive from Toowoomba we arrived in the small town of Millmerran (population approximately 1500). Instantly my heart lifted as we drove into the centre of town and saw hundreds of hand-made poppies decorating the median strip garden beds. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I needed to be reminded of why we were walking. We were there to remember, to pay a service to the men and women who had given their lives so that I may enjoy freedom.
44 men, women and children set off at 12am, with high spirits, pumped for the night ahead. The positive vibes were infectious and I enjoyed chatting with strangers, all united for a common goal. I was happy with my output for the first 10km. We maintained a good pace as a group and while I was tired, I was managing. The body was holding up satisfactorily. The half-way pit stop was welcomed, not just for the toilets, but for the warm coffee and snacks that Mr T had packed.
Following the stop, my momentum and high spirits slowly declined. It started with the knee, so I pulled out the knee brace. Then the feet began to swell, so I readjusted the shoes. It was the hips, the fatigue, but most of all, for the second 10km, it was the mental battle to continue.
And this is when I began to remember.
I had managed some sleep; they had not.
I had clean, warm clothes; they had not.
I had only been on my feet for 4.5 hours; they had been on their feet for days on end, suffering from conditions such as trench foot.
I had a plentiful supply of snacks; they were required to ration dry, tasteless biscuits for up to a week.
I knew I was going home to my dry, warm bed; they lay in trenches, cramped and warmed only by an overcoat and a single blanket. Rifle fire and shrapnel would often litter the sky above as they attempted to sleep.
It was these thoughts that helped me complete the last 10 kms of the walk.
I remembered the service men and women, both past and present, who have endured (and continue to endure) hardship.
I remembered their courage.
I remembered their sacrifice.
I remembered their endurance.
That is how I continued walking; I remembered. And I will never forget.
*Dice and Amy from @theprideactive need to be acknowledged for hosting such a great event. In doing so, they have raised in excess of $1000 for Soldier On, a not-for-profit, non-government funded organisation, who support modern-day veterans and their families. Well done, you two!
If you would like to donate to this cause, you may do so here - https://soldieron.giveeasy.org/campaigns/tpa-midnight-to-dawn-service/
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