Sophie Conlon
Driven by seeing close friends and family fight breast cancer, one Robe local has decided to walk the Great Ocean Road to help fund research.
Linda Tait said her business, Robe Getaways, was the major sponsor for the Robe Golf Club’s breast cancer fundraiser held annually in October, which led to her wanting to do more for the cause.
“After that I thought let’s do two big fundraisers a year,” she said.
“We thought May every year let’s do a Breast Cancer Awareness Month and raise money.”
She said a portion of profits from every stay with Robe Getaways in May would be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
“For anyone that comes and stays with us over May our company is donating $20 per stay,” she said.
“I’ve got owners who are donating 25 per cent of their income for the month of May; I’ve got other owners that are donating $20 per night.
“One owner, he is donating for April and May, so every time [someone] stays at his house he will donate $20 per night, and he is probably up to $1000 already.”
Wanting to do more for the cause, Ms Tait said the fundraising effort evolved into her doing a five-day walk along the Great Ocean Road.
“I set myself this personal challenge, thought I would push the boundaries a little bit, and I have a couple friends who decided to come along with me,” she said.
“I have never done anything like this before, ever in my life.”
The group would leave the Otway Lighthouse on Sunday, May 5, and expected to reach the 12 Apostles five days later.
Ms Tait said the hike would traverse terrains like sand and forest, with most of the hike classed as medium to hard.
“We’re carrying all our own stuff, so the big thing is water and food,” Ms Tait said.
“We’ve got our tent, our beds and one change of clothes and that’s it – we’re basically roughing it.”
Ms Tait said she was not sure why she chose a walk instead of another fundraising venture, but said she was already looking forward to a warm shower once the hike was complete.
“I don’t know why I decided to do a walk, my husband thinks I am absolutely mad,” she said.
Excited for the upcoming challenge, Ms Tait said it was important to keep up fundraising for research and building awareness for breast cancer.
With the form of cancer being so common, she thought people had become desensitised to it and might not be as careful with checking as they once were.
“It affects women and men, and I think that is one thing that people don’t understand,” she said.
“It is one of these huge things, the more research we can do the more we can help people and hopefully save those mothers and fathers and not have children without parents.
“I think it is really important to give money for research because of the so many different strains that people don’t know about.”
For information or to donate visit Robe Getaways Facebook page or fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/lindatait
