$30k raised in honour of Bali blast victims
Money boosts FNQ medical coffers

CO HMAS Cairns CMDR Neil Wark and a group of runners from the base make their way north to Cairns. Photo by Col Acton.

By CHAP Col Acton

Apparently only mad dogs and Englishmen venture out in the mid-day sun yet that is precisely what a group of men and women from HMAS Cairns (CMDR Neil Wark) did in the name of a good cause.

Starting out from Innisfail on a warm and sticky morning they beat an impressive pace to cover the 90 kms to Cairns in a little over seven hours.

CMDR Wark, one of the runners, remarked that the temperatures coming off the bitumen around midday were into the low 40’s and together with the humidity, which hovered around 90%, made the run extremely challenging.

The event was organised as a tribute to the Bali blast victims and raised just over $30 000.

Craig Salvatori, a former Australian rugby league Test player lost his wife Kathy in the carnage and he was determined to create something worthwhile from his personal tragedy.

Together with Wayne Nicholson, the proprietor of First National Real Estate in Townsville and SGT Ron Johnson, a PTI from RAAF Townsville, they took up the idea of a charity run.

SGT Ron Johnson devised a cunning plan, which would involve members from the Army, RAAF and Navy and cover the 800 kms from Mackay to Cairns in five days.

The run was timed to conclude with the start of the Newcastle Knights and Townsville Cowboys match being played at Barlow Park in Cairns on the evening of Friday the 28th.

The Navy team under the careful direction of POPT Miranda Harper were fortunate to complete the final stage and to take the lap of honour around Barlow Park. It felt pretty good to receive a standing ovation and much good will from the assembled crowd!

A medical team consisting of two army medics and our own ABMED Ashley Rhodes from HMAS Cairns also supported the runners.

A big thanks also to our two drivers (Hutch and Dingo) who patiently stayed at the helm of their vehicles providing much needed cold water and respite from the heat to the runners.

The Queensland Police force offered invaluable support, providing Highway Patrol Officers who ensured the runners always had a safe lane to run in.

The Bali victims charity run raised over $30 000 with proceeds going to medical infrastructure in Mackay, the Care Flight Helicopter in Townsville and a humidicrib at Cairns base hospital.

.