The hard yards for good vibes

By Tania Martin
MOST people would baulk at walking 100 kilometres in just 48-hours but not Rosemary Baker and her team Good Vibes.
This group of four from Emerald and Monbulk are set to take on one of the world’s most challenging events, the Oxfam Trailwalk.
Rosemary Baker, Kirsten Eakins, Darren Bell and Michelle Jennings will take the plunge this weekend for the challenge of a life time.
It’s hard to imagine that these four have only known each other six months.
They met when Kirsten put up a notice at her local gymnasium, Vibe Health and Fitness in Emerald, calling for people to join her in the walk.
“We had all heard of it and what a great experience it was and wanted to give it a go,” Rosemary said.
“It’s such a great fundraiser but also on a personal level it’s a great physical challenge.”
Michelle said the team has been training nights, weekends and whenever possible since November.
“It’s such a gruelling event that you really have to train hard to be prepared,” she said.
The walk is not just about the challenge or the fundraising but about the bond between friends, family and co-workers that is formed through the months of training.
The Oxfam Trailwalk was first started in 1981 as a military exercise run for the Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment in Hong Kong.
Since then the walk has become a major international fundraising event held in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.
This gruelling event has raised more than $60 million internationally with thousands of people competing each year.
The walk first came to Australia in 1999 when people in Sydney and Adelaide took up the challenge and raised more than $250,000. But it wasn’t until 2003, that Melburnians took up the challenge and added the event to the calendar.
Now, five years on, the walk has a record number of walkers ready to take up the challenge this weekend in more than 650 teams of four.
They have to walk or run 100 kilometres within 48 hours, from Jells Park in Wheelers Hill through the Dandenong Ranges to Wesburn Park in the Yarra Valley.
For the Good Vibes team, the Oxfam walk has been a fantastic way to make new friends while raising funds for a great cause.
The team is hoping to raise $3000 and so far has managed to collect $2289. Anyone wanting to help the team out with their fundraising efforts can log onto their team web address at www.oxfam.org.au/tailwalker/team/231.