By KATHRYN BERMINGHAM
IT WAS a proud moment for Mount Evelyn’s Iain Townsley when he donned full uniform, played his bagpipes and marched with a group of fellow SAS veterans into the Australian War Memorial in Canberra last month.
Iain has just returned from the Wandering Warriors 2014 Mega Challenge, a walk from Brisbane to Canberra to raise money for the wounded, injured and ill of the ADF and their families.
The event finished with a ceremony in Canberra and was sponsored by the Defence Force, which provided a cook and medic as well as assisting in transporting baggage and walkers between destinations.
Iain and the walkers covered approximately 20 kilometres per day and stopped in towns along the way to entertain locals and raise extra funds.
Iain is a renowned local piper and his bagpipes became a favourite throughout the journey.
After three weeks of keeping a busy schedule walking and entertaining local crowds at night, Iain piped the veterans up the stairs of the War Memorial on Thursday 16 October during a ceremony which was marked with a parachute jump by the Australian Army Parachute Display Team and attended by charity patron Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC and AWM director Dr Brendan Nelson.
During the ceremony, a plaque was unveiled commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Australian Special Air Service.
After joining the Junior Leaders Infantry Battalion of the Queen’s Own Highlanders and later the British SAS, Iain became associated with the Australian SAS when he moved here in 1988.
He has served in Borneo and Northern Ireland.
At 66 years old, Iain represented the average age among the group of ex-SAS soldiers, whose mission during the walk was twofold.
“Obviously the walk was very much about raising awareness.
“We stopped in small towns and spoke directly to locals about the cause of the Wandering Worriers.
“Overall, we aimed to raise funds for our charity partners that could then be used to help injured veterans.”
The Wandering Warriors are yet to receive a final figure on their fundraising efforts, but Iain said the support of local communities was overwhelming.
“The generosity of the people we came across was amazing. People in those small country towns were so willing to help.”
Regularly seen walking around the Mt Evelyn area, Iain has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
He regularly pipes at private, RSL and ADF events and maintains a connection with the local community.
“I would definitely like to do the walk again. It’s a great event for an important cause.”
For more information on the walk or to donate to the Wandering Warriors visit wanderingwarriors.org.
