MARG Symes will be undertaking her third and final huge walk across the Outback this April to raises funds for RFDS Wellbeing Place.
Ms Symes will walk from White Cliffs to Broken Hill, detouring to meet the highway between Packsaddle and Tibooburra.
“This time I’m doing a different track,” Ms Symes said, “so I’m not going to be on the highway for the whole lot.
“It’ll be our biggest walk, and we’re allowing two whole weeks for it.”
Ms Symes’ former route has been from Tibooburra to Broken Hill, which she estimates to be about 334km.
“I think there’s probably another 30kms added onto that for this one, so I’d say around 370, 380kms,” she said.
Broken Hill’s Wellbeing Place, run by the RFDS, directly supports people living remotely, and children with mental health challenges.
“I sort of stipulate that’s where my money is going to go,” she said.
The two walks Ms Symes has previously completed raised more than $52,000 for the cause.
“I personally have had people in my life that have committed suicide, had mental health issues, or tried to commit suicide,” Ms Symes said.
“I’d speak to people and they didn’t know about RFDS having the wellbeing centre, so I’ve been shocked by that as well.
“I thought, I need to get this out there. It wasn’t even initially about raising money, it was just about raising awareness.”
Ms Symes said along with sponsoring her on her walk by donating financially, she also raises money through things like raffles.
“So this year we’ve been able to get two big propeller blades off planes that were out of action, that Ross (Ms Symes husband) has fixed and they’ve gone to two artists to paint,” she said.
A Paint and Sip event will be held in White Cliffs to coincide with Ms Symes arrival pre-walk, and Packsaddle’s Easter Gymkhana will auction off items in support.
“If somebody would like to donate something to the auction, we’d love to take it off their hands,” Ms Symes said.
She’s also currently looking for financial sponsors for the trip from local businesses.
“The first year, Ross and I paid for the whole of fuel and accommodation,” she said.
“The last one, The Demo Club came on and sponsored me, so that paid for fuel, accommodation, any necessities, and what was leftover went into the fundraiser.”
She said her diet on the walk consists mostly of bananas, almonds and protein shakes, though she stops in at homesteads along the way for dinner with friends.
On her first walk, Mr Symes would drive multiple kilometres in front or behind her, but now travels alongside her for safety reasons.
“The very first time I did get attacked by a wedge-tailed eagle,” she said.
“I’d saw it in the distance, a long way away, and then I didn’t see it.
“Then I felt like I was falling onto the ground, and it clipped my ear, it was terrifying.
“I picked up two sticks and was just sitting there swinging them, and if somebody had have come across me they would’ve thought I was crazy!”
Ms Symes said it’s all a part of the adventure.
“And now I don’t have a fear of birds at all,” she said.
As well as raising money for mental health, Ms Symes said the long walks also have a positive impact on her own mental health.
“For me it puts things into perspective, to sort of sort my life out, where I want to go and what I want to do,” she said.
“And the sunrises and sunsets – you don’t get any better.”
For inquiries regarding donating, sponsorship or more, you can contact Marg Symes on 0408 858 524.
