Alan Thorpe, who is currently walking from his home in Ballarat to Australia’s capital, via Shepparton, says the display will form a visual representation of how many men and youth died by suicide the year before, making a wordless statement that screams ‘2500 too many’.
Mr Thorpe set out on his almost 800km trek, inspired by his and his family’s own struggles with mental health and suicide, on October 20 and is expected to wander into Shepparton just after 7am on Wednesday, October 29.
He will then walk another 25km on the Goulburn Valley Hwy towards his destination to get his daily 30km goal completed, before circling back to Shepparton for the night and a rest day on Thursday.
While here, he will network with local mental health services, and meet and greet the public.
He plans to reach his destination on International Men’s Day on November 19.
His aim is to “give parliament the much-needed push to make changes in the way mental health is looked at in this country”.
Mr Thorpe’s current walk is the fifth long walk he’s done to raise money and awareness of the issue, with his fundraising tally for Beyond Blue up around $80,000 to date.
Local Yorta Yorta man and recovery advocate Jarvis ‘Chainbreaker’ Atkinson invites supporters to meet Mr Thorpe near the Shepparton Courthouse at around 7.30am on Wednesday, October 29, to support the walker by treading some steps north alongside him.
Mr Atkinson is also looking to organise a public barbecue during Mr Thorpe’s rest day in Shepparton on Thursday, and is welcoming anyone who wants to be involved to join in.
For updates or to contact Mr Atkinson, find him on Instagram or TikTok (search @Chainbreaker826).
To follow Mr Thorpe’s journey and stay updated on his arrival to Shepparton, follow his Facebook page, Iwalkformensmentalhealth.
For 24/7 support, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. If life is in danger, phone 000.
