Toyota Landcruiser Club of Victoria.

On Tuesday 19th May, I had the great honour of speaking to the TLC. The night had special significance to me given that I had spoken to the club prior to starting the walk back in May 2008. This club and The Victorian Four Wheel Drive Association were strong supporters of my walk in that I had spoken on several occassions on the VFWD Radio program whilst on the track.

I wish to thank all members of the TLC for their support on the night. Their questions and responses were very encouraging. The club made a donation of $500 collected from the members on the night. A wonderful gesture, much appreciated!

Assumption College Kilmore

On Wednesday 20th May, Marg and I visited Assumption College,Kilmore. I had a great time presenting to the Year 11 level through the afternoon. With a full two hours available, students were given the opportunity to ask as many questions as they wished as well as view many photos from the walk. The result was a true recreation of my trek and the opportunity to share in detail my experiences of the walk The feedback was great and the time simply flew!

Rotary Club of Chadstone / East Malvern

I had the pleasure of addressing the Rotary Club of Chadstone / East Malvern on Wednesday 3rd June at The Matthew Flinders Hotel. The night was very enjoyable with lots of questions asked regarding life on the track. The photo slideshow was a big hit with some great feedback given on the night.

Scotch College, Melbourne

As part of a few days of CRT work, I was lucky to have the opportunity of sharing the story of The Walk with the Year 7 & 8 levels. The response was terrific. Perhaps the idea of putting a pack on your back and leaving home for a year catches the imagination of young boys in particular! Hopefully, I may have the chance to address other levels of this school in the future. I would look forward to it.

Rotary Club of Canterbury

On Monday 22nd, I was invited to address the Rotary Club of Canterbury. This was a wonderful evening. The members really got into my talk and the whole presentation became quite interactive. I was particularly appreciative of the club's donation of $1,000 to The Walk. Regardless of the donation, Canterbury had a very good 'feel' as I became aware the audience had quite some empathy for the reasons behind my walk. I regret I have no photos of the night.

Rotary Club of Glen Eira

Held at the London Tavern Hotel on Tuesday 30th June, my talk with the Glen Eira members was memorable for the good humour and positive atmosphere with this club. There were many good laughs had during the evening as the talk slipped into a fairly relaxed sort of affar. The result was some real enjoyable interaction with the members as we covered so many of the everyday and humourous issues which come with a buhwalk across the country!

Packenham Bush Walking Club

What a fantastic evening. Held on Thursday 30th July at Berwick United Church Hall, whilst outside was all rain and wind, inside was a warm and welcoming audience. Being a Bush Walking Club, I felt like there was a bond with the audience like no other so far since the walk finished. At the invitation of Geoff and Jan Voll, I recreated the walk to an audience who could relate to the trials and tribulations of life on the track. Given the average age of the audience was quite senior, I realised that whilst my story holds its own mystery and appeal, many of these club members had far greater experience in the Australian bush than myself. Unlike other talks, I could took more freely about issues such as my equipment used and some of the techniques of endurance bush waking. Needless to say, the quality and depth of their questions showed they had a true understanding of the art of bush walking and could appreciate some of the finer points of survival. Indeed, if given the chance, I'd gladly join into one of this club's walks in the future.They were very good company and very supportive of my resons for the walk tself.

Rotary Club of Brimbank

This talk was held at the Taylors Lake Hotel on 12th August. Being so close to the school I have been teaching at for the past 17 years, Catholic Regional College North Keilor, it was pleasing but no real surprise to meet members whose chldren had been past students of mine. tonight, the time seemed to fly and I would have loved more time with this great group of people.Once again, the questions from the audience showed they had gained a feel for what the walk was all about. It was with much gratitude that I accepted a donation of $1,000 for The Walk. The best thing about this wonderful gesture was that this donation brought the total to be presented to The Cancer Council to $20,000. Although  personally I had hoped to raise so much more, reaching this milestone means a lot to me. Hopefully, further speaking engagements will further boost this totla in coming weeks and months.

Marymede Catholic College

On Tuesday 2nd September, I was invited to address the students of Marymede Catholic College in South Morang. I was a key speaker alongside the Mayor of Whittlesea, Mary Lalios. The topic was Styles of Leadeship and was designed to inspire and encourage the students to consider putting themselves forward as candidates for leadership positions within the college for next year. I really enjoyed the event and the students were excellent. My tals was focused on taking risks and discovering more about yourself and your true capabilities in the process. 'Having a go!'

It was particularly pleasing to catch up with a former teaching colleague of mine, Mr. Paul Fumei. Paul is the Principal of this rapidly growing school and I wish him every succes in this challenging postion as the college expands into VCE next year.

Albert Park Rotary Club

Later the same day, I presented at the Albert Park Rotary Club at the Victorian Lifesaving headquarters at Sandridge. It was a fun gathering with a big attendance and it seemed Tim Holding's unfortunate ordeal in the High Country was on everyone's mind. This lead to some excellent questions from the floor and the news of me using just two band aids for the entire twelve months in the bush was well received. A great group of people in a very professionally run club!

Rotary Club of Moe

On Monday 7th September I was fortunate to present to the Moe Rotary Club at Old Gippstown. This was a special presentation to me as it was at a location I actually walked through. The members were very interested and asked some wonderful questions. Being an intimate venue, it was possible to really involve peope in the presentation and photos and once again, questions about Tim Holding's experiences abound. I really enjoyed this night and wish the members of Moe Rotary the very best for the future!

Rotary Club of Mitchell River

Monday 5th October saw me giving a walk presentation to the members of Mitchell River Rotary. The smaller of the meeting rooms at the Bairnsdale RSL made for an intimate setting but also created a lively atmosphere. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed telling my story to this wonderful and apreciative audience. As I'm currently living nearby it was a little like playing a home game and the questoins asked showed a genuine level of interest and support for the walk and its aims. A very good night with a great group of people!

Rotary Club of Brighton

As the sun set across beautiful Port Phillip bay, I was enjoying the wonderful hospitality of the Rotary Club of Brighton at the very impressive Royal Brighton Yacht Club. It was a big turn out in a big room and I was really pleased with the reaction of the audience. There seemed to be a very positive response to my photographic slideshow accompanying my talk prompting some interesting questions from the floor. I know this club is a strong supporter of anti cancer causes and has raised a large amount of funding for cancer research over the years. It was a great night for myself as i felt quite accepted by all.

St Louis De Montford Mens Club

What a wonderful group of people. Tonight, Monday 19th October, was a little different than many of my previous presentations. The students of ST Louis De Montford Primary School raised money for the Walk, largely due to the efforts of my brother, John, a teacher at the school. Tonight was an opportunity to meet some of the parents and friends of the students and share my story. The pace was a little more relaxed than other presentations given I had more time to tell a fuller story. I believe everyone had an enjoyable night and I was able to answer a huge number of questions from the audience. There was a lot of humour as with more time, i tend to be able to focus on some of the lighter moments of my year on the track and having John present allowed me to bounce a few stories of him from his visit north back in January. I drove back to Bairnsdale late this night very pleased to have made the effort to travel to Melbourne.

My visits to both Sale and Morewell Rotary Clubs will be added very shortly!