Walk a Mile in My Boots

This year's Hutt Street Centre "Walk a Mile in my Boots' is on Friday, 5th August. This will replace our normal meeting on Thursday, August 4th. The event starts at Victoria Park/Wakefield Road at 7:30am and finishes at 8:00-8:30am at Hutt Street/South Terrace with a BBQ breakfast in the South Parklands. We should meet there at 7:15am, and please remember to wear your Rotary jumper/shirt.

 

"Walk a Mile in my Boots" is the Hutt Street Centre's official National Homelessness Prevention Week event designed to assist around 6,000 people who experience homelessness in South Australia each year.

 

This year they are focussing on Martin, who had a good life in Perth working in labour and construction for over 30 years. In 2016 Martin was hit with the news that he had developed Parkinson's disease. Aside from the devastating effects of the disease on his personal wellbeing, he knew instantly that this would ultimately affect his ability to work.

 

In 2015 when Martin was out of work in Western Australia, he was excited by the prospect of a job lined up through a friend in South Australia. Martin pulled together the last of his savings, packed his van and hit the road with high hopes for his future. When Martin arrived on site to this promised work, he was confronted with the reality of his yet to be diagnosed condition when he failed his pre-work medical exam, meaning that he would devastatingly lose this opportunity. 

 

"The biggest physical challenge, forgetting the health side of things, is the weather. In winter, condensation builds up inside my van, and I feel it on the top of my blanket on cold mornings."

 

Because no person who is homeless should ever feel they are walking alone, please join in walking one mile on a cold, winter's morning to find something to eat, a hot shower and a friendly face. By doing this you are sharing with the homeless community that you're there to help and support them; they are not alone.

 

I look forward to walking with all of you, plus a few dogs, on Friday, August 5th.