A team of daring travellers, including local resident and Australian Survivor contestant, Sue Clarke, have recently returned from an epic journey along the Great Wall of China. The purpose of the trip was to raise money for the charity Act for Kids, which they well and truly did! The team raised over $53,000 between them, and the money raised will be enough to deliver 5300 hours of therapy to help Act for Kids support children and families whose lives have been affected by child abuse and neglect.
Sue said of the bucket list adventure: “I can’t begin to tell you how beautiful the trek was. The country is stunning, with Mongolia on one side and China on the other. We stayed in guesthouses in the local villages, which also added to the whole experience. We climbed and trekked the wild wall, which is closed to the general public. Every day we would start our trek climbing very steep, rugged paths to the top of mountains and then generally spend around 4 to 6 hours hiking along the wild wall. It was a hard slog trekking up but once you got to the top the scenery and the wild expanse of the wall stretching as far as the eye could see through mountain ranges took our breath away.”
The trek also provided an opportunity for Sue to face a personal challenge. She says, “I must admit there were some parts where it wasn’t a good time to remember that I don’t like heights! There were some scary vertical drops on each side of a little goat track. Still, I faced my fear and did it anyway.” The purpose of their trip was always at the forefront of their minds. Sue says “As a group of eight people, all of who have links to the charity Act for Kids, we would take time to remember why we were on the wall and to pledge to continue supporting this charity, raising awareness and funds to keep their free services for abused children and families open, and to get across the message that ‘every child deserves and happy and safe childhood’.”
Sue would like to pass on her thanks to the local community who helped her and husband Ron reach their fundraising goal of $10,000. “I can’t tell you enough how appreciative myself and Ron are for our local Chittering and Bindoon community support. Special thanks to Bindoon Bakehaus, Chittering Chamber of Commerce, Chequers Golf Club and of course the Northern Valley News.”
If you would like to find out more about supporting Act for Kids, head to their website at www.actforkids.com.au
