total received funds
Sponsor our team and help us raise money for Oxfam Australia.
We're past our target of $6,000
Sponsor our team and help to overcome poverty and injustice.
We've raised $7,418.
$7,000 can provide chickens and materials to set up poultry farms for vulnerable women in Zimbabwe.
We're walking 100km. Help us make a difference.
The Fab Four are gold fundraisers Help us reach our target of $6,000.donate to our team
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15 April
It's Here....!
Hi Everyone, tomorrow is event day and we are feeling ready if not a little nervous! We are truly overwhelmed by your support and donations and are so proud to be supporting Oxfam in this way. Thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far, we have well exceeded our fundraising target. You will be able to watch our progress from Friday morning on this site, so please tune in. We set out at 8.30am on Friday and hope to cross the finish line between 10-11am on Saturday. Supporting us out on the trail are our crew of Anne, Chris, Peter and Matt. To the crew, thank you in advance and remember you only get one go at slapping some sense into us should we appear delerious. Thank you also to Tabcorp and TAB Sportsbet who have been very generous in donating to the Tabcorp teams. We will be proud to wear your colours. Looking forward to a hearty pasta meal tonight and a good sleep. See you on the other side! The Fab Four (Deirdre, Jo, Kristi & Sharon) x
06 April
The Final Push
Hi everyone,10 sleeps to go! We've been overwhelmed with the support you have offered and continue to show us. You've helped us raise $5300 so far and we have raised our target to $6000 for this tremendous cause. Last weekend we trapsed along the warburton trail through to Warburton. A fairly flat stage of the trail which brings with it its own mental challenges. Thankfully everyone held up well and we had terrific distractions like this character on the right. He seemed to purposefully wander over from the opposite side of his paddock to say hello, stunning eyes! Easter has just been and gone and we took the opportunity to complete our final long walk. In an attempt to inject some freshness and motivation we set off on the two-bays walk from Dromana to Cape Schank and back. Up and over Arthur's Seat and through Green's Bush this was a truly stunning walk. Supported at our turnaround point by our dear friend Carol we managed a solid 47km (let's call it 50!). We arrived back in time to stand in the water at Dromana and admire a slow moving sting-ray at very close proximity. Everyone has pulled up well so a terrific achievement and feeling positive about the 100km, bring it on! If you can help us inch towards our new target of $6000 please donate using the link above. Thank you again for your ongoing support, it really does make a tremendous difference. The Fab Four x
24 March
Walking Through the Night ...
Hi everyone! We're on the countdown now with just over 3 weeks remaining until the big day. Check out the photo of Kristi, sporting her special compression socks - stylish! We've been training solidly now for over 3 months and while we're all enjoying the benefits of being much fitter, suspect we will be happy for the day to finally arrive! Let us paint you a picture.... last Friday night 4 chicks set out from Kallista to trek through the Sherbrooke Forest and Dandenong National Park in the dead of night with not much more than a headlamp each. Keeping each other rallied with jokes about the injured and weak being picked off the back, we managed to successfully navigate ourselves through 25km of pitch black bushland. There were a few falls along the way, some scrapes and bruises but mostly lots of laughs! Having successfully tackled the Melba Track steep descent and Hackett's Road (yes again, we just can't get enough) we emerged at Mt Evelyn just prior to midnight. A terrific effort by the team and everyone feeling even more confident. 2 more long walks remain, our big 50km session is scheduled for Easter Saturday. We are inching closer to our fundraising target of $5000 and are so very grateful to you all for your donations and support. If you haven't yet donated and would like to do so, please use the link on this page. Until next time.... Jo, Deirdre, Kristi & Sharon ('The Fab Four') x.
08 March
5 weeks and counting
Hi everyone, we've just tipped over the $3000 mark! A heartfelt thank you for supporting us in spirit and through your generous donations. We're on the countdown now as just over 5 weeks remain until event day. Last weekend saw us knock over 3 difficult checkpoints 1-4, including Sherbrooke Forest and the infamous Hackett's Road. Jo scaled the climb into Sherbrooke like a mountain goat, leaving us in her wake! The training is clearly paying off for us all though as Hackett's Road somehow felt easier this time around. The wildlife is beautiful and random rustlings from the bush keep us on our toes. We continue to put in as many km's on the road during the week as we can. You know you're in trouble when a 3hr walk hardly seems worth getting out of bed for. We want to make a real difference and are committed to our fundraising target of $5000. If you haven't yet donated and can help, please use the link on this page. Our sincere thanks again. Until next time 'The Fab Four' x
22 February
So how hard could it be really.....
Believe it or not that was my mindset when begging Sharon to do the Oxfam Trailwalk with me this year. Knowing Shaz had done it in the past, I thought what a terrific experience it would be to do it together and piggyback off her previous experience! Little did I know just what I was asking. So my rationale was this... I've trained and completed a full marathon, something that I thought would be the toughest physical and mental challenge I'd ever embark on. Granted, the Oxfam lark is longer at 100km but it's not running, so really... how hard could it be!!! Well, I'm here to tell you... bloody hard! The terrain, whilst being incredibly beautiful and breathtaking, is challenging to say the least, so too are the hills and mountains that greet you at every turn. There are some nice long flat trails too, but after walking those for a monotonous 3 hours you are almost clapping with delight when faced with a rocky mountain track that really only a goat could manage. Ok, so that's the tough bit but we do have fun too. I'm not sure if it is genuine humour or the delerium that sets in, but we do have some jolly good laughs... particularly for Shaz and I listening to the sisterly banter of other team mates Jo and Kristi. Talk about typical siblings... too funny!!! So onwards and upwards (literally). I'm pleased to report to family and friends that my injury is well and truly on the mend and thanks to the support of you all I am stronger in mind (body not far behind) than ever. Thanks too for those of you that have supported me and the Fab Four with sponsorship... feel proud that you are supporting a very worthy charity and many disadvantaged communities around the world. Until next chat... Deirdre
21 February
Keeping on Walking!
We are keeping on, keeping on! Hi everyone and a huge round of thanks from the four of us for tipping us over the $2000 fundraising mark. A terrific milestone on the way to our target of $5000. Your generosity, support and jibes along the way are a great motivation. Since our last update we've been training on our local Beach Road in Melbourne, the Warburton trail and the stunning Yarra Ranges National Park. Check out of the photo of Deirdre, Jo and Kristi standing beneath that area's most stunning canopy of trees. Deirdre is soldiering through a calf muscle injury, well supported by qualified medics while her team-mates tell ridiculous stories to distract her while walking. Go Deirdre you are a superstar and we hope to have you back to full capacity very soon. Next Sunday we'll be heading out for a 35km walk, leading up to our first night walk effort and culminating in a 47km hit-out before event day on April 16. Today Jo suggested our support crew may like to organise a fireworks celebration everytime we make a checkpoint, now there's an idea for you! Until next time - Jo, Deirdre, Kristi & Sharon 'The Fab Four' x
03 February
Getting Moving!
Hi everyone! Firstly a huge thank you for your words of encourgaement and support. It makes a big difference. We're now well and truly into our training, hitting the pavements around the city 4-5 times per week and heading out to the track every Sunday. Last Sunday saw us bouncing out of bed at 4.50am (that may be overstating it) to drive out past Lilydale in order to tackle checkpoints 3-5, a medium to tough 25kms. Sherbrooke Forest was so spectacular we decided to spend some extra time wandering around (read 'just a little lost'!). Deciding we had seen enough, we successfully detoured around the gardens, closed due to a total fire ban and soldiered onto the infamous Hackett's Road, taking no prisoners on the way. It was 37 degrees in the shade and blowing a gale so the cover of the Dandenong National Park on checkpoint 4-5 provided some welcome relief. That was fairly short lived however, tackling the Melba track with it's extremely steep, rocky decent gave the quads the best workout of the day. To the guys that ran past us and down the descent in an expert fashion, we are in awe! It was lemonade icy-poles all round at the start of the warburton trail to help us with those last 2 kms, they've never tasted so good. So, 25 very tough km's later we climbed in the car for the long drive home. Tired, a bit heat effected but still laughing. We will get a team photo up shortly and post updates so do check back in. And if you haven't donated to Oxfam yet but have a few dollars to spare, you can always go straight to our fundraising page. Thanks again for all your support! Jo, Deirdre, Kristi & Sharon 'The Fab Four' x
