By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
WITH the wind at her back and a smile on her face, Casey Mayor Amanda Stapledon set out on her Walk for Disability on Monday, accompanied by a wide range of supporters.
Arriving at the South East Christian Centre in Endeavour Hills on one of her many stops, Cr Stapledon said she was humbled by all the support she had received ahead of the 75-kilometre walk.
“We did the launch at 9.30am, Casey Radio came an interviewed all of us here and broadcast my speech live and then by 10am on the dot we were on our way,” she said.
“There were a lot of people there, a few more than I expected given the weather and Frank is walking with me every day which is fantastic.”
Frank Cresta is CEO of Waverly Industries in Hallam and is joining Amanda for every day of the walk.
On Monday the pair were also accompanied by Lorraine Lord, Doveton Special Soccer School coach Juan Carlos Loyola, candidate for the Federal seat of Holt Ricardo Balancy and volunteer driver Cesar Guajardo.
“I’ve had so much support from the events team and communications team at Casey and a lot of support from other people as well, just to try and get behind it.”
The Mayor’s walk finishes on Friday 16 August and aims to highlight four specific disability service issues. These include the need for early intervention services, employment opportunities, carers’ respite and the need for supported accommodation.
On Monday, Cr Stapledon walked a total of 12 kilometres, also stopping at Narre Warren North Primary School to help the students learn about social justice issues.
“What a wonderful synergy. Here I am walking around the municipality to raise awareness of disability issues and these lovely kids are learning about similar things,” Cr Stapledon said.
“I was able to tell them what I’m doing and I learnt what they are doing, which was very interesting. I’ve been invited back to speak to them again after the walk.”
This was followed by a visit to the Narre Warren North CFA, which Cr Stapledon said got her adrenaline pumping.
“The brigade had to respond to two emergency calls while we were there. We had to scurry to an emergency point and watch it all unfold. What a great job these volunteers do to protect our community,” she said.
“What a great start to the walk. We kept the pace up, walked to the schedule and enjoyed great camaraderie all day.”
Keep up to date with the Mayor’s walk by visiting her Star News blog, http://blog.starcommunity.com.au/mayors-walk-for-disability/
