Big trek retraced for Diggers’ sake
A VETERAN will be retracing the route made by Diggers in Queensland during World War I to raise funds.
Wayne McMurtrie will today begin a 1500km trek that will last 22 days and see him start in Brisbane and finish in Winton.
Mr McMurtrie said the route intentionally mirrored the Anzacs’ trek to symbolise his journey of coming back home.
“This year it’s the centenary of the Armistice . . . part of that ( was) troops started coming home and trying to reintegrate back into society,” he said
“And veterans today are experiencing the same kind of problems overall now as they did back then.”
Mr McMurtrie aimed to raise $ 20,000 during the Run for Resilience for charity organisation PTSD Res- urrected, an organisation assisting veterans.
“So this run is really highlighting to the civilian and veteran community what you can do if you put your mind to it, if you decide you want to do something,” he said.
“You don’t have to suffer in silence and you don’t have to do things on your own, because there’s a team of people behind you to help you move forward and give you the support you want.”
Mr McMurtrie said support organisations needed to work together to achieve the best outcome for former Defence personnel.
“There’s a lot of competition between a lot of smaller groups for funding for different support from external sources,” he said.
“But if everyone works together, then there is a better chance of being successful.”