Thousands raised for ‘Fortey’
THE widow of fallen Toowoomba police officer Brett Forte thanked hundreds of people who took part in a charity run named in his honour.
Up to 600 runners took part in the 40 For Fortey event at Prince Henry Heights yesterday.
The inaugural 40km run raised about $12,000 for Police Legacy, which looks after the families of fallen officers.
Susie Forte, whose husband Senior Constable Brett Forte was shot and killed by a gunman last year, showed her appreciation at the teams who competed.
“I know Brett will be up there laughing at how much pain we’re in here,” she joked to entrants after the race.
“I just want to thank, on behalf of mine and Brett’s family, all of you for the ongoing support and everyone for coming today.
“Without all the support, I don’t know where we would be today.”
Organiser and Senior Constable Louise Macdonald said the number of runners had exceeded even her wildest hopes.
“We had between 550 and 600 runners. It was way bigger than we imagined,” she said.
“The community support was incredible. We had to shut the nominations before the actual day.”
Sen-Constable Macdonald said she hoped to run the event next year.
“I think today showed what a great community we have in Toowoomba and the positive nature of it,” she said.
Her husband Matt won the overall race, who paid tribute the “police family” for supporting the Forte family through a difficult year.