Officeworks Pinpoint magazine OFW11016 Pin Point_Issue26 16Oct17 FINAL LR | Page 30

Pies inspire Matt’s 100km charity walk
STORY BY ZACH JACKSON (TEAM MEMBER, OFFICEWORKS RICHMOND, VIC)
International charity Oxfam
may be familiar to many
people. However, many people
may not know the purpose of
organisation, which is to tackle
the issue of global poverty.
One of Oxfam’s initiatives is the
Trailwalker event, that challenges
teams of four people to walk a set
(and usually long) distance.
Matt Saunders (National Business
Improvement Manager), recently
took up the Melbourne Trailwalker
challenge of walking 100km in 48
hours with the aim of raising $4000
for the charity’s cause.
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I would shed a few kilos in the
process!”
The walk, that started in
Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and
ended in Wesburn Park (Yarra
Valley) was easier said than
done. Matt, who is a passionate
Collingwood fan, recalls how
his beloved Magpies helped
reinvigorate both the mind and
legs.
“Collingwood were playing
Sydney and it was an incredibly
close match”, says Matt.
“A member of our walking team
sent through some information
about Oxfam and the event,
which talked about raising
money to help deliver sustainable
solutions for poverty,” said Matt. “As luck would have it, we passed
a local football oval where a
handful of people were in the
clubhouse watching the game.
With only a couple of minutes to
go we stayed to watch, which
must have spurred the Pies on as
they won by one point!”
“That really resonated with me,
knowing that while walking 100km
was not going to be easy, it would
hopefully make someone’s life
that little bit easier. Plus, hopefully It wasn’t always easy to carry on,
as Matt recounts several moments
where teamwork was essential
in making sure they reached the
finish line together.
Once we arrived at Checkpoint 6
I raced to lie down on a yoga mat
and started to fall asleep within
seconds,” he says.
“Thankfully, one of my teammates,
Pat, woke me and encouraged
me to sit up, get into some hot
noodle soup, bread rolls, a
Powerade and a coffee so we
could get going again.”
Thanks to motivation provided
by the likes of Coldplay, Billy
Joel and surprisingly ABBA,
Matt’s determination to exceed
their goal never ceased. This
enthusiasm was infectious, and
together with the efforts of his
team they managed to beat their
goal of $4000, contributing a total
of $4830 to the event’s $2,308,680
raised overall.
If you want to get involve in next
year’s Oxfam Trailwalker event,
you can register your interest at
the below web address: https://
trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/eoi/