By Mikayla van Loon
Walking 40 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD to Lilydale in a day may seem somewhat strenuous but knowing it’s for a good cause makes it all worthwhile.
Lilydale Football Club’s over 50s coach Reece Thomas’ philosophy of using sport and active behaviour to have conversations about mental health inspires both his coaching and charity called Reach Out Bloke.
“Football is a space where people can find like minded people, everyone’s had a journey and struggles in their life,” he said.
“[They] find a space where they can be around other people of similar age and journeys, and just enjoy footy but also raise awareness about mental health and you’re not alone.”
The culmination of both resulted in Project ROB, where Reece and his friend Mike O’Dwyer hosted the first walk in 2019.
Meeting at Lilydale Train Station at 6.30am on Friday 13 October, Reece said everyone is welcome to join from the start, as they take off from the city or meet along the way and do just part of the walk.
“We’ll walk all the way back to Lilydale and we estimate it to take about eight to 10 hours.
“Anyone can join us, or they can join us at certain points along the way, we’re walking the Cotham Road, Maroondah Highway route so you could jump on at Box Hill or Mitcham, Nunawading or any of those train stations and then walk back with us.”
Checkpoints throughout the day include Kew Junction, Box Hill Central, Croydon and Chirnside Park Shopping Centre, finishing at the Lilydale Football Club rooms at 5.30pm.
With 20 people already on board for the full 40km walk and more jumping on at some of the pit stops, Reece encourages everyone to walk and talk.
“We just encourage you to wear your footy gear or your club gear. Everyone’s welcome and any age, to be honest, we thought it would be a great thing to help people out there because everyone’s had a journey and a story to tell.”
Any donations received will go straight to the Black Dog Institute, an organisation the Lilydale over 50s team has supported before in a charity game.
“We raised the money for them, I think over $2,000, and it’s no different to what we’re doing now just helping each other out. Males and females.
“A lot of people have separated or had life journeys and tragedy in their lives and some people feel very isolated.
“We’ve got 31 great fellas, and we’ve created a really family, footy atmosphere. So everyone is supported and welcomed. It’s a great club. It’s been a great team and we’re just extending that to what we’re doing now.”
For more information, head to the Project ROB Facebook page, to find the route map and checkpoints or contact Reece on 0414 933 367.
