MOST people would struggle to drive the distance from Brisbane to Alice Springs, but Ipswich’s Robby Curtis chose to walk it to raise $1 million for homelessness services.
Over the past nine weeks, the founder of Emmanuel City Mission has covered almost 2700 kilometres on foot, rising at 3.15am each day to tackle another 50-kilometre stretch across the heart of Australia.
The mammoth 2650km journey, completed alongside walking companion Jeff Hoffard, saw the pair arrive in Alice Springs earlier this week.
As they completed one the ambitious charity walk, they had raised more than $800,000 towards the $1 million goal for Emmanuel City Mission’s Night Sanctuary program.
Their arrival marked the culmination of more than a decade of dreaming, a year of detailed planning and thousands upon thousands of determined steps.
Mr Hoffard said there was never any doubt about why they were undertaking such an enormous challenge.
“We had a purpose. We had a reason. We had a mission,” he said.
Communities across the country embraced the cause in remarkable fashion, often meeting the pair along the roadside to contribute.
The fundraising effort received valuable support from major sponsor Mosaic Property Group, whose backing helped cover the operational costs associated with the walk.
The Night Sanctuary currently operates one overnight service each week, but the long-term goal is to expand that offering significantly and provide more regular accommodation opportunities.
The organisation’s commitment to employing people with lived experience of homelessness is one of its greatest strengths, with at least 30 per cent of its team having lived experience of homelessness.
“They know better than anyone what it’s like to be out there,” Mr Hoffard said.
“When someone comes through the gates, they can relate and help them in ways others simply can’t.”
For Mr Curtis, the walk was about more than fundraising alone, with the destination carrying deep personal significance, marking 40 years since Pope John Paul II visited Alice Springs in 1986.
The pair followed the same journey, arriving at Blatherskite Park in Alice Springs on their second-last day.
For both men, the experience reinforced the power of purpose.
With fundraising still continuing, the pair remain hopeful the campaign can reach its ambitious $1 million target, with donations able to be made at robbyswalk.com.au.
