Hello!

 

Some of you may already know that I will be walking the Kokoda Track in April this year. As I will be fundraising in the coming months, I thought I would shed some light on the charity that will be facilitating the trek  - NSW Police Legacy and share with you the impact that Police Legacy has had in my own life!

 

My dad David, was a member of the NSW Rescue Squad and NSW Bomb Disposal Unit. He did some pretty awesome things during his time with the NSW Police Force. He was one of the first officers on the scene of the Waterfall Train Smash, worked closely with the Australia Federal Police on anti-terrorism operations, risked his life to rescue trapped residents during severe bushfires in 1996 and also worked tirelessly to search and retrieve bodies following the 1997 Threadbo landslide. Most importantly though, he was a husband and an dad to myself, my two younger sisters and younger brother.

 

My dad lived to help others, even though the burden became too great in the end. Unfortunately in 2004, he took his own life after a lengthy battle with depression which was compounded by the stress associated with his work.  I was 16 at the time and my siblings were 13, 11 and 9. For us kids, it was an extremely difficult and confusing time. However, within days of my dad’s death, NSW Police Legacy – the NSW Police Force Charity were there to offer support to my family. They provided counselling, assisted with funeral preparation, gave us a comfortable place to go to when life became too stressful, and most importantly, put us in touch with other families who had experienced the same loss. My family will be forever thankful for all that Police Legacy has done for us. The support we received allowed us to grieve and recover in the days, weeks, months and years that followed. 

 

Every year a group of Ambos, Firies and Coppers from all over Australia come together to walk the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. Walking with them in 2017 will be a small group of legatees from NSW Police Legacy. As a legatee myself, I have been offered the chance to take part in the Trek which is super exciting! Over about 8 days, I’ll be hiking 50kms across the Owen Stanley Ranges through the land of the Koiari people - all whilst battling some intense humidity and epic rainfall. I can’t wait! 

 

I’ve started an online Kokoda 2017 web page through Gofundraise to raise important funds to ensure the continued success of the Legacy program and the Kokoda program. It’d be so awesome if you could donate – big or small all are welcome! All money donated through this page will go directly to Police Legacy and anyone who makes a donation will receive an automatic tax deductable receipt. The services and support that Police Legacy provides is so important so I’d really appreciate if you could help me support this fabulous charity. Last year through the GoFundraise page alone, over $60,000 was raised for the program! Pretty cool I reckon ?