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Australian politicians will join veterans and supporters on their Bravery Trek to raise funds and awareness of financial support available to Aussie veterans and their families.
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The group of 10 volunteers, led by Navy veteran and Leidos Australia vice-president Murray Bruce will run four marathons across four states, starting in Canberra at 2am on 7 September.
They will be joined by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Assistant Minister for Defence Matt Thistlethwaite, and Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Robert Chipman for the final 10 kilometres of the run.
Additional marathons will be run in Sydney on 17 September, Brisbane on 2 October, and Melbourne on 15 October.
“Bravery Trek is not just for veterans to support veterans, it’s about expanding out the ecosystem in the broader community through community groups, employee groups, and corporate sponsors,” Bruce said.
“They’re not just saying thank you to those who serve our country, they’re raising awareness of the needs of our vets.
“We have a whole raft of people who have never served or worked in Defence signing up for the trek to show their support by raising funds and awareness.
“It’s important that we expand the number who get involved in the trek each year given the large number of vets exposed to contemporary service.”
The Bravery Trek coincides with Veterans’ Health Week, which runs from 17 September to 31 October.
Bravery Trust chair Garth Callender said Bravery Trek is a virtual distance challenge, meaning anyone could join, anywhere, anyway.
“Make the Bravery Trek your own. One group is running four marathons in four states, but this is an event anyone can join,” he said.
“You can choose to run, walk, wheel or swim. Set a distance challenge of four marathons in 44 days – or one kilometre per day.
“The distance isn’t important; this is about every participant showing their respect for our veterans and the sacrifices made during service by veterans and their families.
“Finances have long been a hard conversation to start. Veterans are, by nature, proud people, who can find it hard to ask for help when needed.
“Getting people together and raising awareness through Bravery Trek is a way we can initiate and normalise some of those hard conversations and encourage people to reach out for help as soon as their financial circumstances change.
“We know there is an intrinsic link between financial hardship and suicide and through financial counselling and financial support, we can help to save lives.”
