Hi, my name is Mike Pauly. I am a ripe young age of 73 and suffer from osteoarthritis. After being diagnosed I took up walking as a way to improve my fitness and ease my physical and mental suffering from the condition. As my fitness and condition improved my walking changed from being a chore, to a pleasure, and now finally a major passion in my life. I have previously completed solo unaided walks across Australia in 2009 and 2011 to raise money for Arthritis research.

This time, I will be walking solo unaided around Australia to raise funds for Men’s Mental Health and Arthritis Research. This blog is to share my adventures and the stories of those I meet as I begin my travels around Australia, with the hope to inspire many more people. I will be updating the blog at least once a week during the journey and several times in my preparations. The walk will start in March 2014 from Fremantle and is estimated to take 15 months, completing my journey back in Fremantle to finish July 2015.

The journey is one of gratitude and prayer, and I invite others to take part in that. Along the way I will be stopping at many towns and schools to promote how arthritis conditions can be managed through good exercise and a healthy raw food diet. I do not cook food for the entire length of the journey meaning I need not light any fires.

The Fremantle Men’s Shed has been a great supporter of my walks in the past including materials, equipment, and morale support over the year. Now it is time for me to give something back. The Shed runs several successful programs to promote and combat Men’s Mental Health issues in the Fremantle community. Half the proceeds will be sent to the Fremantle Men’s Shed for them to put back into the community and keep the programs running.

The remaining half of the proceeds will go to Arthritis & Osteoporosis WA to help fund an Arthritis Research Chair at UWA. This will help increase research into this debilitating condition and hope to provide relief and support to sufferers and their families of the condition for many years to come.

Donations can also be made by:

Direct Debit:

When you make a direct debit donation, if you email your name and a return address we will be able to post you a receipt for your donation. Your details can be emailed to ozsoulwalk@gmail.com.

Bank Name:	Bendigo Bank
Account Name:	Fremantle Foundation
BSB Number:	633 000
Account Number:	142 792 035
Ref:	Mike’s Walk

Cheque:

When you post a cheque, if you include your name and a return address we will be able to post you a receipt for your donation.

Payable to: Fremantle Foundation

Post to: Fremantle Foundation, PO Box 1397, Fremantle, WA 6959

Reference: Mike's Walk

 

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