On 8 September, Mark and Wayne Bayfield will embark on a 15-day, 350km Lighthouse to Lighthouse walk raising funds for the Children’s Cancer Institute.
The Bayfield family has been a long-term supporter of the Children’s Cancer Institute.
“We’ve been raising funds of the Children’s Cancer Institute for over 20 years now. It’s our family’s chosen charity, and we’ve raised over $4.5 million,” Wayne said.
One of the ways the Bayfield family has raised funds is through the Bayfields Liquor Industry Lunch, which raise thousands of dollars for the Institute every year. Wayne is appreciative of the industry’s support over the years and is seeking to broaden the scope of donators with the walk.
“I didn’t want to pull all the money out of the liquor industry, because they’ve been so supportive all the way through. Last year at the lunch we raised $400,000, so I wanted to get donations from other avenues too,” he said.
The Lighthouse to Lighthouse walk logo has been designed by Jacob, a seven-year-old leukemia warrior who has been battling cancer for four years. Mark and Wayne will begin their walk at Barrenjoey Lighthouse, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and end at Flagstaff Lighthouse in Wollongong, with the brothers averaging more than 23km of walking per day.
“My brother and I decided that before we get too old, maybe we should try to do something a bit physically challenging and see if we can raise some more funds.
“At the moment, we’re trying to do back-to-back walks of over 20km a day. We have both always walked, so we’re set up. I’m not sure whether anything can prepare us for 15 days straight and 350km, but I think we’re going to be as prepared as we can be,” Wayne said.
The full walk itinerary, with day-by-day maps, can be viewed on the donation website. The brothers plan to start the walk each morning at 7am, with the goal to be finished by noon.
Wayne hopes that the large-scale project will translate to significant funds for the Children’s Cancer Institute, with current donations surpassing $37,000 and a goal of $100,000.
“We’re pretty passionate about the Children’s Cancer Institute and the job they do, so hopefully we can raise a heap of money. If I can just get up at an auction and lunch and raise that much money, I think we can raise a lot of money doing this walk,” he said.
To support the Lighthouse to Lighthouse walk and the Children’s Cancer Institute, you can donate to the event, join the walk and start your own donation page, or become an event sponsor. Donations can be made through the Children’s Cancer Institute website.