relay for life

A few weeks ago I met a lovely woman P who when she heard I had come through a cancer op last year asked if I would like to walk in the 'Survivors and Carers' lap at the 24 hour Relay for Life at the WA Athletics Stadium.
She was entering a team to commemorate her sister in a fund raising event where teams walk and run for 24 hours on the Stadium track. With 150+ teams this is a major event and they raise a heap of funds for research.
Initially I was a bit wary and then decided it would be a great thing to do, to join in and to celebrate what is now the start of year two.

The purple starting ribbon was cut by the Governor of WA and a very inspirational young cancer survivor, and we, the survivors and carers, walked the first lap. Whoa, very moving and marvellous and incredibly touching with the circuit lined by people applauding. Then, off to a cracking afternoon tea of cupcakes and sandwiches!!!

As I write this the relayers are into their fourth hour and what an exuberant bunch they are. All sorts of weird and wonderful costumes and such a licorice allsorts from the schoolies in their togas and tutus to the oldies with their strapped knees and trackies with everyone in between.
There again the 'first lappers' were a real allsorts too with the youngest at four proudly wearing his purple sash to those in their eighties and beyond with canes and walkers.

This is me and Phil lolling around wearing purple sashes while the tent erectors struggled with guy ropes and fly sheets.
What a lovely man to share the walk with. His family fled Vienna in 1938 before the second World War started and ended up in Melbourne before heading west, and here we are sharing this moment in the 21st century.

An amazing day and as you may see if you look very carefully at the hat I am wearing, a little piece of the Languedoc walked with me.