Businesses, clubs and other groups are encouraged to form a team and join us for a walkathon around Gardiners Creek. Walkers can choose a challenge of either 3km, 6km, 12km or 18km (laps will be 3km each).

All money raised will be donated towards either Australian Rotary Health, Defying the Drift, the Summer Foundation or Interplast and sponsors can choose which charity they would like their donation directed towards.

The team who raises the most amount of money will receive a perpetual trophy with their name engraved. Teams are encouraged to dress up in their organisations colours.

Australian Rotary Health is one of the largest independent funders of mental health research within Australia. They also provide funding into a broad range of general health areas, provide scholarships for rural medical and nursing students, as well as Indigenous health students. Australian Rotary Health provides funding into areas of health that do not readily attract funding, and promotes findings to the community.

Defying the Drift is a program available to secondary students considering a career in agriculture and related industries. It is an initiative of Rotary District 9780 which includes around 60 Rotary Clubs located throughout western Victoria and into South Australia. Defying the Drift is run on campus at respected Victorian tertiary rural colleges, Marcus Oldham College at Waurn Ponds near Geelong and Longerenong College, near Horsham.

The Summer Foundation, established in 2006, aims to resolve the issue of young people living in aged care. Hundreds of young Australians with disability enter aged care every year. Their lives are characterised by boredom, loneliness and grief, with 53% receiving a visit from a friend less than once per year. These are people who could live in the community if they were provided the right support at the right times. The Summer Foundation aims to create, lead and demonstrate long-term sustainable changes that stop young people from being forced to live in nursing homes because there is nowhere else for them.

Interplast sends teams of volunteer plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide life-changing surgery and medical training in 17 countries across the Asia Pacific region. They do this in partnership with local organisations, including hospitals, universities and local NGOs. Their mission is to ‘repair bodies and rebuild lives’ and they do this through providing surgical services to those who could not otherwise afford or access these, and by building the capacity of local medical systems through their training and mentoring program.

Many thanks to our major sponsor bendigo bank for all of their support.