While many were doing last minute preparations on Saturday to cycle from Sydney to Wollongong on Sunday, one woman was on foot walking a similar course for another great cause.
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Mary Mouawad is known as “Mezza” and is helping the Mt Kembla Village Hotel raise funds for the i98 Camp Quality Convoy Lead Bike auction for 2015.
She decided to walk 50 kilometres and called her fundraiser for cancer kids “Mezzathon”.
Ms Mouawad has been taking collections through the Australia Post Depot where she works but thought walking the distance of the convoy route would give it a good kick along.
Ms Mouawad started from Scarborough Hotel at 5am and then joined the actual convoy route at Springhill Road.
She thought the walk would take nine or 10 hours but finished well ahead of schedule at the Croom Regional Sporting Complex in just over eight.
That was followed by a short leg from the roundabout on Cordeaux Rd to Mt Kembla Village.
“All proceeds go to Camp Quality to help the kids and families in the Illawarra who live each day battling ill health,” she said.
The amount raised on Saturday and over the weekend will add to the tally for the Mt Kembla Village Hotel to bid in the “Convoy Lead Bike” auction on the Wednesday morning prior to Convoy 2015.
While Ms Mouawad walked solo she had a support crew of friends such as Dave Drain, Dina Petrou, Mathew Ritchie, Danni Antonios, Donna Jennings, Tracey Roskell, Blake Jennings and Wayne Jennings.
A number of people sponsored the walk prior to the event and cash donations were collected along the way.
Ms Mouawad has an Everyday Hero account for donations.
Many friends met at Mt Kembla Village Hotel afterwards where donation were being accepted over the bar.
A website was also set up at www.mtkemblaleadbike.org.
Convoy is now in its 11th year.
The annual event involves truckies and bikers and members of the public coming out in force to help Camp Quality held local kids.
At the first Illawarra Convoy in 2005, 209 trucks and 100 motorbikes took part, raising $52,232.
In 2014 there were 786 trucks and 1031 motorbikes negotiating the 70-kilometre route, helping to raise $1,578,190.
The grand total raised for Camp Quality since 2005 now sits just under $6 million.
Convoy is on November 15. It leaves West Cliff Colliery on Appin Rd at 8am, comes down Mount Ousley through Warrawong and past Stockland Shellharbour, then onto Croom Regional Sporting Complex.
