Lyndall Joins The Great Ocean Road Trek 2022

Lyndall McLean is a 67-year-old woman living with Type 1 Diabetes, and in November you will find her trekking the Great Ocean Road in Victoria to raise much-needed funds for research into the chronic disease.

“My brother has Type 1 Diabetes and my husband has Type 2 Diabetes,” Mrs McLean said.

“I’ve thought about it for years, but this is the first time I have been motivated enough to do it.

“This is the first time I’ve got up the gumption to do it.”

The Great Ocean Road Trek certainly poses a challenge to the walkers. They must walk 100 kilometres in total, averaging 20 to 25 kilometres per day.

“Fortunately, we have accommodation at night and don’t have to camp,” Mrs McLean said.”

“Not that I wouldn’t camp, but it is nice to have a few comforts at night.

“You pay for the walk and the accommodation yourself.”

Each walker must raise a minimum of $3,500 prior to the trek, with all funds going directly to Diabetes ACT and NSW.

This is not the first time that Mrs McLean has set out on a trek. She trekked in Nepal during the 1970s and loves bushwalking.

In fact, she has led a very interesting life, much of it overseas with the UN, DFAT and NGOs.

She has spent the past year building up her fitness, walking with Freja, her canine companion to ensure that she is fit enough to successfully complete the trek.

The walk is conducted several times during the year, depending on the number of walkers they can attract.

Mrs McLean said that the number of walkers is limited to 12 or 13 to keep the groups rather small.

“Each group has a support walker with them,” she said. Walkers do not have to have Diabetes themselves, the aim is to raise funds for research into the disease.

The Government announced last weekend, that it would extend subsidized Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM), something Diabetes Australia has been lobbying for over recent years.

CGM is where a small disk on a person’s arm enables continuous measurement of blood sugar (glucose) levels, dramatically reducing the need for multiple daily finger blood tests.

Mrs McLean said that until now only children and concession card holders benefitted from subsidized CGM and, for many diabetics, the cost of CGM technology and consumables was prohibitive.

“In future, when walking, especially long treks, I will just be able to zap my arm to know if my blood sugar is dropping or surging,” she said.

“What a great reason to support Diabetes ACT and NSW.” Donations can be made at https://dnswactgreatoceanroadtrek22.gofundraise.com.au/

• Topics:

• Health & Wellness
• Fundraising and Charitable Causes