Colliers staff join Oxfam Trailwalker effort
Eight Colliers International agents have raised $17,400 for Oxfam to help fight global poverty by braving the elements and going without sleep for 28 hours.
The agents, Jeremy Gruzewski, Ben Baines, Hamish Burgess, Andrew Ryan, Rob Joyes, Ted Dwyer, Leigh Melbourne and Tony Landrigan, formed two teams to participate in the Oxfam Trailwalker Challenge last weekend.
Oxfam Trailwalker began in 1981 as a military training exercise for the elite Queen's Gurkha Signals Regiment in Hong Kong. It has since grown into one of the world's leading team endurance challenges, with 15 events in 11 countries.
The event launched in Australia in 1999, with Melbourne joining in 2003 and steadily growing each year since.
According to Oxfam, the 2013 Melbourne event comprised 3,024 walkers and, to date, has raised almost $2.3 million to aid in fighting poverty around the world.
This year’s Melbourne challenge saw 750 teams walk 100km from Wheelers Hill through the Dandenong Ranges National Park to Wesburn from April 19-21.
The Colliers International participants walked through the night, with no sleep, through seven checkpoints to complete the trail.
Mr Gruzewski said each team had set a fundraising target of $5,000, which had been easily exceeded.
“We’ve been blown away by people’s generosity – we’ve well exceeded our original fundraising goal and it’s a huge thrill to know that all the pain, exhaustion and blisters were worth it,” Mr Gruzewski said.
“Oxfam do great work across the world to fight poverty, and we’re so glad the physical challenge we embarked upon will contribute, even in small way, to this very worthy cause.”
Since November, the eight agents have endured blisters, chafing, sore legs, and shed lots of sweat in order to adequately prepare for the challenge.
“It was a grueling challenge, which tested us not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. We were pushed to our limits, but every step was worth it to know that we have been able to help Oxfam in their ongoing fight against poverty,” he said.
