St Andrew's Walks for a Cause
To city dwellers and workers, the sight of students spilling en masse throughout the CBD, as a sea of blue and white blazers, is nothing particularly unusual. But on the 25th of September, our Year 12 cohort trekked across the city for something a little out of the ordinary.
The Five Bridges Walk is an annual, student-run event that brings what School Community Service Captain Lauren Carmichael perceives as “a real sense of team spirit to the final weeks of term”. Now in its third year, the event saw 160 Year 12 students spend one of their final days at school walking for 24 kilometers in teams across five major Sydney bridges in order to raise money for three pressing causes. Each group departed in two minute intervals from Town Hall Square at 8am. The mass soon dispersed down Kent St. towards Pyrmont, making a rather colourful sight along Anzac Bridge; white ‘5bridges’ t-shirts interpolated with costumes as flamboyant as that of a Star Wars storm trooper. Next was Iron Cove Bridge, then the steep arch of the Gladesville incline was climbed before crossing the tranquil waters of Fig Tree Bridge. The route went cross country taking in the foreshore walks around Riverview and Longueville before heading to Greenwich, where a BBQ lunch was kindly provided to the walkers by staff. After refueling, the walkers set off for the Harbour Bridge via Waverton and North Sydney, then made toward the homeward stretch. Well done to the first group back; Sam Altman, Scott Morrison and Nathan Quinn, who completed the trip in 4 hours and 20 minutes.
Each participating student received a sponsorship booklet to collect money from friends, families and local businesses as support for walking in the event. The efforts shown were remarkable, with one student, Harriet Priestly raising $1020! Corporate sponsors were given the opportunity to participate through the donation of prizes and funding, and in turn can see their business names imprinted on the t-shirts which tour the pivotal city bridges with the students.
This year, all proceeds were split between several worthy charities. These include the ‘Goodworks Project’, an alternative ‘schoolies’ experience that sees students travelling to Fiji to construct housing in Nadi for disadvantaged families; a Samaritan’s Purse project through which the School is endeavouring to raising funds for the construction of a Church/Pre-School in Cambodia, and St Andrew’s Oaktree Schools 4 Schools link school in Africa, Khamangwa High School, which is in need of vital school equipment.
Student Lauren Carmichael reflects the enthusiasm her grade had at the event. “[The Five Bridges Walk] provided us with an opportunity to escape academics for a day and have fun in the sun, whilst doing something positive for the community.”
