Thurgoona student Simone McLees backs 2023 Sunshine Walk in mum's name

The Thurgoona-based arts therapy student lost her mum Deb McLees to bile duct cancer in February 2022.

Having completed the 10-kilometre course with family and friends last year, Ms McLees decided to double down this year.

The Sunshine Walk supports the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund.

"It gets harder each year to ask for people to donate to the same cause but it gets harder each year to live without a mum," Ms McLees said.

"Those who have or had cancer, or know someone who has had it, may understand the struggles of not getting treatment, not getting on a trial, lack of equipment and services or lack of staffing to support your needs.

"The Trust Fund is a 100 per cent local charity that allocates donations to the service area most in need like equipment, staff training and development, research and the Wellness Centre.

"Because of money donated to the Trust, Mum was accepted to a cancer treatment trial.

"Unfortunately, she passed before the trial could begin, but without the community's support, our cancer centre could not have offered this.

"We are grateful that we had the best team for Mum."

This year the Sunshine Walk on November 12 will return to a route running alongside the Murray River after flooding forced the 2022 walk north to Alexandra Park.

Board member Di Thomas said the Trust Fund board and staff were delighted the walk would return to the riverside and Gateway Island.

"Our five, 10 and 20-kilometre walks are coming home," she said.

"Just as it has always been important to many walkers that the 20-kilometre walk pass the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre on Borella Road, so too is it important that we have been able to return to the Murray River.

"We are so excited that all three walks will take in the newly-opened Albury Riverside Precinct redevelopment including the new pathway along the river's edge on Hovell Tree Drive."

All three walks will start and end at Albury Sportsground in Wodonga Place.

"One of the things we learned from our successful 2022 walk which began and ended at the Les O'Brien Athletics Precinct, is that all our walkers enjoy the opportunity for a 'victory lap' at the end of their walk," Ms Thomas said.

"The Albury Sportsground allows us to do that and give our walkers the traditional riverside experience."

The 20-kilometre walk starts at 7am, going past the cancer centre before heading to Gateway Island, Sumsion Gardens and back to the Albury Sportsground.

The 10-kilometre will travel along the Lincoln Causeway to Sumsion Gardens and back, while the five-kilometre route will take in Gateway Island.

Individuals or teams can register for the walk or donate at sunshinewalk.org.au.

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