24th October, 2005
DAVID ADAMS

Next month, around half a dozen trampers will set off on a 250 kilometre, 13-day hike along some of Australia’s spectacular southern coastline.

And while they plan on enjoying the chance to experience the beautiful scenery around them, they also have a more serious purpose in mind: helping an orphanage in Bali.

WALKING FOR LIFE: Some of the boys ham it up at the Lion King Orphanage in Bali.   For a previous Sight story on Bali's Lion King Orphanage, click here...

Steve Moulton, who is organising the walk, says he came up with the idea of using the walk to raise money for orphans after a family from his church - the Ocean Grove Baptist Church in southern Victoria - went to Bali to work at an orphanage there.

“I wanted to do the walk and I decided I might as well do something positive at the same time...” he said.

The orphanage traces its origins back several years to when a Dutch couple, Frankie and Marinka Portier, moved to Bali around five years ago and started a street mission aimed at homeless children.

The mission soon expanded and the Lion King Orphanage (named for Singaraja, the city in which it was founded) commenced with just three children. These days they care for 32 children in a fully renovated building.

As well as taking care of the children, the orphanage also supplies food packages and medicines to families in local slums and in 2004 set up an old people’s home.

Earlier this year, Richard and Debbie Mackie left their home in Torquay and took their two children to Bali where they have been working in the orphanage in Singaraja.

Six walkers including Moulton are taking part in the walk and all except for Moulton - who will walk the entire 250 kilometres - are walking for one half of the journey.

The walkers will commence at Portland and, assisted by a support crew, hike to Nelson via the Glenelg River where they will use canoes for two days before returning to Portland via the coast.

Each participant is required to contribute $250 of their own money and raise a further $400 in sponsorship. Moulton is hopeful that the walk should raise at least $4,000.

Geoff Gray is among those taking part. Like many of those going on the walk, he’ll be walking for one of the two weeks.

The 49-year-old first heard about the walk when he attended a mission meeting at his local church where Moulton gave a presentation explaining his idea to hold a walk and raise money to support the orphanage in Bali.

He says he wasn’t only interested in raising money but liked the idea of walking to do so.

“For the fun of it and for the exercise and for the chance to see the Australian bush,” he says.

“I’d heard how pretty it was and I thought it would be great to actually walk up there...I thought this would be a good opportunity to not only enjoy a walk but to do something practical for people overseas at the same time. ”

Gray has an added incentive to walk. He’s actually taking part in a short-term church mission awareness trip to Bali immediately after the walk where he’ll be able to see firsthand how the money they‘ve raised will be able to help.

He says he probably developed his passion for helping the less fortunate overseas after he went on two short-term missions trips to Tonga and Fiji when he was younger.

He has since been involved with missions in several different countries, from Malawi in central Africa to Thailand.

“I always thought it would be great to do something like that in life maybe,” he says. “So (this trip) is perhaps a start to doing something more long-term.”

For details of how you can be involved in the walk, of sponsorship opportunities or for more information on the Lion King Orphanage, contact Steve Moulton on w4o@optusnet.com.au.