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Peter Orchard

Five Peaks Virtual Challenge

I'm taking Canteen's Five Peaks Virtual Challenge...

…a month-long challenge to cover 100 km in March - the combined trail distance of Australia’s five highest peaks plus more. It's going to test me as arthritis plays havoc with my hips, but that's nothing compared to cancer. 

Every year, 23,000 young Australians face the mountain that is a cancer journey. Whether facing their own cancer diagnosis, or dealing with a loved one’s cancer journey, climbing that peak means feeling isolated, lost, exhausted, and confused.

It’s terrifying, and no one should face it alone and I see every day what a difference Canteen makes to young people. That’s why I’m challenging myself and I need your incredible support!

Please sponsor me today and make every km count! All funds raised will help young people, facing their hardest climb, get free access to Canteen’s cancer counselling, peer support and specialised in-hospital care.

Thank you for your support!

My Activity Tracking

121
kms

My target 100 kms

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

$1,216

My Goal

$1,000

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$65
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So far, I have conquered

121.2KM

0km until I conquer Australia's five highest peaks

My goal

100.0KM

My Updates

Challenge accomplished - thank you

Tuesday 1st Apr
Hello wonderful Canteen supporters. I completed the Challenge, raising $1,216 for Canteen's work, thanks to you wonderful people. My final distance was 121km, against my target of 100km, and having the target kept me moving when it's so easy to be deskbound. My heartfelt thanks to you all for your support.

Getting close now

Saturday 22nd Mar
I've hit 82.18 km, so now less than 18km to go which is great!!! But now I'm really trying to get us to our fundraising goal, which we are still short of, so I've increased my target to $1500. Any dollars you can add would be so welcome. 

In my 13 years at Canteen I've met so many extraordinary young people. One who came to mind is Joey, a young man whom I met early on in my time as CEO who at that time had been through treatment for hodgkin’s lymphoma. He relapsed a short time later, had another round of treatment, which didn’t go well and so the next time I saw him I didn’t recognise him. This young man, who was fit and strong when I met him, had become painfully thin, and his skin was completely changed by a condition called Graft vs Host disease, following a bone marrow transplant that went wrong. In essence, the disease saw the bone marrow transplant cells attacking Joey’s body. It affects the body in many ways and is a very painful and life-threatening condition.

 The manager of the Victorian team, and I kept in touch at different points over that year whenever she feared his death was imminent. At that time Joey was also Chair of the local Youth Advisory Committee. He didn’t ever miss a meeting and would also drag himself into the office for staff interviews, such was his commitment to youth leadership and young people in Canteen. I often wondered if that sense of purpose and safe haven helped keep Joey alive while he chased down a clinical trial in the United States, which ultimately saved his life (but that is another whole story in itself). Joey went on to become the Chair of Canteen Board of Directors and assisted me to successfully advocate to the Australian Government in 2016 for clinical trials here in Australia for young cancer patients like Joey. 

Thank you for your support and if you can connect anyone else to our fundraising or add more funds yourself that would make an extraordinary difference. 

HALF WAY - Almost!!!!!

Monday 10th Mar
By the end of yesterday I had walked 41.8km against my target for that timeframe, which was 29km. It might explain why my arthritic hips are noticing it a bit!! 

Canteen staff love catching me at my best. But the good news is that last week the collective challenge distance covered crossed the 5,000 km threshold. However what we do need is more funds, as we clock up the km. Anything you can do to help would make a real difference. 

4 days in

Tuesday 4th Mar
4 days in and going strong. Just a couple of kms short of having done two peaks! There are so many young people that I've met over my 13 years at Canteen who, with the life changing support provided, have gone on to live full and wonderful lives. And there are those I remember so particularly whose lives were tragically cut short but who so beautifully and unwaveringly promoted Canteen to the end, so that other young people might avail themselves of Canteen's powerful support options. 

Thank you to my Sponsors

$520

Kay Atkins

So proud of you 🥰🥰🥰🥰

$126.60

Nancy Vozoff

Go Peter!

$124.49

Helen J Souness

So impressive Peter, all the best

$105.50

Myriam Orchard

Congratulations Peter. Great cause

$68.58

Peter Orchard

$68.58

Jenny Vozoff Middleton

This should take you over the top!

$65

Nick Orchard

$52.75

Jacquelin Porter

$52.75

Brenda Orchard

Keep up the good work Pete!

$31.65

Justin Gilmour

Great initiative and a great cause!

Our Team

Luke Reynolds (C)

Raised so far:

$612.69

Britt Adams

Raised so far:

$66.93

Rob Lawrenson

Raised so far:

$594.86

Amy Rankin

Alex Dowd

Raised so far:

$450.48

Samantha Bailey

Raised so far:

$168.22

Belinda De Rango

Raised so far:

$318.53

Cindy Packham

Raised so far:

$552.78

Gillian McDonald

Raised so far:

$20.00

Janelle Cook

Raised so far:

$475.17

Tameeka Ieremia

Raised so far:

$500.49

Ashlee Maloney

Raised so far:

$151.33

Madeline O'Dwyer

Rachel Cook

Raised so far:

$407.93

Ravi Beedham

Raised so far:

$5.28

Romina Krix

Raised so far:

$515.85

Norbert Lencses

Raul Caceres

Raised so far:

$187.79

Vanessa Rider

Raised so far:

$289.27

Peter Orchard

Raised so far:

$1,215.90

Siona Hardy

Raised so far:

$332.11

Catherine Shread

Raised so far:

$702.49

Natasha sejpal

Raised so far:

$126.60

Tiffany Mowle

Jimena Taylor

Rikki-lee Pethybridge

Gabrielle Ramponi

Raised so far:

$249.88

Ellie Vodicka

Raised so far:

$568.40

Caroline Nilsen

Raised so far:

$31.65

Ellen Ryan

Maeve Redmond

Raised so far:

$227.68

Louise Mccarthy

Raised so far:

$552.73

Cait Wrigley

Raised so far:

$561.92

Jessica Parker

Raised so far:

$25.28

Sabine Foutrel

Kerry Kalcher

Raised so far:

$137.15

Leah Nolan

Raised so far:

$710.16

Brodie Caporn

Raised so far:

$429.35

Jennifer Cohen

Raised so far:

$31.65

Miguel Guno

Raised so far:

$297.93

Louise De Chiera

Raised so far:

$353.21

Hannah Vitangcol

Raised so far:

$321.22

Eduardo Muramoto

Raised so far:

$94.95

Ireland Grater

Raised so far:

$189.90

Tara Beath

Raised so far:

$124.49

Natalia Restrepo

Raised so far:

$52.75

Rachel Fetting

Raised so far:

$857.74

Kate Steinhauer

Raised so far:

$198.80

Melissa Sole

Raised so far:

$21.10

Chris Capistrano

Claire Baker

Raised so far:

$21.10

Yi Sing Yao

Raised so far:

$2,092.31