Looking Back: 17 Years of Walkathon Coordination

Article by John McLaine, Walkathon Coordinator 2009-2025

When I was asked to coordinate the 2009 Walkathon, I never dreamed that I would go on to coordinate 17 consecutive annual Walkathons and, in the process, become so closely associated with the Grade 12 journey. It has been an enduring privilege for which I am very grateful. 

In the early days, coordination meant managing all aspects of the Walkathon, as well as walking every step. Thankfully, the event has always been supported by a large number of dedicated volunteers, and in the early 2010s, we devised a new route from Deloraine, which dramatically improved safety, catering, break locations, and distance accuracy. 

Covid proved to be the biggest challenge I would face during my 17 years of Walkathon coordination. Ensuring that the graduating class of 2020 didn’t miss out on this Grammar rite of passage was a monumental logistical task, but with the help of additional Covid volunteers, we were elated that the students were able to complete the walk in October of that year. 

The post-Walkathon celebration fundraiser has developed over the years into a significant community building event, and I was very grateful to our Events Team for planning and executing the event this year. This, as well as the many other fundraising events the students host throughout the year, have contributed to fundraising totals soaring from around $10,000 to upwards of $50,000, making a significant contribution to some very worthy causes in the process. 

The Launceston Grammar Walkathon remains a truly unique, brutally hard and positively life-changing challenge for all who undertake it. It has brought me great satisfaction to help the young men and women of Grammar to achieve more than they dreamed possible and to find deeper reserves of compassion and empathy for all who face struggles in life by enduring such an experience. Caring for each other, our community and citizens of the world are the greatest of Grammar’s values, and it has been a wonderful privilege to be present when those values have been so hard earned.