Cranbourne panel beater Mick Smithers is set to beat a superhuman path around Casey in support of local youth.
By Ed Merrison
MICK Smithers may seem like your average bloke, but he is about to step out of the ordinary and perform a superhuman feat for the youth of Casey.
Beginning on Friday, 6 October, the Hampton Park resident will spend three days walking 110 kilometres around the perimeter of the municipality to raise funds for youth programs.
Mr Smithers, who works as a panel beater in Cranbourne, described himself as neither slim nor sporty, but said Casey’s young people had provided all the motivation he needed.
“There is a lot of youth in Casey with nowhere to go and nothing to do, so I thought, ‘Oh well, I’ve got to do something about it’,” he said.
“If we can get something in place for kids who haven’t got a stable home or an environment where they can go and relax, it’ll be a good thing for the kids to steer them in the right direction.”
Mr Smithers said he began training for the event two months ago and had to get himself 100 per cent fit.
“It’s going pretty good. I’ve been cutting back on a lot of things and eating healthier foods, and I’ve been getting into two or three six-kilometre walks a week,” he said.
Mr Smithers devised the initiative, known as the 200,000 Steps, with his friend Drew Gormlie, Pastor of Life Community Church in Cranbourne and Casey support agency Spiritworx chairman.
The third team member, Narre Warren resident Scott Wellard, met Mr Smithers through Mr Gormlie’s church and was impressed that an “average tradie” was devoting himself to such a cause.
“Quite often you hear people in the community and in the workplace saying young people are just hanging around and there’s nothing for them to do,” Mr Wellard said.
“What I like is Mick’s heard those complaints and said ‘I’m going to do something to help youth’.”
Mr Wellard said Spiritworx would put every cent raised by the walk towards four new youth programs, including drug- and alcohol-free concerts, three-on-three basketball tournaments and an outdoor adventure youth mentoring program.
He said he hoped local businesses and individuals would come forward to sponsor the event, and that the wider community would come out to cheer on Mr Smithers and make donations on the road.
Mr Wellard said the project highlighted the size of Casey, and said it was symbolic that the route encompassed every resident.
“We have programs in Fountain Gate and Berwick and they’re great, but there’s youth in Cranbourne, youth in Pearcedale and youth in Tooradin who can’t access them because they’re so spread out,” he said.
But Mr Smithers is not thinking about the distance or the blisters.
His focus is on young people and their future.
“If we can help even half the kids in Casey it’s unreal and it’s been worthwhile, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
