A BOY’S WALK

Hokitika Guardian, 27 September 1932, Page 3

A BOY’S WALK

40 MILES 12 HOURS.

HARDY LAD OF NINE YEARS

SYDNEY, September 16.

'• There is no doubt iabopt it,, the, Australians are a robust and energetig ■people, and ’.hey take, de.fght ,\m. inuring themselves to hardships and training themselves. to physical exertion from a' very early ‘age:. The other day young Tom Duffy, aged five burned'up safely at Melbourne, having ridden the whole 650 miles from 'Sydney on his pony—though it should be mentioned that his .mother, driving her Sulky, was with-hinv: a M the.' vjjayi. And young Owen Croucher, aged eight, is due back from Brisbane this week, having done the' 15Q0 miles’ from, and to Sydney oh * horseback; apd incidehfcally he has; won eight prizes, at the Brisbane Royal Show. \

Then there is : yohhg Ashley Cordner nine years old, Who last week walked from his' father’s farm at Windsor to Sydney General Post Office- - : 40 miles--in. 12 hours 20, minutes j. though, allowing for four half aii hour hesfej he was walking only a little ovgr' IQ hburs,. When he gdt;', to Paramatta, he, remarked “I’ll be at Sydney G.P.Q. by 4 o’clock and dad will have to part up.” As a matter of fact, Mr Cordner, wild; ih a we'll-kriown Paramatta' business man' 1 , had ' alldwed yoiihg; Ashley ' to’ inveigle hiiii'' into a ' bet,'' and tili'e boy’s threat, “I’ll show dad yet,” was duly ! fulfilled.' When ' this ;youngster. 3ft 6in.ili height, leaclied Martin Place, he was 'fresh enough’ip ritrt across.! the street ; antf \liis tinid*’ from, Ceritraf Station ( tp, the Gpppral Post Office— a 'loiig mile-r^was' only ; 17 mihutqs.

' New Scout Outfit.'

Most men would He prorid Of covering 40 miles in a little over TO llours, but young ' Ashley ik not surprise,d.’ He Walks,, to school aijd . back (2f tmlds, each; way) every day, he is a Wolf Cub, * an expert horseman, and he lids Won prizes' , gt ''many shows (starting', at the; age of 4) : ; lie can" plough all day loilg, 5 and at a gymkhana to be held; at 1 Parramatta on Eight Hours. Day he' Has. matched himself; to : outwalk "a, horse for half a mile: As a reward for his 40-hiile “hike,” - his fathor; has bought" liiin a Ejoy Scout outfit; and, •Ashley is prepared to challenge any! boy of his own age'to Walk against Kim under similar I may add’that Ashley did his “hike’’ on a! cup of ! water' arid a bag of raisins ! if; 'yoring Australians' gre * “raised” in this, Way, "'no: Wonder' tjiat they succeed as. athletes'k later Tifp; : 1 " " * ” I ;must spare a. few 'lirieg for "Roy! Mafchant’; (H), and Bobbie Lye (T2), who have fust* dqtie the trip to’ Newcastle. (104 miles) jii 2J days on their; “ 4-irich‘ ‘ ‘scooters, ” ; 1 and ’are now On, thfi Way'backf equipped witii '■ new arid gor-, geous 11-inch machiiies, presented' to; them as a reward for their , exertions.' Sleeping qyt at. " refusing all WgSrstance,' carrying their! own swags, arid submitting witii 'son,W reluctance to tfie admiring demonstrations,, of. the, .people; that they met, the bpys . gin’ j cbmirig back.’hqriifi; convinced 'that, they' l : : Kkye “had u lovely tiriie;”. -!,

Two Women fcross,'Mountains,

But the Spirit of adveritiirp'aricl love, of enterprise is not'confined-to boys. Last week Lillian Thorpe;, a iT-yebrrolcl' Botany, girl,' rode her cycle, from Batjriirst to Ashfield, ’ISO miiles, in 10i liriui s. An hour, out .from Bathurst her iriachipe. skidded, arid threw her into a barbed wire fence. V Her arms !and face were 1 badly put', and she sat down and ‘‘cried a’ Titti^”—then/mounted 'again/ arid i-ode on. .This''.week; she. is'going to ride' from Sydney to Wollpngbrig; and threatens to do the .55 miles in three hours. '"And on Noveriiber 5 slie |is to ride, a face with a New Zealand girl Cyclist at'the Canterbufy Velodrome. ;

Nor are the delignts of outdoor exer4 cise;confined to the younger generaticn. Two, Lithgow women (one 59, and oJJer only 46), iijkbd tp Sydney' last week 'peross the Blue Mountains. They .' Carried th e *r Qwm swags, 'slept in towns' /at night-r-they “did' not'fancy sleepingout with' so mariy -'tramps along the road”- and did. the 96-mile‘walk from LithgoW tp Sydriey’within' five days—a most ‘creditable performance,' even for masculine Hikers at anything like, that age. ' '