Luke, a former soldier and adventurer on what his latest "Feeding" challenge means to him:
'Ro Halai Taru' means, 'A Race on Sea and Land' in the Timorese language.
"The challenge was a ten day awareness and fundraising adventure race between two brothers, for Australia and East Timor.
I and my brother Dan were pitted against each other and the elements in a fundraising project that was about brotherhood between nations.
At noon on 10 May, I started sea-kayaking, sailing and mountainbiking from Darwin, Australia to Dili, East Timor and Dan started running on the 13th from the Eastern point of Timor on a 300km cross - country run (more than a marathon a day!,,,,,with no training).
Then it was brother against brother until the finish at Dili Harbour on 20th May 2003, the first birthday of the now free - East Timor.
We ran over the finish line neck and neck :) at 11 am on the 20th May after 10 days of racing over sea and land, in the capital Dili amidst the thousands of Timorese celebrating their first anniversary as a new nation.
At the finish line we were greeted by President Xanana Gusmao and the First Lady Kirsty Sword-Gusmao. The adventure was successful in highlighting the beauty of the country and laid the foundation for further adventure races and fund raising. Funds went to maternal health projects because in Timor 1 in 10 babies don't make it past one year old and maternal mortality is also high". As a postscript for 2007/8, Luke has been running peacebuilding events in East Timor such as the December 07 'Ride For Peace' from the mountain town of Maubisse to the Dili Harbour.
Also a Peace Concert in the Dili Football Stadium as part of President Jose Ramos Horta's reconciliation program. Now working as a senior advisor in the Office of the President, Google him to see the great work he's been doing for a country he's so genuinely passionate about.
Funds raised from The Timor Challenge entirely went to organisations working on maternal and childhood health in East Timor, including Life, Love And Health, the organisation set up by Luke himself and the Alola Foundation.
See more of The Timor Challenge here and the LLH organisation here
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