Ita Buttrose to walk our Lake Wendouree as part of ongoing fight against dementia

Dementia Australia

Dementia Australia’s National Ambassador Ita Buttrose AC OBE has called on the Ballarat community to join her at the Memory Walk & Jog event on Sunday 15 March at Lake Wendouree.

Ms Buttrose said she is thrilled to be attending the event, which Dementia Australia is officially bringing to the area for the first time.

“We’re excited to be hosting our popular Memory Walk & Jog event in Ballarat, which has been made possible thanks to the incredible work over the past few years of locally-based volunteers who have run a number of hugely successful DIY Memory Walk & Jog events,” Ms Buttrose said.

“Having been involved with the Memory Walk & Jog series of events over many years I can say first-hand how enjoyable and rewarding they are.

“They’re a fabulous gathering of people impacted by dementia who get together, walk or run to raise money, share stories, and everyone comes away from the day knowing they are not alone.”

Memory Walk & Jog is Dementia Australia’s largest fundraising initiative, and raises much-needed funds to help provide invaluable support, education and resources for people impacted by dementia in Ballarat and across Australia.

Anne Tudor from the local Bigger Hearts Dementia Alliance will be there on the day and is looking forward to the event.

“We are honoured to welcome Ita Buttrose to Ballarat and to have her support for this fantastic event,” Ms Tudor said.

“We hope to see everyone there for the first official Ballarat Memory Walk & Jog!”

Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe said the course is family-friendly, the event is dog-friendly, and no matter your age or level of fitness, everyone is encouraged to participate and join in the fun.

“We are so grateful for the work of the Bigger Hearts Dementia Alliance and members of the local community for all their hard work and support in making previous DIY Memory Walk & Jog events in the city such a success.

“We look forward to building on their work and seeing as many locals as possible turn out for a day that’s fun for all the family,” Ms McCabe said.

Today, there are an estimated 3,200 people living with dementia in the federal electorate of Ballarat. With that figure projected to increase to about 7,000 by 2058, events like Memory Walk & Jog play an important role not only in funding support but also in raising awareness of dementia.

This year, participants at the Memory Walk & Jog can choose to take part in either a 2km, 6km or 8km walk or jog, and are invited to help reach the $1.3 million national fundraising target across all 12 events, which Dementia Australia is hoping will involve more than 10,000 participants nationwide.

There will be prizes for the top fundraisers, as well as raffles, plenty of entertainment, food stalls and special guest appearances from Memory Walk & Jog mascot Al the Elephant.

Registrations are now open.

/Public Release.