640km down, only 5,400km to go!

Coen Tate

Coen Tate is a young 20 yr old Aboriginal man who is passionate about helping Close the Gap for Aboriginal Health. To do this he is walking from Sydney to Uluru and back again. He stayed with me over the weekend to get some respite from the 40+ days of heat that we had last week.

Coen is hoping that the walk raises funds to keep Close the Gap on track, as well as raising in people’s minds the situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, injustice, and other social issues.

The situation of Indigenous health is appalling, with the life expectancy an average of 17 years less than non-Indigenous Australians, infant mortality at 3 times as high, and a third of Australia’s 600,000 strong Indigenous population expected not to reach 45 years of age.

He has walked from the Sydney Opera House, over the Blue Mountains, through Bathurst, Parkes and Condobolin to Hilllston. From here he goes to Ivanhoe, Broken Hill (amongst other towns and communities), through the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, up the Oodnadatta Track to the Stuart Highway then to Uluru and back again. This amazing adventure is due to finish back at the Opera House at the end of June.

A strong personal faith underpins Coen’s commitment to the walk. “I’m amazed how God has provided for me. People have been unbelievably generous and helpful”. It is fantastic to see Coen putting his faith into action and to see how God is looking after him. If you would like to follow Coen’s adventure you can go to facebook.com/trektotheredcentre.

Coen leaving Hillston in his walking gear