A GERRINGONG resident will begin walking in the shadows of Allied Prisoners Of War escapees this Friday in order to help restore sight to hundreds of people.
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Mike Druce will be “escaping” from Colditz Castle in Saxony, Germany, (the infamous Oflag IVC camp of World War II) and walking 600 kilometres unsupported to Switzerland.
According to the Australian War Memorial, Oflag IVC at Colditz Castle was a prisoner of war camp for officers who had caused the Germans “a great deal of trouble, especially in making multiple escape attempts from other camps”.
Mr Druce, coach of the Australian canoe slalom team, will be starting the challenge after completing competition at the World Championships in Maryland, USA. The 51-year-old aims to raise $15,000 for the Fred Hollows Foundation.
The foundation is inspired by the work of the late professor, who aimed to improve the health of indigenous Australians and reduce the cost of eye health care and treatment in developing countries.
“Like most boys of my generation I was fascinated by the wartime stories of the ingenious escapes from the ‘escape proof’ Oflag IVC, made famous by the books, films and iconic ’70s TV series,” he said of the walk.
“In 2014, Colditz Castle is a spectacular youth hostel in Saxony and easy to escape from.
“Nowadays travelling by train through Germany to Switzerland is very easy, even with a fake ID I imagine.
“So, to set myself a tougher challenge. I will be leaving Colditz and walking to the Swiss border, carrying my gear, sleeping out, unsupported.
“I’ll be crossing into Switzerland using the Singen route, used successfully by many World War II escapees including Pat Reid and Airey Neave.”
Mr Druce has set the target of saving the sight of one person for every kilometre he will walk.
For $25 the foundation can restore someone’s sight.
Several factors have inspired his attempt to help 600 people.
“My goal is to honour the men and women of my father’s generation, who navigated great hardship and challenging times with a level of courage and ingenuity at which I can only marvel,” he said.
“I want to test myself to see if I can meet a challenge which is a fraction of what the escapees faced, but at least can put me in the shoes of some of those great men.
“Finally I want to help to continue the great work of Fred Hollows to fight preventable blindness.’’
You can donate via the everydayhero.com.au/Colditzwalk website.
