2025 ACT Senior Australians of the Year Marilyn Ralston and Peter Ralston OAM

Australian Community Media

Meet your Australians - 2025 ACT Senior Australians of the Year Marilyn Ralston and Peter Ralston OAM. ACM is proud to be media partner for the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards.

Transcript

00:00Achilles Running Club is a club for people with a disability who get together with volunteers

00:08to enjoy the health benefits of walking and running.

00:12We started the club in 2013, our impact has meant we've met hundreds of people and guided

00:24numerous people with disability, they've had vision impairment or mental or physical impairments.

00:32We have an amazing group of volunteers from all walks of life in Canberra, young and old.

00:40It's not a competitive running or walking club, we match guides with the athlete's capability

00:47or the goals that they set themselves.

00:51Over the years since we've started, there's been numerous highlights of trips away, city

00:59to surf, Run Melbourne, Orange Festival every year, thousands of park runs, so those are

01:11achievements that we are proud of.

01:14It's giving our athletes an opportunity to move more confidently in their community,

01:22to engage in the community, to answer questions that people may pose, particularly if people

01:29don't recognise the cane.

01:31Well there's 5 million people with disability in Australia and there's 50,000 in Canberra

01:39so there are a number of opportunities there for a change of culture and an awareness by

01:47everyone of what we can do for 5 million people with a disability.

01:53What inspired me was actually being able to work and encourage people with a disability

02:01to join mainstream running and walking groups.

02:06The enjoyment that I see on the faces of our people when they finish a run.

02:13One lady said to me at the conclusion, she said that was amazing, I just felt like a

02:19bird and it was very, very special.

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