Spirit of Ben continues to inspire

By JACQUI GARRITY
YOU would not know it was just after eight-thirty on a Sunday morning. The energy in the gymnasium of Lake Ginninderra College can be felt from outside in the car park. Children, their parents, chatty teenagers and seniors are wearing registration bibs, standing in groups inside and outside the gymnasium. Event organisers are giving directions over a megaphone and Ronald McDonald is taking participants through a warm-up, simultaneously entertaining and terrifying small children. Some are still in prams, too young to understand where they are or what they are part of.

The event has created its own culture. Large groups of people greet each other like its tradition to meet here; same time, same place, year after year. Dogs are waiting in anticipation for a Sunday morning walk they can sense is fast approaching. Tails are wagging, laughter is contagious and the dynamic of the occasion is apparent to even the most recent arrivals. Groups of people are seeking refuge from the early morning sun in the shade of large trees scattered outside the gymnasium. There are fitness enthusiasts and teenage girls who look like they were on their way to the mall but found themselves standing outside Lake Ginninderra College instead. And of course, everywhere you look there are smiling faces, their owners wearing red.

Red was the favourite colour of Ben Donohoe before a brain tumour prematurely ended the nine year-old’s life in 2005. Liverpool was also Ben’s favourite football team which is why their signature red and white can be seen in every direction.

“Our beautiful Ben loved his soccer and he dreamt of one day challenging his hero Harry Kewell and playing in the number seven for Liverpool,” Ben’s mother Robyn explains. Groups of teenagers can be seen wearing red polo shirts and singlets with a white number seven on the back, laughing and joking with each other.

Breaking up the sea of red, bright pink and purple shirts can also be seen scattered throughout the crowd. These shirts also have photographs on them, similar to the red shirts worn by the Donohoe family which show a smiling photo of Ben. Clearly visible on the pink and purple polos are photos of other young children, a girl and another boy called Ben, who also lost their battles with cancer.

Waiting for the start of the Ben Donohoe Run and Walk for Fun, it is overwhelming how many people are participating. The crowd is enormous and varied, from people dressed in canary yellow gridiron uniforms to young boys wearing head to toe lycra, covering their faces and leaving very little to the imagination. Ronald McDonald interviews competitors while the crowd politely laughs and in every direction, people seem to know each other. The community atmosphere is never more apparent than when the Donohoe family stand on a platform just ahead of the 6.3km starting line. The family stay there as the race begins, waving at passing competitors and looking out on the event they have created.

“As a family trying to come to terms with the loss of our beautiful son and brother we gain a great deal of comfort knowing that we provide an opportunity for other families to enjoy and appreciate what they have,” Robyn says. “To see children laughing and parents enjoying family time is lovely to watch.”

The Donohoes are one of those families that just about everyone seems to know. Perhaps this is why the fun run is arguably the most successful event of its kind in Canberra.

“Each year the story of Ben is told, and the family celebrate how beautiful and caring he was,” says Madeleine Hinder, a long time friend of the Donohoe family and an event volunteer. “For anyone who knows the family, or even if you don’t, you can see how strong they are, how full of love their family is, and you get the sense that Ben never left them – his memory lives on forever.”

Even though there are over 2,500 people participating, the atmosphere outside Lake Ginninderra College feels like family. “This event is so successful because it really allows people to be as involved as they want to be,” says Madeleine. “People are encouraged to give what they can, be it donate, volunteer, walk or run. Friends and family of the Donohoes are touched by the family’s spirit and that prompts people like me to assist in any way I can.”

The Ben Donohoe Run and Walk for Fun is in its seventh year and is showing no sign of slowing down. This year, 1800 pre-registered before the event and over 800 people are believed to have registered on the day. “We work tirelessly on Ben’s fun run,” says Robyn. “Ben had an enormous potential to make a difference in this world and he made a difference to my life by being my son. This is Ben’s way of continuing to make a difference to the lives of others.”

Proceeds from the fun run will be donated to the ACT Eden Monaro Cancer Support Group and the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the annual Hawaiian Ball on Saturday 19 November.