A KANIVA man has raised more than $40,000 for mental health awareness after completing an epic 2200 kilometre journey along the Murray River.
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Brad McCabe began rowing along the river in Albury on January 6 and crossed the finish line at Goolwa on Thursday.
Mr McCabe wanted to raise money for beyondblue after the suicide of his brother Tom in 2014.
He rowed about 60 kilometres a day in a 4.8-metre canoe he bought online.
Mr McCabe said it was a great feeling to finally finish his trip.
“I was really happy to see the ocean,” he said,
“Lots of my friends and family came out to meet me at the end too.”
Mr McCabe said growing up, mental illness was not something he was exposed to.
“Back in my day the attitude always was ‘harden-up’ and ‘move on’,” he said.
“Mental health is one of those things some people can talk about whereas others can’t because the belief often is ‘why should I tell the world about my problems?’”
After Tom died, Mr McCabe lost three more friends to suicide.
He was fed-up with the grasp mental illness had on his loved ones and decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I wanted to raise money for beyondblue because of how mental illness has affected my family and friends,” he said.
Mr McCabe said the trip also gave him a chance to talk to people about mental health.
“I met a lot of people along the way and told them what I was doing,” he said.
“I would then get a message from them later thanking me.
“Almost everyone I met donated to the cause, which has blown me away.”
Mr McCabe said the community, especially in his home town, had been extremely supportive.
The Kaniva-Leeor United Football Club will host a fundraiser for beyondblue on Friday night to help add to Mr McCabe’s total.
So far, he has raised more than $40,000 since he started the campaign in January.
“I didn’t think I was going to get that much – I thought we might get $5000,” he said.
“Everyone has been fantastic and I can’t thank people enough for the donations.”
Mr McCabe said while the trip was physically challenging, it was something he would do again in the future.
“I just need to have a rest first,” he said.
“It was hard to get up and get going some days, but it was also peaceful on the water.
“I was never alone, there was always people fishing and camping.
“I also had a lot of time to think about things.”
Mr McCabe also thanked his family for getting behind him and supporting him along the way.
He said people could donate online at https://in-memoriam-ongoing.everydayhero.com/au/rowingforacause.