FORGET football, Billy Peden says, this is more important to me.
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The Knights legend made the bold declaration, sitting on the water’s edge of Newcastle Harbour, casually at the end of a conversation.
But make no mistake, there’s plenty of thought that’s gone into a 284-kilometre trek across Papua New Guinea for the Mark Hughes Foundation.
It began on Christmas Day last year.
“You start thinking about your friends and family on Christmas Day,” Peden said.
“And it just got to the point where I thought, ‘there’s more we can do to help people out’.
“We’re so lucky we’re in a fortunate position where we’re able to do that.”
Peden was quick on the phone to his mate and fellow Knights man Paul “The Chief” Harragon.
Soon enough, Peden, Hughes and Chief were taking on the Coast to Coast Challenge from the peaks of Buna in the north to humidity-soaked Port Moresby in the south.
On Monday, the trio will join 12 other intrepid adventurers for the gruelling 10-day foot and bike challenge.
“We’re raising a lot of money for the foundation, which is wonderful, and now we’ve got to go out and earn that money,” Hughes said, adding that he was proud to walk the historic Kokoda Trail.
“We’ll be really testing ourselves.”
The group has exceeded fundraising expectations and want to take $75,000 to $100,000 for brain cancer research – one of the great unknowns of the medical world.
“I want everyone who’s reading this to know how much their support means to us,” Hughes said.
“It’s a really tremendous amount for a small community and something we can all be proud of.”
Peden was both excited and daunted by the adventure.
“There’s a bit of anxiety there,” he said.
“You don’t want people to sponsor you and give you money for something that’s a walk in the park.
“This might end up being the most important thing I’ve ever done … much more important than a game of footy on a Sunday.”
The challenge has only been completed by a handful of people.
It begins on bike and foot in Buna, where the team will ride to the village of Kokoda. From there, they walk the 96-kilometre Kokoda Trail to Owes Corner. The final leg takes off from Owes Corner to Port Moresby on bike.
Hughes expected the challenge to be “life-changing”.
“I really feel like this challenge will be life-changing, a great focus, and will raise some great awareness and funds for MHF,” he said.
To donate, visit markhughesfoundation.com.au.
