A former Queensland tradie is mowing down the miles for a cause close to his heart, pushing his lawnmower around the country in an effort to raise money for charity.
78-year-old Claude, ‘The Mower-Man’ Harvey, hopes his nationwide walks will help trim away at the impacts of child sexual abuse, a campaign he has been advocating for more than a decade.
The retired landscaper’s treks across Australia’s highways, byways, footpaths and roads have raised over 1.8 million dollars for charity Bravehearts, with Claude and his trusty lawnmower “Moyra” showing no signs of slowing down.
Together, the pairs of walking paths cut through more than ten sets of mower tyres and nearly 50 pairs of thongs as they hike from town to town.
Like most trades, it’s backbreaking work to push a lawnmower around all day, but Claude told Build-it nothing will stop him from reaching his goal of helping the victims of sexual abuse.
“I can get pretty tired after pushing my lawnmower around all day, but at least it’s a lot easier on bitumen than it is on grass,” he laughed.
Formerly mowing lawns and landscaping gardens across the Gold Coast, Claude has walked nearly 30,000 km across the country in hopes of cutting through his message on child sexual abuse, reaching as north as Port Douglas and as South as Tasmania.
And despite the impressive amount he’s already raised the 2023 Queensland Senior of the Year remains steadfast in his ambition to reach $2 million raised – one push of his lawnmower at a time.
“That’s been my goal all along, I want to be the first person to raise two million dollars for Bravehearts and for child sexual abuse,” he told Build-it.
“My reason for such extraordinary endeavours is simple: I want all Australians, in every town and village, to be aware of child sexual assault and to ensure the many victims of child sexual assault, 1 in 5 children before their 18th birthday, are believed and supported.”
Recently completing his latest mower-pushing hike from Tweed Heads to Hope Island and back you would think it was time for Claude to put his feet up after a tough month on the tools.
But the Aussie ‘Mower-Man’ is already planning his next fundraising adventure, soon heading off on another hard-yakka hike from regional Queensland town Esk to Maryborough and back.
“I previously tried swapping the lawnmower for a seated mobility scooter now I am getting older…but it broke down on me twice so I will be sticking with the tried and tested Moyra next time,” he laughed.
