ALMOST 200 pairs of donated shoes will be sent off to the Kimberley this month to help a remote community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lindi Beukes and her father, Gerhard Beukes, from the Rotary Club of Adamstown New Lambton, have collected 157 pairs of shoes, as well as 25 pairs of football boots.
Ms Beukes has been working as a podiatrist in the Kimberleys for eight months, a firsthand witness of the health problems of not wearing shoes.
She said foot problems were a common complication for locals living with diabetes, which affects the blood system, slowing the healing process.
Burns and blisters are also a major problem, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees in the summer.
Ms Beukes said the shoes would be put to good use, especially the football boots.
"A lot of people living in the Kimberleys don't have access to the same facilities as we do here," she said.
Many pairs of the shoes donated have barely been worn.
The local club, the Wirrimanu Tigers from Balgo, will benefit greatly from donations from the Gosford Rugby Club members.
"AFL is really big over there. I live in a community of about 500 people but we have a team in the East Kimberley Football League that's sitting second on the ladder."
Shannon Bond, from Select Transport, will transport the shoes for free at the end of July.