THE BIG WHEEL | The Story So Far: Rain, resilience and a region united

SHE has wheeled through driving rain, freezing temperatures, relentless headwinds and hundreds of kilometres of unforgiving highway.

She’s climbed hills that have pushed her body to breaking point, endured pain that grows with every passing day, spent hours with only the sound of tyres rolling across bitumen.

Yet somehow, Samantha Longmore keeps finding another push.

Five days after leaving Corowa on the first morning of her extraordinary 441-kilometre Push for Purpose, the former Junee local has become far more than a fundraiser.

She has become the face of a movement.

What began as one woman’s determination to raise awareness for mental health in rural and regional Australia has grown into something few could have imagined.

Communities have lined roadsides.

Schoolchildren have waited outside their classrooms.

Strangers have sounded their horns.

Runners, cyclists and walkers have joined her for kilometre after kilometre.

Businesses have opened their doors.

Media organisations from across the state have begun following her progress.

And with every push of her wheelchair, donations have continued to pour in.

As dawn broke on Thursday, the fundraising tally was closing in on an extraordinary $90,000.

READ MORE: The story behind The Big Wheel: Push for Purpose

Yet there is still a long road ahead.

Three days remain, with more than 160 kilometres still separating Sam from the finish line in Yass.

Her body is hurting.

Her hands ache.

Her feet require constant attention.

But the mission continues.

Because this journey was never really about kilometres.

It was about conversations.

It was about reminding people across regional Australia that nobody should have to face mental health struggles alone.

And somewhere along the road, an entire region decided it would make sure Sam didn’t have to face this journey alone either.

The dream becomes reality

Months of planning came down to one moment.

Shortly after sunrise on Saturday morning, surrounded by family, friends and supporters, Sam rolled away from Corowa Whisky & Chocolate.

Ahead of her lay 441 kilometres.

Eight consecutive days.

An ordinary everyday wheelchair.

And one extraordinary challenge.

Unlike purpose-built racing wheelchairs designed for endurance events, Sam would complete the entire journey using the same chair she relies upon in everyday life.

More remarkably still, she would propel herself using only the left side of her body.

Every metre would be earned.

Every hill would demand determination.

Every day would bring fresh challenges.

Her goal was ambitious, to raise $200,000 for Rural Aid and Riverina Bluebell while encouraging Australians to speak more openly about mental health, particularly in rural communities where support can often feel out of reach.

There was excitement.

There were nerves.

There was also no real way of knowing what eight consecutive days on the road would do to her body.

The first test

The opening day provided almost perfect conditions.

Blue skies stretched across southern New South Wales as Sam settled into the rhythm that would define the week ahead.

She wheeled an astonishing 62 kilometres between Corowa and Albury, accompanied for sections of the journey by family, friends and supporters who wanted to be there from the very beginning.

Among them was her sister, Sal, who laced up the running shoes and covered around 10 kilometres alongside her.

Others joined for shorter stretches, helping create a carnival atmosphere on the opening day.

But beneath the smiles, the physical reality of what Sam had committed to was already beginning to emerge.

Every kilometre required thousands of pushes.

Every slight rise in the road demanded extra effort.

Every stop became an opportunity to stretch aching muscles before climbing back into the chair and doing it all again.

Still, Day One belonged to optimism.

The weather was kind.

The body held together.

And the first major milestone had been achieved.

Staying ahead of the rain

Sunday would prove considerably tougher.

Knowing deteriorating weather was forecast for the days ahead, Sam and the crew made a strategic decision to extend the day’s planned finish.

Rather than stopping at Culcairn as originally intended, they pushed another 17 kilometres to Henty in an effort to get ahead of the approaching rain system.

It would prove to be one of the smartest decisions of the journey.

The extra distance came at a cost.

By the time Sam rolled into Henty under fading light, she had wheeled 128.5 kilometres in just two days, the equivalent of more than three marathons.

“Sunday was a tough day, a big day,” Sam said.

“Almost 66 kilometres. It was tough going. The last seven kilometres felt like they went for 27.”

She also revealed the first signs that her body was beginning to fight back.

“I’ve got a little shin and ankle thing going on, but we’re sorting it out.”

The kilometres, however, were only part of the story.

As darkness approached outside Henty, two familiar faces from Junee arrived to help bring Sam home.

Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory managing director Neil Druce and head of marketing Rhiannon Druce had met the crew about seven kilometres outside town.

Rhiannon climbed out and jogged beside Sam for the remainder of the journey.

It was a gesture that left a lasting impression.

“Neil and I were there for the last seven kilometres and helped her into Henty,” Rhiannon later said.

“It was going on dark and there was no way we weren’t going to help her get to the Day Two finish.”

Joining Sam, even briefly, changed her perspective.

“It was truly inspirational to get even a small taste of what she’s already completed on this journey.”

“Sam is determined. It’s bloody cold. Doing this in winter adds an extra layer of difficulty.”

They could all sense what was coming.

The rain had not yet arrived.

But it was only a matter of time.

The day that almost broke her

Monday dawned under grey skies.

The sunshine that had carried Sam through the opening two days had disappeared, replaced by cold winds and an approaching rain band stretching across southern New South Wales.

The crew knew the forecast.

They also knew there was no turning back.

Rolling out of Henty before sunrise, Sam set her sights on Wagga Wagga, 60km away, hoping to cover as much ground as she could before the weather turned.

For a while, it looked like she might.

She made good progress through the morning before reaching The Rock shortly before 2pm.

Then the heavens opened.

Travelling in the support van behind Sam, crew members Chantelle and Chloe could only watch as a heavy burst of rain swept across the highway.

“We’ve just been hit with a bit of a downpour,” they reported.

“But Sam’s still out there, going super strong.”

The shower eventually passed, but every kilometre was becoming harder as the road stretched endlessly towards Uranquinty.

It was there that Sam received a timely morale boost.

Her physiotherapist and one of her closest friends, Ange, joined the crew for the first time since the journey began in Corowa, while a group of family and friends gathered in Uranquinty to cheer her on before she continued towards Wagga.

As the afternoon wore on, the kilometres began taking their toll.

The body that had carried her more than 120 kilometres over the previous two days was beginning to protest.

The pain was building.

The fatigue was mounting.

Still, Sam refused to stop.

As darkness fell, she remained determined to press on, hoping to reach Wagga.

But six kilometres short of the city, near Kapooka, conditions had become too dangerous to continue.

With darkness well and truly set in and traffic increasing along the highway, the crew made the decision to pull over and call it a night.

For the first time on the journey, the road had won.

By the end of Day Three, Sam had wheeled around 180 kilometres.

It had been, in her own words, the hardest day of the journey.

“Yesterday was a hard one,” she admitted the following morning.

“It sucked so bad.

“It was my hardest day so far.

“The body didn’t hold up real well.”

A mate shows up

Tuesday began differently.

While much of the region was still asleep, one Junee local was already on his bike.

Kyle Lawson had always intended to join Sam somewhere along the journey.

When the weather deteriorated and work was put on hold, he made the decision.

He would ride out to meet her.

Leaving Junee before sunrise, Kyle pedalled towards Kapooka.

In his enthusiasm, he overshot the meeting point by almost 10 kilometres, riding all the way towards Uranquinty before doubling back.

Eventually he found Sam. Then the real ride began.

For the next 45 kilometres, Kyle never left her side.

Rain lashed the pair.

Cold winds cut through every layer.

Cars and trucks thundered past.

Still, he remained there.

Talking.

Encouraging.

Laughing.

By the time they reached Junee later that afternoon, Kyle had ridden close to 110 kilometres.

It was an extraordinary effort.

For Sam, it meant even more.

“Kyle helped me today more than anyone will ever know,” she later said.

“Dead set 10/10 bloke…

A homecoming

Tuesday wasn’t simply another day.

It was homecoming day.

After three gruelling days on the road, Sam was returning to the town she grew up in, the community that helped shape her, as she reached the halfway point of her extraordinary 441-kilometre journey to Yass.

It was a milestone that carried far more meaning than simply another 50 kilometres.

Word had spread across Junee for weeks.

Businesses had donated raffle prizes.

The Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory had organised an afternoon fundraiser.

Residents had been watching The Junee Bulletin‘s live updates since sunrise.

Everyone was waiting.

Before reaching town, Sam stopped briefly at the historic Jail Brake Inn.

Inside, she received another physiotherapy session.

Outside, supporters gathered.

There was one obstacle still standing between Sam and home.

Locals know it simply as the Mad Mile.

A long, relentless approach that climbs steadily towards Junee before reaching one of the toughest hills on the entire route.

It had been on everyone’s minds all day.

As Sam turned onto the approach, something remarkable began happening.

Cars started arriving.

One after another.

Some simply wanted to watch.

Others wanted to escort her.

By the time Sam began climbing towards Junee, what had started as a handful of supporters had become a slow-moving convoy stretching behind her.

Then came the schoolchildren.

Several local students joined Sam for the climb.

They weren’t interested in headlines.

They simply wanted to help push her home.

Waiting over the crest were even more people.

Families.

Emergency services.

Friends.

Complete strangers.

As Sam reached the top of the hill, she looked down and saw a sea of people waiting.

The emotion was immediate.

There were tears.

There were hugs.

There were cheers echoing across the valley.

It was one of those moments no photograph could ever fully capture. You can watch the video highlights below.

But the journey through Junee wasn’t over yet.

With the toughest climb behind her, Sam and the crew made the decision to avoid the second ascent over Kemp Street, instead taking the flatter route into town via De Salis Drive and Loughnan Road.

The convoy that had gathered on the Mad Mile rolled with her.

Horns sounded.

People waved from footpaths.

Others stepped out of homes simply to applaud as Sam made her way through the streets of the town she once called home.

By the time she rolled into the Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory, Day Four was complete.

Sam had reached the halfway mark of her extraordinary 441-kilometre journey.

The celebrations were waiting.

The aroma of woodfired pizzas filled the air and music echoed across the factory grounds as supporters gathered to celebrate not only the kilometres she’d conquered, but the conversations she was inspiring.

And the support didn’t stop there.

As Sam crossed the Day Four finish line, donations continued to pour in, with the fundraising tally surging past $70,000.

It was another powerful reminder that while Sam had reached the halfway point of her journey, the movement behind her was only continuing to grow.

Later that evening, reflecting on the day, Sam struggled to find words.

“Yesterday, we got rained on from the moment we got on the road to fairly well the moment we arrived at the Licorice and Chocolate Factory,” she said.

“It was a hard slog of a day.

“But it was amazing.

“Friends. Family. Strangers.

“Arriving into Junee after that really big push up the hill. My heart is so full. It really is.”

She paused before delivering perhaps the most important message of the day.

“Thank you all so much for coming out and supporting me getting there.

“But also supporting the cause in general.

“Every donation really makes a difference…

“No matter how big or small.”

For one night, Sam was home.

By sunrise, she’d be leaving again.

And the road waiting beyond Junee wasn’t about to get any easier.

The mission grows

There wasn’t much time to celebrate.

Just 15 hours after rolling into Junee to an unforgettable hometown welcome, Sam was back in her wheelchair, rolling out of town shortly before 8am on Wednesday.

The hugs were over.

The celebrations were behind her.

Ahead lay another 50 kilometres.

Another day.

Another test.

But once again, she wasn’t facing it alone.

Before sunrise, family, friends and supporters gathered at the Junee Recreation Centre to give Sam the send-off she deserved, sharing breakfast before joining her for the first few kilometres out of town.

Then, just as quickly as she had arrived home, she was gone again.

Among those escorting Sam out of Junee was Jason Ferrario, who only three days earlier had completed the gruelling 150-kilometre Big Three Trek from Sydney to Newcastle in support of brain cancer research.

Still recovering from his own challenge, he laced up once more to help send Sam on her way.

The road to Cootamundra

As the kilometres rolled beneath her wheels, another familiar face appeared.

Long-time friend George Elliott joined Sam for much of the day’s journey, riding beside her as the pair made their way north along the Olympic Highway.

Another welcome was waiting in Illabo, where students from Illabo Public School came out to cheer Sam on as she rolled through the village on her way to Bethungra.

It wasn’t a large crowd.

It didn’t need to be.

Like so many of the moments along this journey, it was simple, genuine and heartfelt.

Then came Bethungra.

The crew pulled over.

A bowl of hot soup appeared.

So did the portable massage table.

Once again, another roadside physiotherapy session unfolded beside the highway before Sam climbed back into her chair and pointed herself towards Cootamundra.

Anyone familiar with the Olympic Highway knows the stretch between Bethungra and Cootamundra.

While the two towns sit at a similar elevation, the road between them winds over the range through a series of long, energy-sapping climbs, with some of the toughest rises around the Bethungra Spiral and again on the approach to Cootamundra.

For someone propelling an everyday wheelchair using only one side of her body, every incline demanded another enormous effort.

By now, the accumulated toll of five straight days on the road was impossible to ignore.

Every day felt longer than the last.

Every kilometre demanded more than the one before it.

Her hand was aching.

Her foot was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

The fatigue had settled deep into her body.

Still, she kept pushing.

A race the weather almost won

Unlike Tuesday, Wednesday began under kinder skies.

For much of the journey, the rain stayed away.

But the reprieve wouldn’t last.

As Cootamundra drew closer, the clouds grew darker.

For hours, it looked as though they might beat the weather.

Then, with the town in sight, the heavens opened.

Within minutes, Sam was soaked once again.

After everything the day had already demanded, the weather had one final challenge to deliver.

“We beat the rain all day,” Sam said.

“But we got absolutely drenched just as we were coming in.”

A rockstar reception

If the weather was meant to dampen spirits, it failed spectacularly.

As Sam rolled into Cootamundra, another community was waiting.

Despite the pouring rain, people lined the street.

They clapped.

They cheered.

Car horns echoed through the town.

Music played.

Whistles cut through the rain.

Among those escorting Sam into town were members of ROAR Gym, local rugby league players and young soccer players, who refused to let her finish Day Five alone.

The scene was nothing short of extraordinary.

As night fell and rain bucketed from the sky, Sam pushed down the middle of the street, surrounded by supporters running at her side.

Behind them, the headlights of the pilot vehicle pierced the downpour, backlighting the group as they made their way towards ROAR Gym.

For a moment, it felt less like the finish of another gruelling day on the road and more like the closing scene of a movie.

It was another unforgettable reminder that this journey had become far bigger than the woman pushing the wheelchair.

“The arrival into Coota was amazing,” Sam said afterwards.

“There were people at the beginning of town.

“There were people even before I got anywhere near town.

“And then runners came into ROAR Gym with me.”

Inside the gym, there was finally time to stop.

After five gruelling days, Sam was welcomed through the doors for what had become an essential part of the journey.

Recovery.

An ice bath.

A sauna.

A hot shower.

For the first time all day, warmth.

Dinner followed.

Then bed.

Camping, she admitted with a laugh, had quickly lost its appeal.

“I only camped for two nights before realising I was out of my mind.”

Far more than kilometres

While Sam’s body was feeling the strain, support for her mission was only becoming stronger.

As she made her way towards Cootamundra, donations surged beyond $84,000.

Less than 24 hours earlier, the tally had climbed through $70,000 as she rolled into Junee.

The journey was also beginning to attract growing media attention, with local and national news organisations meeting Sam along the route to help share her story and amplify the conversation around mental health in rural Australia.

It was exactly what she had hoped would happen.

Because despite the physical challenge, Sam has always insisted the wheelchair is only part of the story.

This journey isn’t about proving how far she can push herself.

It’s about encouraging people to speak.

To ask for help.

To check on a mate.

To remind regional Australians that struggling doesn’t have to happen behind closed doors.

Every donation.

Every conversation.

Every person who has walked, ridden or run beside her.

Every schoolchild who has waved.

Every horn sounded from a passing car.

Every town that has turned out to welcome her.

Together, they’ve become part of something much bigger than a fundraising challenge.

Three days to go

As darkness settled over Cootamundra, another milestone had quietly been reached.

Around 280 kilometres were now behind her.

Just 161 kilometres remained.

Next would come Harden.

Then Bowning.

Finally, Yass.

Three more mornings.

Three more nights.

Three more days asking an exhausted body for just a little bit more.

Sam knows what lies ahead.

“My body is screaming at me,” she admitted.

“But we’ve got three days.”

And if the first five have shown us anything, it’s that she will find a way.

Because somewhere between Corowa and Cootamundra, this stopped being one woman’s journey.

It became a journey carried by an entire region.

And when Samantha Longmore finally rolls across the finish line in Yass on Saturday afternoon, she won’t be arriving alone.

She’ll be carrying the hopes, encouragement and admiration of thousands of people who have followed every kilometre, every hill, every setback and every triumph.

Three days remain.

The road continues.

And so does Sam.

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HOW TO SUPPORT THE CAUSE 

Donations to The Big Wheel can be made online via Samantha Longmore’s fundraising page, with all contributions over $2 tax deductible.

Major raffle tickets are also available, with over $3,000 worth of prizes donated by Junee businesses up for grabs.

Tickets:

• $5 each
• 3 for $10
• 5 for $20

Tickets can be purchased via direct bank transfer using the following details:

Account Name: Samantha Longmore
BSB: 633 000
Account Number: 1834 5517 9

Reference: Your name, contact number and number of tickets purchased.

Winners will be drawn on Saturday, July 4 as Sam crosses the finish line at Yass Racecourse.