Bali victim's cousin begins 2,000 km walkathon

Bali victim's cousin begins 2,000 km walkathon

Agence France-Presse, Brisbane, Australia

A relative of a Bali bomb victim set out on Sunday on a 2,100-
kilometer (1,320-mile) trek from the Queensland resort of Gold
Coast to Melbourne to raise money for Bali.

Stuart Mayne, who five months ago made the heart-breaking
journey to Bali to search for the remains of his cousin Belinda
Allen, 23, left with his friend Howard Battye on a journey to
honor the nearly 200 victims of the Oct. 12 terrorist attack on
the Indonesian resort island.

They plan to spend 88 days on the road to commemorate each of
the Australians who lost their lives.

Mayne said that rather than be consumed by anger over the
death of his beloved cousin, he wanted to do something positive.

"We're a pretty tight-knit family and it just devastated the
whole family," he said on Sunday.

"Obviously you've got that chain and a very important link's
out of it now. Her parents are still absolutely wrecked over it.

"Instead of getting angry and all that I've decided to... walk
to raise money."

Mayne and Battye hope to raise A$100,000, covering about 24
kilometers a day in a trek taking them through 225 towns and
villages.

The money raised will go to the Rebuild Bali Appeal, which has
already collected A$500,000 (US$300,000) for survivors and for
the Bali community.

In a ceremony on Bali on Saturday, more than 180 body parts
belonging to victims of the bombing were cremated in a Hindu
ceremony aimed to "purify the souls" of the bombing victims.