When a chance conversation with someone who seemed like a “very nice bloke” took a racist turn it had an effect on Peter Elzer.
One that would see him set out on a 2022km walk to raise awareness of racism in Australia.
“I’m a big rugby league fan, this guy who had seemed very nice told me he had stopped watching because of all the (racist terms) playing it,” Mr Elzer said.
The Ensign decided not to print that term, but as you can imagine it is one ignorant people might use.
“I didn’t say anything but I went home and decided this type of thing needs to be called out in everyday life,” he said.
“I was too gutless to say anything that day, but not any more.”
So Mr Elzer started to look at ways he could raise awareness of, and call out, racism.
“I decided to walk from Melbourne to Seventeen Seventy in Queensland, Captain Cook’s second landing location,” he said.
“It was something I had to do. I never thought I’d do anything like this until I had a few triggers, and then the thought just came to me and I set about 12 months of planning the whole exercise and bringing it to fruition as a one-man, solo, unassisted walk through the heat of the summer.”
Mr Elzer then contacted the #RacismNotWelcome campaign, which was created by the Inner West Multicultural Council in NSW.
“They’ve been so supportive of what I’m trying to do through supplying T-shirts and also following my walk,” he said.
“Your readers might know about them through their previous campaign with Australian soccer star Craig Foster.
“I thought I’d start in Melbourne and I’d include a bit of symbolism, and it was 2022, so I decided to walk 2022km.
“I drew a line on the map and it just happened to end where Captain Cook landed, his second landing in Australia, so it’s a very symbolic walk.
“The dates are symbolic as well. I left two days before Christmas, the goodwill season and I’ll arrive the day before Anzac Day — and there’s a message there.”
Mr Elzer said the reaction from communities along the way had been amazing.
“It’s been snowballing since the beginning to the point where locals are taking it up,” he said.
“One or two people promoted the walk ahead of arriving in Mansfield.
“I’m not fundraising but I’m getting support for things like the motel I am staying in tonight in Benalla.”
Thus far Mr Elzer has been in some remote areas and has been camping, so the motel is a nice change and a chance to recharge and heal.
He has been walking around 20km per day and said the hot weather would not slow him down.
“I’m making early-morning starts, getting up at 2am and setting off at 3am to try and get the walk over before 9.30 to 10am before the heat sets in,” he said.
“I try and stop near a pool or creek so I can relax after setting up camp.
“Then I try and relax and get a bit of sleep that I don’t get at night.”
Mr Elzer said the walk, so far, had been much better than he expected.
“Rural and regional Victoria has opened my eyes, the understanding there towards people of other ethnicities, and people of different races is amazing,” he said.
“I may or may not get that in Western NSW and even Queensland.
“When I first conceived the idea of doing this I had some special things I wanted to raise in NSW.
“Especially the club system there, which needs to be open and welcoming to people of other races.
“The clubs are the largest employers and providers of entertainment in regional areas of NSW.
“The pubs association Australia wide is so welcoming of all people, the clubs need to raise their game.
“That was the original plan, but it has blossomed since then with the Voice to Parliament potentially coming in.
“The significance of arriving just before Anzac Day is also raising a question.
“We commemorate our dead from wars such as World War I, World War II and Korea.
“But to date Australia virtually has no mention of all the thousands of people who died in the first wars between 1788 and 1930.
“The Indigenous population was decimated, and also many settlers.
“People need to understand that was the biggest war in the Australian countryside.
“Around 80 per cent of the Indigenous died. They were slaughtered, they were massacred, genocide occurred.
“They were herded in Tasmania into a small pocket and put on an island to virtually rot.
“When the Voice to Parliament vote comes around people need to know and understand why this is so important.
“That is a challenge I’m going to be raising along the way.”
You can find out more about the campaign via www.racismnotwelcome.com