Warren Acott, better known as Woz, is going from Toolleen, Victoria, all the way to Parliament House in Canberra. His transport of choice? His trusty lawnmower.
The trip is to raise awareness of motor neurone disease, a degenerative and ultimately fatal condition that affects hundreds of Australians every year, including Woz himself.
“I can either sit here and wait for the end, or bring attention to it,” Woz said.
And what better way to grab attention than to ride a lawn mower for almost 1000km?
“I’ve gotten to the point where the only way I can get around my house is on the mower,” Woz said.
“So I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll ride my mower to Canberra and see if we can put some attention on it’.”
Woz said one of the horrible parts of the deadly disease was it affected not only the person who had it, but also the people around them who had to watch them suffer.
“It’s a hideous disease, you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy,” he said.
“I don’t fully understand how it works or how it happens. It’s just the cards you’re dealt with.
“It’s not only you that it rips apart. It rips your family apart as well.
“Some people it tears down quickly, but the end result is the same. There’s no joy in it whatsoever.
“I just want to raise awareness. It’s all going to help one way or another.”
Woz was diagnosed with MND in July 2023. He said there were signs, but he didn’t pay much attention at first.
“My hands had been cramping up for about a year and a half, but I didn’t take much notice of it,” he said.
“I also had a few falls but put it down to older age.
“Then I ended up getting a tingle up my left arm, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s weird’.
“In July last year, I decided to go get checked out, and that’s when I found out.”
Woz is also facing another major health issue, which has become more complicated than it needs to be because of his MND diagnosis.
“During that process, I found out I had cancer in one of my kidneys as well,” Woz said.
“But they couldn’t remove it (one kidney) because I have MND and when they put you under it can affect your breathing.”
The diagnosis was difficult for Woz to grasp, because he had always been active throughout his life.
“I’ve always been outdoors and outside and worked on trucks and tractors,” he said.
“When you’re caged up like an animal, you start going off your head.”
The ideal outcome of the Mow Down would be for 800 people to join Woz outside Parliament House in Canberra as a representation of how many people lose their lives from the disease each year in Australia.
“If I could get up there it would be good to show the politicians that this is how many people get it and die from it every year,” Woz said.
“If we get signatures on the way, they’ll have to have a look at it and pay attention.
“That’s the idea behind it all.”
Woz is also hoping to get MND recognised as a notifiable disease, so there can be more of a chance of finding a cure and what causes it.
Although raising money is not the primary intention of the Mow Down, Woz said any donations would be welcomed.
“If people do want to donate, it would help fund the trip. If there’s any money left over, it will go to MND Victoria,” he said.
“They’re helping me with equipment, and they do an absolutely incredible job.”
Woz will go through Shepparton, Jerilderie, Griffith, Leeton, Wagga Wagga, Gundagai, and Yass on his way to Canberra.
Although there are quicker routes to get to the destination, there’s a reason why Woz is making the detour.
“There’s a massive cluster of us (people with MND) up through the Riverina and Wagga; that’s why we’re going up through there,” he said.
“It will be good to raise even more awareness.”
Woz will depart the Toolleen Pub at 7.30am on Monday, March 11, and will stop in Shepparton at The Aussie Hotel that night.
To find out more about Woz’s journey, head to the official website: mowdownmnd.com.au