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The Journey Begins
Loxley, 47, started out on his journey with a goal of raising $100,000 AUD for the Monash Children’s Hospital. On his charity Facebook page Loxley wrote “As a father, if one of my children were hospitalised, I would want them to be cared for by the best staff who have access to the best equipment.” He'd been many things in his lifetime: a solider, policeman, husband, a father to three children. Then he became a Stormtrooper.
AP Images
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Leaving Home
On November 2nd, 2013, he left his wife and three children in Melbourne and set off on his nearly two-year journey across the entire continent of Australia.
Scott Loxley/REX/AP
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Storming With a Smile
Over the next 400 days, Loxley would face extreme heat, hunger, dehydration, and a near death experience with a King Brown snake. Despite all his adversaries, Loxley said he was greeted by nothing but kindness and smiles from everyone he encountered while traveling.
Scott Loxley/REX/AP
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Warming Up
The Australian heat was sometimes too much for the Stormtrooper. In an interview Loxley stated, "I get up at four in the morning, I'm on the road by five and I walk for 10 or 15 hours a day just looking at a white line in front of me.” Traveling in the early mornings and night has helped the philanthropist survive the harsh weather conditions.
Scott Loxley/REX/AP
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Hungry for a Cause
Loxley had to search for his own food most days spent on the road. Many times, he would only manage to eat every other day, even resorting to eating roadkill and snakes to give him enough energy to continue the trek.
Scott Loxley/REX/AP
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Holding It All Together
A few months into his journey, the Stormtrooper suit started to fall apart. The suit and helmet soon became weathered and duct tape was the only thing holding it together. "I was really determined to start and finish in the one suit, and I've done that," Loxley said in an interview with ABC News.
Scott Loxley/REX/AP
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Keep Stormin'
Loxley describes the journey as a mental battle. 'I'm constantly arguing with myself - I start questioning it and thinking no one cares and that I'm yesterday's news,” he said, but he knows the mental battle he faced day to day was nothing in comparison to the battles the children at Monash Children’s Hospitals face on a daily basis – so he kept on storming.
Scott Loxley/REX/AP
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It's All About the Kids
In the end, Loxley was excited to get home to his family, eat a hot meal, and strip off the Stormtrooper suit for good. Thanks to his dedication and perserverance, thousands of children across Australia are able to recieve better quality health care.
Cameron Spencer
