Chinchilla man Murray Bradley to walk from Wandoan to Chinchilla in memory of beloved Wanda-Jade DeGuara

Following the tragic sudden death of Wanda-Jade DeGuara, a Western Downs man will tackle the trek from Wandoan to Chinchilla to fundraise for mental health services.

A fundraiser has been started for Chinchilla woman Wanda-Jade DeGuara after her tragic death.

Following the tragic loss of Chinchilla’s Wanda-Jade DeGuara to suicide, her former boss and friend Murray Bradley will walk from Wandoan to Chinchilla to raise money and awareness for mental health.

Starting at the Wandoan Hotel and ending at the Commercial Hotel, Mr Bradley will walk 114km over four to five days as part of fundraising efforts.

“It is going to be at the end of June either the 26th or 27th. We are trying to work out how long it will take me but it will finish up on the 30th heading from the Wandoan Hotel to the Commercial Hotel where we will put on a raffle, auction and barbecue,” Mr Bradley said

“I will walk over four to five days and see how many kilometres I can travel in a day, I’m 54 so I’m not super fit but I'm trying to get to that point before I walk it.”

Wanda and Murray

Mr Bradley said he first met Wanda as a member of his staff and soon grew to think of her as a daughter.

“I knew Wanda from my time out at Wandoan, I worked out there as the manager and she worked for me and when I moved to Chinchilla, I convinced her to move here and she became a member of the community,” he said.

“She suffered from depression and mental health issues and took her life and I thought I’d try to raise some money for the awareness of mental health and those two little kids she left behind.

“I am just trying work out what charity we will send the money to and waiting to hear back from a few people to nail down the best one.”

Mr Bradley said he would remember Wanda as a bright happy person.

“She was just the happiest person, you could walk into the pub where she was working and you knew you were going to have a fun afternoon,” he said.

“She was always smiling always laughing, you couldn't have believed there was something going on inside where she wasn't happy.

“She was a happy-go-lucky person, she was loyal, she was a good friend, a good employer, she was like an adopted sister to my two younger girls, it's just hard to put it into words.”

Mr Bradley said he was now looking for support from the community in the lead up to the walk.

“I have done up an email I am sending out to businesses now, there is the go fund me and if there's any businesses who want to donate prizes for the auctions and raffles that be great,” he said.

“I also want to find a sponsor to do up some shirts for the people in Chinchilla and Wandoan who worked with her and her family as a bit of memorabilia.”

Donations can be made at GoFundMe