It has been just under two weeks since Tony Houlcroft lost his wife Narelle to motor neurone disease, but the Newcastle man is determined to lace up his sneakers and walk in her honour.
"Her loss is still very raw for me and the family and I am missing her as anybody would after a good marriage of 40 years," Mr Houlcroft said.
For the second year in a row, Mr Houlcroft is walking 16 kilometres with his community walking group, Coastal Wayfarers, and the McCloy Group to raise funds for charity MND NSW.
The group will start from Queens Wharf and walk to Redhead beach on June 17 in memory of Mrs Houlcroft and Jeff McCloy, who died by voluntary assisted dying after a 12-month battle with MND in 2025.
Mr Houlcroft had been with Mrs Houlcroft for about 40 years. They enjoyed an active life together, particularly in their early retirement.
In 2017, her first symptoms started to appear. By 2018, they continued to worsen.
She had a preliminary diagnosis in 2019 of a slow progressing form of MND and was formally diagnosed in late 2021.
"Over time it took away much of her ability to walk, and then to use her arms," Mr Houlcroft said.
"It gradually reduced her ability to look after herself," he said.
MND is a group of diseases where the nerve cells controlling muscles which enable people to move, speak and breathe undergo degeneration and die.
In 2025, MND NSW supported 60 to 80 people with the disease in the Hunter, and about 2800 Australians were living with it in 2025 according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Mr Houlcroft remembers his wife as a very caring and gentle person who loved books, singing, and art.
Most of all, she loved her family.
The couple have two children and one grandchild.
"She was very brave, she was courageous," he said.
"She had a lot of pain and inconvenience, but she didn't complain and she was very thoughtful and interested in those around her."
Mr Houlcroft started fundraising for MND NSW in 2021, and first reached out to the McCloy Group to partner on the walk last year. They raised $45,000 in 2025.
He was hoping to turn the walk into an annual event, varying the route each year.
"Hopefully a cure will be found to save future generations of having to live with MND, but until then there needs to be care for people living with MND and people who are supporting them," he said.
McCloy Group chairman Paul Broad said the group was getting behind the walk again to help the wider community.
"Jeff was all about finding ways to help those who may not be able to help themselves, and I think grassroots support is fundamental to that," he said.
"He still lives and breathes in this place every day."
To donate visit: https://www.walktodefeatmnd.org.au/fundraisers/mccloygroupthecoastalwayfarers
