City of Greater Geraldton, Media Release, 10 October 2022

Stow Gardens on the Geraldton Foreshore will mark the final stop on adventurer and philanthropist John Elliot’s odyssey across the heart of Australia to raise awareness about skin cancer.

Before Mr Elliot’s departure in 2019, he undertook a routine skin check that revealed a melanoma on his back, which had it gone undetected may have proven fatal.

The discovery of the melanoma prompted Elliot to dedicate his journey to encouraging others to get checked.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn is looking forward to welcoming Mr Elliot and his caravan to town.

“John’s journey across Australia is truly inspirational and we can’t wait to welcome him to Geraldton,” he said.

“With our consistently sunny weather and outdoor lifestyle, there is an increased requirement to get checked for skin cancer.

“I urge everyone to come and meet John, Bruski and his camels, listen to some fascinating stories and get themselves checked out.”

When Mr Elliot, his camels and trusty dog Bruski traipse into town on Saturday 15 October, Mr Elliot will also become the first person in history to have camel trekked across every state and territory in Australia as part of a journey spanning over 12,000km.

To mark Mr Elliot’s arrival, Skin Cancer Champions and City Health Geraldton will be carrying out free educational skin cancer checks for the community in Stow Gardens from 9am.

Later that evening, there will be a ticketed fundraising dinner at the Geraldton Multipurpose Centre. For more information and tickets head to: www.thecamelman.raisely.com