Monday will be a bittersweet day for Donna Bowman, marking one year since her life changed completely.
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It will be 12 months to the day since her husband Tony took his own life at their Elaine property, and the first day of an epic walk around Victoria to raise awareness of mental health.
Those Left Behind will see Mrs Bowman walk 3000km around Victoria over the next two months to raise $1 million to support police officers and their families.
Tony had retired from a 24-year career with Victoria Police about five years before his death, but showed no symptoms of depression or PTSD to any family members, friends or doctors.
On Monday Mrs Bowman will leave from Geelong Police Station and walk 70km to her first overnight stop at Ballan, before a "short" walk to Ballarat on Tuesday.
Police from local stations will walk with her part of the way as she makes a lap of the state.
"Victoria Police have been absolutely amazing. I've been going and visiting a lot of police officers who just want to chat, which is really positive, and they are in some ways very grateful I'm bringing this to light."
Mrs Bowman set herself up a gruelling training regime to get in to shape for the walk: three 90 minute personal training sessions and two pilates classes a week, and up to 30km of walking a day over the past 10 months.
On Monday she completed her final training walk, a 70km effort that took 12 hours and 34 minutes.
"I was a bit chuffed that I did it. I was alone, which can make it a bit more challenging, but during the actual walk there will be police walking with me a good part of the way and there will be a motorhome with me so if I need to chat there's always someone there."
Volunteers from Rotary will drive the motorhome that will be Mrs Bowman's home base for the duration of the walk.
"Monday will be bittersweet, but at the end of the day the walk is going to give me something positive for that day as well. It will forever have the negative of Tony's suicide but there will also be this huge positive as well. That was the aim of having it start on the day."
Three of the couple's four children and their families will walk with her as she leaves, with their other child and their family joining the walk in Hamilton.
SEEKING SUPPORT
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 or beyondblue.org.au
Kids Help Line: 1800551800
Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467
MensLine: 1300 789 978 or mensline.org.au
Ballarat and District Suicide Prevention Network: suicidepreventionballarat.com.au
