More than 50 Australians joined the initiative this year and collectively covered 15,573 kilometers, surpassing the 14,886-kilometer distance between Havana and Canberra.
Launched in 2022 as an act of international solidarity, the 4th “From Australia to Cuba with Love” campaign began on September 13 and lasted for eight weeks, during which participants could accumulate distances covered by walking, cycling, running, or swimming.
We celebrated in Brisbane the campaign’s closing with a particular event: a meeting with long-distance swimmer Susie Maroney, who was declared an Honorary Ambassador for this initiative, musician Lachlan Hurse wrote on his Facebook profile.
Hurse said Susie was the first person to swim the Florida Straits between Cuba and the United States in 1997, and swam from Mexico to Cuba the following year.
The musician added that the former swimmer remembered the warmth of the Cuban people, her meeting with Fidel Castro, the interest he showed in her well-being, and his sense of humor.
In addition to raising funds to purchase medical supplies for donation to Cuba, the campaign sought to raise awareness among Australian citizens about the challenges the Cubans face due to the tightened economic, financial, and commercial blockade imposed on the island by the United States more than 60 years ago.
