Just two weeks after tying the knot in October 2013, Sally Loxley had one thing to say to her dashing new husband Scott – may the force be with you!
For former military policeman Scott was heading off on an almost-two-year solo charity walk around Australia dressed as none other than a Star Wars Desert Stormtrooper – in a full Stormtrooper suit of armour, of course.
Indeed, Sally, 36, and Scott, 47, who have six children between them – aged from 12 to 24 – couldn’t be more committed to Scott’s extraordinary goal to raise $100,000 for Monash Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
And despite the fact that they have now been apart for more than a year, the inspirational couple are more in love than ever.
“We were introduced back in 2009, and it really was love at first sight,” smiles Sally, who met Scott when she was working as a registered nurse at a military hospital.
Adds Scott: “I found Sally very easy to talk to from the beginning, and the fact that she is so beautiful didn’t hurt either!”
As a member of the 501st Legion – an international all-volunteerStar Warscostuming and fundraising organisation – Scott has long been determined to help those less fortunate.
But how did Sally react when Scott informed her he would be embarking on his 15,000km journey across every state and territory of Australia?
“I thought ‘What a fantastic opportunity’, as did Scott,” explains Sally. “For me, it had a lot to do with knowing that, if we stuck together, we could get through it. We’re a team. We can be 10 metres or 10,000 kilometres apart, but we’ll always love each other. Scott just wanted to do something to support the Monash Children’s Hospital and theStar Warsconnection is great.”
As Scott says: “Everybody knowsStar Wars. Wherever I am in Australia, people stop me and want to talk to me aboutStar Wars. The responses have been many and varied, but they’re always very positive.”
Scott, who pushes his supplies in a cart and often sleeps on the side of the road at the end of a long and arduous day, has forged ahead in everything from searing heat to freezing cold.
He’s even survived a brush with a deadly king brown snake recently. Luckily his Star Wars suit armour saved him.
But, for this remarkable dad, the physical hardships pale in comparison to the emotional ones.
“The mental battle has certainly been the hardest,” says Scott. “I don’t mind the isolation and solitude, but missing Sal has been the toughest thing in the world.
“There have been times when I’ve spoken to Sally and said ‘I can’t do this anymore’, but that’s when she’ll say ‘You have to finish what you started’. I’ve always felt that I need to keep going in order to see Sally. Without her support, it would all be for nought.”
As for Sally, who has met Scott twice along his travels at six-month intervals, she’s simply as proud as can be of her hubby.
“I just can’t believe what he’s achieved,” she beams.
Thankfully, the end is almost in sight for Scott, having traversed 11,000km across Victoria, South Australia, up the Western Australian coast and through the Top End when Woman’s Day tracks him down in Mackay, North Queensland.
He’s overwhelmed by the support from well-wishers and thrilled with the $50,000 he has in the fundraising account so far.
But Scott says the thought of being reunited with Sally and family is also giving him the motivation to push on over the final 4000km to the finish line.
“I can’t wait to push the trolley into the garage and give Sally the biggest hug ever,” he says, adding, “and I’ve promised to then take her on a proper honeymoon.”
For more information about Scott’s walk or to donate, please go to Facebook.com/StormingAustralia
