THE WALK - DAY 14 - THE FINAL DAY UPDATE

Dear William,

After the end of the walk yesterday and the celebrations that followed I was somewhat the worse for wear and therefore decided to finish the blog today. For the first time in two weeks I rested in bed this morning till about 9.30a.m., having previously been getting up at 5.45 each morning!

On the final day, your birthday and Philip's birthday, we started the walk at 11.05 a.m. This section of the path from Tower Bridge to the Thames Barrier is one I have done before in training so it held few surprises. The surprise had come the day before when, just before reaching Tower Bridge with Billy, we came across an outdoor exhibition of sculpted guitars, which I felt was very apposite in the circumstances!

As has been the case over the last two weeks, we had a beautiful day. Ana Maria (with a few blisters of her own), James and Edward joined me at the start and we later met up with Marie at the Dome. She was providing our transport and had left the car at the Thames Barrier and then walked to meet us. Not bad when you consider that she too has been suffering from the effects of cancer for many years and walking is very difficult for her.

The Thames looked as majestic as ever and it was difficult to remember it as I had seen it over the first few days, a mere trickle of water hardly qualifying as a stream, let alone a river. During the day we stopped by the Cutty Sark for lunch. The ship is under wraps and reconstruction following the dreadful fire which engulfed it not so long ago. It will be good to see it restored to its former glory in 2009. We continued by the side of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, past the Dome or the 02 Arena as it is now called and past the David Beckham Academy (at last I know where it is located!).

During the day I was able to reflect on the many good times that you and I had together over the years. I also remembered some of the sad times; when Mum and Dad died within a month of each other with you following them shortly after. I always remember Mum telling me about the days in London during the war when she cradled you in her arms whilst sheltering from the bombing, deep in the bowels of the London Underground system. It is hard to imagine the sort of bond that must have developed between the two of you, something which I sometimes envied. I guess that is why family and friends have always had such high importance in my life. This bond has been in evidence throughout my walk, bringing together all members of our family and friends anxious to offer whatever they could.

GIBRALTAR WALK FOR WILLIAM

Throughout the walk there have been a lot of good moments. Like when family and friends joined me on the path, sometimes for shorts periods of time and sometimes for several days; people like Ana Maria, James, Celine, Reg, Edward, Marie, Billy, Pauline, Greta, Diane, and of course Benjamin Spender, your pupil of some 35 years ago who came also to honour your memory and to thank you for making a difference in his life; Diane who helped me plan the walk and did much ferrying to and fro the path in her car; Greta who also helped with logistics as did her husband Elias but who also tended my feet when the pain was unbearable; Marie who also helped with logistics and who on the last day was there with refreshments for all of us and even gave us a lift home!

In Gibraltar, your daughters Gillaine and Cecile and their friends who Walked for William there; the many members of the family and others who have donated to the appeal; the many who telephoned me periodically to encourage me to keep going, like our sisters Carmen & Yvonne, Anthony & Margaret Sacarello, Henry Sacramento from the Royal Gibraltar Police (who must forgive me for giving him at least two different titles!) and others too numerous to mention; neighbours from Netherby Park in Weybridge, who had never met you but thought you sounded wonderful; who also honoured the memory of my good friend and neighbour, Akram Begg who died of cancer a few months ago; friends honouring the memory also of Philip Sacarello, who shared your birthday but died at the age of 9; an old lady who gave me £5 to support Marie Curie Cancer care and said she would like to give more but her pension would not stretch; a neighbour who gave me the last £10 her mother had in her purse when she died; people who befriended me on the walk and pledged financial support. As you can see there have daily high points for me which gave me the strength to carry on.

I guess that when others are long dead, buried and forgotten, your name and your music will be remembered for generations to come. Like your composition, the Ave Maria, which is now regularly played in churches in various parts of the world. Today I surfed the internet and did a search on your name. Among other things I came across six copies of the LP's that you made with recording companies like Decca, Ace of Diamonds and London, over 40 years ago, up for sale on Ebay, from sellers as far away as Australia, the United States and Germany.

As for me, well, this walk has been an incredible experience, not unlike one's passage through life. At first you are unsteady on your feet, but then helped by your family and friends you start to mature and gain strength until you can walk on your own. The path is long and dusty and from time to time you feel that you cannot carry on. But something or someone always comes to your aid and you plod on. Then as you gather strength you can offer advice and support to others on that same path until you come to the end of the road. As you near the end of the path and your legs begin to falter once again there are others there to support you and give you much needed encouragement.

When I am no longer of this earth, I have no illusions about how I will be remembered. The best I can hope for is that in the years to come someone may one day come across this record of my Walk for William and see that, for two glorious weeks in the summer of 2007 I walked the Thames Path in memory of you, my beloved brother.

Rest in peace,

Love

Robert