An avid walker is encouraging the community to walk together in memory of late grandfather John Kerr.
The 87-year-old was allegedly assaulted while on his morning walk along a beachfront path on Hastings Street at Noosa Heads last Sunday.
Bystanders tried to help before paramedics arrived but he died at the scene.
Related story: Police urge fatal assault witnesses to come forward
Noosa resident and local teacher David Knechtli said he organised the Noosa Community Walk this Sunday as a tribute Mr Kerr and to “take the community back” after the tragedy.
“After hearing about John Kerr’s death, there was a lot of people saying we can’t go and walk any more,” Mr Knechtli said.
“They were saying we’ve got to be afraid and stay inside and our place isn’t safe.
“But we’ve got to turn this around and we’ve got to make this into a positive somehow, so let’s just walk. Let’s walk in celebration of our community and just pause to take time to remember John at the same time.”
Mr Knechtli said that for the past four years at 5am every day he had walked the same track that Mr Kerr was on when he was allegedly attacked.
“He was a walker, I didn’t know him at all,” he said.
“But I know I would have walked past him on a daily basis and I would have said ‘g’day’ to him and he would have said ‘good morning’ to me, because I do that to every person I walk past.”
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He said that since creating the event on Tuesday and sharing it on social media there had been an amazing response from the community.
“Whether it’s 50 people who show up, that’s still good … if 100 turn up, great, and any more than that, fantastic,” he said.
“People don’t have to know John Kerr at all to be there because it’s really us – the people of Noosa Shire – taking back the area of where a tragedy occurred and saying it’s ours.
“We just need to love our community and say yes, this has happened, this is sad, but let’s celebrate by walking. I’m a great advocate of walking.”
He welcomed everyone to attend but said he didn’t want it to become “a political event.”
“Just taking 60 seconds to stop and remember that someone’s life was taken here and they were part of our community – that’s more important than anything,” he said.
The Noosa Community Walk will begin at Noosa Surf Club at 6am on Sunday, with the group then passing the scene of the tragedy. There will also be a minute silence to remember Mr Kerr.
Mr Knechtli invited walkers to bring flowers to lay along the path on the return to the Noosa Surf Club.
He said he was currently up to 173 days in a row of walking and posted regularly on Facebook about his project, David’s Daily Dash.
For more information on the event head click here.
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