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The Mini Me

Bear Chronicles2022.

Originally in this edition of The MMB Chronicles I was going to
write about my adventures with the little bear. However, as I write
this article MMB is on an overseas adventure with a mission to
raise donations to the ‘Shake it Up Foundation’ and I think it more
opportune to impart his current story as you may also wish to
contribute.
After sharing my home with MMB during covid it was time to let the
little guy move onto the next adventure. The decision of who to pass
the MMB baton to was not a hard one. Maryanne and Hank Tigges,
both of Central Highlands Branch were in training to undertake
the Spanish Camino de Santiago pilgrimage Way of St James. This
journey by the trio is a personal one both to share the experience
of the Camino and to raise important funds for Parkinson’s Disease
research.
A little about “the Camino” to put the epic journey into perspective.
Its history has an ancient beginning in medieval times as a pilgrimage
of faith, to now a contemporary journey that is not limited as a
journey of religion but popular with hikers as the number one bucket
list item, and those searching for peace and clarity. There are various
routes leading to the central destination of the Shrine of the Saint
James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia
and can cover 800 km, usually taking 30 days of walking to complete.
During this time the pilgrim carries only meagre essentials, relying on
low-budget hospitality in auberges, living, eating, and walking with
people on their own personal quests. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage
Site for its history of bringing people from all over the world together
in harmony.

Their preparation had its hiccups, especially when Hank was training
on their bush block slipped and broke his leg in two places. Maryanne
continued with her training, and as Hank’s carer, she ensured he did
not do anything silly while he was rehabilitating. One method in the
early days was to confiscate his crutches. There was no way they
were going to miss out on this pilgrimage.
Once a date was set for them to head off, we arranged for the
handover of MMB at the Victorian Breakfast Club meeting at Euroa in How Much Can A Koala Bear?
February. I was amazed at how it felt, like I was setting free a loved

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