Senator Trish Crossin has congratulated Ms Margaret Phelan on her cycling tour around the circumference of Australia to promote midwives, normal birth and breastfeeding. It is an amazing achievement.
After 20,000kms, a journey that has taken an emotional, physical and spiritual toll, Marg will be arriving in Darwin this Saturday afternoon, 30 June 2012.
This remarkable woman is a Darwin midwife and passionate about midwifery and homebirth services for women who live in the rural and remote areas of Australia.
In 2010 she decided to do a “one mother one midwife” cycling tour of Australia, from Darwin to Darwin, fundraising along the way for the Australian College of Midwives Scholarship Fund “The Rodanthe Lipsette Trust”. The scholarship fund helps train Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to become midwives.
Marg hopes to support Indigenous women to give birth on country, rather than having to travel vast distances away from their homelands, to give birth.
Her perseverance and unwavering determination to complete this journey in the aim of promoting safe homebirthing and midwifery services regardless of where you live is to be admired.
Marg was a trained nurse before taking on the duel roles of mother and dairy farmer. She returned to nursing while living in Victoria, specialising in midwifery. A cycling holiday from Alice Springs to Darwin meant a short stop-over turned into a 10-year stay.
Marg’s Welcome Home will be held on Saturday 30 June 2012 from 2.30pm at the Esplanade.