Ruby Mae Wish foundation to donate to John Hunter Hospital

"We are so humbled, grateful and blown away because it was a phenomenal amount that we raised and donated," Kim Peake, mother of Ruby, said.

Barraba locals, Mrs and Mr Peake, were among two groups of four, mainly from the Tamworth region, who laced up their hiking boots for the gruelling 60km trek along Sydney's northern beaches on March 24.

It was in honour of their daughter Ruby Mae who, sadly, passed away at the age of four in April 2022, due to a gastro bug that took a rare turn into a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

It is a serious but rare disease that mainly affects children under the age of 10.

The pair recently established Ruby Mae's Wish, a charity that raises funds to donate lifesaving equipment to children's hospitals, including maternity wards.

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For the coastal trek, the pair teamed up with siblings Helena Walker, Leah Williamson and Kris Walker, and friends Callam McCarthy, Jay Morgan and Heather Morgan to raise the unexpected $21,790 via the charity.

They surpassed their goal of $15,000 and tipped over their ultimate goal of $20,000 set in the weeks before their hike.

The funds will go towards equipment that will be donated to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at John Hunter Hospital at a later date.

The eight locals grouped into two teams and completed the trek from Sydney's Balgowlah Heights to Palm Beach in exactly 13 hours, 52 minutes, and 44 seconds.

But it wasn't without blisters and pain along the way.

At the 23-kilometre mark, Mrs Peake's sister Helena Walker said they could have "lost three teammates" if it wasn't for the pep-talk from support crews doing "quick foot repairs".

"Proud is an understatement," Ms Walker said.

"This was not an easy mission and it 100 per cent put each and every one of our team members out of their comfort zones."

Throughout the journey, they encountered small reminders of Ruby and thus motivation to keep them going, such as RP (Ruby Peake) carved into a tree, bubbles and butterflies, stunning flowers, fairy gardens in the bush, and a rabbit on the beach.

Mr Peake said the most difficult part was the first 20km, with all the hills and headlands along the coast that they had to trudge over. "But after that it was pretty smooth sailing," Mr Peake said.

After crossing the finish line, Mrs Peake said she felt overwhelmed and very emotional and that they couldn't believe they had done it.

"It was for Ruby's cause and we are very proud of everyone," Mrs Peake said.

Little Ruby is survived by her older sister Holly, and her younger brother Barney who she did not get to meet.

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