On a mission: the Galapagos Postman and MND

New Zealander Jon Beardmore is on a mission to reconnect the world, and at the same time raise funds and awareness of motor neurone disease (MND) in memory of his dad, Eric, who died in 2022 after living with MND for eight years.

While on a trip to the Galapagos Islands in 2023, Jon spotted an ancient postbox on Isla Floreana.

Since 1793, sailors and whalers on multi-year trips would pass by the island and leave letters for their loved ones in a barrel, the idea being that other sailors who were on the way home, would collect these to take on their journey.

Today, the postbox is still standing, and visitors to the Galapagos are encouraged to leave a letter, and at the same time, take one with them if there is one addressed to someone in their home country.

Jon has taken this one step further, launching ‘The Galapagos Postman Challenge’, taking 50 letters and spending a year travelling the world to hand deliver them.

At the time of writing, he is in Nagoya, Japan, and has just delivered letter number 40 – although the adventure is constant, and you can find out where he is now via his online tracking map, or social media handles, listed below.

Along the way, Jon aims to raise awareness, and funds for local MND charities through his media appearances, via his social media, and by talking about MND with those he meets. He has raised over $10,000 so far. Where he can, he also takes the time to meet with local MND organisations to learn more about how MND affects people in the countries he visits.

“The Galapagos Postman Challenge is about reconnecting people via the written word in the form of letters and hand delivering them to provide a personal touch,” says Jon. “It’s also to highlight the loss of mobility and freedom of movement that my father and other people with MND lose. Something we shouldn’t take for granted.”

Jon, who originally comes from Taranaki, will be in New Zealand over the Christmas period to deliver letters in Whangārei and Christchurch, before continuing on his journey, finishing in March 2025 – a year after he started.

Keep an eye out for the Galapagos Postman next week – it might just be your door he’s knocking on!

Support Jon’s fundraising:

https://mnd.org.nz/galapagos24

Keep up with his journey

The Galapagos Postman tracking map:
https://z6z.co/galapagos-postman/

Instagram: instagram.com/bigoadventures

Facebook: facebook.com/BigOAdventures/