A blind date on the Harbour Bridge

A blind couple, Sue Blaxland and Bruce McAllister, celebrated Valentine’s Day by climbing to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Thursday 14th February 2008.

The happy pair met two years ago at Vision Australia and fell in love! Sue Blaxland said, “It is so wonderful to be able to climb to the top of the Harbour Bridge with the man I love on Valentine’s Day.”

Both Sue (45) and Bruce (47) have a hereditary degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. They are now legally blind and have never ‘laid eyes’ on one another. In this case, love is truly blind.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Sue and Bruce travelled from their homes in Newcastle to share the experience of climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge with BridgeClimb.

“I love heights. It gives me such a sense of freedom,” said Sue.

Sue and Bruce are amongst many couples who have celebrated Valentine’s Day by climbing the Bridge. Couples share the romance of Sydney, the exhilaration of scaling an icon and the amazing sense of achievement when reaching the summit - a signature feeling taken away from every BridgeClimb experience.

Since 2003, 147 Climbers who are blind or have low vision have been able to complete the entire Climb experience with BridgeClimb.

Public Relations Officer from Vision Australia, Megan Denyer, who climbed with the blind couple said, “With continuing support from Vision Australia and the community, there is no reason why someone who is blind or has low vision can't access and fully participate in every part of life they choose.”

BridgeClimb’s Climb Leader, Richard Dzikowski, who led the couple throughout the experience said, “Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge with BridgeClimb captivates lovers from beginning to end. It is an experience that will not be forgotten”.

For Gift Certificates and Valentine’s Day packages visit BridgeClimb’s website at Bridgeclimb.com.