Going blind at age 35 isn’t the only hurdle he’s had to overcome.

Walking in the relay is a step forward in history, moving past the Commonwealth’s treatment of Aboriginal people, Mr Widders said.

“I’m going to walk on my ancestral grounds, Anaiwan grounds, as an Aboriginal and an Australian who has great pride in being a part of this country,” he said.

“I think inclusion is the key here, it’s not just about black and white, it’s not just about Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, it’s about everybody.

“That’s what the Commonwealth Games is all about, people coming together from all over the world.”

The Queen’s Baton Relay will pass through Armidale on February 1.

And, passing on a baton is something Aboriginal tribes have been doing for thousands of years.

“My ancestor have been carrying message sticks for hundreds of generations,” Mr Widders said.

“When they wanted to get a message from one tribe to another, they’d send messengers – pass a stick from one chief to another.

“It’s carrying a message about a big occasion, if you can use that analogy, and Aboriginal people have been doing it for thousands of years – uniting all the nations and all the people.”

Not only will he walk for Aboriginal people, but Mr Widders hopes he can be an inspiration to the disabled community.

He credits his blindness for pushing him to do things he once would have thought impossible, like carrying the Olympic Torch and walking the Kokoda Trail.

“I had to change my attitude first, I had to accept it [his blindness] and that was hard,” Mr Widders said.

“I worked my life around it and it’s made me a better person, I always think becoming blind has given me new vision.

“I could either sit back and feel sorry for myself, or I could live a good productive life with a lot of support, a lot of love and a lot of friendship.”

Mr Widders hopes to walk the relay barefoot, in respect to his ancestors.