Long Ride - Thank You

Day 1.  Off we go.

Little over three weeks ago the Long Ride 2013 started with the intention of not only raising funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia but also to raise awareness of men's health and in particular prostate cancer.

 

This meant that motorcycle riders from all over Australia headed towards Cairns in north Queensland with the intention of speaking to as many people in regional Australia as possible.

 

What this meant for me was a ride starting in Melbourne on May 4 and finishing over 3 weeks later back in Melbourne, a round trip of almost 8,000 kilometres and taking in almost 250 cities, towns and regional centres.  While my intention was to raise $15,000 for the PCFA, I also had a strong desire to speak to as many people as possible about men's health issues, and not in a way that seemed to come from a press statement, but rather try to get to know the person I was conversing with and speak openly about the issues of prostate cancer.

The open road was just sensational even when there
was nothing at all.

 

For the most part I think this was a huge success as many people spoke openly and also admired what the ride as a whole was doing.  In fact we had some great successes, Charters Towers in Queensland was a great example of this with not only the mayor, Frank Beveridge, showing us great support but also the town itself taking a great interest in what we were doing.

 

This was how we approached all of our stops however, it was the one on one conversations that seemed to work best.  A prime example being in Cairns on the day we were leaving.  I was riding alone and a tourist bus pulled up beside me.  A young voice yelled "hey, where are you headed?".  I turned and was face to face with a young aboriginal boy, smiling broadly as he was keen to get an answer.

 

Charters Towers Mayor, Frank Beveridge
was someone who gave the ride huge support,
I can't thank him enough.

I replied that I was on my way back home to Melbourne.  "Wow, that's a long way," his expression changing from a smile to a look of amazement.  "What are you doing it for?"

 

I told him it was to raise awareness of men's health, and in particular prostate cancer.  He must've only been about 12 years old, yet he seemed genuinely interested.  That is the attraction of the bikes, they seem to bring people out to have a look and then ask questions. 

 

"That's amazing, well done,"  he beamed.  As we parted ways he turned to the driver of the bus and I heard him say, "Dad, when are you going to get checked up by the doctor."

 

I smiled to myself as I rode away from them, the whole point of the Long Ride has succeeded.

 

Whether it was this young boy and his father or the farming family, who were struggling with a dry season and cattle dying, in Winton who were happy to discuss their issues.  The Long Ride was making it's mark.

 

Another great story was an old bloke who saw a heap of bikes in a service station.  He spotted the PCFA logo on one of the bikes and immediately found the owner so he could hand over the last $5 in his pocket.  Apparently he had only just survived a fight with prostate cancer and with a tear in his eye, he said "thank you".

 

I'd set a goal of raising $15,000 for the PCFA through the Long Ride unfortunately, I didn't meet that target.  I apologise for getting so close in raising $13,023.04 yet not reaching the overall target however, the great news is that this total goes a hell of a long way towards the overall ride total of $230,000 at the last count.  I guess the disappointing thing is that if every rider could raise just $1000 then we would've had a total of $450,000.

 

While I am disappointed in not reaching the total set as the goal, I am extremely proud of everyone of you who has helped me to raise these funds.  I won't mention all of the individuals who made a donation however, I would like to say a massive thank you to all of my friends and family who donated either financially or through other means that helped raise funds.  Many of these very generous people are colleagues at Computershare, and everyone of you should be extremely proud of what you have achieved.  Thank you.

 

I would also like to greatly thank the following businesses who helped make this ride a huge success by contributing to the fundraising either financially or through goods and services donated.  A massive thank you to -

 

• GBC Neopost Australia
• Johnson Matthey
• TMC - The Macintosh Corporation
• Kodak / ACA Pacific
• Saferay Pty Ltd
• Compu-stor
• Wide Bay Australia
• The Sands Torquay
• Melbourne Victory FC
• Frontier Touring - A Part of the Mushroom Group
• Flemings Nurseries
• Barwon Heads Resort
• Ugly Fish Eyewear
• Mercure Geelong
• Portarlington Golf Club
• Searoad Ferries
• The House of Golf - Geelong
• Crown Casino
• Sign Perfection

a special mention must go to the council and people of Charters Towers who went well and truly out of their way to make all riders feel welcome and embrace the Long Ride.  I'd also like to thank the efforts the Robert 'Tav' Swinton but in and continued to do so during the ride.  Every few days I would get an email from him saying he had organised a donation from someone else.  Thanks mate.

 

It's this sort of support from everyone that makes the effort of the Long Ride well worth it and a huge success.

 

A massive thank you to everyone who helped with the fundraising.  You all came with me
for the ride.

 

What of the effort?

 

For me the Long Ride started way back in July of last year, as I started raising donations for the PCFA and planning for the ride.  This meant purchasing a new bike, well that was always going to happen.  Planning the route home, contacting as many councils and business chamber of commerce along the way.  And trying to generate as much media coverage as possible. 

 

As the start date got closer the work became a little more intense.  Making sure that the bike was ready to go, ensuring that all accommodation was covered, as well as insurance and ambulance coverage was taken care of ... just in case.

 

As day one got underway, the adrenalin was really kicking in and a ride to Hay in New South Wales seemed like nothing at all.  The second day gave a little more of what we would encounter as it meant extremely long straight roads often littered with wildlife, both live and dead, in many cases it became quite dangerous.

 

When we reached 3,000 kilometres it seemed like it was all down hill from here, not true, it was only just beginning.  The challenge now was could we reach as many people with just a few of us, personally I think we reached more.

 

In total 7,651 kilometres were ridden in reaching Cairns and coming back home through as many towns as possible.  Yes at times it was a little painful, especially when the weather turned against us or the roads were so great.  We had to put up with temperatures in the 30's and humidity in the 90% range, then a few days later we faced with temperatures below 10 and wind chill taking it well below zero.

 

The Long Ride (in blue) compared to the size of Britain and Ireland.

The distance covered was the equivelant of circumnavigating the British mainland, or almost twice around Italy.  It's also similar to travelling from Alaska to New York.  We averaged 364 kilometres per day over 21 days of riding, with the longest day being almost 600 kilometres, and every one of the kilometres was enjoyable, even the torrential downpour near Rockhampton or the sub zero conditions near Cooma.

 

There were quite a few near misses, a few even concerning myself.  A road train almost collected me in central NSW whilst trying to avoid a cow; I almost hit an emu near Bourke when the stupid bird decided that the thing coming at it at 100kph looked tasty.  Or the lose on a corner in northern Queensland when I think I hit a patch of diesel.  Never mind it was all for a good cause, and a hell of a lot of fun.

 

Not only were our bodies punished but also that of our bikes.  In some cases they will need complete rebuilds, or at the very least new tyres and a service.  Some riders were hospitalised after meeting the local wildlife, all are OK thankfully.  I think all I'll need is a good massage.

 

All of this doesn't compare with what happens when a late diagnoses of prostate cancer occurs.  I know, it happened to my family.  That's why the Long Ride is so important in educating Australia's men about their health and what that means for their families.

 

Prostate cancer is recognised as the most common form of cancer in Australia and the second greatest cancer killer of men in our country.  It's estimated that almost 19,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and what's tragic almost 3,000 men die from the disease each year.  The irony is that it is regarded as the most treatable form cancer if detected early enough.  Every man above the age of 40 should be getting regular checks for prostate cancer ... and these days that doesn't mean a finger in the bum.

 

Mug shot.  Definitely need a shave, and have
a look at the lack of tan around the eyes, those
Ugly Fish are brilliant at protecting the eyes.

The PCFA plays a vital role in the fight against prostate cancer and devotes all of it resources towards reducing the impact of prostate cancer on the community.  The goal of the PCFA is to reduce the impact of prostate cancer on Australian men, their partners, their families and the community; to represent the interests of all Australian men diagnosed with prostate cancer.  

 

The PCFA works to raise awareness and attract widespread financial support for the work of the Foundation to: fund research into the causes, detection, diagnosis and improved treatment of prostate cancer; to provide information, support and counselling to those affected by prostate cancer; and to raise community awareness of the incidence of prostate cancer, thereby encouraging earlier detection and more effective treatment of the disease.

 

While the Long Ride was a rare chance to experience this great country of ours in a way that very few people would, meeting the locals and experiencing their communities it was also the opportunity to do some good that was the main inspiration.

 

While I'm glad to be home, I truly wish I was still on the road.  Bring on the next Long Ride.  Now back to the daily grind ... firstly I'd better have a shave.

 

Thank you everyone for your very generous and inspirational support.

 

Cheers