By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
IT STARTED off as a simple idea which just continued to grow.
This is how Berwick resident Malcolm Ross described his upcoming bike ride to Canberra with his cousin-in-law Martin ‘Marty’ Vile, a journey they are now embarking on to raise awareness for the charity Bridge Builders.
“We’ve been beating ourselves around the countryside on our bikes since September in order to be fit enough to cycle to Canberra through the mountains this March,” Malcolm said.
“It seemed a shame to spend all that energy just for the sake of it at our age, so we decided to have a crack at raising some funds and awareness for a charity.”
Malcolm, 59, noted how Marty, 66, was already aware of the work that Bridge Builders had done in helping young people at risk assimilate into the community.
“Marty has seen the work of Bridge Builders first hand, as they belong to a networking group he has used and so we decided to give them a hand,” Malcolm said.
“Bridge Builders is based in the Eastern suburbs and helps turn around the lives of young people at risk.”
Now with a charity in mind and the 1 March start date looming, Malcolm and Marty have stepped up their preparation for the ride. The pair have been making sure they get out on their bikes every weekend and as much as they can during the week to best prepare for the more than 600 kilometres they will be traversing.
Malcolm and Marty will be setting out from Berwick and riding to Moe, then to Maffra, then Bairnsdale and onwards to Jindabyne – with the journey expected to take eight days.
“The distance is more like 680 kilometres, but it is eight days not seven of huffing and puffing. Anyway you count it, it will be great to get there!” Malcolm said.
For more information on Malcolm and Marty’s ride, or to donate, visit www.bridgebuilders.com.au/events/rideforcharity
