20 October 2006

Sunrise 1000 Charity Bike Ride  

The Sunrise 1000 Charity Bike Ride was held in October with the main aim of the event to raise community awareness about depression with a focus on rural communities. The 1150 kilometre journey from Sydney to Melbourne took ten days and involved 23 cyclists and nine support crew.

Day 1

 There was plenty of excitement and anticipation among the group as we prepared to start our journey from the steps of the Opera House. The riders made their way out of Sydney towards Liverpool, then Campbelltown and on to Mittagong 113 kilometres later.

Mittagong was to be the first of our community forums. The forums were a crucial part of the ride and were done in partnership with the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund.

Each forum involved two presentations. Wayne Schwass talked about his personal experiences with depression and a clinical professional from the local area talked about the illness from a medical perspective as well as promoting where people could go to for help. Question time concluded each forum.

80 people attended the first forum held at the Bowral Golf Club.

Day 2

After a good nights rest, another perfect day for cycling greeted the riders as they prepared for day two which took us through some of the regions most spectacular countryside before arriving at Goulburn, 84 kilometres later.

Leaving Mittagong the group headed to Bowral, stopping briefly at Sir Donald Bradman’s Oval. It was then on to Mossvale, Exeter, Bundanonn and the Hume Highway for the final stretch into Goulburn.

 On arrival in Goulburn the group was greeted by a group of disabled children and their carers before we were officially welcomed by the mayor Mr Paul Stephenson. Goulburn hosted our second forum with 150 people in attendance.

One of the goals of our forums was to reach out to our audineces and positively influence them by sharing experiences and encouraging them to seek help. We didn't have to wait to long for this to happen. A gentleman in his sixties, who was driven home after the forum by a local Rotarian, commented how he had had a life-changing day after hearing Wayne talk about his own battles with depression.

The gentleman realised that he wasn’t alone and that he needed to get help having lived with depression for fifteen years without telling anyone. This was to be the first of many similar stories that would be told from some truly amazing and inspiring people.

Day 3

The day started with breakfast at the local Ford dealership in Goulburn. Before climbing on the bikes for the 93 kilometre trip to Canberra. The level of support and encouragement the team received on the road was fantastic and made the days riding even more enjoyable.

Senator Gary Humphries meet with the group at the steps of Parliament House and officially welcomed the team to Canberra. The third forum in Queanbeyan was attended by 13 people and similar to Goulburn, Canberra provided another reminder of just how far reaching depression is with two more people in the audience revealing their own personal stories.  

 

Day 4

From Canberra it was a short ride to Yass taking just over two hours to travel the 70 kilometres. The majority of the group headed back to Canberra for the second night while a group of six delivered the fourth forum to 120 people. Wristbands made specifically for the ride with the message “Lets Stamp Out the Stigma” were proving to be very popular.

The Yass forum followed the pattern of the previous nights with three more people standing up in front of their own community and declaring they were battling with a mental illness. The courage shown by these remarkable people to open up and share their stories with everyone in the room was inspiring. One farmer told the story of how he had handed over the keys to his gun cabinet to his wife so she could sleep a little easier knowing he wouldn’t do something regrettable.

Another lady who spoke told the audience that she suffered from three separate illnesses but the forum had given her the courage to stand up and speak out. The forums gave people the opportunity to talk and it was becoming more obvious that many people were desperate to talk and desperate to share their experiences in the hope of getting help and without being judged unfairly.

Day 5

Another 30-degree day greeted the team for the four hour 105 kilometre ride to Gundagai. The team was given an official welcome at the Gundagai Town Hall. No forum meant a rare day off. Some took the opportunity to catch up on rest while a group went to the local pub before everyone met for dinner later that evening.

Even though there was no forum the group still managed to engage the local community and talk about depression. The lads who went to the pub spent four hours talking with a dozen local men including farmers, councillors and businessmen about mental illness. The ride was becoming much more than just a fun thing to do for many of the riders and support staff. The ride was certainly having an impact. There was a great deal of pride and satisfaction among the team.

Day 6

Well rested the group left Gundagai bound for Wagga some 120 kilometres away. Once again the weather was perfect for the ride through Tarcutta, Kyeamba, Ladysmith and Alfred Town before arriving in Wagga four and a half hours later. A quick stop at the Air Force base for a bite to eat and some media interviews and the group was on its way into town for a well earned rest.

Wagga was by far the biggest forum with over 200 people plus the entire Sunrise team in attendance. It was now a common occurrence to see people stand up at the forums and share their stories with the audiences. Five more people did the same in Wagga. 

Day 7

Wagga to Albury was 131 kilometres straight down the Olympic Highway. Averaging 36 kilometres the team completed the days riding in a touch over four hours. The highlight of the day was the chance meeting with Stephen Cook who was in the final days of a 700 kilometre walk from Melbourne to Wagga to raise funds for a friend who was injured in a recent accident and was now confined to a wheelchair.

The team also took the opportunity to stop off at the Ettamogah Pub for a light refreshment.

Another forum and Albury didn’t disappoint with 130 people attending and another five people sharing their personal experiences with metal illness. The forums were prompting many of the attendees to look at ways of supporting each other in a more productive and positive manner in their own communities. A late dinner with the group capped off another great day.

Day 8

Day 8 saw the group travel 120 kilometres from Albury to Benalla. But almost on queue the weather change once we crossed the border back in to Victoria. For the first time since leaving Sydney the group had to work hard to push through the wind and rain towards Benalla.

Six and a half hours later we finally made it to Benalla mid afternoon where the group stopped for a late lunch. With lunch out of the way the half of the group decided to load their bikes on to the trailer and drive back to Wangaratta while the remaining riders decided to ride the 40 kilometres back to the hotel. With a strong wind behind them the group arrived in Wangaratta an hour later taking their total for the day to 160 kilometres.

Wangaratta staged our second last forum. 80 people attended along with the entire Sunrise team. The reception from the local Rotarians was terrific and another successful forum had by all. The only down side for the audience was that the six bottles of wine auctioned by Rotary were all won by riders or support staff.

Day 9

The penultimate days riding was a 144 kilometre trek to Seymour but like the previous day the weather didn’t make it easy. After nine days on their bikes and two consecutive days of tough conditions the riders were beginning to tire. Seymour was a welcome sight after another six and a half hours in the saddle.

Seymour hosted the last forum and was attended by 50 local people with a number of children in the audience which proved challenging given the nature of what was being discussed but the audience was very engaging and question time went for well over an hour. With the last of the forums completed everyone sat down for our final meal together before leaving for Melbourne the next day.

At the conclusion of the meals one of the riders spoke about what the ride had meant to him. He said that initially he joined the ride because he thought it would be a fun thing to do but the longer the ride went he learned more about depression and what its like to live with such a condition. He went on to say that the ride meant so much more than a bike ride and that he had learnt more about depression in nine days than ever before and was determined to share his new found knowledge and understanding with family and friends.

Day 10 

The group was up and ready early for their last day on the road. There was a lot of excitement among the group after nine days riding together and 102 kilometres to the finish line. The closer the group got to Melbourne the worse the weather got but spirits we high. There was a lot of emotion within the group with the realisation that we had been a part of something very special and it was sadly coming to an end.

23 cyclists, 9 support crew, 5 vehicles, two trailers, ten days, 1150 kilometres, 9 stopovers, 8 forums, 80 punctures, 64 cartons of Powerade and 12 boxes Powerbars later the team finally rode in to Waterfront City, Docklands to cross the finish line.

 We were fortunate to have met so many courageous people along the way. The strength these people displayed was remarkable and we were privileged to have been able to share in their stories and play a small role in raising awareness about depression within rural communities.

The Sunrise Foundation has taken many of the lessons learned during our ten day odyssey and begun exploring ways of educating and assisting people in rural Australia in a sustainable way. Every member of the bike ride contributed to the success of the event and it was a rewarding experience for all involved.

Finally without the great support of our wonderful sponsors none of it would have been possible. The Sunrise foundation thanks the following sponsors: