cycling4africa

It's Saturday 29th Nov. At 9.00am I received a phone call from David. My 5 yr old granddaughter was with me at the time and has asked me many times, "where is Nannu David?" I would tell her that he is cycling to help get money so we can buy food for the children in Africa, because they have no money or food. When she got on the phone to talk with him, the first thing she asked was "are you in Africa yet, nannu?" Needless to say, these words of innocence made David's day and mine! Apparently it rained all night in Bombala. Some time during the evening David met up with a german couple who were doing a cycling trip. They proved to be great company for David. They camped close by for the night and joined him for breakfast the next morning. Today he will be taking a day off cycling and having a rest before heading off to Cooma in the morning.

After leaving Orbost, David headed for Cann River. The terrain again proved to be challenging and the weather hot. Along the way, people have stopped to offer water a few times and it was greatly appreciated. As there is only so much water David can carry with him, he was most relieved that passers by gave him a thought and offered precious cold water to him. At times he was running out of water as these blessings came along. Thank you all. It is in these situations when you get to see the beautiful side of humanity. As David was cycling along, a gentleman by the name of Dennis offered to relieve David of his heavy load, and swap bikes for a while. He was willing to do this for the next stretch of cycling right up to Bombala. Although the intention was one of concern, David did reassure him that he will be fine and that he needed to do it on his own. David said "I need to communicate to everyone that in the absence of support, the likelihood of achieving the objective is mi

After travelling some distance from Bairnsdale through Nowa Nowa, I finally arrive at Orbost. After a good night's sleep, I will again face a room full of students and teachers to tell of my travels, passions and adventure. After being welcomed at Orbost Secondary College, teachers David Doolan and Sharon Jones allowed me to spend some time in their SOSE classes. I spoke again of my mission and how one child dies every three seconds in the poorest half of the world. Again the students astounded me by their silence. The fidgeting and the chatter died down and stopped completely while I relayed my message. The students were allowed to interact by asking questions or offering solutions to this world crisis. Two of the suggestions were " perhaps everyone who bought a ticket to the footy paid an extra dollar towards an International development project" or " out of every speed fine, a dollar could be used to help and aid these causes". Although these sugge

In the morning of Monday 24 th Nov, David headed off to visit Bairnsdale Secondary College to talk with the staff and students about his beloved Cycling4 africa and to spread the message about poverty in the poorest half of the world. In a room full of students and teachers, David stated that "In the time the Victorian Footy Grand Final was played, 120 minutes elapsed and 2400 children your age and half your age died in the poorest half of the world from preventable diseases and hunger - the room went silent, and you couldn't even hear 2 pins drop. These students related to these children and the seriousness of the situation, and had their ears glued to what was said. The quiet and stillness in the room along with serious faces indicated that these students were feeling for these children and the situation they are in; perhaps even reflecting on how blessed they are that they were born where they are. The students were encouraged to comment and ask questions. Among the ma

David bypassed Stratford in order to gain some extra time in the journey ahead. He knows that pretty much after Bairnsdale, it is going to be very challenging until he gets to Canberra. He will be staying in Bairnsdale until Tuesday 25th Nov. This will give him a chance to look over the bike and have a few rest days. Daniel and Melissa from the Salvation army in Bairnsdale have genreously offered to put up with him, or shall I say put him up for a few days at their place. He arrived on Friday 21st Nov as warnings were fortold by the media that Gippsland is going to recieve a lot of rain over the weekend and could get some floodings. As predicted Saturday was wet all day. It was a good opportunity to check the bike over. There were some issues with the bike that David needed to attend to before he heads off. But first he spent the day relaxing with the family he was staying with and doing some admin work he needed to attend to. He will work on the bike tomorrow. On Sunday it was

After spending the night (18th Nov) at Rosedale, under the stars, the ride commenced again, finally ending in Sale. My first port of call was the Gippsland Times (media), there Eleanor Venables put pen to paper and reported my journey to date. Shortly after, I found myself at Life FM Gippsland 103.9, behind a microphone responding to Sarah's questions. I didn't know what to expect given my first experience with radio. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the listener's response is. As the interview was coming to an end, I was quick to tell the truckies listening "to keep an eye out for a cyclist on a bike answering to my description". They tend to invade your personal space, if you know what I mean, it's been a bit hairy at times! Let me say a big THANK-YOU to Sarah, who made the experience a lot more comfortable then I expected. Equally, a big THANK-YOU to Debbie, your smile added reassurance to what at times has been a challenging journey. The re

Hi everyone, At 9.00am on Tuesday 18th Nov, I was on the school grounds of Woolum Bellum Campus (The Victorian P-12 College of Koorie Education). I was a little unsure as to where from here, until Mary came to my rescue and directed me to the staffroom. The staff was as unsure about me as I was about them. Again Mary came to my rescue with an explanation about who I was, and why I was visiting. The mystery dissapeared as quickly as it came. Responding to an invitation to expand on Mary's well informed introduction, I followed with a 3 min pitch. Shortly after, I found myself surrounded by Koorie children, all eagerly asking questions. At this point in time I found myself pleasantly taken back in time to my early Kimberley experiences with children of a similar disposition for fun. On leaving (and not before the La Trobe Valley Express captured the experience on film) I reminded the children of the importance of education. I relayed "how education meant more ch

On Friday 14th the blessings continued to rain on David, the heat subsided and the cool change meant that the cycling would be more bearable. The journey started off like every other journey, with a setback. The stand on the bike broke. Firstly he went to the Salvation army and shared prayers with family and friends. He was moved by the prayers and the fact that these people were behind his cause and helped to make it a reality. A pastor/friend from another church visited as well. It was great to see commonality amongst Christians. After goodbyes, David went for a quick visit to Brad (Cycling supermarket, Altona) to have a bike stand attached to the bike, and off he went. David arrived safely at Pakenham later on in the afternoon. He didn't quite make his first appointment on time with the journo for the Pakenham Leader. 20kms before Pakenham, the terrain proved to be a bit of a challenge with the weight of the loaded bike. The journo was happy to meet him on the road. He

I am on my way !!! Departing from 108 Queens St, Altona. Salvation Army Corps 8:00 am Friday 14th November. ALL WELCOME