cycling4africa

David is currently cycling from Eden to Cann River. The ride is hard and the terrain unrelenting. The phone calls have been short and few due to reception and power availability. At one stage he ran out of water and was collecting some from the plants and a gadget he made up. He was in the middle of nowhere. He was hoping to reach Cann River by Monday 29th Dec. On Tuesday he hoped to cycle all day to reach Bairnsdale, where he can rest up for a few days.

Since leaving Canberra, David has spent some nights sleeping in unusual surroundings. Nothing is daunting for him. For safety reasons he has had to sleep surrounded by rubbish bins (skips) in an alley way in one of the towns, AND get this, he also slept at a local cemetary!! I can only say I was relieved to hear from him the next morning to make sure he was safe. David arrived in Bega and spent a few days over Christmas camping at a local's backyard. Peter alllowed him the use of his property for as long as he needed. He spent the nights in his tents on a 30 degree incline and has told me he spent most of the nights slowly slipping down to one end of the tent then climbing his way back up to find his pillow. Although the nights were not as comfortable as he hoped the experience of sharing a few days with a person in need not only allowed David to have some respite, but also to minister to a gentle man who needed his company. He has also buckled his back wheel along the way an

I am currently in Bega and have just spoken to ABC South East and, about to talk to Peter Diskon (2EC Radio). My message hasn't changed. "I am hoping to raise $20,000 for an orphanage in Zambia in response to 800,000 orphans as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and, to highlight the need for the developed world (including Australia), to maintain their International Development Aid in light of the global economic crisis. With every radio interview, my delivery about the JOURNEY is more passionate, focused and relaxed. In other words, I am enjoying the experience - initially it was quit nerve wrecking. I have asked Jennifer (ABC South East) to send an MP3 recording of the interview – I believe it encapsulates what the Journey is all about. (As soon as Josephine receives a copy it will appear on the Blog - look for it). Rather than community radio, I much prefer public radio. The simple reason, I can be political - after all, poverty is a political issue, it is about haves and th

Hi all It has been a very successful journey at many levels. If you have been connecting with the Blog you will know I have engaged with the media (radio and newspapers) and the schools. Yesterday, I spent a good part of the day with Major Peter Holly (Salvation Army National Secretary) who is very excited about the Salvation Army's involvement (Altona/Williamstown Core) and the journey. Today I have an a udience with Margaret Watt (Chief of Staff) for Mr. McMullan (Secretary for International Development Assistance). At this time, I will be expressing some concern about the real possibility heads of state from the developed world reneging on their Official Development Assistance - the global economic crisis has diverted much attention from aid assistance as reflected by the lack of attendance by the developed world at the Funding for Development recently in Doha. While Mr. McMullan did consent to an audience with me, this wasn'

On Friday David and I were taken out to dinner by our friends at the Salavtion army. Carole picked us up with her car as the downpour threatened to drown us. It just didn't stop raining all day and all night. It was a great evening to relax and unwind. Saturday we had planned to do some sightseeing around Canberra, but unfortunately David was very tired and needed to catch up with some rest. By the time I had organised some places to see and was ready to go, it wasn't hard to figure out where David had dissappeared to, the snoring led me to his room. Needless to say, sightseeing had to wait. The weather was very unpredictable. The rain had stopped but the wind was blowing a gale. After a good sleep we went to the local market, did some shopp ing and went back to our residence to cook a meal full of carbs! It was a great day. On Sunday 12th Dec, Carole again picked me up to go to fellowship at the Salvation Army in Braddon, while David cycled in. We were welcomed with open

On Thursday I joined David (with my camera) for a visit to Kathmandu at their Canberra store. The place had a few customers purchasing, so we walked around until it became quieter. Hannah approached us to see if we needed help, then Trent joined in as well while David talked excitedly with them about his journey. It wasn't too long before David made his presence known, and the place became a buzzz of activity. He asked to talk to the store manager to see if he could take a few photos with them. In a jiffy, James (Store Manager) walks in with a great big smile on his face. We knew we were going to have some fun with these guys. All three were as excited as we were about the trip and the visit. Trent just couldn't help himself and climbed the ladder to great heights to retrieve the banner so that we can "Live the dream". James quickly appeared with the Kathmandu banner over his shoulder and a few little fluffy creatures to make the photo shoot more interesting, while Ha

I left Melbourne to fly (no not cycle) to Canberra on the Wed10th Dec to join David for a few days to catch up, make sure he is well, and to join him for a couple of days of relaxation between his commitments. The first thing that was noticable about David when we met was firstly that he had lost a lot of weight (everywhere else bar his tummy) and his skin colour has a permanent suntan. I was a little envious. He was in good spirits and his usual talkative self. While I was getting my gear together, I could hear that familiar voice negotiating a price with the bus driver to get us to Canberra City, needless to say it is going to be an interesting few days. Those that know David well would know what I mean. The following days, Thursday and Friday, we spent a lot of time catching up and residing at the Library. David had to catch up to his emails, replies and commitments as well as organising further appointments for the journey ahead. His first stop on Thursday was to fulfill a promise

David finally arrives in Canberra on Sunday 7thDec, two days earlier than expected. He got in at 11.15 am. Soon after that the Salvation Army Corps in Altona rang him after the church service. He talked to the church community from his mobile as it was placed close to the microphone for everyone to hear. Needless to say, there was a lot of smiling faces that were beaming with pride as he was talking. During his rest period, David did some research and organised an interview with the 666 ABC Canberra. 9.00 am Wednesday morning, David recieved a phonecall from the 666 ABC Canberra for an interview with Alex Sloan on her breakfast show. Although a little apprehensive about doing a live interview on live radio, David was looking forward to the challenge. It was to go on air at 10.45 am. Not long after he got to the studio, the Production Manager popped his head in and told David he would be on air LIVE in 5 minutes (lucky David has the ability to think on his feet, it came in handy). He wa

David arrived at Michelago Saturday night December the 6th and slept in an abandoned railway station. He was calling out for Scarlet (Gone with the wind) as he settled for a good night sleep with all the other stars above him. He felt he was back in time, in the days of 'Gone with the wind". There was a lot of nastalgia about the place. The scenery was breathless. After a feed of pasta and a phone call to me to let me know he was well, the mosquitos decided they wanted a part of him too. He quickly settled for the night and went to laa laa land!! He will be off in the morning to Canberra.

Hi I am David. As you are aware, this journey is not for my benefit but to raise public awareness about global poverty (and money for the Kazembe Baby Orphanage in Zambia) , and particular, poverty stricken children in Africa. While in Canberra, I am hoping to speak to the Secretary for International Development Assistance given the enormous pressure the developed world faces in maintaining their aid commitments under the current global economic crisis. You may be aware that the UN Financing for Development Conference was held recently in Doha . In 2002 the UN conducted the first Financing for Development Conference (attended by Heads of State, World Bank and the IMF) resulting in the Monterrey Consensus. Monterrey Consensus is in essence the unanimous support for the UN target of allocating .7% of Gross National Income for Official Development Assistance by UN Member Countries by 2015. (The .7% is for the financing the Millennium Development Goals central to the UN Millennium Declar

David has spent the last six days in Cooma, recovering a little, checking his bike and making further arrangement to meet with the press and hopefully some politicians that can make a difference to his cause. The light is finally at the end of the tunnel for David for the first half of his journey. He is spending another night under the stars and will be off first light tomorrow (Dec 7th) to make his way to Canberra. The terrain has been kind to him today, he only had a few difficult spots to conquer and although the weather was hot and sticky, it was manageable. The support from the public as always has been a blessing to David. Travelers along the way are still stopping and offering water, which was much needed today. As David ran out of water, this man in a car traveling along the way asked David if he was OK? David said I have run out of water. The man pulled out a container of cold water and told David to help himself. Thank you whoever you are. These sort of blessings have been p

While in Bairnsdale, David had the opportunity to be interviewed by Life FM. Here is a copy of that recording, to keep you up to date with some of the appointments David is keeping while cycling from town to town. To access interview, highlight Link and copy in your address bar. http://www.lifefm.org/interviews/21Nov08B.mp3