ride4acure

2012 is the year of consolidation for ride4acure.  A time to frankly and strategically look at our achievements, challenges and hopes so that after three years, take a good look at where we’ve been and where we’re going!  I have the passion and drive  to keep growing the education and awareness side of ride4acure through developing resources that help raise awareness of skin cancer and melanoma. And of course to continue to fundraise for the Hannah Rose Melanoma Research Fund (raising to date over $107 000)  that is targeting research into adolescent and young adult melanoma  under the awesome direction of Professor Grant McArthur from PeterMac (check out the Sixty Minutes video from 2009 highlighting some of Grants research and clinical trials -Grant was Hannah’s doctor at PeterMac. )

I have goals to develop ‘Mela-What?’ (the multi-media presentation I created early 2009 that has now been seen by over 22 000 people)  and to  launch it online as a resource for schools and communities to access. Stage 1 of ‘Mela-What? Online’  will hopefully be ready to go live next month.  I have been working toward this throughout 2011 with the support of a NSW Cancer Council small grant, and the profession expertise of a multi-media company called TRaMS & SMaRT: Training Resource and Mult Media Studio Pty Ltd,   It is only with the generosity of these donations that this project has been made possible.

Other news is that Esther and I have both been inducted into the Long Riders Guild (an international equestrian association that acknowledges the efforts of horse riders undertaking continuous journey’s of over a thousand miles (1600kms +)  anywhere in the world, Esther for her 4700km journey from East to West from Crescent Head NSW to Perth WA in 2011, and myself for my solo pack horse trek in 2010 from Willawarrin (30kms west Kempsey) to Melbourne VIC 1860kms.

A pot of tea, my well worn note book, my well travelled Dell computer netbook are all in front of me while I sit on my back verandah and let my view drift to the stand of tallowood trees out in the horse paddock. Twelve short days time will mark 3 years since Hannah’s death from melanoma on 22nd December. Most of the time since then I’ve worked tirelessly to understand this disease that took Han’s young life. Discovering early in 2009 that melanoma wasn’t the one in a million disease i thought it was but rather the most prevalent cancer young people 15-25 years of age are diagnosed with in Australia. This put a fire in my belly to make a change. To help raise awareness of melanoma as a young persons disease and to raise funds to find a cure. Sitting on my verandah now i think not just back to this but to the future. Toward 2012 and the year ahead for ride4acure and the Hannah Rose Melanoma Research Fund. I’m busy applying for grants to help produce more resources for ‘Mela-What?’ the multi media presentation that’s now been seen by over 22 000 young Australians across four states. I’m working to get an online version for schools to use as follow up and as a stand alone educational resource. 2012 will hopefully see me travelling to distant places to meet up with other educators who are ‘putting melanoma on the map’ in their areas. 2012 will see me learning from them and developing further the campaign I’ve undertaken to promote skin cancer and melanoma awareness in every school in Australia. Roll on 2012.

Melanoma Institute Race Day in the Illawarra 18th Feb. 2012. Another fabulous fundraiser to support melanoma research.  The Melanoma Institute is the ‘old’ Sydney Melanoma Unit which is where back at Christmas 2007 Hannah’s and ultimately our journey with Melanoma began.  check out http://www.melanoma.org.au/ if you want to know more…

Every day is a blessing to me. The privilege of work, friends, home, a wonderful community to live in and raise my family a place like the Macleay Valley to simply Be.   Everything is amplified for me as always looming in the backdrop is how quickly life can change and  since losing Hannah I take nothing for granted.  Every thing is a blessing and I am grateful.

I’m working at both TAFE in Macksville in a coordinating role and also at the Macleay Vocational College as a workplacement coordinator 4.5 days per week between both organisations. This is keeping me pretty busy in conjunction with ongoing ride4acure tasks and future planning (I’m always planning!)

I recently was able to contribute to Life Matters on ABC Radio National’s Life Matters regarding charity choices. From this radio interview I’ve been presented with the opportunity to meet up with Professor Rick Kefford who is a leading Melanoma Researcher focusing on the role genetics have. I’m hoping to get to Sydney by the end of November and possibly line up with a visit to the gallery of NSW Parliament to be in the gallery when a community petition is tabled by the NSW Cancer Council to extend smoking bans in outdoor areas.

There’s also a feature article in the latest Horse Downunder magazine for the Coast2Coast Horse Trek – has a great picture of Esther, the three horses and her dog Bobby on the front cover.

http://au.prime7.yahoo.com/n1/video/-/watch/26609950/horseback-journey/

Wow, one month since the completion of my epic trek… and I must apologise for the delay in me writing a post.. I am a slacker and also didn’t want the adventure to end!

So we are back in Kempsey, Mum has been away for work stuff and Joe has been off with his Dad. And I have been rattling around in a massive house reminding myself how to cook and clean (all the fun stuff!). Titan and Meg are chillaxing and the dogs are enjoying being in one spot. I took Titan to a dressage clinic last weekend and he went amazing, I realised his entire life has been focused on relaxing and straight lines! Oops! I was very proud of the way he conducted himself being around other horses and having to cope with all the busyness! Meg is just chilling out here at home living the high life! Eating, snoozing and bossing Titan around. I find myself wandering out and standing in the paddock with them and eventually sitting on the grass with Bobby and what’s left of my crew. I miss Surprise and Lofty more than I thought I would. I have such a strong connection with Meg and especially Titan. He was at times such a pain on the trek making my life so difficult and also creating aches and pains! But knowing that I got him because nobody else wanted him, I broke him in, I trusted him and then put a whole heap of faith in his ability to push on when everything is going to hell in a hand basket. And now, he is turning his hoof to dressage like he was born for it. I can talk about how proud I am of Mum and Joe for being my support crew, all the generosity of our sponsor’s and the amazing people I met with out bursting into tears with gratitude. But the moment I even think of the amazing efforts these four horses have done for me makes me choke up. Even typing this I sit here sobbing about how brilliant and trusting Titan, Meg, Lofty and Surprise were for me. They put so much faith in me and I can never repay that. The words I type will never pay homage to those four Horses.  I read in an advertisement years ago, I actually cut it out and stuck it in a journal ‘It takes more than Carrots’ It was a photo of a woman leading her horse across a narrow Log. Well my four Horses have travelled through four states, four time zones and all the way across Australia, so if carrots is what they want the can damn well have them! After Han passed away I have a small tattoo of her name on my foot. I was considering the other day if it was over the top to get my crew tattooed on me! (I am going to think long and hard about that one!)

On the way home I got sick in Balranald and had a quick trip to hospital, to make sure it was nothing to dramatic and had another check up yesterday. I am booked in to see a pyhsio as the doctors words were ‘she sits beautifully on a horse, but not so walking!’ Since I have been walking and standing on my own two feet after three months of Training then three months of trekking I have somewhat done a touch of damage to my natural posture. I can trot 30k’s on a horse no worries but if I walk a kilometre I am crippled the next day! Slightly concerning for a 21 yr old but nothing that isn’t fixable!

It is good to be back with old friends and in a community that is so welcoming. I am sure that another adventure will pop up and I will be in the thick of it again:-)

This Photo is taken on the Nullarbor when I am trying to get out of the wind. Lofty my forever cheeky companion. 

Meg, forever tough and enduring.

Titan, my main man who through everything covered his miles made me furious, happy and most of all was comfortable!

Happy trails. Es.

Melanoma Institute Australia Nth. Sydney.

I had a whole 48 hours at home after stepping out of the truck late last Wednesday night after completing the 2011 Coast2Coast 4600km horse trek and the massive drive back  across this wonderful country of ours with the horses in the truck.  48 precious hours then I flew out to Sydney for a training event with NSW Cancer Council and then Monday afternoon and yesterday meetings with staff at the Melanoma Institute of Australia  (used to be the Sydney Melanoma Unit-from which  Hannah’s first two ’rounds of treatment’ happened under the care of Assoc. Prof. Andrew Spillane. )  This new facility is magnificent and is a reality because of the generosity of Mr Greg Poche who sadly also lost a family member to melanoma and generously funded $40 million  to see the new facility become a reality.  This is the largest purpose built melanoma treatment and research facility in the world and it’s right here in NSW Australia! Check out www.melanoma.org.au for further information.  Additionally, Jay Allen (campaigning to ban solarium industry in NSW and ultimately Australia wide),  himself a melanoma survivor works as a community coordinator at MIA and has a truckload of enthusiasm and drive to spread the word about melanoma and prevention strategies.  This may look like a bricks and mortar building, but inside is the genius of Hope housed in the clinicians rooms, the research labs, the blood and tissue banks, the hearts and souls of the admin staff working there, I have never felt so strongly such a deep sense of organisational collaboration, on every level…hope seeps out of the very walls and my friends I am excited about the future of melanoma research and education…..

Day One Crescent Head NSW 2.5.11 Pacific Ocean

116 days on the road whilst Esther completed 4600kms Coast2Coast on her amazing horses ‘putting melanoma on the map’ across this magnificent country of ours…Crescent Head NSW to Perth WA…..97 days of get up, saddle up, keep riding…..40 schools and community events presenting ‘Mela-What?’ raising awareness of melanoma as a young persons disease in Australia (the most common cancer that young people under 25 get), 32 tanks of diesel to get there and back….raising over $25 000 with more coming in and  dozens and dozens of amazingly fantastic humans who made the trek so incredible and of course our TOTALLY AWESOME sponsors of whom we couldn’t have done this trek and I’m so indebted too……we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts we thank you…..

A very THANKFUL ride4acure 2011 horsetrek crew

ride4acure team riding out of Fraser Range Station WA to Eyre highway

The days are melding into each other as we make our way through four states to get home.  We’re taking it easy with the horses not travelling more thank 5 – 600 kms per day.  I unload the horses every 2-3 hours to have a ‘comfort stop’, stretch there legs, give them a drink etc. have a quick cup of tea ourselves. This picture is of Esther riding ‘Titan’ bareback leading ‘Meg’ and ‘Surprise’ with Bobby tagging along- a couple of kms along the road into Fraser Range Station in WA 100kms east of Norseman on the Eyre Highway toward the end of the Nullarbor.  This station is incredible and attracts many tourists wanting to experience station life they have fantastic facilities for the travellers.

see the strangest sites in WA! tree power!!

This gem of a sight is on the road into Fraser Range…Joe nicknamed it ‘tree power’! We’ve been retracing Esther amazing ride and catching up with people along the way.  There is no doubt in my mind it is the people we meet that make an event like the Coast2Coast Horse Trek such a success.  Sharing stories because it’s the stories that people remember.

I absolutely loved travelling through WA, the Nullarbor is a treasure trove of amazing sights and experiences.  I will definately be back to re-experience that wonderful vast landscape again, I feel a real affinity with the wide open space of that country.  It’s like a million Hay Plains in a row! I will be back….

A massive thank you goes out to all the roadhouses across the Nullarbor whom without their support we couldn’t have done this trek.  Each of the roadhouses provided us with de-salinated water for our horses, donated our accommodation and more!  A big hearted thank you to all.  On the way over I had written especially about Andy Morris the pilot from the Nullarbor Roadhouse who’d taken Esther and Joe up flying,to see the whales.

Nullarbor Roadhouse crew Andy & Ben celebrating Ez's 21st with us.

We caught up with Sal and Stewart (managers) and Ben (bar staff) and Andy (pilot) on the way back and toasted Esther’s successful ride and her 21st! this photo we’re hooking in to a delicious cake Ben bought out with sparklers blazing singing Happy Birthday!  We played some seriously dodgy games of pool and had a few celebratory drinks and a great night.

Onward the next day to Ceduna where we stayed overnight at the racecourse and had to clean our truck out again for quarintine from WA back to SA.  Then next day to Wirrulla where we caught up with Gary and Kathy McFarlane and famiily whom we stayed with on the way across.  Our horses enjoyed a great paddock for the night with a good pick.  The next day had to deliver ‘Surprise’ back to Bill and Barb Willoughby at ‘Boolorro Centre’, he has been such a little ripper horse for the trek and we felt a tonne of gratitude for the part he played in making the ride a success.  It had been raining heavily for days and we had about 20kms of dirt road to get to Boolorroo Centre, our truck is now covered in red mud, and I’m hoping to give it a pressure wash somewhere soon! We then made our way to Gawler SA where we’d left ‘Lofty’, sadly ‘Lofty is still seriously lame and has a fetlock injury that hasn’t healed and on a good vets advice is unlikely to after nearly three months rest.

We’re now in Balranald where we had a fundraiser on Friday night at the ‘Shamrock Hotel’ where Jennifer the publican turns out the ‘best ever’ countermeals.  Joe rates her schnitzels as 11 out of 10 on his schnitzel meter!  We had a couple of dozen people turn up for a meet and greet.  Local horsewoman Megan Purtill organised a raffle of a load of split redgum firewood donated by David Chaston from Balranald, for the night that raised $220 so a big thank you to the Balranald crew for their support.

Balranald 19.8.11 Shamrock Hotel fundraiser raffle winner Emma Scott with 'Hugo' and Joe!

The raffle was won by Emma Scott (above) who was there with her Mum Wynn and her Grandma. Our little mascot ‘Hotondo Hugo’ was in on the celebrations, he’s never far from the action!

Esther was very crook yesterday and is still low today with temp, headaches and vomiting, and Joe is down now also.  So we’re extending our stay here at Balranald Pony Club grounds hoping they’ll be right to travel tomorrow (Monday) and we’ll head to West Wyalong.  Because the kids were crook we sadly didn’t get to Ivanhoe for Rowan McKenzies 21st and to catch up.  Another time.  Esther could barely lift her head up with a temperature over 38 degrees.  We’ve had a superb couple of days here weather wise, the horses are soaking up the sunlight and enjoying not being on the truck!  We’ve got a couple more meetings on the way home and hoping to be back in Kempsey by Thursday.

Carrot & Coffee bike riding Perth to Sydney met at Balladonia Roadhouse on Nullarbor WA

At Balladonia Roadhouse on the Western end of the Nullarbor we met up with a real character, a man called Carrot riding his bike with his dog ‘Coffee’.  Carrot is raising funds for both the Cancer Council of NSW and also MS  Society.  He’s ridden from Perth and is heading to Sydney.  We’ll be definately heading to Sydney to welcome him in when he makes it.  Due to the incredible distances across the Nullarbor 1200 kms between shops at Ceduna and Norseman it’s impossible to carry enough food on the bike, so we left ‘food drops’ for Carrot and CoffeeDog at Cocklebiddy, Nullarbor and Eucla Roadhouses, which included in it 3 feeds of dry dog food for CoffeeDog (a white kelpie), dried food, a couple of tins of soup, noodles, rice, tim tams and a stubby of beer for Carrot and some fresh fruit!  We were stoked to get a phone call today from Carrot at Madura roadhouse to say he’s enjoying the tucker and so’s Coffee Dog! We wish them both all the best and safe travelling!

GPR Truck Service & Repairs, Welshpool WA. Ian (Service Manager) & Peter (Owner)

In preparation to begin the almost 5 000 km journey home tomorrow the awesome crew at GPR Truck Service & Repairs in Welshpool WA,  generously donated a full service to our ride4acure truck.  Perth has been a rich experience for us all.  The fantastic support here at the Riding for the Disabled facility in Claremont providing us with a ripper paddock for our three horses.  RDA is facilitated by M’Liss Henry who is an incredibly hard worker spending every hour of daylight working with riders and looking after the horses and facilities.  They house dozens of horses here and there is a big crew of hardworking volunteers keeping things going.  Met and talked with many of the students (we had our truck pulled up right along side the arena and had many a yarn over the fence! A massive thank you to the M’Liss for her generosity.

We’re only really beginning to feel the reality that the trek is completed, well the riding side anyway!  We’ve got several fundraisers and a couple of parties we’re going to on the way home including a 500km ‘detour’ to go to a friends 21st at Ivanhoe in Western NSW on August 20th which fits in just nicely with our itinerary for travelling back home.  Of course we have to deliver the little champ  ’Surprise’ back to his owners Bill and Barb Willoughby at Booloroo Centre ( near Port August SA) then  head to Gawler to pick up ‘Lofty’ which we’re looking forward too.  I’ll have an ache in heart leaving ‘the little fella’ behind….he’s been a ripper trek horse, stepping up into Lofty’s place when we had to leave him behind in Gawler.  The bonds between ourselves and the horses is strong, knowing that without their willingness we wouldn’t have had a trek.  We did.  And what a ripper success it’s been.

Whilst we’re in Gawler Joe has business to attend to.  He’s been collecting scrap metal and recyclable bottles/cans for the last two months and he’s going to cash them all in! He’ll have quite a bit of pocket money out of his little venture. We have about ten Mitavite bags under a tarp on the roof of the truck with Joe’s collection in it.  Joe’s lucky to still have it, as Esther’s threatened a few times to chuck the lot when she’s had to unload chaff we store on the roof under a few tarps and has to move all Joe’s bags to get to it!  Nothing like a little sibling ‘argy bargy’!

We’re also having a gathering in Balranald on the night of 19th being organised by Megan Purtill whom we met on the way through. Looking forward to reconnecting with the many new friends made along the track.