Tasmanian Rotarians Phil and Joyce Ogden are about to mount their tandem bicycle and stage an epic fundraiser to support Rotary’s END POLIO NOW campaign.
With thirty years of tandem cycling behind them, they plan to leave Perth in mid May and ride the 2,750 km to Adelaide to support Rotary’s premier world project – with the support of their South Launceston Rotary Club.
They have been Rotarians for over ten years and have been passionate supporters and donors since first hearing of the END POLIO NOW campaign.
A retired anaesthetist, Phil has witnessed first hand the terrible legacy of the Polio epidemic of the fifties and the ongoing threat to children of the world until the Rotary inspired campaign worked its magic over the last 30 plus years.
Delivering a message to all Rotarians, the couple said “We feel that the enormous effort which has gone into turning the tide of the disease will be lost if pressure, and fund raising, is not maintained until the final handful of cases is consigned to history.
“If we take our collective eyes off the ball, the disease will re-establish. So, we are still committed to making our personal donations every year but felt we might harness another of our passions, cycling, to push things along – once again with the assistance of Rotary.”
“If we take our collective eyes off the ball, the disease will re-establish. So, we are still committed to making our personal donations every year but felt we might harness another of our passions, cycling, to push things along – once again with the assistance of Rotary.”
PLANNING
The Ogdens will plan and fund the entire trip with support from their Rotary Club of South Launceston and District leaders.
The window for riding the Nullarbor is relatively short as the prevailing wind and temperature have to be favourable, making autumn and spring the only realistic options.
Phil and Joyce would like to use the ride to publicise the urgent need to complete the eradication of Polio and will be happy to address Rotary Clubs in Tasmania and, en route, in Perth, Kalgoorlie and Adelaide. However, time will be limited in each destination and bookings can be made once final dates are known.
Logistics for the ride will be challenging with camping and motels (where available) the only accommodation options on the Nullarbor. Offers of Rotary home hosting will be appreciated in the major cities.
There are no shops across the 1200 kms of the Nullarbor and water is only available at Roadhouses along the way. Dehydrated food will have to be mailed ahead and the Ogdens will have to carry food for a week and water for two days at a time.
A tandem cycle carries two riders but only has the luggage capacity of a single bike so the volume of extra provisions will be difficult to accommodate. However, weight is less of an issue as google maps describe the entire route as ‘mainly flat’.
DISTRICT, CLUB SUPPORT
Past Asst Governor Dale Luck of Rotary Club of South Launceston is managing the project for the club – daleluck1@gmail.com ; phone 0418830995
Past Asst Governor Marion Cooper of the Rotary Club of Sandy Bay is the District 9830 contact – yaringacoops@bigpond.com ; phone 0417 371 726.
Asst Zone 8 Public Relations Coordinator Roslyn Teirney of the Rotary Club of North Hobart is the project PR contact – ros.thermomix.tas@gmail.com ; phone 0438 240 125.
EXCITING TIMES
This latest promotional masterstroke by Phil and Joyce Ogden highlights the increasing interest in the Polio campaign in recent times.
Ken Hutt of the Rotary Club of Berry in NSW plans to jump of Mt Everest in his END POLIO NOW paraglider in the near future; and South Australia’s Outback Ute relay, Ride the Trains for Polio in several capital cities, and even a Pumpkin growing competition for Polio in the deep south of New Zealand have drawn attention back to the need to focus on fund raising to ensure END POLIO NOW really does happen.
Please give generously to support these amazing people – and ultimately the children of the World!
LINK TO DONATE
For every $1 donated to the cause, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will contribute $2.
PDG Bob Aitken.
RI END POLIO NOW Coordinator