Welcome to the Biking4Bikes website. It is not long to go now before we leave and preparations are going well. As we juggle our busy lives at Howqua with getting ready for our big adventure, we find ourselves enjoying the exciting lead up period. We have had all our vaccinations and have nearly finished organising all our equipment which we will rely so heavily upon. When we find ourselves battling challenging conditions off the beaten track in Africa, the last thing we need is for our equipment to fail.
Christine riding in our “backyard”.
The trailer bag and panniers are empty.
Christine with her bike and trailer.
We have to think carefully about what to take. We also have to make sure our bicycles are properly prepared. Our bikes in the past have not only been our source of transport, but they have also been our freedom and independence. They mean everything to us when we are bike touring. We have made some adjustments from our New Zealand trip and we took them for a fully loaded test ride. They were beautiful! Very comfortable, and we started to imagine how they would take us 12000km through Africa. How they would carry us through deserts and jungles, along rough and bumpy roads, over high mountains and through the hustle and bustle of African city life. They will become more than just a bicycle. Thanks to Rick Hay at Dean Woods Cycles for the great work he has done.
Our study has become our storage and preparations room at home.
A new and exciting addition to our trailers is our flags. The yellow “BOB” flags weren’t that exciting and we needed a change. We wanted something original, something Australian and something that couldn’t possibly offend the locals. We decided on the Australian boxing kangaroo in green and gold. It will also remind us of the fighting Australian spirit when times get tough.
Howqua Girls Kick Off Fund Raising
This is a photo of the girls who completed the most laps in the Ring Road For Charity. They are a great group of girls who were so keen and positive. From left is Char Debenham, Georgie Collinson, Lizzie McMahon, Sophie Edwards, Julz Canavan, Annabelle Russell, Emma Smith, Jade Soo and Lauren Wilson. We think they are stars!Over the past 5 weeks many of our students at Howqua have participated in the Ring Road For Charity. They basically were sponsored by friends and family to ride as many laps around the Ring Road as possible (the Ring Road is a 2.2km circuit road around the Howqua Campus). At the end, they totalled up their laps and collected the money which will all go to our chosen charities. It was a fantastic effort and it was inspiring to see so many girls trying their best for a great cause. Some of the girls were so keen and would be out on the bikes early in the early morning rain, hail or shine. We did have a friendly competition between each of the student houses and Mirrabooka House completed the most laps. In total, the Howqua girls completed 390 laps and raised a total of $1252.50. An amazing effort and a response that was far greater than our expectations. Congratulations and thankyou to all who participated. Your efforts are certainly appreciated and you have done yourselves and the Lauriston community proud. The money you have raised is certainly going to greatly help people in need in Namibia and Tanzania. When we are in Africa we will give an update on where the money goes and how it helps the local communities. Please see below for a full list of the students who raised money:
Ring Road 4 Charity – Fund Raising Totals
Amanda Ma $22.10
Alicia Kalus $56
Poon Ratanabanthoon $9
Char Debenham $138
Jade Soo $84.50
Lou Bensz $14
Marissa Schulze $4
Rosheen Kaul $20
Jessie Carter $10
Anita Schmidt $28
Alice Roberts $2
Laura Blair-West $4.20
Maneka Sivanathan $56
Sarah Rockefeller $20
Eleanor Bulford $31
My My Carroll $10
Harriet Geddes $10
Morgan Koegel $
Annabel Marshal-Roth $18
Teddy Musolino $50
Sarah Cathcart $2
Jess Stockton $21
Lauren Wilson $27.70
Julia Canavan $400
Lizzie McMahon $100
Emma Smith $28
Georgie Collinson $7.50
Annabelle Russell $17.50
Sophie Edwards $22
Lexy White $30
Jess Connor $10
