11 September 2019

Dementia ride passes through Batemans Bay and Bega towards Brighton

| Ian Campbell
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Riders on their way to Brighton in Victoria, raising money for Dementia Australia. Photo: Bondi2Berry Facebook.

Riders on their way to Brighton in Victoria, raising money for Dementia Australia. Photo: Bondi2Berry Facebook.

Thirty cyclists have passed through Batemans Bay and Bega raising money to support the work of Dementia Australia.

Having nailed Batemans Bay and Bega, its on to Gipsy Point, Orbost, Sale and Warragul before finishing at Brighton Beach, Victoria, on Saturday, September 14

Organisers Nick Young and Pierre Sullivan have first-hand experience of dementia. Both of Nick’s grandmothers passed away after living with dementia and his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011. Pierre’s mother was diagnosed with dementia in 2015.

“This is the fourth year of the event and we wanted to do something a bit different, raise the stakes,” Nick says.

“Not only are we taking a group of dedicated riders all the way down to Brighton Beach in Victoria – an incredibly challenging 1,200km ride – we are also increasing our fundraising target to $200,000.

“We are always looking for new challenges and ways to keep the event interesting and I am looking forward to pushing myself to the limit on the ride down to Brighton and raising awareness of dementia.”

Pierre says the community behind the ride continues to grow and surprise him with their dedication to the event.

“Every year I am astonished by the level of support we receive from our Bondi2Berry community,” he says.

“We started with 40 riders in 2016 and each year the number of people participating and funds raised increases.

“This year, with 120 riders registered for both events, we are aiming to raise $200,000.

“Our Bondi2Berry community of participants, volunteers, donors and sponsors continue to go above and beyond to make this event possible and we couldn’t do it without them.”

Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe says the ride is the event is the organisation’s largest national community fundraiser.

“The team behind the event continues to do a fantastic job year after year,” Ms McCabe says.

“It is wonderful to see the dedication shown by the entire Bondi2Berry community to raise support and vital funds for Dementia Australia and the estimated 447,000 Australians living with dementia today.”

Riders will overnight in the Bega Valley before heading to Gipsy Point in the morning.

You can add to the donations via the Bondi2Berry website.

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