Pedalling plenty of memories

By Graham Davis

Cyclists from HMAS Parramatta ride to the entrance of Westmead Children’s Hospital, where they presented staff with $30,000 after riding from Mackay in Queensland.

Photo: ABPH Helen Frank

Twenty five punctures, replacement saddles all around and one new pedal are just memories for 11 members of the ship’s company of HMAS Parramatta who last month “raced” their ship 2050 kilometres down the east coast of Australia.

One other memory won’t fade however.

It is the $30,000 the cyclists and their three support crew raised during the epic journey.

The money will go to research into pneumococcal disease being undertaken by Dr Michael Watson and his team at The Children’s Hospital/Westmead.

Fundraising for the hospital began when CMDR Mike Noonan and his ship’s company opened their warship to the public during a visit to Mackay in April.

The officers and sailors began selling $2 tickets in a raffle for a $5,000 five-night holiday to Hawaii provided by Qantas.

The holiday is to be taken while Parramatta is at Pearl Harbour taking part in RIMPAC 04 thereby allowing an onboard visit by the raffle winner.

On April 26 the former Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Councillor Paul Garrard, flagged the 11 riders and two support vehicles away from the wharf in Mackay.

The ship sounded her siren while a crowd cheered the riders, led by SBLT Dave Murphy, away.

Soon afterwards Parramatta left Mackay and headed south to continue first of class trials with her Super Seasprite helicopter.

The riders pedalled down the Queensland and NSW coastlines raising money and receiving great assistance from Naval Association branches and Inchcape Motors, who supplied the Volkswagen support vehicles.

To be expected, the ride was not incident free. “We had 25 punctures, SBLT Murphy said. “After a few days we were very saddle sore from the seats fitted to our bikes.

“New softer seats had to be fitted. One rider needed a new pedal.”

And what of the courtesy from other road users?

“Ninety-five percent were great, the other five per cent...,” he said.

Upon reaching Sydney on Thursday May 13 the riders called at Bear Cottage at Manly (an adjunct facility to the hospital.)

That night the riders appeared on the Channel Nine Footy Show.

The riders reached the city the next morning as their ship came alongside Fleet Base East. There was still plenty of riding to be done.

At noon the riders pedalled to the hospital to be met at the front entrance by Ccouncillor Garrard and Dr Kate Hale.

Later CMDR Mike Brown, representing the Central Canteen Board presented a cheque for $2000, to CMDR Noonan to bolster the final figure to $30,000.aid.

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