A GENTLE ride along the Maribyrnong is a far cry from the dusty straits of central Victoria, but taking on the latter hasn’t daunted Maidstone’s Cathi Johnston.
She’s swapping an office chair for a bike saddle when she takes part in the 2012 Murray-to-Moyne (M2M) cycle challenge this weekend to raise funds for a playground for children with disabilities.
The event last year raised about $1.3 million for health services across the country.
Ms Johnston will join colleagues and supporters of not-for-profit aged and disability services organisation Villa Maria to cover about 300kilometres, riding from Echuca to Stawell on Saturday and a further 90kilometres from Hamilton to Port Fairy on Sunday.
Her normal cycling routine is commuting to shops or riding along the Maribyrnong river.
“I haven’t seen the race profile, but I’m told there’s a couple of hills. I’ve been doing weekend rides for the past three months to prepare for the M2M, including the ‘Hanover ConnectEast Ride for Home’ in November and a ride around Lake Wendouree three weeks ago.”
The Villa Maria team hopes to raise $20,000 for a new playground at its Kew specialist school. Ms Johnston says a disability-friendly playground would make a huge difference in the lives of the children.
“They can get out in the fresh air and they’ll have access to the sort of facilities that children without disabilities have. So they can enjoy their playground with their able-bodied siblings; otherwise they can be a bit isolated.”
Details: everydayhero.com.au
