Pittsworth Sentinel 1.6.2011 Original Article
Local Pittsworth residents, Sue McKenna and Lindsey Collier, returned home last week from their journey from Bribie Island to the Barossa via Uluru, as part of the support team for this year's Cannonball Ride.
The off road dirt bike ride adventure Cannonball Ride raised much needed funds for DEBRA Australia to support families living with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). EB is a rare genetic blistering skin condition, which causes those inflicted to live a life of pain and disability.
The Cannonball Ride, organised by Kate Warfield, has managed to raise over $30,000 this year which will be used to fund the national EB Nurse programme which commenced in 2011 and is funded by DEBRA. DEBRA receives no government funding and is administered mainly by volunteers, with the national with the national DEBRA office located at Pittsworth.
Local support for the Cannonball Ride this year was thick on the ground with Sue McKenna and photographer Lindsay Collier travelling the 6,000 kilometre off road track as part of the support crew for the 13 motorbike riders. Donations and support also came from locals Tom Lee Archer and Mike Mulhare who entertained the crowd on the first night of the ride at Westmar Pib. Along with McLean Farms who donated eggs, Good Year Tyre Service Pittsworth, Ashton's Butchery, Finnie family, Chalala Bakery for supplying their mouth watering muesli, Beef City for supplying meat, Jenny Denning (Diageo Australia Ltd) for the supply of Bundaberg Rum merchandise which was auctioned along the way and lastly the very generous support of Lindenberg's and Mitsubishi for their sponsorship which covered fuel and officials fees for Sue's Triton which was used as a support vehicle. Without this generous local support the Ride would not have been the success it has been.
Although the funds raised for the EB nurse programme are essential, just as significant has been the raising of public awareness of the EB condition. Sue McKenna said, "One of the most memorable aspects of the journey has been the response by strangers, when in the middle of the outback we presented a DVD on the pain sufferers of EB go through on a daily basis; gown men were reduced to tears. Despite the magnificent sunsets and the great adventure, the aim of the ride was to raise awareness of EB across Australia and I think with great bunch of Cannonball Riders we have achieved just that, although we know we still have a long way to go with our awareness programme."
Next year's Cannonball Ride will take the bike riders from the paradise (Gold Coast) to Perth at the end of March, with funds raised once again going to DEBRA. Details of the ride are available at www.cannonballride.com.au. Further detail of DEBRA and ways in which you can help are available at www.debra.org.au.
