A ride for charity in support of the
Royal Flying Doctor Service
and
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Letter of Authority
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Fundraising Letter of Approval
Mike Greasley, Community Fundraising Coordinator, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Qld Section.

Rodger’s Ride for Cancer and the RFDS

Rodger Parker is a bloke on a mission.  He has committed to a massive effort to raise funds for a couple of iconic organisations. You may know Rodger. He’s one of Redcliffe’s Operational staff – a theatre assistant and cleaner.

Rodger, his stock horse Kimberley Kay, pictured with Rodger in our photo, plus a couple of brumbies named Indy and Monty who were rescued by the RSPCA, will take the trip of a lifetime during July 2012.  Here’s his story...

Let me tell you about how I plan to spend a couple of months in July next year, doing something for a couple of great organisations.

The fundraising ride I’m planning has been in my mind for the past seven or eight years.  It might have been my mid life crisis that prompted the idea, or just stress from work. But the thought of riding to the Northern Territory really appealed to me, as that was where I had my first job, working as a stockman on a cattle property named Rockhampton Downs back in 1971.

The route we will take begins at our place at Mount Mee Rd, Ocean View, north of Brisbane.  Our destination is Bullo River Station at Timber Creek in the Northern Territory. The distance is about 3225 km and we reckon it will take around ninety days or so.

We plan to travel about 40km a day, give or take a kilometre, and if this is the case it will take 80 and a half days, but I expect it will actually take every bit of 90 days, maybe even a bit more.

So why would I want to risk saddle soreness, sleep rough and invite heatstroke? It’s simple. I would like to raise $150,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. I reckon this is possible, as we are doing something a bit different to most fundraisers and the feedback has been great from anybody that has read my story or people that I have told about the journey.

The Royal Flying Doctors are a very important part of the Australian outback and having worked out there for a short time I understand the importance of the service. I think that unless you have been to the outback you can't get a true picture of the vast spaces between places and the importance of the Service to outback Australia.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia is also a charity that is important to many Australians.  I understand there are over 200 types of cancer.  In 2008 my own life was affected as I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins' Lymphoma.  It was quite a shock to me as it would be to anyone.  The BRS Trail Ride for charity was already in my mind.  It was just ironic that I just happened to get sick.

If you would like to sponsor my ride to Bullo River Station, you can visit my website: www.brstrailride.com

We are setting the site up to receive funds shortly so stay in touch and thanks for your support.

Rodger