2011 Sydney to Surfers | Day 2

Morisset to Bulahdelah

Could this have been another day of rain? Possibly. It certainly look that way when David Le Cornu hopped on the bus and said “this will be a great day if it doesn’t rain”…

[cue heavy rain]

Fortunately for David, it stopped 5 minutes later and most of the riders didn’t see rain again until roughly 20km from Bulahdelah. I should mention that this final burst of rain was immediately preceded by Steve Anderson announcing in Facebook that there was “no rain today”…

[cue heavy rain...again]

There’s a pattern emerging here. Please…let’s not discuss rain any more!!!

So, about the ride. Morisset to Bulahdelah. 128 km’s, two or so bridges and a whole bunch of freeway. And a tail wind…a cyclist’s best friend.

Of particular note today was the rather pleasant lunch stop at Karuah. Great little park down by the water. I even managed to capture a row of pelicans sitting on the wall eating their lunch. [see pic below]

 

Hands down, the best part of this day was the lunch stop. Not only because that sliced roast beef is delicious, but most because I had the time to sit and chat with one of the Youth Off The Streets kids who were doing this ride. Because this week isn’t just about riding bikes. It’s easy to lose the focus of what this ride is for, when we have 7 days of riding, with people who are passionate about riding.

So what is this ride for? It’s for Youth Off The Streets. And what do they do?

Youth Off The Streets take in troubled and/or homeless kids and give them somewhere to live; somewhere to eat; somewhere to talk; somewhere to sleep; somewhere to learn; somewhere to play; somewhere to grow; somewhere to mature; somewhere to cry…and most importantly…somewhere to feel safe and loved.

This was abundantly clear when I was talking to this person today. We had a good old chat about Youth Off The Streets and what it meant for them. Quite simply, Father Chris’ mission to help kids has saved a life. The living proof was right in front of me.

Leaving an unhappy home at 11 years old, living on the street for 3 months, followed by friend’s homes, refuges and community homes, this was not a childhood to look back on with fond memory. Mix it with drugs and crime and you have the makings of a person who will most likely spend their life in and out of prison or hospital (or both).

Now don’t get me wrong…they’re out of the woods yet.There’s still some past unlawful indiscretions looming, the challenge of schooling and the physical and emotional need to have a healthy body.

So when juvenile justice and parole systems approved the ride in two states for this person, it was a ticket to the rest of their life.

This was their chance to turn things around. Beautiful to see that the Youth Off The Streets staff have probably had some influence in the selection of riders…the ones who ‘needed’ it the most.

I asked this person what lies ahead. What’s planned for the future? And after learning about such a tough childhood, the comment “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” seemed an appropriate line to begin the future story that unfolded before me.

I want to finish school. I want to get my School Certificate and High School Certificate. I want to study Zoology. My big goal is to eventually get back to being with my family.

Wow. Just wow.

From a potentially high chance of becoming a cliche ‘career criminal’ to wanting, ever so desperately to finish school, study a career that is by no means an easy job and reconnect with family is a massive, positive and encouraging position to be in.

Totally inspirational.

Make no mistake. This is a good person. A good person with the right heart, who needed someone to show them love, understanding, forgiveness and self belief.

Youth Off The Streets certainly did that for them.

And that is the reason we ride today, tomorrow and for the rest of the week. To make sure that people get that chance. And to celebrate the fact that Youth Off The Streets makes sure kids actually get that chance!

Before I go…crazy and off topic, but did you know in Bulahdelah they hang party lights over the mountains?

Things that make you go “hmmmmmmmm”…

 

About the Author: Brendon Walker from Centric Social Media is on loan to the Sydney to Surfers Bike Ride for the week to shoot pics and blog. He also doubles as one of the event bus drivers. His week long goal is to stay dry inside the bus, brag about that to the riders, and capture a spectacular crash in high resolution pixels. He enjoys long walks along the beach, but only if he gets to take his iPhone and tweet about it.