Glenn in Broome WA
Hi, my name is Glenn Martin I’m (currently) in my 30s and am an IT professional living in Canberra Australia. I’ve ridden motorbikes for 20 years and for the last decade my ride has been a ‘99 Yamaha Road Star, a big Japanese 1600cc V-Twin cruiser. In October 2010 I took part in the Steven Walter Foundation “Ride Around Australia” with more than 50 other motorcyclists. All participants are being asked to raise at least $2,500 to donate to the Steven Walter Foundation that goes to research into childhood cancer. You can read more about how to donate at Donations page.
As a result of the fundraising efforts I personally raised over $3,600 while the group as a whole raised in excess of $300,000!
Riding Around Australia in Five Weeks - Why I did it?
The reasons were two fold:
Reason one is because I went to my first Steven Walter Foundation Snowy Ride in 2008. The Snowy Ride was started in 2001 at the request of the late Steven Walter as a way to raise money for childhood cancer research. I was deeply touched by the sheer amount of motorcyclists who turned out and the amount of money raised. In the first seven years the event has been running there have been around 18,000 riders raising over $1.8 million dollars for research into childhood cancer – there’s nothing quite like the biker’s spirit to pull behind such a worthy cause.
The second reason is because of the call that represented circumnavigating this great country. I was at the point in my life where I can afford to take the time off work, can afford the personal costs of doing the trip and have a motorcycle that I think is capable of making the journey. It was also possibly one of the only ways I could undertake a trip like this with a semblance of support facilities behind me in the event something goes wrong.
On the road
So if I can have all of that going in my favour AND the ability to raise a big bag of cash for the Steven Walter Foundation, then it sounds pretty bloody good to me!
So what’s with this website?
I used this site to document the prep in the lead-up to the big ride and provided a number of updates when I was on the road. It was also an information point for people to see who may be interested in sponsoring me by making a donation to the Steven Walter Foundation. Hopefully I have a bit of info for everyone including those with an interest in motorcycles (especially Road Stars!), or travelling this great country, or just reading about a good cause.
Thanks for your support!
Best regards,
Glenn Martin – Canberra Australia
