This is the Late Mail family, every year it grows by a few members and we all get together, have a good laugh and it's like we were never apart.
- Brendan Crane, Wings4Kidz CEO and rider
At 2,034km this year's Late Mail Postie Bike Ride is the longest yet, it's also the biggest in terms of riders - proof of the camaraderie and belief in the cause that the locally grown fundraising event has developed.
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On Sunday the ride left Lue after breakfast at the school and arrived in Gunnedah that evening, before heading to Moree on Monday and is set to cross through Armidale to the coast at Coffs Harbour, then returning south to Forster and back inland through Denman and home to Mudgee on Saturday afternoon.
Once again their efforts are in aid of for Wings4Kidz, which provides free transport for kids from rural and regional NSW to access vital medical treatment - saving families time, money and the stress from being away from home.
"This is the Late Mail family, every year it grows by a few members and we all get together, have a good laugh and it's like we were never apart," said Brendan Crane, Wings4Kidz CEO, who also does the ride each year. He added that for many riders they're work doesn't end when they get their Postie Bike home, which "you couldn't ask for more as a charity".
"These guys are great supporters, not only during the event but throughout the whole year," he said. "When we need certain jobs done we can call on different people who will dig in and find time to help the charity when needed. So it's not only the fundraising, it's having that support network.
"There are quite a few guys that have brought laptops out so they can do jobs along the way, because they're self-employed but still giving that time. People come from all walks of life for a common cause, which from a charity standpoint is great, because it gives us the feeling that we've got these blokes plus their families supporting us."
Each year a route is chosen that travels through the kinds of areas that Wings4Kidz helps. And at the end one of the families meets the group to remind them what they riding for. This year will take in a landscape ravaged by drought and Brendan acknowledged that many are indeed doing it tough, however it's now that the charity's work is more important than ever.
"We not only support the kids by flying them around, it's supporting the whole family. You're talking about families and farmers who are dealing with drought - which they are now calling the worst drought in history," he said. "So getting kids to appointments becomes one less thing that they have to worry about, if you've got the drought, stock you have to sell off, you don't want to have to think about how you're supposed to get to Sydney for treatments.
"It is more important now than it's ever been, we're helping more families now and the charity is continuing to grow because of people who come on this ride. We've got tough financial times right across the country, but these guys will hunker down and continue to raise money."
- For more information on the Late Mail Postie Bike Ride visit latemailride.com.au/, stay up to date at their Facebook page, for more on Wings4Kidz head to wings4kidz.org.au and donate to the ride at give.everydayhero.com/au/the-late-mail-postie-bike-ride-2019-1