Sydney Regatta Centre. Friday 18 November 2011

A RAWCS project - an initiative Mick Harriden of the Rotary Club of Lower Blue Mountains, aided by Rotary Clubs of Penrith Valley, Penrith, and Nepean and involving Schools from the Nepean and Lower Mountains Region.

How it began.....

In 2005 Mick Harriden and son Greg visited Cambodia and witnessed a country torn apart by years of Civil war. In 2008, they rode 1000km from Ballarat to Penrith to raise money to build schools in poor, land mine ravaged areas of Cambodia.

This project was called Ride for Cambodia.

Along the way, they spoke at many schools and Rotary Clubs, as well as to local radio and newspapers.

They received great support and raised over $35000, which built schools in Samraong and Thmey villages, as well as providing a well stocked library in Samraong.

Their next project, Ride 4 Kidz was a 1000km cycle ride from Varsity College in the Gold Coast to The Blue Mountains to raise money to build a high school in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

This was an extension of the Rotary project (through Salamander Bay Rotary) that recently built Mando Primary school in this region.

The Eastern Highlands, near Goroka, is a poor region where poverty and negligible educational facilities have been robbing the people of their dignity and potential.

Papua New Guinea struggles to provide resources for all of its population.

Most central government services, including education, do not reach rural communities, resulting in urban migration, which places stress on the resources and living space in the townships. Poverty is therefore increasing in both rural and urban areas. Poverty is robbing people of their dignity, their potential and in some cases, their lives.

To have a sister school which local Australian students can visit and perform volunteer work, would create a further social justice emphasis in our community.

Which leads to this, the third project, 'Lapping the Lake' which aims to raise the final funds to complete the construction. This will be a combined bike riding and/or walking event involving local schools and community groups.

How you can help
By sponsoring a child or individual by filling in the form they present to you .
By taking part and raising sponsorship for yourself - please email Mick Harriden for details
To make an online donation - go to 'how to sponsor'.

Mick Harriden, and son Greg Harriden are to be commended for their efforts in fund raising for these great projects. Mick was awarded a phf (Paul Harris Fellow) from his Rotary Club for this work.

More than $20,000 was raised from the Lapping the lake Event.

Thanks go to the schools involved for their efforts in supporting this event, the children who raised sponsorship and rode or walked. The many sponsors

The Rotary Clubs in the local area including Nepean, Penrith Valley and Penrith and in particular the Rotary Club of Lower Blue Mountains who organised the basic requirementsw of such an event through their Club.