Gravel Rush Newsletter 4

Gravel Rush Campaign Newsletter
# 4
Happy New Year everyone! I trust your Christmas
and New Year’s (….or Muharrum, the Long Night,
Winter Solstice, Rizal Day, Bodhi Day,
Hunukkah, Shabe-Yalda, Inti Raymi or even
Saturnalia) celebrations went superbly and you’re
all fired up; rearing for another crack at the New
Year……..yeah, I know that it’s already February
but I’ve been kinda busy with the move from
Broome (sob, sob) and then my old laptop blew a pooper valve and don’t get me
started on the house build or living out of a suitcase…….!
It’s definitely time to ramp up the fund-raising. Certainly time to pull the bike out
of the shed and put some decent kilometres together and absa-freakin-lutely time
that I composed another newsletter to keep you informed, enthused and hopefully
just a little amused.
There are a host of teams that have already hit the New Year running; smashing
the fund-raising, throwing themselves into training, tinkering with the trailer and
spruiking to all and sundry about this amazing community event we’re all part of.
They certainly don’t need no encouragement from me and I get a huge buzz just
listening to the excitement in their voices.
I really had feared the move to the Big City might dull my enthusiasm for The Gibb
Challenge (especially the five road trips up and down the coast in the last couple of
months!).
Truth
said, I have never
been more excited
about our event. I
only have to flick
through a few of the
incredible
images
or
speak
to
someone
joining
our event for the
first (or sixth) time
and it gives me
tingles. I can hardly
wait to set off again
in
that
dusty
peloton and make
for God’s Country!
www.karunjie.net.au
Raising (Hell) Funds
When it comes to fund-raising for heroic causes
– almost anything goes. I say almost because
you can’t do the stuff that would otherwise send
you to jail and then try to weasel out of it by
parading a noble cause.
Let your imagination fly.
Electronic donation collection services like Register Now are awesome
– rattle the tin on a global scale. Here’s the thing; Register Now can
only disperse collected donations to the Ryan Marron Foundation. If
you want to extend this strategy to your second nominated charity, get
in touch with the crew at Everyday Hero or myCause.
Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS). Sausage sizzles, cake stalls and car
washes are the bomb. These are absolute walk up starts……hellish
intensive in terms of the effort you put in but the rewards are
incredible, especially when you get to spruik about our remarkable
event to others in your community.
One-day raffles with donated prizes are easy peasy Japanesie. So are
those $50 boards, jelly beans counts and meat tray raffles. You don’t
need a permit so long as your competition is finished in a day….Multiday raffles with big arsed prizes though can be complicated. You have
to get a permit. Then there’s printing, sales and acquittals. Don’t get
me wrong; they’re brilliant but they take a bit of effort.
Or you might try participation-based events like film nights,
progressive dinners, fun runs, quiz nights, bingo, auctions or even
garage sales. One of the teams last year hosted a lunch at the Royal
Perth Yacht Club (hoity toity / la de da) with eminent funnyman, Mr
Peter Rowsthorn. Piss funny and they raised a squillion dollars.
Some teams are just blessed
through
association……..more
connections than a Grafton vegetable grower. A few well directed
emails or a phone call posted by their PA and bam!......a tidy little
corporate donation on the way, thank you very much.
www.karunjie.net.au
Mega Heroes Page
Principal Sponsor
Diamond Sponsors
Pearl Sponsors
www.karunjie.net.au
Where the bloody hell are we…………?
Our location profile this month is Silent Grove, the first
rest stop after Day One (Sunday 27th May, 2012). You’ll
travel a little over 22o kilometres in your teams,
sometimes with gravity-assisted recklessness, other
times at a headwind hampered and punishing crawl.
If your team’s one of the quicker ones, you’ll have time
in the afternoon to explore this amazing place. Those
arriving closer to the twilight curfew may have to wait until the sun makes another
appearance before you too get to experience
the jaw dropping beauty offered by this stopover.
Make every effort to sneak a peek into Bell
Gorge; another ten kilometres up the track.
You can drive there – you don’t gotta ride!
Bell Gorge is touted as the most beautiful
point of interest anywhere along The Gibb. I
couldn’t tell you; five years riding The
Challenge and I haven’t yet found the time to
see it first hand. By hook or by crook, I’m
getting in there this year.
The campgrounds are stunning – that I can attest too. There’s wide open spaces
and an amazing rock backdrop that captures the late afternoon and early morning
Sun. What’s more, thanks to the Department of Environment & Conservation,
every shower block is installed with a solar hot water system. Shut Up!
Hmmmmm……..hot showers after 223 kilometres of dusty corrugations may just
have you gobbing off about going solo next year!!
(B)rumour Mill
Whispers from the White Ensign are that Team Submarine
are shoring up for another land-based assault on The Gibb. An
alignment of the stars has drawn big Tommy Powers together
with Trevor Syme and the spirited banter is all about the
resurgence of a team from the Royal Australian
Navy…………..great coincidence that they’re the lads featured
posing by the sign into Silent Grove.
www.karunjie.net.au
The Good Oil
I don’t think I’ve gobbed off enough about the most precious gift this campaign? If
there’s something I’m passionate about (besides my gorgeous girls and beautiful
wife, the Kimberley, carbon fibre & Buffy the Vampire Slayer) it’s the………………….
Australian Red Cross Blood Service.
Summer traditionally draws heavily on blood reserves; road trauma, natural
disasters, house fires and illness. You can help ythough. Just one donation has the
potential to save three lives. That’s bloody heroic. Donate NOW and you can
donate again in early May and still have your own red blood cell count back to
normal levels before your super-human assault on The
Gibb and you won’t have to eat any tainted beef (Yeah
Alberto – Tramposo española).………potentially six lives
saved even before you’ve turned a pedal stroke and you’re
a bloody legend.
One in three people will require a blood product during
their life. Only one-in-thirty donate. That’s bullshi’ mate. Get in there and give it
up. It could be your life you save…….or someone you love.
Call your nearest Blood Donor Centre on 13 14 95 for an appointment. It’s painless,
convenient, you’re making a real difference and they give you cake ………..and
M&M’s and Cracker Barrel Cheese and incy wincy Mars Bars and a fruit juice.
Muster News
The Gibb Challenge will again compliment the
community celebrations of the Argyle Diamonds Ord
Valley
Muster.
This
continued
beneficial
relationship will witness our dusty efforts extolled
through their very slick media and advertising
campaign to create more shit’n’giggles than a TV
beer ad featuring amorous deer and an infectious
beat.
For full Muster details see www.ordvalleymuster.com
It’s a conservative plan but given the disruptive weather patterns last ‘wet’ season,
I’m hellish grateful Mellen Events has chosen the 2nd of June for their award
winning Airnorth Kimberley Moon Experience………We roll into El Questro
Thursday..………You swan about The Million Acres on Friday………..Punch into
Kununurra on Saturday for the greatest Regional concert event in the
World…………GOLD. Tickets on sale soon.
www.karunjie.net.au
The Gibb Challenge for Virgins
So you put your hand up to join a couple of lunatic cycling mates but then it
dawns; “How the hell are we going to get a good night’s rest?”
Here’s some ideas put together in previous years;
1. Get away from the crowd. Tents, swags and camp beds offer no sound
insulation whatsoever on a still Kimberley night and a snoring blockhead
can match the resonance of a whale’s underwater serenade. Get a spot near a
generator or under a thunderous waterfall or amongst a swarm of cicadas
but steer away from the ground pegged out by Mr Snory.
2. Earplugs……….glorious earplugs are the best bed-side accessory ever made.
Mother’s little helper has no inferred or implied reference to an Australian
Crawl song here Mr Potty-mouth.
3. Kick arse 4WD self-inflating matrasses are KING. Leave the frugal half
measures for hiking or sliding down water rides. Everything else is optional
but the matrass gets top billing on the packing inventory.
4. Swags speak volumes of your outback credibility. City
folk don’t have swags and if you saunter into camp with
one of these bad boys wrestled over your shoulder, you’ve
immediately established your place around the camp fire.
All hail the swag…………..more Aussie than a Sam
Kekovich hosted lamb chop barbeque on an Australia Day
long weekend.
5. Duvets, fluffy pillows and comforters have no place in the
Kimberley…..Sam would probably declare them bloody
un-Australian. Enough said on the distressing subject - these items are to be
disposed of at the quarantine point as you pass over the 26th parallel you
sissy nancy boy. Nothing SOFT gets in.
6. Chemically enhanced R.E.M. – sleeping tablets. If you need to take a
sleeping tablet you’re a freakin’ bludger and didn’t put enough kilometres
together on the saddle for your team. Ride harder the next day and earn your
night’s sleep like the rest of us you bum.
7. Check your camp site for punters morphing into wheel clamps. Visiting
chappies from other teams enjoying your hospitality may choose to stay well
after your bedtime. Bugger them off before they snooze in the captain’s chair
or wrap themselves around one of your support vehicle’s wheels.
Be Mr Snory. Snorers are oblivious, contented souls who sleep fitfully
through the night. Nothing disturbs their sleep and they all appear to wake
fresh the next day; surprised to hear musings of malcontent amongst their
fellow campers. God bless their cotton socks………
www.karunjie.net.au
M….M….MMMM….MMMMaaaaaates Rates
Equanimity Concepts is the proud sponsor of Team Bulldust a family trio team
consisting Simon Bradley, Scott & Monica Davis riding The Gibb Challenge in
2012.
Equanimity Concepts is a Queensland based Financial Planning/Property
Investment mob founded by Keith Knights – check their website out at
www.equanimityconcepts.com.au Equanimity Concepts have flattened the
corrugations with an amazing offer – they will donate $500 to both the Ryan
Marron Foundation and Heartkids WA for every person/couple they ‘qualify’ to
participate in one of their investment seminars. If you’re keen to invest and have
proven financial stability……….wait for it…………..Keith will come to you – even in
the Kimberley!!
Their service is awesome. If anyone then follows through and begins an
investment portfolio with Equanimity, they will donate a further $500 to each of
our charities! That’s $1000 to Ryan Marron and $1000 to Heartkids WA! I want
some of what they’re on when I’m riding the Gibb this year! Champions!!
So give Keith a call or email and mention Team Bulldust/The Gibb Challenge 2012
and lets raise some serious buckeroonies.
www.karunjie.net.au
Bloody Heroic Vollies
Volunteer support personnel have always been an
invaluable ingredient in our event. They’ve kept our times,
provided medical support, ensured our safe passage,
prepared gourmet meals, super heated shower water, set
our camp and even fixed our bikes through the
night……freakin’ amazing effort. We’ve been enormously
fortunate to have had some great people join us in the past
and I’m super keen to secure their services again; or maybe
yours this year.
If you’re looking for a life defining weeklong adventure in the extraordinary
beauty of the Kimberley, assisting community minded people in their endeavours
to raise money for heroic charities, The Gibb Challenge wants YOU!
Thank you to those gracious souls who have already put up their hand to assist.
There’s some familiar faces as well as new.
Your contribution of time and effort will greatly
assist the event through a variety of roles that
include; catering, time keeping, marshalling,
media liaison, promotions, communications,
medical support, mechanical repairs, transport
or camp ground management. See? No riding
required.
I’ll even pay for your meals, camping and
wilderness park fees. I’ll chuck in a hat and a cap,
a couple of shirts, a celebration luncheon at
Emma Gorge, my eternal gratification and a
certificate of appreciation …………………honestly,
it’s the least I could do. You guys rock!!
Bloody
Heroic
Volunteer
registrations
are
open
now
@
http://www.thegibbchallenge.com.au/volunteers.html Click on the link to go
through to Register Now.
www.karunjie.net.au