By Jamie Salter
Six mates are banding together to raise awareness for first responders suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by taking part in the Big Lap of Australia.
The group has teamed up with the 000 Foundation who support first responders mental health through multiple charities.
The participants are members of the Red Knights International Fire Fighters Motorcycle Club and will travel a total of about 16,000km over the course of 34 days – visiting almost every capital city.
The team departed from Pakenham Bunnings on Monday 5 September and will return to the CFA District 8 Headquarters in Dandenong on 8 October.
Event organiser of The Basin CFA Roger van Kollenburg said the ride aims to raise awareness for first responders mental health.
“I’ve got three people on this ride that are all suffering from PTSD in varying forms,” he said.
“It gets a lot of awareness when you talk about military personnel but first responders don’t get so much attention, and they’re exposed to some horrific scenes.”
Beyond Blue research shows that a first responder takes his or her life every six weeks in Australia.
On day three of the ride, about 50km out from Sydney on Highway 1, Roger told Star News that members were getting the chance to speak about their mental health.
“Every night during the Big Lap we sit around a table and talk,” he said.
“We’re out having a blast of a time and were doing what we can to help our brothers and sisters to cope with the hardships of life and the job.
“We’re feeling really good – all of us are absolutely bouncing and we’ve got a few members that are taking the opportunity to see family after Covid-19 lockdowns and then catch up and jump back into the trip.”
The riders participating in the Big Lap include Phillip Island CFA’s John Pitman, Pakenham SES (retired) Peter O’Dowd, Warragul CFA (retired) Ian Ronalds and Roger van Kollenburg, travelling on three Harley Davidson Street Glides and a Triumph Thunderbird.
Pakenham SES (retired) Andrew Clatworthy and maintenance assistant Craig Hopper will be travelling in a large support trailer.
The trip is 100 per cent self-funded including food, accommodation and fuel while travelling to the key locations of Sydney, Cairns, Darwin, Broome and Perth.
For more information, follow RKMC Big Lap on Facebook.
To donate, visit bit.ly/3cVFS1p
