Burning the midnight oil (and a meeting with Peter Garrett)
Midnight on the hume highway and the team are starting to look a little fatigued, but this hasn’t damped anyone’s efforts or enthusiasm.
Earlier in the day Ryan Decker and Erin Fradd brought us speeding into Canberra right on schedule, followed by Bethany Strange who skillfully handled the last leg to parliment house. We experienced some delays due to a traffic jam caused by a bingle on the bridge over Lake Burley Griffin, but we arrived at 6:30. We were greeted by a reporter from WIN TV, the ministers’ PAs, police and security and were soon joined by the Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett and the federal minister for Ballarat, Catherine King, who had ducked out of parliment to meet with us. Both were highly enthusiastic about the project. Mr Garrett observed that whatever political action was taken we would not be able to combat global warming without prctical action from ordinary people.
Justin Brennan and Bethany Strange presented the minister with letters from the EBT, Beyond Building and Solar Charge, congratulating them for their action against climate change and encouraging them to advance their policies further.
With the sun setting, Aleece MacPhail rode 70km from Canberra to Yass. A welcome visitor during her ride was a pizza delivery to the moving bus, which slowed down just enough for dinner to be launched abord. After this sustaining meal, Josh Nunan followed Aleece with a marathon effort of 100km. Jacob Baxter has just finished a gruelling hilly ride, taking us to the end of our first rotation of riders and over half-way to Ballarat.
Alan Strange, Mark McLean, Tony Davidsoen, Rob Beardall, Neil Blanchard and Neil Decker have been sharing the demandings jobs of driving, monitering battery use and providing the riders with constant updates on road conditions, speed and traffic, keeping the Illuminator moving quickly and safely. The incredibly sleep-deprived but seemingly tireless support crew (Daniel Ross, Josh Williams, Lacey Pietsch, Rory Purdie, Alex Cecluna, Ben Curtis, Jess Debono and Lachie Anderson) are to thank for our lightening rider-changes. They have kept everything running smoothly.
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Had trouble sleeping last night because it was so hot in our house so I kept getting up to watch you guys cycling on through the night. People are right - it’s addictive watching you on this live thingy. You’re going great guns.
Jan Herperger
You folks are just sensational. I don’t know how you keep it up. I guess that is the great thing about having a team around you. Hope to see you in Ballarat today.
Fabulous!!!!!
you guys were in my dreams last night.
Grrr
evil people.
great job:-)