Big Wish Bike Ride

Monies to Make A Wish

2008-11-14T09:58:00.005+10:30

Well ... it has taken a while for all the extras to come through BUT yesterday I ordered the last cheque to send to Make A Wish from our bank account. It should arrive next week and once posted to the Adelaide Branch, our total donated will be $6790.00. We still have the $1000 deposit for our Gala Dinner to be returned but that cannot happen until after the planned/cancelled date in March next year.

Once that arrives we will have donated $7790 to Make A Wish - not bad considering our only major event was the Launch in July. Imagine what we could have done!

When the bank interest is paid in May 2009, I will close the account and send that money to Make A Wish as well.

I still have boxes of drink bottles to move if anyone is interested. As these have already been paid for - it is pure profit from now on - all of which goes to Make A Wish!

For those still interested in participating, Make A Wish have taken over the organising of the Cyclethon. Details attached - just click the flyer and it will enlarge!

Good luck also to Peter Takos as he rides from Adelaide to Melbourne - departing today!

Cheers

Margaret

Finances

2008-10-13T14:20:00.004+10:30

Well, we are getting everything finalised now to hand over to MAW. The breakfast venue have generously gone against their normal procedures and are refunding our deposit! Great news for both us and MAW - would be nice if you considered them for an event if you are looking for a great venue.

We currently have about $7500 to hand over to MAW - with the wish cans still to be counted. I had forgotten about the bill for the bottles!

If you would like to purchase any bottles - even though we are no longer in action - all the proceeds will still go to Make A Wish. Drop me an email and I will organise it for you. We have heaps of them so it would be great if you could help us out in moving them on!

As we have paid in advance for the web name to be redirected here, I will probably advertise upcoming events so keep coming back to have a look every so often.

We may even find some other cyclists to take up the challenge and have another Big Wish Bike Ride in 2010/2011 ......

Getting there!

2008-10-02T16:10:00.005+09:30

Well it has taken a while but I think I have finally advised everyone I need to that the event is over.

Very hard cancelling something that you have given so much to and enjoyed doing. I am also not a person who likes to "quit" and leave unfinished business. Working on getting through it ......

Anyway - Make A Wish Australia will still benefit from the short time we were up and running. If I am able to get back the deposit on the Breakfast, I believe we will be able to hand over close to $8000 to MAW. Not a bad effort considering we only had our Launch in July this year!

Hopefully the Cyclethon will still go ahead as a MAW event. Am catching up with Frank on Monday afternoon to see what can be done. The Quiz/Bingo/Bowling afternoon will most likely still happen thanks to Cindy and the Fashion Parade organised by Rachels Models next year will definitely still go ahead.

What am I to do with all those drink bottles????? If you want one - the money will still go to MAW ... send me an email and we can work something out!

Now that things are being wrapped up my attention has turned to a Sportsman's Dinner being organised by the players at my sons SANFL Club - the Eagles. Should be a good night - let me know if you would like to attend. And ladies .... it is not just for the men .... there will be some eye candy for you too!

Cheers

Dream is over!

2008-10-01T13:21:00.003+09:30

Well it happens to everyone at some point in time ..... today we have been thrown for a six with the good news that Ashley has been promoted.

The sad news is that he is moving to Tasmania and will not be able to continue with the Big Wish Bike Ride!

Time constraints involved in settling into a new role mean he will have little time to train, let alone take 4 weeks off work to complete the ride from Perth to Sydney!

So, as Ashley was the "heart and soul" of the ride, and without him Richard and I have lost a little of our enthusiasm, the event is over.

Thank you all very much for your support since our Launch earlier this year - we will hand over the monies raised to Make-A-Wish Australia in the next few weeks and publish the total on this site.

Talk again soon. Cheers .....

Breakfast Flyer!

2008-09-25T11:55:00.004+09:30

Just click on pic to enlarge!

Breakfast details finalised.

2008-09-24T17:28:00.003+09:30

So it is all arranged.

Our Breakfast will be held on Friday 17th October from 7am until 9am in the Terrace Room at Adelaide Pavilion, Veale Gardens, corner South Terrace and Peacock Road, Adelaide.

Guest speaker is Rachel Sanderson, and tickets cost $40 per person which includes a cooked breakfast.

Bookings are essential by Friday 10th October and tickets can be booked by calling Margaret on 0412 104 751 or email margaret@jgg.com.au

Hope to see you all there - especially as football will be over and it is NOT a lunch.

Cheers

For the non Lunch people!

2008-09-22T13:57:00.003+09:30

For all those people who said a 3 hour lunch is not possible ..... our Breakfast will be held on Friday 17th October from 7am until 9am!

Remember to add that date to your diary. More details will be advised as soon as they are finalised but please put this date aside now.

Bookings are essential for the breakfast and seats must be booked by Friday 10th October. Tickets will be $40 per person which includes a cooked breakfast and much fun and laughter.

Adelaide people working too hard!

2008-09-19T16:13:00.002+09:30

Well it seems that Friday lunches are not so popular in Adelaide nowadays!

Unfortunately we have had to rearrange our plans and will probably now organise a Breakfast instead of a Business Lunch.

Am meeting with the guys tonight to go over our next event, the Cyclethon. Planning is well underway and I am hopeful of having a flyer to put up over the weekend.

Remember, while Ashley and Richard will be cycling non stop for 24 hours, teams that enter are not expected to do this! Instead, you can cycle on a roster system with your mates over the 24 hours which still allows you to attend to other important functions you may have on!

More details will go up in the next week so please keep on checking the web.

Catch you again soon.

Grow your Dreams and Goals - Business Lunch

2008-09-09T09:12:00.000+09:30

Just click on the pic to enlarge.

So much happening .....

2008-09-04T16:54:00.006+09:30

Sorry to take so long to write again after our meeting Monday night. A lot has been happening!

We sorted out our sponsorship levels and I am attaching a copy to this blog. Just click on the image below and it will increase in size!

I also met with Frank this morning to work out details for the Cyclethon which is coming up in a couple of months. Will put up that information once Ashley and Richard have agreed to it all. I keep making changes to things they look at so it takes a while to get replies back from the guys - you know what it is like ladies - they look at the email ..... give a loud groan and hide it away to look at later. Unfortunately later seems to take a long time coming!

Yesterday was a food filled day! I am still full from all the delicious food I consumed!

Went to a "Yum Cha" fundraising lunch for Rachel who is not only a sponsor of our Big Wish Bike Ride, but is also the Liberal Candidate for the Seat of Adelaide. So much tasty food, so many talkative people, and so much fun! I am still a learner where chopsticks are concerned so was very grateful for the offer of a fork. And no I did not win anything in the raffle either!

Then with only a couple of hours break, I attended a delightful dinner with members of the Adelaide Branch Make-A- Wish Ball Committee at the British India restaurant in Morphett Street. My goodness but that food was delicious. Again, very loud talking but great company.

Then today, after some sleep but no exercise to move all the food around, I had an early "coffee" with Frank to go through the Cyclethon details!

It is now 5pm and I am still so full that dinner might be bypassed tonight ..... husband can make his own and the kids are all out!

Don't forget to book your tickets for the Business Lunch - yes I know it is the day before the AFL Grand Final, and it is a Friday .... but that is the beauty of the day.... you can have a few drinks and not have to concentrate too hard on work when you get back (unless of course you take the afternoon off and just go home afterwards!)

Catch you all soon. Email your Lunch bookings to margaret@jgg.com.au

Great weekend ......

2008-09-01T09:42:00.002+09:30

What a fantastic weekend we just had. After a week of stress and hard work getting our "old" house ready for new tenants (my parents moved back to NSW after spending a mere 12 months here - too cold for them in Adelaide), we had a wonderful weekend.

Saturday afternoon we lunched with a friend visiting Queensland and watched our sons SANFL team, the mighty Eagles, win their match in convincing fashion, and on Sunday afternoon/evening, we had some wonderful friends around for a casual meal.

Mr & Mrs Jaba and Rachel were amongst the group - and it was quite entertaining. Did have to "rein in the volume" once as the guys were getting quite passionate in their football discussions, but all in all we enjoyed ourselves. It was such a nice break from everything else going on in our lives at the moment! Thanks friends for your company!

Tonight we have a BWBR (Big Wish Bike Ride) meeting with Ashley and Richard to finalise sponsorship packages for our cycling jerseys.

A number of businesses have asked "How much will it cost me to get on your jersey?" .... so tonight we will decide! Wish us luck please as this is a new area for us.

Did you hear Ashley and me on Coast FM last week? Frank did, although he missed most of the conversation. Thanks for affirming us Frank.

Will give another update after the meeting and let you know what was decided. Remember to book your tables/tickets for the Business lunch in September.

Cheers ......

Drink bottles

2008-08-28T11:06:00.002+09:30

We have had a few enquiries about our Big Wish Bike Ride drink bottles.... so here is a pic of what they look like.

Remember, they are FREE with every donation of $10 or more!

Just drop me a line at margaret@jgg.com.au or call the mobile 0412 104 751 and we will arrange to get your money and give you the bottle!

Slowly, slowly ......

2008-08-28T08:41:00.002+09:30

Organisations do work slowly don't they! Still awaiting replies from some possible sponsors ... everyone is very keen to get on board BUT it all needs to pass through the "red tape" department! Frustrating .... but patience is something I am learning.

Ray from Get Marketing, one of our sponsors, has been off work for a few weeks now after his Achilles operation and things are improving slowly. Hope you get back in the swing very soon Ray!

Our Business Lunch is finalised - details below - and I will try to add a pdf for those who wish to print off a copy.

Off to Coast FM again this morning - 88.7 on the FM radio dial. Tune in and you will hear Ashley and I talk about the ride and our upcoming fundraisers!

So - until I actually get some more real news - updates will be slow - apologies in advance!

Catch you again.......

Business Lunch organised!

2008-08-15T14:11:00.002+09:30

Well - we have confirmed both our guest speakers now. We will have Rachel Sanderson, one of the BWBR sponsors and Liberal Candidate for the Seat of Adelaide (and no BWBR is not politically biased) and Gold Medal Cyclist from the 2000 Olympics, Brett Aitken!

Should be a very interesting lunch as both Rachel and Brett are also very successful business people. Amongst other topics, they will be speaking about setting goals and achieving dreams! A delicious (I can personally vouch for the food) 2 course meal and drinks included for a tiny $60 per person. Send me an email to book your tickets! margaret@jgg.com.au

Our Gala Dinner in April is looking good. Had a meeting with Tania (who is organising this event for us) on Monday night and she is so enthusiastic and creative. So many ideas just "popped" out of her mouth it was truly amazing. Get ready to be dazzled!

Our "Quiz Night" has undertaken a transformation also. Cindy (who is coordinating this one) was amused by the guys enthusiasm I think - she has not been involved with 2 such crazy men before - and we may be changing to a Sunday afternoon of bowling, bingo and trivia. I will keep you posted on this one. Another fun event!

Rachel is planning our Fashion Parade and we met yesterday over coffee. Unfortunately the dates available for this year do not really suit us (not enough time to promote properly) so it will now be held in August 2009!

There are so many exciting "things" happening for us at the moment but unfortunately I cannot disclose anything until confirmation is received. It is so very frustrating!

Still trying to figure out how to upload a pdf file to the blog ... if you can help in simple english with instructions please leave a comment for me.

Catch you soon.

Broken promise.......

2008-08-11T15:22:00.003+09:30

Well , that was a broken promise. My apologies for not getting back to update the site as promised. It is so busy at the moment getting everything organised!

Flyers for our upcoming events will be slightly delayed due to Ray from Get Marketing completely rupturing his achilles during a footy match .... his operation last Thursday was a success and he is now resting at home for a few weeks. All I can say is "Patience Ray!", BUT I look forward to seeing some creative flyers soon!

Talking to a friend the other night, we were discussing how he could help with the Big Wish Bike Ride. Not everyone or every business is able to donate cash, but most can give goods and/or services. So we have a new "sponsor" who will help with advertising and promoting our event through the aussie rules football site SA Footy. The site gets about 6 million hits a month so I am sure our events will be well publicised! Great way to keep abreast of what is happening in the world of aussie rules too! Thank you Anthony for the committment and support.

I am still awaiting a reply from one possible speaker for our Business Lunch on Friday 26th September 2008, but can confirm that Rachel Sanderson, who is a sponsor of the Big Wish Bike Ride and successful business owner of Rachels Models, as well as being the Liberal Candidate for the seat of Adelaide, will be one of our speakers. Rachel is amazing ... an expert organiser .... how she fits everything in is beyond me!

Please set the date aside ... it is happening ... and the flyer will be emailed out asap! That was Friday 26th September in the Champs Function Room at the Woodville West Torrens Football Club, 12 - 3pm. Two course meal with beer, wine and soft drinks included. And YES! We will have a raffle and a small auction so bring extra cash on the day!

We have also confirmed that Graphpak will once again be donating our cycling gear. Ray will design the outfits and Graphpak will make them for us! Thank you very much to Ken and Alistair for their support.

Remember to start training for the Cyclethon on 29/30 November this year and get your sponsors lined up. More details asap.

I think that is enough for now .... we have a meeting tonight about the Gala Dinner and Quiz Night next year. We had to change the date of our Gala Dinner so please note in your diary, Friday 3rd April 2009. The original date of 20th March conflicted with the Clipsal 500 so we needed to change it. Remember, Friday 3rd April 2009, this is one week before Easter and the start of the school holidays!

Catch you soon .....

Times flies!

2008-08-05T14:21:00.002+09:30

My goodness but time is flying past at a rapid rate! I didn't realise I have not been on the site for almost a week!

Many things still to organise but I will give you a brief update on our next 2 confirmed activities:

We are having a Business Lunch on Friday 26th September from 12 noon until 3pm, so please keep that date free. More info to follow as details are finalised.
We have confirmed the Super Drome for our Cyclethon - it will be held on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th November. Again, more details soon. Basically however it will be Ashley and Richard riding their bikes for 24 hours. We will seek people to sponsor them per kilometre or per hour, and will also invite local cycling clubs to participate. They will need to pay an entry fee of say $20 per cyclist, and then nominate a time frame - ride for 2 hours, 6 hours 12 hours etc. Again, we will ask each cyclist to find sponsors with all proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Australia via our Big Wish Bike Ride.

Flyers for both the above events are in the process of being designed so we will let you know asap when to get on board. If you want to ride yourself, then I suggest you get onto a bike and start training!

Promise I will give more updates tomorrow......

Cheers

Time to start again.

2008-07-30T12:00:00.003+09:30

Well the Launch is over and now it is time to start on all our other "stuff".

Good news first - we are very happy to welcome Dulwich IGA as a supporter. Unfortunately they do not have a web site so I cannot link you to it, but their address is 7 Stuart Road, Dulwich. IGA is short for Independent Grocers of Australia. Peter has committed to providing us with water and various other items for our rides in both SA and the main ride. Thank you.

Our next event proposed is a Business Lunch in late August/September. The theme will be "Investing in Todays Climate" and we plan to have guest speakers from the Real Estate, Financial Planning and Lending/Mortgage sectors. Should be a very interesting lunch!

Our first Trial Ride will hopefully be to the Barossa Valley on September 13th. Still have to line it up with the local Make-A-Wish Australia Branch but I am sure they will do something to help us out. Will probably also contact cycling clubs in the Barossa and see if any riders want to join in for part of the ride.

We are also happy to welcome the newest member of our Support Crew, James. This wonderful man has agreed to drive our motorhome, cook all our meals and be nice to all of us! Welcome aboard James - we appreciate your commitment!

We are always looking for new sponsors and those who confirm their support in the next few weeks will have their logos displayed on our new cycling gear. We are planning to have an outfit designed for the Trial Rides, with a separate and more complete outfit ready for the Main Ride next October. Ray from Get Marketing has cheerfully agreed to design them! Thanks Ray! Now I need someone to actually make them - at no charge of course! Will keep you updated on that area of support.

Remember to listen to Coast FM on Thursday this week, 31st July at 4.20pm. Ashley and I will be interviewed by Allan Baird on his "drive" show. 88.7 on your FM dial,

Catch you soon.....

Wow .... thank you everyone.

2008-07-26T13:21:00.004+09:30

What a night. So many people to thank .... too many to name in case I miss someone out! You know who you are and please know that we appreciate your help enormously.

We expected around 100 guests and I think we came very close. Our aim was to Launch the Big Wish Bike Ride, help people understand what we are doing and why, seek committment from sponsors and raise awareness for Make-A-Wish Australia. Based on those objectives - it was a huge success.

And - we even made some money on the side .... just over $4000 in fact. Not too bad for a starter.

I am not the best photographer and when I finally remembered to take a fews shots, people kept on moving (definitely not my hand shaking at all...) so I have uploaded just a few pics to give you a bit of an idea of what the night looked like. I must say - the Eagles Footy Club was a fantastic venue - and the food - delicious, a good variety and plenty of it! I think guests well and truly got their moneys worth. We will certainly hold another event there in the future!

Will try to work out the video uploading later this weekend - #3 son was in charge of that area so we should get some good footage.

Off to watch the footy now - catch you later......

This is it!

2008-07-25T16:35:00.003+09:30

Everything is organised and it is now only a matter of hours until our Launch begins.

Am taking my camera with me so will hopefully be able to put up some pictures and a video tomorrow. Be patient as I will be learning how to do the video!

Thank you to everyone who has helped us get to this stage ..... now for a complete list of the major auction items.

We have:
2 pieces of artwork - one by Stefan Maguran and one by Bernice Addison.
1 cricket bat signed by Darren Lehmann
General admission passes to the 2009 Clipsal 500
Gold Reserved Grandstand seating to the 2009 Clipsal 500
A Port Adelaide Power guernsey - framed and signed by the 2008 team
An AFL Heritage guernsey - framed and signed by the Dream Team Coach, Mark Williams, and Dream Team Captain, Andrew McLeod.

Obviously we are fundraising so there will be other things like raffles and a secret bid item!

Our drink bottles will be available for anyone who donates $10 or more and above all - we will be having fun!

Better go .... need to put on a face and a shirt and get myself down to the venue.

Catch you tomorrow.......

Official Launch

2008-07-24T16:50:00.000+09:30

Just a reminder .....

The Official Launch of the 2009 Big Wish Bike Ride will be held on Friday 25th July, 2008 in the Champs Function Room at the Woodville West Torrens Football Club, from 7pm to 10pm. Finger food and entertainment included in the ticket price of $20 per person. Drinks available to purchase from the Bar. Auctions, raffles and much fundraising on the night so please bring extra cash with you. Purchase tickets from Ashley or Richard if you know them, or me - Margaret - on 0412 104 751 or email margaret@jgg.com.au

One day to go .....

2008-07-24T08:36:00.003+09:30

Only one more day until our Launch ..... everything is in place and now we just need to get underway.

Met with Marcia at the Eagles venue yesterday - very helpful in all areas.

As we have a number of family supporters attending, we have now included a price for children under 12 years who are coming along with their parents. $10 will get the kids a "special" table where they will have their own food platters and soft drinks provided. Thank you very much to the Eagles for accommodating us in this way.

I would like to just add a special thank you to supporters Crumpler and Fruit Only for also donating goods for the Launch.

Have you looked at the range of Crumpler bags? Amazing ... I will be visiting their Adelaide store next week looking for a computer bag for my lap top. I want something just a bit more feminine than what my husband thinks I should have!

Fruit Only are associated with Roses Only .... but if you want something a bit more nutritious than flowers (for a guy maybe), then Fruit Only have the gift for you. Check them out - they deliver Australia wide!

We are also looking at other events to raise funds before we leave on the bike ride. So far we have planned a quiz night in May 2009, a Gala Dinner on 20th March 2009 and a Fashion Parade - date to be confirmed. The Cyclethon we are hoping to have in late November this year but are still awaiting a reply from the SuperDrome. Hopefully we will also be able to book a few BBQ nights at the Lion over the summer months - I better get organised before they are all booked out!

We will also have some "trial" rides throughout South Australia visiting various Make A Wish Branches. Once again those dates are still being organised.

So much to do and only 14 months to do it in!!!! I am not starting to panic .. I am just getting my head around it all.

Did I tell you we have our own drink bottles now too? We are planning to give them to people who donate at least $10 to the Big Wish Bike Ride. Thanks to Ashleys brother for arranging them for us.

Must go - need to collect our special Launch polo tops from Ray at Get Marketing - another of our wonderful supporters!

Catch you soon.

Latest Auction Item update

2008-07-22T21:45:00.003+09:30

So I have already told you about the AFL Heritage Jumper, and the artwork we have for sale in our Auction on Friday night.

Now for all you "revheads" - we have 3 sets of tickets to the 2009 Clipsal 500. Two sets are for 2 x 4 day general admission passes and the third set is for 4 x 4 day entry and Gold Reserved Grandstand Seating!

So in total - we have 8 auction items up for grabs. If you want the complete list just drop me an email (margaret@jgg.com.au) and I will send it out. You can still bid on the items even if you cannot attend the Launch, as long as you let us know your name, contact details and maximum bid. We will do the rest on the night for you!

I would love to attach the list as a pdf but have no idea how to do that yet. Advice would be welcome......

Launch auction

2008-07-22T08:28:00.004+09:30

The Launch is getting closer ... only a few days to go now. Thank you to Mr JABA for his efforts with the Powerpoint presentation - beautiful piece of work!

Another of our auction items on the night is a painting by emerging artist Stefan Maguran. It is valued at $1300 and a similar piece of his artwork sold for more than that recently. Titled "Wind in the Mountains", the painting measures 90 x 90 cm and is mixed media on canvas.

Remember, if you cannot attend on the night and want to bid on any of the items, just send me an email with your maximum bid and we will organise someone to bid on your behalf.

Just going through our route yesterday and planning our accomodation stops - we are in for quite a ride! Hopefully there will be some whales on view when we hit the Nullarbor - from all accounts they put on quite a spectacular display. I cannot believe the guys are riding almost 4000 kms in 23 days! Glad I will be in the car .... catch you soon. Cheers.

Launch and Auction News

2008-07-20T15:06:00.003+09:30

Just home from Melbourne so thought I should let you know some of the auction items we will have at our Launch.

For the Aussie Rules football fans we have 2 signed and framed guernseys. We have a Port Adelaide Power guernsey signed by the 2008 team and an AFL Heritage jumper (150 games) signed by the Dream Team Captain, popular Adelaide Crow player Andrew McLeod, as well as the Dream Team Coach, Port Power coach Mark Williams. Needless to say the AFL Heritage guernsey is priceless - very hard to come by at the moment - and the Port Power guernsey will be subject to some spirited bidding on the night as well! (just ask Frank...)

We also have some other goodies lined up which I will divulge during the coming week. Suggest you buy your tickets early this week if you have not already got them so you can bid at the auction!

My trip to Melbourne was a bit sad - rather embarrassing in fact! We went over to watch our #3 son play in the SAAFL U23 team against the VFA U23 side. Expectations were very high as we thrashed the Vics last year. Unfortunately, after losing to SA twice in recent times, the Vics had way more to lose than us and pride had them winning the game by double our score. All that way for a loss! Being a supportive parent is very hard (and expensive) sometimes! To be fair though - the Vics did have some very good players in the side and had an especially good backline. Next year perhaps .......

If you do happen to read our site - leaving a comment would be fantastic. Any words of support for the guys or our fundraising will be passed on, hopefully with answers to any questions you ask.

Hope to meet many of you at the Launch on Friday night. Cheers ......

More exciting news .....

2008-07-17T14:37:00.003+09:30

Need a bag? Any bag? Then you need look no further than Crumpler who have come on board to support our 2009 BWBR.

Crumpler have very generously donated cash as well as bike bags for the guys and a couple of bags for the auction at our Launch next week!

Thank you very much.

Great News!

2008-07-17T14:22:00.007+09:30

Just home from a "waterbag" trek to Elizabeth with some great news.

Rebel Ford have once again agreed to sponsor the BWBR.

All our SA trial rides will be supplied with a fantastic vehicle from Rebel Ford at Elizabeth. Thank you Darren for believing in us again!

Fingers crossed that we will be able to use a Ford for the long ride from Perth to Sydney as well!

This is the car Rebel Ford provided for our trial ride to Angaston in 2006. The riders that day were Matthew Primus (Port Power), Ashley, Ray Ebel (Get Marketing) and Steve.

Hard to miss us on the road that's for sure!

Moving along .....

2008-07-16T19:03:00.003+09:30

Well - we had a good meeting last night and I think we are pretty much organised for our Launch.

Now all we have to do is sell those tickets - so, we need final numbers by Tuesday night - if you want to come along, please send me an email or speak with either Ashley or Richard. You can always donate some cash if you cannot make it BUT we would prefer your company on the night!

For those of you who do not know Ashley very well, he is a big ideas man. His latest idea is to hold a "cyclethon" where he and Richard will ride their bikes for 24 hours straight. Have I mentioned this before? Well, he has had the idea and is really keen to get it happening but guess who gets to actually make it happen? That's right - good old Margaret! Thanks Ashley .... he even gave me a couple of months to do it in - wants to do the cyclethon at the end of November! Men!

So today I looked at some venue options. The Victoria Park racetrack seemed like a good place to start - central location, able to accommodate vehicles, entertainment and food. A very good price for a minor event under 5000 people too - FREE! On reading the Terms and Conditions though I discovered we had to have our own Public Risk Insurance - so far out of our budget we cannot even consider the place.

So, next venue to look at is the Velodrome - sorry - Adelaide Super-Drome. Have sent them an email and am hoping for a positive reply very quickly. It would actually be ideal if it is available and a realistic cost as the weather would not be detrimental to any riders. We thought we might invite some local cycling clubs to participate as well. They could choose how long they wanted to ride - 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours etc - and donate funds to the BWBR. Of course Ashley and Richard would be looking for sponsors to encourage them to complete the solid 24 hour ride!

So, please cross your fingers and toes that we get a positive response for this one and then be prepared for the calls for HELP!

The guys had their photo taken last night for the local Messenger Press - will let you know when that article comes out.

We have also bought back our original domain name and have had it redirected to this site. So if you want to give out our web address to anyone and are getting tired fingers with writing such a long address - you can just cut it down to www.bigwishbikeride.com

Time for this little (in my eyes) chicky babe to get dinner sorted for the hungry male bodies in the house.

Cheers ......

Organising

2008-07-14T08:47:00.002+09:30

So we have made it through another weekend! The guys will be having an interview this week with my local paper, Messenger Press, so hopefully you will see them in the next week or so. Think we might get a front page article? Fingers crossed......

We have a few interesting items for auctioning at the Launch, including a 4 day Gold Reserved Grandstand Seating pass to the 2009 Clipsal 500!

I will put up a list shortly once we have confirmed one more item, however we will have something for the art critics, the football fanatics and the cricket supporters! Quite a mix ... have you got your ticket yet?

I think I will need to travel to Perth and Sydney in the near future to meet with the police from both those states to finalise our route. Last time I relied on other people to make these arrangements and when we were about 2 days out it all went pear shaped! Almost didn't get the event on the road.

Once I have the final detailed route I will put that on the web as well - if you live in or near one of the towns we will pass through and want to meet us, or even better, organise a fundraiser - just let me know.

We welcome the company of local cyclists in each region/city/town to join us on the final few kilometres into and out of towns!

Have much to organise - will catch you all again later.

Introducing Ashley and Richard

2008-07-10T14:45:00.008+09:30

Most people know who Ashley is - it is his face on our masthead - and he completed the 2006 BWBR.

There are no photos however of Richard - so here we are - a photo of both riders courtesy of the Barossa & Light Herald, who recently ran an article about the guys in their local paper.

Ashley is the one on the left in the red Big Wish Bike Ride T-shirt from the 2006 ride, and obviously Richard is shown on the right!

They look like normal people don't they?

They are really crazy nuts who are prepared to ride a mere 4000 kms in about 3 weeks!

All this to support Make-A-Wish Australia ..... and get the odd massage or two as well.

I know they look pretty scrappy in their "civilian" clothes, so if you want to help clothe them in proper cycling jerseys and shorts - send me an email and we can discuss your options.

They will need to update their bikes as well and we are looking for help in that area too. If you have any contacts or want to donate some cash, let me know!

Poor Richard is suffering badly with a cold and was unable to make it to our meeting last night - hope you feel better soon Richard and can get back to work today. Anyway - Ashley and I had a great meeting - talked about almost everything else except the Launch! So we meet again next week ......

Seriously though - we seem to be almost organised. We have the services of a wonderful Auctioneer in Golden Gavel winner, Lindsay Warner. He was the auctioneer at the recent Make-A-Wish Adelaide Gala Ball - a great success!

Our Band, Fear of Flying, is confirmed and now all we need is an MC. Any suggestions? Let me know.

Number 4 son just arrived home so will now go and do the motherly thing and iron his work shirt!

Talk again soon......

Just look at us now!

2008-07-08T23:57:00.002+09:30

So what do you think of our new look?

Thank you to Mr Jaba for his creative talents with the header and to Mrs Jaba for her expertise with blogging!

Life has been so very busy lately but it is now time to focus on the Bike Ride. Hope you have read about our Launch and decided to buy yourself a ticket or 2 ... if so .... please contact me at margaret@jgg.com.au and I will organise those tickets for you. Details in previous email below.

Catch you soon.

Back on line at last!

2008-06-15T10:10:00.005+09:30

Hi everyone

My apologies for not updating the site for such a long time. I have travelled to New Zealand, assisted my mum through a knee replacement and rehab, enjoyed the Make A Wish Adelaide Ball, and am now in Canada!

We have finally set our Official Launch plans in motion ... it will be held on Friday 25th July 2008 in the Champs Function Room at the Eagles (Woodville West Torrens) Football Club, Oval Avenue, Woodville, SA. Time is 7pm - 10pm. Cost is $20 per person which includes finger food and live entertainment. The Band is Fear of Flying. Drinks are available to purchase at the Bar. Please remember to bring along some extra cash on the night for the raffles/auctions etc! Dress is Cocktail style!

Tickets are available from both Richard and Ashley, and for those who don't know either of the guys, just send an email to margaret@jgg.com.au or call my mobile 0412 104 751 to arrange your ticket purchases.

If you want to learn more about the ride, would like to donate cash or goods, or would like to become a sponsor - just let me know!

We will be changing our masthead once I return to Australia - just have to organise some free time with JABA and Mrs JABA. I am expecting great things from both of them in the creativity department!

It is so beautiful here in Waterloo, Canada at the moment - early summer and everything is incredibly green.

Catch you again very soon - much sooner than previously now that the Ball is over.

Cheers

Margaret

How do I.......

2008-04-05T18:39:00.003+10:30

How do I hook into the many blogging networks (and which ones are the best) and boost our hits?????? Mrs JABA did tell me the other night BUT it was very late by that stage and my memory is not what it used to be.

So if you can help me ... I would be grateful!

Also, can I link a blog I like to this one without permission? I need help on blogging etiquette as well please.

Thanks in advance for your comments .....

Brain wake up time!

2008-04-04T20:18:00.006+10:30

Why did no-one ever tell me how much fun (and time consuming) blogging is?? I have spent most of today trying to wake up my brain enough to understand all about elements and HTML - although not too successfully.

What I did discover however is that I love finding and reading other peoples blogs!

Friend of mine said yesterday to my husband that he would now become a "blog widower". Of course we both laughed but unfortunately, if I am not careful, his prediction will come true!

Now back to why we set up the blog in the first place (no it is not just for my enjoyment) .... our 2009 Big Wish Bike Ride, proudly supporting Make-A-Wish Australia.

We really are just in the set up stage, and trying to gain sponsorship and support is truly challenging in todays society. So many small businesses are family owned and operated, and let me tell you, they are doing it tough at the moment!

Anyway, we are proud to officially welcome Get Marketing and JABA Multimedia Design as first up sponsors. These guys are fantastic in their support and are the creative people behind the majority of our designs. Thank you very much guys!

I would especially like to thank "Mrs JABA" for showing me the delights of blogging ... and for patiently explaining to me how it all works in spite of being extremely tired.

A bit of background info about the ride .... we had our first in 2006 when Ashley and Steve rode from Brisbane to Adelaide. We raised over $50,000 cash for Make-A-Wish Australia (MAW)back then and hope to well and truly exceed that figure this time around. Can you imagine just how many wishes that helped be granted?

This photo is from one our trial rides for the 2006 Big Wish Bike Ride. Cyclists for that day were Matthew Primus, Ray Ebel, Ashley and Steve, and guess who sponsored our vehicles??

We also met some interesting people before and during that ride ... all with their hearts on their sleeves when it comes to helping children with a life threatening illness. I'll expand more about the people we met in a later blog - just one of whom is the World Champion Sheep Shearer - a great supporter of MAW. His training regime is amazing - after a long and hard days work shearing 100's of sheep, when everyone else knocks off for a bit of R&R, he starts a 2 hour training session working on weights and fitness equipment! Guess that's the right attitude to succeed.

Anyway, before I waffle on too long, I would like to introduce our cyclists. Ashley is married with children, has a full time job and competes in Triathlons in his spare time. He always wanted to do something to help people less "blessed" than himself, so came up with the idea of cycling over a longer than normal distance - I mean, who in their right mind would willingly ride a bicycle over 3000 kms in 21 days??. Crazy man but with a really good heart. His wife is extremely patient and has my undying respect!
Richard is not married but does have a special partner, works full time and competes in races in his spare time as well. He is a friend of a friend who heard about what we are doing and asked to join in! Another crazy man with his heart in the right place!

This time as I have said before ... they are riding from Perth to Sydney over a 23 day period with NO days off at all.

We plan to have the majority of our fundraising complete before we leave Adelaide in October 2009, but will accept donations at any stage!

Perhaps you may like to sponsor the guys for a specific dollar amount, or you may like to contribute goods or services, or you could even pledge an amount per kilometre they travel!

Anything you can do to help us raise lots of money for Wish Granting will most definitely be appreciated. If you would like to donate directly to MAW National Office please quote our official event number which is 10003 - that way your generous donation will be credited against our event. It all ends up in the right place anyway but it is nice to be able to say we raised a certain amount.

Well - our electricity went off - right in the middle of my post - and I was terrified that I had lost it all. But no - miraculously it was still all here!

So, on that note and as it is getting later (although not as late as last night) I will say goodnight and chat with you all tomorrow!

Cheers

Still playing ....

2008-04-04T00:40:00.006+10:30

This is so much fun but I guess I should try to get some sleep, so before I do I will try to add our logo.

In case I forgot to mention it, we are doing this Big Wish Bike Ride to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Australia. They grant cherished wishes to children with a life threatening illness. Check out their web site at www.makeawish.org.au - a truly fantastic organisation!

Welcome to the 2009 Big Wish Bike Ride!

2008-04-04T00:14:00.006+10:30

Hello everyone and welcome to our new 2009 Big Wish Bike Ride!

Our 2 crazy cyclists are planning to ride from Perth to Sydney this time - almost 4000kms - and this is your chance to get in at ground level!

Hope you will follow our journey from beginning to end (and side to side - coasts that is!). Just learning how to do all this blogging - I am going to have sooooo much fun. Feel free to help and encourage me.

Thank you Carolyn for all your help in getting me started!

The photo at left is from our 2006 Big Wish Bike Ride - Brisbane to Adelaide. Ashley (shown facing the camera) has committed to do it all over again together with new recruit Richard - crazy men!