GUEST SPEAKER - DARRYL TWYCROSS

Guest Speaker, introduced by Rotarian Doug Maclean was former club member Darryl Twycross of Darian Office and Art Supplies.

Darryl spoke on his Black Dog Round Australia motorbike ride as part of a quest to raise awareness and funds for depression services, and especially Lifeline’s on-line crisis support network.

Black Dog is an expression used to refer to severe depression, and toy black dogs are carried as mascots on each participating bike.

The ride covered 14,500 kilometers in 32 days. State rides ran concurrently with the round Australia event.

Great interest was created as the motorbikes thundered into the many communities visited, sometimes with a police escort.

Riders opted for low cost accommodation along the way, and paid around $8,000 each to cover their own costs, in addition to raising sponsorships. One rider raised $60,000 in sponsorships. Meals were provided by Lions clubs along the way.

Like most of the 66 riders, Darryl was motivated to take part by having family members with experience of depression. He showed a video of the trip, which was supported by the 9 Television Network

Around $1.5 million has been raised since the rides first began.

Further information on the Black Dog rides can be found on http://www.blackdogride.com.au/view/home

Chairman Doug congratulated Darryl on his achievement, a feat now recognised as an outstanding effort by those who heard his fascinating presentation.