Organisers of the most successful Mill2Mill Charity Bike Ride to date have since presented the major beneficiary of this year’s ride, the McGrath Foundation, with a cheque for $54,055.72 in Sydney recently.

Organiser Pete Mac Smith was one of the 43 cyclists who completed the ride from the Manildra Plant in Bomaderry to the Manildra Flour Mill in Manildra in March.

He was joined by representatives of the major sponsors, KFC and the Manildra Group, to hand over the money to the McGrath Foundation President and Co-Founder Glenn McGrath.

Mr Mac Smith said riders dedicated months of gruelling training prior to the event, and the generosity of hundreds of people ensured the riders’ efforts were worthwhile, with the event raising $114,500 to be split between two major charities, as well as regional schools and community organisations.

“The McGrath Foundation is our biggest beneficiary again this year,” Mr Smith said.

“The McGrath Foundation does a wonderful job assisting women and men affected by breast cancer, especially those living in regional areas. 

“We all know someone who has relied on a breast care nurse to provide vital local support in their time of need, whether it be the initial diagnosis, chemotherapy or radiation treatment. The job these nurses do is second to none.

“It is an absolute honour to be in a position to provide such a large sum of money to such a wonderful organisation. The donation brings to more than $120-thousand dollars the amount of money the Mill2Mill has raised for the McGrath Foundation over the course of the three rides.

“We’re honoured to be in a position to donate these funds. We’ll also present a $37,000 cheque to beyondblue in Manildra next month, along with $16,000 to be shared between Manildra schools, a pre-school and four Manildra community groups. 

“That’s in addition to the $5,000 donated to small schools we stopped at along the route, in villages including Windellama, Bribbaree and Caragabal. The ride would not be possible without the support of local community members who give up their time to provide support to the riders in a wide range of roles.

‘While corporate support is critical to the success of the ride the amount and size of the donations made by some individuals and small rural businesses is really humbling and a great testament to the support these great charities have throughout regional areas” said Mr Mac Smith.

McGrath Foundation Ambassador and Director, Tracy Bevan, says the McGrath  Foundation continues to be blown away by the support from Australian communities.

“We are proud to have funded 100 McGrath Breast Care Nurses working nationally who together have supported more than 25,000 Australian families experiencing breast cancer.

Funds raised from events like the Mill2Mill Charity Bike Ride really go a long way in helping us to make a difference,” Tracy said.

The ride was made possible through generous corporate sponsorship of many companies, including KFC, Graincorp, The Manildra Group, MSM Milling, Oil Seed Products, Westpac, Ron Finemore Transport, Pacific National, John West, East Coast Stockfeeds, Organic Crop Protectants, Nuseed, Gow Gates, Staminade and local Orange cycling business Ron Boulton Cycles.

Many sponsors also signed staff or directors up for the ride. KFC Australia had four staff donate four days to cycle the event as well as an additional four staff members who donated their time as support crew. KFC also donated its Equipment Warehouse Truck to help carry supplies for the ride.

Planning will start shortly for the next ride in 2016.