Fin Martin swapped the paddocks for the penny farthing last week in a ride that has raised almost $13,000 for Kokoda Memorial Hospital in Papua New Guinea. The Young-based Local Land Services manager rode over 150km alongside friends Andrew Johnson and Neil Dawson. The trio travelled from Whitton to Wagga, starting on Friday and finishing on Sunday afternoon. The three riders met on a Kokoda Trail and put their heads together on a fundraiser for the under-resourced hospital in the village. Andrew is an experienced tour guide who has trekked Kokoda 30 times, while Fin has completed three trips and Neil one. All are keen cyclists, but it was Neil, the Australian over 60s penny farthing champion, who suggested their mode of transport for the ride. A retired engineer, he built them at home in Pambula and delivered them to Fin near Maimuru and Andrew at Leeton. The three riders have raised north of $10,000 for the Kokoda Memorial Hospital. “The support was fantastic along the way, everyone was very interested in the penny farthings,” Fin said. “We had to stop every 10 kilometres to give our bums a rest, being a fixed wheel bike there’s not much give there. “Fortunately, we were in a very good position to see potholes.” The funds raised will be used for basic medical equipment such as antiseptic, stethoscopes and other essentials. “We take it for granted in Australia being a developed nation, when you go to a hospital you’ve got plenty of help, and those things aren’t even on the radar,” Fin said. “When you go to PNG where it’s isolated and hard to get to, they just don’t have the resources or the funding. “It’s only a little bit, but by raising awareness of it you find that people are very generous, and they have been.” You can donate to the trio’s travels by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/penny-farthing-ride-for-kokoda-hospital.
