NICHOLAS Tremaine from Kangaroo Island in South Australia, cycled into Coffs Harbour on Tuesday afternoon 15 April on his one-man, self-supported fundraising ride, Distance 4 Dementia Tour.
The tour is planned to circumnavigate Australia, including Tasmania, and take 365 days over 40,075kms.
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With a good tail wind up the highway from Port Macquarie, arriving in time for some sightseeing in Coffs Harbour, Nicholas clocked up 175kms over six-and-a-half-hours, bringing his total to 13,482kms since setting off from Sydney on 1 January.
Seeing his mother’s health declining with dementia since her diagnosis in 2019, which forced a move into full-time care before the end of 2020, inspired Nicholas to travel the circumference of Australia to raise awareness and funds for research into this insidious disease.
“As I put my body to the test over the next year I will document my journey every step of the way, driving awareness for the need to fight for a better future for people living with dementia and hopefully, one day, a cure,” Nicholas said.
His goal is to raise $1m for Dementia Australia – spreading the word through direct conversations, social media and speaking at Lions Club events.
“My parents Mervyn and Marilyn are founding members of Lions Club of Western Kangaroo Island, so when planning my tour, I reached out to Lions Clubs Australia asking for support with accommodation, a bed or patch of grass for my tent, and speaking opportunities around dementia.”
Coffs Lions Chris and Rosemary Hansen provided the young man with dinner, accommodation, and sent him off with a packed lunch as he headed north to Yamba via Grafton.
They also gave him a donation raised by Chris by taking a bucket around Park Beach Bowls club where members threw in coins and notes amounting to $200.
Nicholas is motivated by supporting comments on social media.
“My favourite was a comment saying, ‘the wind, the rain, the hills, they will all come and go, but the impact of what you are doing will last a lot longer’,” he told News Of The Area.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2022 report states dementia was the second leading cause of death of all Australians after coronary heart disease.
It was the leading cause of death for women and provisional data suggests it will soon be the leading cause of death for men.
In 2024, it is estimated that more than 421,000 Australians were living with dementia.
Without a medical breakthrough, this number is expected to increase to more than 812,500 by 2054.
Nicholas’ journey will take him to Cape York and Darwin, then to Broome, Perth and the Nullarbor before eventually arriving at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on 31 December.
Distance 4 Dementia posts can be followed on social media.
By Andrea FERRARI