Members of Ulysses Club Echuca branch have contributed to the Ride for Rheumatoid. Pictured is ride co-ordinator Robert Hunt being presented with a cheque by Echuca president Jack Adams, and Echuca secretary Trevor Crane.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
Local members of the Ulysses Club have made a contribution to the Ride for Rheumatoid charity tour.
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On Monday, March 17, Echuca branch president Jack Adams and secretary Trevor Crane presented ride co-ordinator Robert Hunt with a donation.
Mr Hunt said riders were visiting various country towns in Victoria and NSW to raise awareness for rheumatoid arthritis, covering around 2400km over seven days.
“The donations are the second part of it, to keep the research going,” he said.
Around 20 members from different Ulysses branches gathered in Echuca on the Ride for Rheumatoid.
Photo by
Ryan Bellingham
Southern Cross Tourers branch treasurer Ian Ray, who has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, was part of the riders group stopping in Echuca on Monday.
Mr Ray said the condition had impacted him in multiple ways.
“I got diagnosed about two years ago, and probably the first six months I couldn’t ride my bike,” he said.
“But more importantly, I spent a lot of the day on the couch. Getting up off the couch — it just hurt ... it was really debilitating.”
Mr Ray said he was on medication that was improving his symptoms, and that the club had been integral in helping him manage the condition.
“The support I get from the Ulysses Club is magnificent,” he said.
“That six months that I couldn’t ride, I could still go down and say good morning for a quick coffee with the guys, chat to them.
“It’s really important the support Ulysses gives to other guys.”
While this is the inaugural Ride for Rheumatoid, the club has funded research since 1997 after founding member Stephen Dearnley’s wife lost her battle with the disease.
The ride began at Monash University Melbourne, where money from the club’s charity, the Ulysses Club Arthritis Research Fund, supports a post-graduate sponsorship.
It’s set to become an annual tradition, ending in Armidale on Monday, March 24 this year to coincide with the club’s annual national rally.
To find out more about the club’s contributions to rheumatoid arthritis research, visit ucarf.com/
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