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Matthew Nash

I'm fundraising for a great cause!

Lifeline is Australia’s largest suicide prevention service, with a vision of an Australia free of suicide. The Lifeline network spans the nation with 41 centres in metropolitan, rural and remote areas.  There are over 10,000 volunteers and 1,000 employees working to ensure that no person in Australia has to face their darkest moments alone.

Lifeline aims to deliver digital services to Australian people in crisis, wherever they might be and in the mode in which they are most comfortable accessing support. Each year, Lifeline receives almost 1 million contacts from people in crisis. 

By participating in the Hope Cycle, Tour of Australia on FulGaz, I'm raising much needed funds for Lifeline, can you help?

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

$6,029

My Goal

$6,000

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My Updates

Day 4:

Tuesday 24th Aug
$4,761 (So close to $5,000).
Four days into the Hope Cycle challenge and I am pleased to report that we are up to an additional 122 calls to Lifeline funded. Each call provides essential support for someone in crisis.
NB: Last Thursday 3505 calls were placed to Lifeline, breaking the record that had only been set 2 days earlier. Calls to Lifeline are up 40% and it could get worse before it gets better.
All $$ raised here go directly to Lifeline so if you are in a position to donate, please do via the link below. A call to Lifeline costs $39, but whatever you can give is appreciated.
So far I have ridden a virtual 278km and climbed 4,096 vertical metres – trust me, the sweat is real. The pic is taken on the final metres of the iconic Willunga Hill in Adelaide. I am no Ritchie Porte!
Tomorrow, a couple of rides in Perth 🙂

It's not a race ;-)

Monday 23rd Aug
Three days into the Hope Cycle and the good news is that I have had to re-set my target twice.. We have raised at $3,142 so I have a freshly minted target of $5,000. So please feel free to chip in. For context, $5000 would be 128 extra Lifeline calls answered, going a small way to plugging the gap of the 1 in 5 calls that go unanswered. With lockdowns extending, performing arts companies cancelling seasons to the end of the year and calls to Lifeline at record levels, we need this. If you can't chip in, do get vaxxed and wear a mask - believe me it will help.

This morning I rode up a vitual Kunanyi (Mt Wellington, Hobart). It was really tough, but great. The pic is me going 5km/h up a section where it gets to a 17% gradient. If you heard a couple of popping sounds at about 8:00am today, it was my knees exploding. Fun times :-)

Onward.


I rise at daybreak! For tomorrow I ride!

Friday 20th Aug
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8BPP4ASQWo

I am shamelessly stealing one of my favourite bits of the original 'The Trip' movie to give a sense of the excitement of setting off on this little journey tomorrow. FYI - I'll be skipping the continental breakfast.

I have hit $1100 and have upped the target to a hopefully modest $2500 but have also challenged my riding buddies to dream up some additional suffering (for a price of course).

In bad news (but timely)

Calls to Lifeline are now 40% up v's "normal" levels and just yesterday they received their record number of calls in a single day at 3,505 (Monday was their 2nd highest ever). Normally, Lifeline would hotline to Triple Zero for emergency intervention 22 times a day, so we have to assume this is now at about 30 times a day. Anyway, my $1020 currently raised pays for just 26 answered calls. So every bit counts.
So please help if you can, do what can to get vaccinated and wear a mask so we can get these numbers down and those of us in the performing arts can get back to work.

I am on it.

Here is a pic of the pain cave ready to go :-) Loads of inspiration on the walls to keep me going. Awoooo!

Woot :-)

Thursday 19th Aug
Ok. So 24hrs ago I set this thing up, had no idea on what sort of a $$ target to set and so I left the default target of $1000 in place. I am currently just $20 short of that which is pleasantly surprising to say the least. So no doubt I'll be upping the target soon. The fact that you have helped fund an additional 25 calls to Lifeline already is pretty great. 

There are some mumblings about the challenge not being difficult enough and my cycling friends are certainly keen to see me put more sweat into this thing. So feel free to make a suggestion as to how this could happen. Ideas like a 'Super Sunday', a distance or metres climbed could be considered for the right price. 

In the meantime here is a random pic of a beautiful road in the North East of Vic, recently ridden in the 'Forks of Fury' in March.

As they say in Betoota, "More to come."

Let's do this!

Wednesday 18th Aug

For the 15 days from Saturday 21st August, I will be raising funds for Lifeline via the ‘Hope Cycle Tour of Australia’, all from the relative comfort of a stationary bike in the basement. The tour is organised and run via the virtual cycling platform FulGaz and includes ride footage from iconic locations around Australia. Each ride will take me between 60 - 90 minutes, nothing heroic. Lifeline however take a call every 30 seconds and it costs them $39 to answer a call. Fulgaz are hoping to raise $100k for Lifeline, which equates to supporting 2,564 Lifeline calls – this is heroic. The sobering fact is that of all these calls, 1 in 5 are going unanswered.

So why me and why this? I work in the performing arts and my colleagues and friends are going through a tough time at the moment, and while the people I know and work with are finding brilliant ways to rally, to help and support each other through the current rollercoaster of lockdowns and perpetual cancellations, I fear that without real connection and face to face contact it is hard to know for sure if someone is really ok or about to fall through a crack. So Lifeline is an important pillar in the last line of defence against self harm/harm to others and a safety net worth supporting. Cycling for me is a great way to connect with people, catch up with friends, get perspective, blow off steam, collect thoughts or simply not think about anything other than going fast and turning left. I am lucky to have it and it is a little thing that I can do.

Every dollar donated goes straight through to Lifeline. So please help out if you can. Oh, and while you're here, do what you can to get vaccinated, wear a mask and help my friends and colleagues to get back to work. 

https://hopecycle.fulgaz.com/fundraisers/matthewnash

Someone in Australia calls 13 11 14 every 30 seconds. Support is also available online, via webchat at lifeline.org.au (7pm – midnight AEDT) and through text message service on 0477 13 11 14 (6pm – midnight AEDT). If you, or someone you know is in need of support, please contact Lifeline.

Thank you to my Sponsors

$1.57k

Melbourne Orthopaedic Group

Well done Matt from MOG - In Memory Of Paul Rice

$500

Jeff Brindle

What a fantastic cause Matthew. Cycle on!

$261

Chris Logan

Doing good work Marty To be congratulated.

$250

Tim Schneider

Well done matt

$208.80

Allan Stevenson

Go Matt

$208.80

Lorna Nash

Hope this helps

$208.80

Malcolm Steel

Go Matt

$208.80

Rob Donaghy

Great initiative, Matt. Enjoy the challenge!

$200

In Memory Of That Great Composer Anon.

great work Matt!

$200

Chris Blake

Good luck with it, an important cause.

$156.60

Dave Mckenzie

Go Matty 💪

$125.28

Ross Johnston

Champion effort Matty. Looking forward to getting back on the road with you when we can

$104.40

Anonymous

$104.40

Margaret Dumesny

Dear Matt . You have always been a wonderful caring person. So proud of all that you do. Love from Marg & John

$104.40

Eric Henderson

$104.40

Victoria Thomasch

$104.40

John Dixon

Great cause Matt. All the best and enjoy the pain!!

$104.40

Mal

Huge effort Matty

$104.40

Ben Anderson

$104.40

Lyz Turner Clark

Go Matt! Xx

$100

Glenn Thompson

$52.20

Nathan Hale

Good on ya Matt! Great cause!

$52.20

Tarnia Simpson

Great effort Matt.

$52.20

Christine

Great cause!

$52.20

Marie Rossborough

GO MATT’!! I love what your doing for lifeline! xx

$52.20

Susan Jones

All the best Matthew!

$52.20

Karen

Great work

$52.20

Marg Breen

Onya (bike) Matt!! Great work. Have a great ride. 😀

$52.20

Nicole Denton

Good luck Matt

$52.20

Jillianne Stoll

Go Matty! Hope you get back on a proper bike track soon. xxoo

$52.20

Sarah Thompson

Onya Matt! Such a good cause. Love your set up too BTW. xx

$52.20

Chris Peters

Well done Matt

$52.20

Patrick Showyin

Now I’m going to be dropped by you up Kooyongkoot.

$50

Victoria Woolley

$50

Fergus Nash

$30

Alison Jones

Allez allez allez

$26.10

Linda Georgeson

A great effort for a great cause.

$26.10

Emma Winestone

$25

Wendy Grose

Love your work Matt. Robert says 'keep going. Don't get too tired' sorry! Best wishes Wendy and Robert

$20.88

Anonymous

$20.88

Lisa Parker

Great work!! Such a great cause!

$20.88

Jeannie Van De Velde

$20.88

Isabelle Volpe

Go Matt!!

$20.88

Em Burke

Best Man Cave I’ve seen! Go Matt- you’re an inspiration! Xx

$20.88

Hariklia Heristanidis

$20.88

Greta Nash

Woohoo!

$20

Bennett Mackenzie

Good on you Matt!