Centrelink’s Nathan Edwardson undertook a bike ride with a difference on Thursday (30 October), to raise money for children’s cancer research through the Olivia Lambert Appeal.
Nathan rode for 7 hours and 21 minutes on a stationary bike at Centrelink’s National Office to raise money for children with cancer.
“I started the ‘Standard Hours Ride’ because I thought it was something a lot of Canberrans could relate to, as 7 hours and 21 minutes is a standard work day in the public service,” Nathan said.
Nathan cycled to raise money for the Olivia Lambert Appeal, a Canberra-based group that raises money for research into treatments for Neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer that only targets children. The Appeal has been inspired by the journey of Olivia, a local child with Neuroblastoma undergoing treatment at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.
“Very little is known about Neuroblastoma, and the Olivia Lambert Appeal supports research undertaken by the Sydney Children’s Hospital that aims to rectify this and find better treatment options,” Nathan said.
“The Standard Hours Ride was my way of contributing to help children with cancer, because I’m passionate about supporting causes like this. Each year I donate the proceeds to a different local appeal and I’ve found my colleagues are always happy to dig deep for a good cause.”
Nathan was joined by Paul Bywood from the Department of Health and Ageing and Kate Lord from ABC Fitness, and was cheered on by more than 2,000 Centrelink staff in the building where the ride took place.
“Part of the culture of working at Centrelink involves getting behind good causes like the Standard Hours Ride,” Nathan said.
“I invited all staff in the building to donate money and guess how many kilometres I would cycle in the time – after a couple of hours on the bike, I needed all the extra support and motivation I could get!”
Media contact: Siobhan Dillon, Centrelink Media, Ph: (02) 6155 2776 or 0411 670 958
