Albany students put endurance to test on Munda Biddi bike ride for Ronald McDonald House

A group of Albany students will ride about 120km along the Munda Biddi Trail on Thursday to raise money for Ronald McDonald House ahead of the charity’s biggest fundraising day of the year.

Eighteen middle school students from John Calvin School will get on their bikes setting off from the trail’s southern terminus on York Street and riding about 75km towards Denmark where they will stay overnight, before riding 55km around Denmark to finish their journey.

The fundraising initiative has been spearheaded by a committee of students who wanted to rally around a Year 4 student whose family recently moved to Perth while he received treatment.

Organiser Keaton Dekker, 16, said the students expected to raise about $2500 for the charity and had been training early on Saturday mornings.

“I think Ronald McDonald House really shows how fortunate we are to have the health that we have, and because they help kids in our age group, we can do something that we might find tough for kids that are doing it tough as privileged as we are,” he said.

Samuel Bosch, 14, said the ride had personal significance after he stayed at the house as a toddler.

“I had seizures and had to go up to Perth so I used Ronald McDonald House so I feel like it is fitting to do this ride,” he said.

Albany’s CBD and Orana McDonald’s stores will take part in McHappy Day this Saturday, with Australian stores aiming to raise $6.5 million for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Local volunteer firefighters and police officers will visit the stores to entertain kids, with raffles, colouring competitions and face painting.

Albany licensee Darren Tyrrell said he was proud to support the students’ hard work which went towards helping seriously ill or injured children and their families.

“The cause just resonates so strongly within our community,” he said.

“In the last five years over 120 families living in Albany have used the services of Ronald McDonald House and some of them on many, many occasions.

“It is so important for people living in Albany and in the greater remote and regional areas of WA that we donate to this facility.”

Donations to the students’ fundraiser can be dropped off at the school on Beaufort Road.