Dave & Karen - Dedicated Volunteers
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Hailing from the land of the Long White Cloud, Dave & Karen are keen Volunteers
New Zealanders Dave & Karen are from Tauranga, NZ in the Bay of Plenty. They left home in 2003 to travel around Canada & the States. Four months later, they headed to Australia. They bought bikes to explore the Bike Paths and Rail Trails near their home in Altona Meadows.
Karen volunteered for the Commonwealth Games and World Swimming Championships and then discovered the Great Rides!
Dave & Karen decided to join the Volunteer Team as Marshals, helping riders to find their way between towns each day. Starting with the 2006 Great Victorian Bike Ride, they travelled through Victoria’s North East from Wangaratta to Whittlesea, then the 2007 Great Tasmanian Bike Ride took them from Launceston to Hobart along the spectacular East Coast. They were hooked!
They headed up north to help out on Cycle Queensland, putting up tents and west to volunteer with BicycleSA where they helped on the catering and luggage teams.
In 2007, they’re joining the Campsite Team, to help prepare the “travelling city” each night as the Great Vic. explores Gippsland and in March – April 2008, they are heading north to join the Great Escapade. Dave & Karen will join a team of around 250 Volunteers to help 2000 to 3000 participants ride 5, 8 or 13 days from the Blue Mountains to the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia.
Why do they keep coming back for more? Dave & Karen say that they enjoy volunteering as they get to meet so many great new people and, of course, you get to see lots of Australia.
Karen manages to ride about 5,500 km a year on Rail Trails and Bike Paths. One day, they will complete one of the Great Rides on a bike!
