CYCLE FOR SMILE

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (15:20): I wish to speak today about an event I had the opportunity to represent the Premier at recently at the Trinity Green Retirement Village at Mawson Lakes. During the morning I had the opportunity to meet some very exciting people who are doing a dynamic and important job for children in Australia who suffer from rare diseases. I am talking about the Cycle for SMILE team.

It is a team where six athletes have been riding around Australia over 80 days, since 30 June 2011, to raise funds for children who suffer from very rare diseases. In fact, they left their families and work behind and they have endeavoured, over 15,700 kilometres over 80 days, averaging around 230 kilometres a day, to raise money for these children. It is the equivalent of riding five Tours de France back to back, which is an amazing feat, around our nation.

Whilst some attempts at long distance cycles like this have been done in the past, this is the first time this feat has been achieved. Cycle for SMILE comes to a conclusion this Saturday at Centennial Park in Sydney. I would encourage anyone who has not heard or learnt more about these people to go on Facebook and look at their Twitter site.

They were remarkable. They ride almost six days a week, with one day off. Each day they have to bivouac and set up their tents, put them down again, and with the support of their corporate sponsors move to the next cycle liaison point and camp overnight. So, rain, hail or shine, since June they have gone from Brisbane, up across the coast of Queensland to Mount Isa, across Western Australia down past Karratha through Perth, across the desert, across to South Australia, through Melbourne, and back up to Sydney, finalising this Saturday.

It was indeed a great pleasure to be there with many of the families who have benefited from small amounts from the SMILE Foundation, which gives out small grants to parents of children who are sick, regardless of their financial status and means-testing money. This money might help a family buy food at the canteen when their child is having surgery in Melbourne, and there might be parking metres. It is money that these families need on an everyday basis that they may not be eligible for under normal funds that social workers can secure for them.

I would particularly like to lay on the record my thanks for their sponsors in helping them raise $1.1 million over these 80 days. They are: Xstrata, Lend Lease, Goldman Sachs, Evolution, Gloucester Coal, People Bank, Chupa Chups, Skins, Pump water and Powerade. All of these people make the wheels go round of this wonderful cycle team. In fact, many of these people have been sending out their own human resources and other people to meet them at the different points around Australia's map to set up the camps each day for them. Praise to them indeed.

It is probably not well known that the work of SMILE helps the 6 per cent 10 per cent of children under the age of 15 who are affected by these rare diseases. There is a strong and continuing need for better understanding and research. SMILE, apart from giving small, everyday grants of $1000 to these families, also provides important medical research funds for some of the most astounding people you will meet. Indeed, I met some of these families who have since birth struggled with diseases. Many of us would not have any contemplation of how difficult their lives have been and how the families have fought to support their loved ones and children on an everyday basis.

I would like to place on the record, finally, the state government's recognition and thanks for the important funds they are raising in partnership with the non-government sector, and praise the SMILE foundation and Chris McLeod and all the gentlemen at SMILE who have been riding around this nation over the last 80 days.