If Nick Kenny was looking for a way to break a cycle, hammering his pushbike through 3000km of Central Australia’s most barren land was a good way to go about it.
The University of Queensland Bachelor of Physiotherapy graduate was doing his best to destroy a cycle much more pervasive and damaging than the two wheels that carried him from Darwin to Adelaide.
“It was all about engaging men and boys about the violence and exploitation females and children are subject to,” Mr Kenny said.
“From 1 June to 10 July, I cycled 100-180 kilometres per day, stopping in at schools, junior rugby league clubs and youth detention centres along the way.
“The feedback was great. A lot of those places rarely receive visitors, so they absorbed what was said and enjoyed the chance to learn and interact.
“It’s a sad fact that the majority of violence is perpetrated by the male population, and this was all about encouraging men to stand up and take action to prevent those scenarios.”
Mr Kenny’s ironman effort was undertaken with Project Futures, an Australian not-for-profit organisation that combats human trafficking and slavery.
Money raised from the cross-continental journey was donated to The Salvation Army’s Trafficking and Slavery Safe House and Freedom Advocates, and The New Somaly Mam Fund in Cambodia.
“Three years ago I went to Cambodia to help raise funds and awareness, which went directly to helping victims reintegrate back into everyday life,” Mr Kenny said.
“It was a great experience and something I continue to feel very strongly about.”
A former Brisbane Broncos forward, Mr Kenny has also worked in partnership with the National Rugby League to take a strong stance against domestic violence.
The 33-year-old’s career in physiotherapy has taken him to the Northern Territory, where he travels regularly, but is mostly located at Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
He divides his time between treating mine workers and helping to combat Machado-Joseph Disease – a degenerative neural condition – in the Indigenous population.
Donations are still being accepted for Mr Kenny’s ride, with his next fund-raising event seeing him cycle across Cambodia with 25 other men in October.
Media: UQ Communications, Robert Burgin +61 7 3346 3035, +61 0448 410 364, r.burgin@uq.edu.au. Project Futures, Stephanie Lorenzo +61 0402 637 637, steph@projectfutures.com.
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