10

It's time. On an incredibly relaxing Sunday afternoon in Melbourne I've finally put a bit of time aside to offload a few thoughts on this whole Boardfree malarkey. I could drone on about the beautiful expanse of the Nullarbor or the majestic Great Ocean Road but the others have offered 7 different ways of saying what a pleasure it has been so far and, quite frankly, its far too late to be commenting on scenery which we passed through 2 months ago!

My motivation behind this blog is the arrival of 2 new team members
- Laura Hatwell and Pete Coventry - who have both been hugely influential on the Boardfree project already. Laura skated from Glasgow to Loch Lomond in Scotland for the Boardfree charities whilst Pete (along with Dim) has dedicated a large amount of time and effort to documenting Dave's journeys.

They are joining a team of equally dedicated people that I have grown to love since Dave finished compiling his BFOZ team in June. Although I recently referred to them as a bunch of baboons, there are things I admire about each of them:

Dim and Dan have joined forces and recognised one of Australia's greatest produce. Namely, beef jerky. They are currently compiling an analytical account of what the country has to offer in the way of dried cow and will no doubt be looking to publish the soon-to-be-little-known 'Jerking Around Australia'.

Kate has happened upon an unusual kinship with a plastic urinating device known as a Shewee. You know you've seen everything when you are faced with the utterly bizarre image of a female 'squeezing the lemon' in the teeing-off position. Admittedly, I have grown jealous of the pleasure she gets out of such a trivial activity. Its when she waves the bloody thing in my face that the problems start. No need Brako. No need.

Holly is completely barmy and deserves a special mention for teaching me a crucial lesson in personal hygiene and helping me pick out some new underwear. When you come on a 6 month endurance-style trip, 3 pairs of pants is never enough.

Becki has amazed me with her ability to concoct a variety of exciting meals centered around SPAM. And a recent suggestion of grating SPAM has opened up a world of possibilities. A wonderful wonderful form of meat which has fuelled the BoardFree team through its toughest moments.

Bev is the jewel in the BoardFree crown and has provided the team with bags of entertainment; not only through her talents as a musician but also by being the only member of the team (so far) who can put 18 pegs on their face and say "I am the Peg Master" without any falling off. Miss Blackburn, I salute you.

I could spend a whole blog complementing Dave on what he's doing, but, in truth, I have no idea what he goes through each day. I cycled 13km from Port Campbell to the 12 Apostles and I was a quivering wreck. My arse is still tender from the saddle. He has pushed almost 4000km, managed 7 other people, dealt with newspapers, radio stations and television crews from this country and beyond, maintained a smashing website and put more passion and commitment into a project than can ever be comprehended.

If Dave has taught me anything, it's that with a bit of determination, even ginger people have the ability to inspire.

Special Dedication: If Boardfree was a cheesecake Kate would be the biscuit base. Without her hard work and ability to be pleasant to people even after a night of Daves flatulence, Boardfree would not be what it is today.