Welcome home Bentley

HUNDREDS awaited Camperdown’s Bentley Currell as he returned home from a more than 500-kilometre charity ride which raised almost $26,000.

By wd-news

The team members behind Bentley’s Ride for Brain Cancer were greeted by a sea of colour as they returned from their 500-kilometre charity ride last Friday.

The 12-year-old and his father, Gus, banded together as part of ‘Bentley’s Ride for Brain Cancer,’ over the school holidays to ride from Mildura to Camperdown over a 10-day period to raise funds for the Brain Cancer Foundation.

Bentley and Gus, alongside family who had joined them in convoy, arrived back in town last Friday to a sea of hundreds who had gathered at the foot of the Camperdown Clocktower to show their support.

Bentley said he was caught by surprise to ride along the final stretch on Manifold Street to see hundreds of people waiting to welcome him home; many lined up with outstretched hands to high five him as he made his way to the finish line.

“I was pretty shocked, especially considering people didn’t have to be here,” he said.

“They have just done it out of the kindness of their hearts, and the same with everyone who has donated.

“My legs feel good, but I had some issues with my lower back and neck.

“We found it quite nice to ride though.”

Bentley’s Ride for Brain Cancer surpassed the $23,000 mark as he made his return, and has since gone on to reach $25,7000 at the time of publication.

“I’m over the moon that we’ve raised so much,” he said.

“To know what it’s for and what it will do is pretty crazy.”

Bentley had originally proposed the idea as he wanted to build upon his previous efforts.

As Western District Newspapers reported last year, Bentley held his first charity walk/ride and raised $1500 for the Epilepsy Foundation.

Knowing the impact it had made on the lives of others, he decided he wanted to set his sights a little higher – and after hearing about a staff member at his school being impacted by brain cancer, he found the perfect cause to support.

“We were out on a run with our dogs when I said we could do another fundraiser, but make it bigger - we could ride back from Mildura,” Bentley said.

“Dad said he’d think about it.”

Given the circumstances of such a monumental undertaking, it didn’t take long for Gus to agree – they were not sure how to approach it, but they knew they wanted to do something which could benefit those who need it most.

“It was almost a bit of a whim, from just a thought to thinking about how we could get it done,” Gus said.

“We had no idea where to start – the riding was the easy part, it was working everything around it that was challenging.

“Once we managed to get ourselves sorted we had a clear plan of how it would go, and it literally ran as close to plan as I could get it.

“It panned out fantastic – I didn’t think we would raise this amount of money, so it’s just a huge bonus.

“We started with a goal of $5000. It’s just incredible how big it’s got.”

Gus said he was elated with the level of support Bentley’s Ride for Brain Cancer had received as they returned to see so many in attendance to show their support and gratitude for what Bentley had accomplished.

“To see everybody today (Thursday) as we rode in definitely wasn’t scripted in to the plan,” he said.

“It was just going to be Bentley and I riding in, so it’s just blown my mind how incredible everyone in the community has been.

“It’s been awesome.”

Upon returning, the duo hopped straight off their bikes and spoke to the crowd over a PA system, answering questions about their ride and speaking with representatives from the Brain Cancer Foundation.

It was during this speech Gus acknowledged that his son had firmly established himself as his greatest source of inspiration.

“To watch him ride and struggle, do it tough and continue to push through and finish every day – even I was blown away,” he said.

“I struggled on days, and I’m in my 40s; he’s only 12.

“I think I did forget that he’s so young, so he’s a massive inspiration not only for me but all kids who want to get out there and do something that makes them happy.

“It doesn’t have to be a fundraiser - just to get off the couch and go for a ride or a run.