Uni hungry to help others
To the ecstatic cheers of more than 100 wellwishers, fans and friends, “Uni Kick” arrived in Cairns on Saturday after a journey of more than 3000km by scooter.
Not an electric scooter, but the foot-powered, old fashioned kind of scooter.
Uni started the epic journey after arriving at Tullamarine in Melbourne in late January and then jumped on his scooter and set off.
Somewhere along the way he picked up the epithet “Kick” and it seemed to stick.
The trip takes about 31 hours by car, but Uni scooted in to Cairns on Saturday, May 27 at 5pm, after four months of self-propelled travel.
His English has improved a little on the journey and he’s met some great people along the way.
The first thing he said when he hopped off his scooter in Cairns was “I’m always hungry”, as Cairns Regional Council Division 5 councillor Amy Eden handed him a meat pie.
In Port Macquarie he met a family from Ukraine and was inspired to raise funds for the UN High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, supporting people affected by disasters such as wars and earthquakes.
Wearing a kasa, or traditional Japanese straw hat the whole way, he’s been accepted by Australians with open arms, who have offered him friendship and accommodation on the journey.
One Instagram user wrote: “Aussies, we have a duty to look after this dude so please be respectful, help him if Uni wants the help but don’t harass him please.
“He is an amazing ambassador to his generation and we need to look out for him.”
His plans are to return to his family in Japan and to tell them about Australia and how wonderful it is.