Friends jet around Tas to raise $300K
TWO friends who met as students at Lockyer Valley District High School are preparing to embark on the adventure of a lifetime next February, when they attempt to circumnavigate Tasmania by jet ski and raise $300,000 for Lifeline in the process.
The crazy idea first came to Adam Benz and Shane Ridley, both 42, while they were sitting down having a beer together four years ago.
“We were staring down the barrel of 40 and wanted to plan an adventure that we could still talk about when we were in the nursing home,” Adam said.
“At the time we were brewing up this wild idea it hadn’t been done before, but a number of people have since circumnavigated Tassie, including an ex-firey from Bernie called Craig Machen who did it in a kayak for his friend with motor neurone disease.
“It took him 25 days so we’ve managed to get a lot of advice from him which has been great.”
The schoolmates plan to embark on the nine-day, 1500-kilometer journey from February 14 to 28 and have Shane’s son Josh, 20, in tow for the ride.
“Dad has been talking about the trip on and off for four years now, but it wasn’t until he and Adam got serious with their planning that I thought about joining them,” Josh said
“Now that we’re less than six months out from setting off it’s all starting to seem real – it’s going to be a trip of a lifetime.”
The friends admit this mission is by far their most convoluted to date.
“Josh and I have completed the Kokoda and Inca trail but we’re definitely not your Bear Grylls type of men, we’re just three normal blokes looking to have an adventure and raise some money for a brilliant organisation,” Shane said.
“When we mention our plans to people, especially our wives, everybody says we’re bloody crazy, but now our family and friends are all on board and very supportive … “If this adventure helps one person access the mental health services, they need then it’s a big win, win for us.”
The three men are now in the midst of several hard months of preparation, with their specially designed longrange jet skis arriving from the manufacturer this week.
“We’ve planned a number of practice journeys in the lead up to February to help prepare us,” Adam said.
“We are going to be circumnavigating a number of islands including Bribie and Stradbroke and spending as much time in the saddle as possible as well as following a pretty intense fitness regimen to get us into shape.”
The three amigos won’t be alone for their pilgrimage, with a number of family and friends making up their entourage, following them from port to port as a land-based support crew.
“All we have to worry about now is killer whales and the four-metre plus swells on the west coast,” Shane said.
“But we don’t expect the whole journey to be smooth sailing, we’ll have a mechanic as part of our maintenance team to help us overcome any big dramas on the sea.”
The team will also capture every moment of the trip, with 29 cameras logging 1600 hours of footage with plans to create a documentary.
“We’re aiming to raise $300,000 for Lifeline’s suicide prevention support services,” Adam said.
“It’s a massive goal but we believe strongly in the work that Lifeline do for the community and see this as an excellent opportunity to help spread the message and promote the fact that help is out there if you need it.”