AFL legend and TV personality Shane Crawford is set to ride into Swan Hill today as part of his Tour de Crawf fundraising tour for breast cancer.
The gruelling 22-day, 3600km journey will see Crawford cycle from Melbourne to Perth, across the Nullarbor, stopping at regional towns including the communities of Swan Hill and Mildura.
For Crawford, the fact that his tour will cover more distance in less time than the famous Tour de France is not enough to deter him.
“The way that I look at it, my part of it is easy compared to what the women are going through, I’ve just got to ride my bike and get on with it,” he said.
All funds raised will go to support Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), the same organisation Crawford supported in his 2010 That’s What I’m Walkin About tour, which saw him run from Adelaide to Melbourne.
Crawford will cycle into Swan Hill just in time for his scheduled appearance at a sold-out black tie gala fundraiser at the Town Hall.
Swan Hill-based BCNA community liaison Donna Rullo said she was amazed at the amount of support for the organisation to have come from of the local community.
She said businesses in the Swan Hill region raised $15,000 in 24 hours for the tour, with the support announced on The Footy Show, on which Crawford is a panellist, last week.
“BCNA is so dedicated to supporting rural women, we don’t have anyone else, for some reason everyone forgets about us, so I think what BCNA is doing here is fantastic,” she said.
Although Crawford acknowledged the fundraising side was important, he said there were also other ways to bring about change.
“It’s the awareness that we can create and also a little bit of hope we can give along the way, that’s all super important as well.
“BCNA is a wonderful organisation and they really do help in a massive way when women are really battling.”
Crawford told The Guardian that his experiences and the people he had met during his 2010 endurance effort had fuelled his desire to further support BCNA.
“Meeting women, and the cause, I still get emotional about it from the run,” he said.
“At the time I just wanted to help and the way I felt I could help was: ‘what if I run and try to contribute that way’,” he said.
“After the first couple of days of the run it became quite an emotional journey meeting so many women with breast cancer, and it was a life changing experience.”
Former Richmond AFL star Nathan Brown will act as the master of ceremonies during the Swan Hill gala event, with special guests Crawford, BCNA CEO Maxine Morand, local breast cancer survivor Bec Herman and Ms Rullo also set to speak on the night.
Having grown up in Finley, NSW, Crawford said he was looking forward to getting back to the country — for one reason in particular.
“The people, no matter where you go, that’s what makes the town great.”
