Scott Berry has enjoyed cycling round the Hills but this month the Kellyville father-of-three cycled 1,100kms from Brisbane to Sydney, battling some pretty strong headwinds on the way.
While the big cycle ride has always been on Scott’s mind he thought he had little chance of pursuing his dream until his employer, Komatsu Australia, offered staff the opportunity to undertake a personal challenge to raise funds for a cause of their choice.
Scott embraced the “Live Your Dream” opportunity and took nine days to cycle from Komatsu’s Brisbane office to its Sydney base to raise money for Lifestart, a disability support program which helped his son Nathan more than 20 years ago. Komatsu donated $10,000 and Scott’s own fundraising page is close to raising an additional $7,000.
He and his wife Julia were told their son Nathan was on the autism spectrum when he was a toddler. Scott said Julia realised something was different about the development of their second born son and when the diagnosis came they enrolled him into an early intervention program with Lifestart. The couple say it changed not just Nathan’s life but theirs as well.
Speech pathologist Louise Ulliana was part of the Lifestart team that worked with the family and she was at the finishing line to congratulate Scott on his epic fundraising journey.
Now 24, Nathan is a happy, healthy independent young man and much-loved member of the Hills community where he works at Coles in Kellyville. The family say his growth and success are a testament to Lifestart’s support and early intervention programs.
Scott said he has wanted to cycle from Brisbane to Sydney since 2009. “It was a multiple win.” he said. “It was a great feeling to help Lifestart and I did my ride. It is good to set your goals and achieve them.”
His nine day journey took him through Kingscliff, Kempsey, Taree, Hawkesnest and The Entrance and then Kellyville with his last leg taking him from Kellyville to the Lifestart Headquarters in Rhodes on Friday, 24th May. The longest day was 165kms from Woodburn to Woolgoola.
He said one of the biggest rewards of the trip was being able to pass on information about Lifestart to a friend whose family had just received a diagnosis of autism for their daughter and didn’t know where to turn to for help.
The early years are crucial for development which is why Lifestart’s early intervention was able to have such a big impact for Nathan. The couple have three sons, Mitchell, Nathan and Chris.
Lifestart was established in 1996 by a group of eight families who wanted more involvement in their children’s support. Lifestart now supports over 10,000 children and young people every year. For more information visit lifestart.org.au
