'A wonderful way': Schoolgirl's charity dream is riding high

A Yass schoolgirl’s idea has led to more than $8000 being donated to support newborn babies in Canberra and the surrounding region.

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Eleven-year-old Kat recently presented a donation of $8250 to Peter Cursley, chairman of the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation charity.

The funds will help to purchase new medical equipment for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children in Canberra.

Kat, who had watched her dad enjoy adventure motorbiking since she was a little girl, had the idea of roping in a few of his mates for a fundraising ride.

It instead evolved into the professionally-run, three-day event, Ride for Babies.

Sydney-based motorbike storage specialist and workshop, The Bike Butler, assisted with organisation of the ride.

The event attracted adventure motorcycling enthusiasts from as far as Brisbane, Sydney, Armidale and Mudgee, as well as Canberra.

Newborn Intensive Care Foundation chair Peter Cursley accepts the donation from Kat (second from right). Picture supplied

Kat, a year six student who prefers to keep her full name out of the media, said she wanted to help babies in need from Canberra and southern NSW.

“I chose this charity because it helps local families and is fully volunteer run, so every dollar donated goes to helping the babies,” she said.

It was also a special cause to Kat because her own little sister had to spend three weeks in hospital when she was born.

The Ride for Babies initiative proved to be a “wonderful way to bring people together in a fun way to explore our beautiful region, all while supporting a worthy cause”.

The next Ride for Babies trip will be in early December, starting and ending in Yass, while also taking in some of the sights of the South Coast.