Brisbane City Bike Squad tea, Queensland Police saym
Come July, eight Bike Squad officers; four from Brisbane City and four Fortitude Valley, will be swapping their work boots for a pair of hiking boots as they take on the Kokoda Challenge on the Gold Coast.
Armed with just a small backpack each and supported by a crew of family and friends at checkpoints throughout the course, the officers will have to conquer 96 kilometres of hilly Gold Coast Hinterland terrain in under 39 hours.
It’ll be no walk in the park for the officers who have been training for months all to help raise funds and awareness for the Kokoda Youth Foundation. The foundation aims to change the lives of youths through the spirit of Kokoda and sponsors young Australians with the opportunity to participate in the life changing experience of walking the Kokoda track in Papua New Guinea.
The Brisbane City Bike Squad team is made up of Senior Constables Simon Little and Kelly Arndt and Constables Sarah Brough and Bruce Murray, and the Fortitude Valley Bike Squad team is made up of Senior Constables John Moss and David Kilby and Constables Brayden Tucker and Matthew Powell.
Senior Constable Little said the officers deal with juveniles on a constant basis in their jobs and recognise some of the problems that they go through.
"As a police officers we try to help and support juveniles when we have dealings with them," Senior Constable Little said.
"As teams we have decided to try and gain more awareness to the problems that the youth in the city go through and the Kokoda Youth Challenge is a way that we can get the word out there and support a great cause."
The Kokoda Youth Challenge Program is targeted at 15-year-olds and it lasts for 12 to 14 months. The time frame of the course allows for the youths to learn, make choices, fail and flourish. Strict attendance and disciplinary standards, physical conditioning and social service leads to self discovery and the realisation by the youths that they are capable of far more than they ever thought possible.
The teams are fundraising for the foundation and you can help by donating online at https://kokodachallenge.com/donate-online and select ‘96km Kokoda Challenge’ from the event dropdown list:
- Brisbane City team: QPS City Bike Squad
- Fortitude Valley team: Happy Wanderers
