Royal Far West’s Ride for Country Kids – a three-day ride across regional NSW – is coming to Parkes, starting at 7am on Sunday, 17 May at Cooke Park Pavilion. All are welcome to cheer on the riders.
The Ride will travel through Molong, Manildra, Trundle, and Eugowra, before finishing in Forbes, raising funds to improve the health and wellbeing of children in rural and remote areas. Children with developmental, behavioural, and mental health needs can wait up to six years for diagnoses because care is too far away, too fragmented, or impossible to access. Royal Far West is aiming to bridge that gap.
Michael Gibbons, father of five and a local Parkes resident, has seen first-hand the benefits of Royal Far West’s speech pathology services. His nine-year-old son, Finley, is now flourishing due to his once weekly telehealth speech pathology sessions that were held over two years. Finley has gone on to win two inter-town public speaking competitions.
“Accessing paediatric support was extremely difficult in Parkes. There were long waitlists. And when we did manage to see a paediatrician, it was very sporadic. There was also limited staff to assist us. Royal Far West was introduced to us through our school. We jumped on board when an availability came up for Finley to see a speech pathologist,” Michael Gibbons said.
The support from Royal Far West has had a dramatic positive impact on Finley’s life. “His literacy and reading have taken off. His confidence and social skills have improved, and he now experiences the joy of communicating with other people and being understood – something that we take for granted.” said Michael Gibbons.
Royal Far West is aiming to raise $500,000. They need your help to give these children the best start in life. To support the riders go to: www.rideforcountrykids.com.au