Cairns man Charles Thomas, from rock band The Medics, has hit the road to put an end to bullying

Touched and shocked by the crippling effects of bullying on young people, Charles Thomas last year spent two weeks biking 400km from Townsville to Cairns to help end the scourge in our schools.

CHAMPION: Charles Thomas, 22, last year rode from Townsville to Cairns to raise awareness about bullying in schools.

CHARLES Thomas is a member of popular rock band The Medics. But lately he's been doing some healing of a different kind.

Both touched and shocked by the crippling effects of bullying on young people, Mr Thomas last year spent two weeks cycling 400km from Townsville to Cairns to raise awareness of bullying and to speak to schools along the way.

Mr Thomas, 22, was spurred into action after doing volunteer youth work in Brisbane where he was stunned by the number of young people who had been bullied and what it had done to their self-esteem and educational and work prospects.

"I looked after these kids and found a lot of them had been bullied in high school,'' he explained.

"I saw how real the effects of bullying were, how kids were getting depression at a very young age and how it affected their schoolwork. Often these kids were really high achievers and very smart but the bullying had had a devastating effect on their lives.''

Mr Thomas decided to play role model by spending time together, playing basketball or playing guitar. Seeing how his involvement was beginning to boost their self-esteem and change attitudes, and how music had the power to inspire them, he decided to take his message to a wider audience.

In late 2011 the talented bass player, then just 21, realised that highlighting the issue of bullying could be the ideal outlet to pursue his passion to create positive change in society.

"Before I knew it I was on a bike cycling between Townsville and Cairns stopping off at schools along the way to talk about bullying and inviting kids to talk to me about their experiences," said Mr Thomas, who'd barely ridden a bike until last year's quest.

"People throw around a lot of stats on bullying but it wasn't until I went into those schools and witnessed the effects first-hand that I realised how it's affecting kids and how it's affecting our future. The outcome changed my life."

Apart from the well-publicised link with youth suicide, Mr Thomas said bullying, which affected up to 30 per cent of students at some stage of their schooling, had devastating psychosocial, academic, self-esteem and health effects. He has become determined to see an end to bullying to allow young people to realise their potential in society.

"I'm passionate about Australia and passionate about helping this next generation of leaders to come. One of those kids getting bullied in one of those schools could be the next prime minister." Mr Thomas will do another trip from Townsville to Mossman in July and hopes to eventually do other rides to Tasmania and Western Australia.

Info: www.tothenorth.org

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