Cycling guru Matthew Keenan presents four bikes to Dandenong Primary School
An energy company has made an Aussie rite of passage possible for kids in a southeastern community after donating four hand-built bikes to a primary school.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A primary school in Melbourne’s southeast has hosted a cycling guru as four hand-built bikes were gifted to the school community in an effort to get kids active.
Dandenong Primary School received the four new bikes from United Energy ahead of its sponsored event Around the Bay in a Day.
With students eagerly waiting to give them a test run on June 14, Tour de France commentator Matthew Keenan keenly witnessed the handover.
“My life is infinitely better because of cycling, it’s taken me all around the world. I want other people to enjoy that experience of riding a bike,” he said.
“To hear that United Energy had delivered the bikes to a local school was amazing, anything that gets kids in active transport is something I’m really keen to support.”
Mr Keenan noted that cycling does have a “barrier to entry” — owning a bicycle — making the gifted bikes all the more special.
“Sometimes we can take for granted the access we have to the equipment — not everybody has it,” Mr Keenan said.
“It’s really important to support areas where financially things are more challenging, in order to give kids opportunities to try all different sports and activities.”
A lifelong lover of cycling, Mr Keenan said he hoped to see the kids involved in Around the Bay in Day later in the year.
“I did the first ever edition of Around the Bay in a Day in 1993, and I’d love to see the kids out and about on the track this year,” he said.
“The fact that they’re talking about riding their bikes around the Grand Prix course, I love seeing their enthusiasm.”
United Energy’s general manager of service delivery James Walker said it was important to the company to make a connection with local schools.
“This school has a lot of kids who perhaps don’t have the opportunity to have bikes at home and we are really keen to encourage people to be active,” he said.
“The bikes also tied in nicely with our sponsorship of Around the Bay, so it was a great combination of things that came together allowing us to connect.”
Dandenong Primary School’s grade six sport captain Naomi was one of the first students to test ride the bikes, and revealed she had only learnt how to ride a bicycle last year.
“I had never ridden a bike before, but I saw other kids doing it and wanted to learn,” she said.
“I learnt out behind school on the bike track and now I love to ride.”
If you’re interested in taking part in Around the Bay in a Day, you can find more information here.
gemma.scerri@news.com.au
