Skool to Skoolies: St Edmund’s College students cycle 115km for charity

An Ipswich school has continued its longstanding tradition of cycling for charity, this year raising record funds for two worthy organisations. FULL STORY:

A group of 12 St Edmund’s College students participated in this year’s 115km Skool to Skoolies bike ride for charity on Friday October 15. Picture: Supplied

A group of students from an Ipswich school have cycled 115km to Schoolies and raised record funds for charity, more than a month before Schoolies begins.

Honouring an 18-year tradition at St Edmund’s College, a dozen dedicated students rode their bikes from Woodend to Surfers Paradise on Friday October 15.

Eddies English teacher and house dean Nathan Manttan participated in this year’s event alongside students, four other staff members and an external rider from Trek Bikes Ipswich, and said the ride took nearly four hours to complete excluding stops.

The students left the school at 9.45am and arrived at Cavill Ave between 3.30pm and 4pm, taking breaks along the way.

All riders had been training for the annual ride since early this year.

“The boys start fundraising from the start of the year and we start training with them in Term 2,” Mr Manttan said.

“The training starts to ramp up in Term 3.”

This year’s historic Skool to Skoolies event raised record funds for charity. Picture: Supplied

A former Eddies student himself, Mr Manttan said this year’s event was the seventh he completed as a teacher and the eighth including the year he participated as a Year 12 student.

The Skool to Skoolies initiative usually takes participating Year 12 students from school to Schoolies on the day they graduate but, due to Queensland’s new ATAR system, this year’s ride had to take place before end-of-year exams commenced.

Despite the date change, motivation was high and fundraising efforts strong, with the school raising more than $40,000 for Ipswich Hospice and St Vincent de Paul Society.

“This is the biggest year,” Mr Manttan said. “This is the first time the boys have raised over $40,000.”

The funds will be split evenly between the two charities the school chose to support.

Skool to Skoolies first began in 2003 when a Year 12 St Edmund’s College student decided to cycle to the Gold Coast on his last day of school to raise funds for charity.

He was joined by a group of fellow students, and the event has since become an Eddie’s institution.

Originally published as Skool to Skoolies: St Edmund’s College students cycle 115km for charity