{
  "id": 1830456,
  "title": "Bush kids raise thousands for charities with 19yo bike ride fundraiser",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/bush-kids-raise-thousands-for-charities-with-19yo-bike-ride-fundraiser",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T23:55:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-19/outback-kids-continue-bike-ride-fundraiser/107046802"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Every year, the town of Prairie, located about 340 kilometers southwest of Townsville, enthusiastically participates in Tour De Prairie, a bike-ride fundraiser organized by the local school. The event, which has been taking place for 19 years, raises thousands of dollars for charities that matter to members of the community. School P&C treasurer Bernie Merton mentioned that around $1,000 is raised annually. Participants enjoy the ride, and older boarding school students often return to partake in the event.\n\nThis year, the charity beneficiary was the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), in memory of Conall Wescott, a local boy who passed away in May due to the rare genetic condition Gould syndrome. Conall's father, Hugh Westcott, highlighted the critical role of the RFDS in supporting his family, sharing that the organization provided multiple emergency flights to Townsville, which were instrumental in keeping Conall alive and saving his life on numerous occasions.\n\nEach year, students from Prairie State School select a charity to raise funds for. Previous charities supported include Cows for Cambodia, Cancer Council, and the chemotherapy treatment room at the Hughenden hospital. The event sees parents, teachers, students, and the wider community riding their bicycles for 7 kilometers out to Railview cattle station, where they engage in games and have lunch. Michelle Fryer, a grazier who has supported the cause since its inception in 2007, emphasized that the fundraiser is about giving back to the community, regardless of the specific charity chosen each year.\n\nFryer recalled the inaugural year, when the event raised money for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance in memory of her daughter Alex, who died just days after her eighth birthday from complications of cerebral palsy. From the start, the goal was to support individuals in need, not necessarily Alex. Fryer expressed hope that the fundraiser would continue for many years to come, stating, \"We do it for the kids, and we re happy to keep doing it until the children don t want to.\" Despite a quieter year this year, the support from tourists and travelers passing through the town has remained strong.",
  "summary": "A small outback Queensland town remembers community members with its annual Tour De Prairie bike-ride fundraiser.",
  "key_points": [
    "Prairie town hosts 19-year-old Tour De Prairie bike ride fundraiser",
    "$1,000 raised annually for local charities",
    "Royal Flying Doctor Service beneficiary for Conall Wescott"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The annual Tour De Prairie bike ride fundraiser has cemented its place as a community tradition, providing a steady stream of donations to charities and reinforcing ties between locals and visiting tourists.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}