First I’d like to thank everybody for making it here tonight. We have some people who have come all the way from South Cronulla and Caringbah. Seriously though, some of our friends have come from as far away as Perth and Port Lincoln.
I can’t believe we are here right now. Not that this trip around Australia ever felt impossible but because what this speech has meant to me the entire year. So many times after spending hours in the support car in the middle of the night, wondering how I’m going to stay awake, I wrote this speech in my mind.
But yesterday when it finally came time to put pen to paper, I sat with a white sheet, 364 days of memories and a blank mind. I can’t express what MyPOWER means to me.
What I can tell you is what these boys mean to me, here is an example. Across the Nullarbor Plain we struck a 40 degree a day heat wave. A dirty cycling clothes bag sat behind my head in the Prius. The sweat and dirt in those clothes constantly evaporating in the heat. It must be love if you can put up with that smell for three whole weeks, eight hours a day!
This trip would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors. Firstly I would like to thank our bronze sponsors. Graphicworks, Powerade, Team Australia, Taylor Brammar, The Falls Festival, Baden J Green Services, Neco, Go Natural, The EcoVillage at Currumbin and the Dream-Pot. Your support has been the foundation on which we built our dream. Thankyou to our silver sponsors,
Harvey Norman, A.H Beard who allowed us to record and document our journey with technical support.
Origin who we bumped into in Brisbane for a presentation and stocked up our food for the remainder of the trip.
Australian Traveller Magazine who inspired us to explore this country.
VIBE Teaching for being unconditionally supportive.
UNSW for showing us that bad filming can result in good doco’s with their help!
Carbon Planet for totally offsetting our tour.
Sold Out National Events Management for being our first partner and to the “Godfather” of MyPOWER, Wayne Staunton. We thankyou.
Now a thankyou to our major sponsor Toyota Prius and Hybrid Synergy Drive. The Prius has been phenomenal. She has navigated us quietly and smoothly through cities, deserts, outback tracks, even the odd river crossing. Proving the Prius is not only a petrol/electric hybrid but a city/outback hybrid. I’m sad that you want my baby back!!
I’d like to thank Felicity for her professionalism, friendship and for dealing with a project that has been almost uncontactable for months at a time.
Thanks to Rob for his guidance, business smarts and belief in our passion. Even though you told us you were surprised we made it to Perth, thanks for betting on us, we made it the whole way round.
I’d also like to mention one other person at Toyota. The man who ultimately gave the thumbs up and said to Rob “make this happen”. A man who is unfortunately no longer with us today. Allan Porich.
Matt will tell you what comes next for MyPOWER, I will tell you how. The support, mateship and hospitality we have been shown around Oz makes me proud to be Australian. If we can get that same support here at home, from you, from schools and local council, I’m sure the future of MyPOWER will be even more successful than the tour itself.
Thanks mum and dad, I love you.
anthony@mypower.org.au