Now that's one long postie route
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Three local ex-servicemen have performed a 14,500km lap of the country on postie bikes to raise awareness and support for the non-profit organisation Soldier On, which aids men and women of service suffering from mental trauma.
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Nowra's Dr Mick Davey was joined by David Mace who hails from South Australia and Jospeh Kolossa. The three men all met at HMAS Albatross when they were teenagers.
"We all joined the Navy as 15-year-olds then a year later met at Albatross and became the best of mates," Dr Davey said.
"We served our country and now we want to help people who serve or who have served and are suffering trauma from their service."
"We're trying to inspire defence personnel and veterans to start a conversation, to chat with someone, that's the single most important thing you can do."
Dr Davey departed from Nowra on June 21 and headed north, riding on his postie bike to Taree for his first night, a distance of 600km.
His next stop would then be Mackay in Queensland where he noticed that his clutch had begun to slip. After a three day pit stop while waiting for a part he was on the road again.
Dr Davey then hit his next speed bump in Townsville where his bike "blew up."
While this could have really damaged the spirits of the riders, he used the opportunity to visit the Royal Commission, meeting with the commissioners and sharing his concern for defence and veterans' suicide.
He said it was an eye-opening experience with one conversation with a psychiatrist standing out.
"I spoke to a psychiatrist and she was saying that she had spoken to the hierarchy of the Defence Force," Dr Davey said.
"She asked them what they were doing to better prepare people for conflict and what they were doing when service men and women come home and are suffering trauma from conflict.
"She said they didn't know what to say.
"When someone is suffering from depression in the Defence Force, that's the problem, they're just not listened too, they aren't believed."
That's why despite the complication of the journey, it was such an important one for Dr Davey personally to make.
He said he previously travelled on a pushbike around Australia in the past and the postie bikes provided much more of a challenge, with the speed, mobility and reliability of the vehicle getting in the way a lot.
"If you're on the highway on a pushbike and a big road-train is coming you can just roll off the road but on a postie bike you can't really do that and you can't ride at the speed of the traffic either," he said.
"We crossed multiple causeways with crocodiles, we became severely dehydrated in Darwin, we had multiple mechanical issues along the way.
"It honestly did get pretty scary in parts."
Davey, Mace and Kolossa all donned Where's Wally costumes for the trip - a visual metaphor for how those suffering can easily blend into the background if not given the help they need.
"People with a mental illness hide in plain sight and try not to be found out because they're fearful of what people might think about them," Dr Davey said.
"Nothing can be further from the truth, you've got a problem just like a broken leg or diabetes that you need to get fixed."
The riders' journey followed Highway 1 in a counter-clockwise direction and spanned almost 15,000 kilometres to complete a full lap of Australia.
Along their journey they did upwards of 20 interviews with local media outlets to get their message out there and let everyone know that it's okay to not be okay.
Dr Davey said the most touching aspect of the trip was the generosity of Australians throughout.
"We had free accommodation for 42 of the 44 days we were away and we were able to touch a lot of people's lives not just in the defence force, but in the general community as well," he said.
"We met so many people across the country who had been touched by someone's suicide, we shed a tear with people, we prayed with people, just all those little things where you can help be a blessing."
Dr Davey arrived back in Nowra on August 5. The 14,500 km lap of the country only took 46 days to complete and has raised $35,000 for Soldier On.
"I am yet to ride through Tasmania and the ACT, so I'm really stoked with how much we've raised in such a short time," he said.
"I'm hoping we can eventually reach our target of $100,000, but realistically I will have to go again next year to realise this dream."
To learn more about the journey or to donate, visit apostieride4ptsd.com.au, and follow the ride through Tasmania and the ACT on their public Facebook group apostieride4ptsd.