Champion Australian paralympian Carol Cooke with local cyclists and Rutherglen Rotary Club’s Greg Griffiths and Phill Nickson with a huge boost to the Australian Paralympic cycling team.
Rutherglen Rotary Club has given the Australian Para Cycling team a significant boost with a $9,300 donation stemming from the 2025 Vintage Bike Ride.
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“This is big; this will kick-start our fundraising efforts towards the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games,” 12-time Australian Paralympic cyclist Carol Cooke said.
“The donation will help with the purchase of bikes, which are so expensive.”
Carol, from St Kilda Cycling Club, contracted multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1998 and took up riding in 2011.
Her first Paralympic Games were in 2012 and today Carol is a three-time gold medallist and nine-times world champion.
She retired from competitive riding in January this year and went on to become the Australian team manager at the ParaCycling World Cup in Belgium earlier this month.
Before cycling, the 63-year-old Canadian-born Australian was a rower and part of the Canadian national swim team.
She was hoping to be selected for the 1980 Moscow Olympics before her country boycotted the games.
Carol emigrated to Australia in 1994 and still rides six days a week around St Kilda beach.
“It’s about being fit and exercising,” she said.
“The fitter you are, the better you can handle life.”
CFA Wahgunyah Captain Josh Finnemore and firefighter Chris Grimes receive the cheque from Rutherglen Rotary’s Club Paul Hauff.
CFA Wahgunyah Captain Josh Finnemore expressed the brigade’s appreciation of the $3,300 cheque also presented from the Vintage Bike Ride.
“We’re very grateful,” Captain Finnemore said.
“There are several things we’d like to acquire, including fire-fighting equipment, and particularly a multi-purpose branch hose.”
2025 was the second Vintage Bike Ride and Rotarian and event organiser Greg Griffiths said the club wanted to donate proceeds to a local community support organisation and to a sporting club which resonated with the Vintage Bike Ride.
Last year’s proceeds of $10,000 were donated to Rutherglen CFA and Motor Neurone Disease Victoria.
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