Join a group of cyclists travelling along the Queensland coast who have decided to make the ride to raise awareness about mental illness.


...Thanks everyone for coming on the ride.

KATHY MCLEISH: It's not the Tour de France but these dedicated cyclists have earned their jerseys.

This weekend they'll take off on an eighteen hundred kilometre, 13-day ride to raise awareness of mental health. They're determined to peddle a positive message all the way to Cairns.

KATHY MCLEISH: Triathlete Anne Garton is especially qualified for the team.

And 14 gruelling training sessions a week don't compare with the relentless challenge of mental illness.

ANNE GARTON: (TRIATHLETE) You've got all this noise happening in your head, and yet you've still got to concentrate on your stroke, what the coach is saying, count laps and sometimes the noise gets so bad you just want to scream and scream and scream but you just push through it.

KATHY MCLEISH: When Anne Garton became ill, it changed the young policewoman's life forever.

ANNE GARTON: It just hit, I was at the right age that when you get metal illness and it just hit and I had to resign medically unfit and lost everything, I lost my home, car, career, everything and I've just had to rebuild very slowly since then.

KATHY MCLEISH: Sometimes, against overwhelming odds.

ANNE GARTON: It was during a really unwell period I was actually locked in a locked ward in a psychiatric unit for a very long time period of months, and I was at the end of the road. I had nothing else; I just didn't want to continue life.

KATHY MCLEISH: So she set a goal - to finish a triathlon. She achieved that and more - this year Anne Garton made the Australian Triathlon Team.

ANNE GARTON: That's what I say to anybody that's got a mental illness don't quit.

NEIL BARRINGHAM: (COMMUNITY WORKER) What time are you planning to get away on Saturday?

Nine thirty, nine forty.

KATHY MCLEISH: Mental health advocate Neil Barringham is the man behind the epic trip to Cairns.

NEIL BARRINGHAM: She's buoyant, she's lively, got a great message to share but also quite open about how fragile she is.

ANNE GARTON: A lot of bike rides are to raise money and funds, ours is not, we're to raise awareness for mental health.

KATHY MCLEISH: The team will stop at towns all along the coast to encourage understanding. Already schools and locals are planning to ride with them or cheer them along.

NEIL BARRINGHAM: We're not just talking about mental health as a community issue; people are coming to share their stories. So, it's very personal.

KATHY MCLEISH: Neil Barringham helps people reconnect with society. He believes that's critical to recovery from mental illness.
Of the 13-person crew, some have a mental illness, others are community workers and some are just supporting a good cause. And the friendships that have developed are more than just a welcome spin-off.

ANNE GARTON: I've actually got a shock since I've start came on board the bike ride how many people there are out there that are genuine, good people, who are accepting and it's just been fabulous. And it makes me realise that there's hope.