By Hollie Harris
A FORMER coast local has passed through Noosa during his 16,000-kilometre bike ride to raise awareness for Beyond Blue.
Shane ‘Snoopy’ McKay spent 1994 living his dream playing Aussie Rules on the Sunshine Coast and winning a flag for Maroochydore, but deep down the father of five was hiding a private battle with anxiety and depression.
“On the outside everything seemed OK but deep down I suffered with anxiety which eventually tuned into severe bouts of depression which escalated around eight years ago when my father passed away.
“Like most males, I avoided talking about it and fortunately my five children and four grandchildren kept me distracted from thinking too much about my problems,” Shane said.
After three years of planning, including much procrastinating the 52-year-old put his Adelaide-based landscaping and paving business on hold to ride across Australia on his bike to raise awareness and funds for Beyondblue.
“It’s definitely the hardest thing I have ever done both mentally and physically and I’ll be honest there’s been quite a few times along the trip that I have wanted to pack up and go home to see my kids and grandkids but I know I am doing
something really positive not just for my well-being but also the many people I have met who suffer from anxiety and depression along the way.”
Shane’s journey saw him leave his hometown of Adelaide in late May to ride across the Nullarbor to Perth then up to Darwin and across to Townsville and Cairns then down the eastern seaboard to the Sunshine Coast.
The journey has seen him ride 12,735km to date and by the time he rides down to Melbourne then across to his former hometown of Mt Gambier before arriving home to Adelaide he will likely top the 16,000-kilometre mark.
While on the Sunshine Coast Shane plans to catch up with two of his former coaches, including 1994 Maroochydore premiership coach Neil Bourke and former Noosa coach Wayne Fletcher who led the North Gambier Tigers to
premierships with Shane back in 1987 and 1989.
“I’m really looking forward to spending a few days on the Sunshine Coast, I really enjoyed living here back in 1994, I love the beaches and hinterland and the relaxed lifestyle,” Shane said.
If you would like to donate to Shane’s ride for Beyondblue go to give.everydayhero.com/au/shanes-ride-for-beyondblue.
