JAY Beaumont has completed his fourth trip to Thailand where he rode his push bike 500 kilometres alongside his 17 year old son, Jesse.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The aim of the bike ride was fundraising for Hands Across the Water, a charity created by Peter Baines after the 2006 Boxing Day Tsunami which left thousands of children homeless and orphaned.
Jay has now accumulated 2000km on the bike in Thailand alongside other riders, raising more than $1 million in the process.
They managed to raise an incredible $385,000 on this trip, riding from Hua Hin to Khao Lak.
“Peter (Bains, OAM,) joined us on the last leg of the ride at the very spot where he was sent to identify dead bodies after the Boxing Day Tsunami,” Jay said.
“Children and parents searched for days looking, one by one, for their loved ones. “Peter explained that one mother visited three separate times, each time, humble and gracious, accepting the body of one of her children.”
It is these kind of stories that started the Hands Across the Water charity, and that enticed Jay to get on board.
The charity now manages seven orphanages and schools across Thailand.
“As part of the trip we had the privilege of visiting one of the 3,000-plus slums that litter Thailand,” he said.
“It is a place tourists aren't welcome, but we were escorted by staff of the local school and fire brigade.
“The foundation had been upgrading housing in the slums for the forgotten elderly and impaired, which we got to visit.”
Local businesses and friends contributed just shy of $8,000 to sponsor Jay’s ride, 100 percent of which goes to the children.
Temperatures on the ride peaked on a riders Garmin at 54.7 degrees.
Jay’s major sponsor for the ride was local business Pycon Constructions, who contributed $2,000 to the cause.