Old high school mates ride together again to raise funds for Cancer Society
Two long-time friends who always wanted to enter the Coast to Coast have finally made that journey – but sitting down the whole way.
North Cantabrians Douglas Moody and Gary Cassidy joined more than 240 other scooter riders on Saturday for this year's Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari, raising funds for the Cancer Society.
The pair have been friends since starting Kaiapoi High School together as 3rd formers in 1980 – 42 years ago.
Moody, based in Loburn, and Cassidy, based in Rangiora, said they were keen to help support the Cancer Society’s work in the region.
“Growing up together, we had always wanted to enter the Coast to Coast as a team,” Moody said.
“Little did we know, eventually we would fulfil that dream albeit sitting down.”
Moody said the trip - which began in Canterbury and traversed the Southern Alps to end in Hokitika - went well, despite the weather.
"Of the six safaris I have taken part in, this was probably the most difficult in terms of weather over the course of the day. We had it all from challenging winds, rain, cold temperatures, and snow on the ground.
"Had we been scheduled to ride the day earlier, we likely wouldn’t have gotten through."
He hoped to raise $2500 towards the overall goal of raising $350,000 this year.
Donations can still be made to scootersafari.org.nz...
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Kalle
"Sports and travelling run in the family, and that's kind of what's led me to come to New Zealand."
"I grew up in a small town in Finland. My dad was involved with sports all his life, he was a shot putter, discus thrower, powerlifter, we traveled quite a bit when I was a kid. He never mentioned much of the rugby days. He just said he broke both of his shin bones playing rugby, so he said, ‘never play the sport, It's crazy.’
I started playing when I was 18. I played my first cap for the Finnish national team in 2014, we won the Finnish championship with my club. Rugby is not a big thing in Finland.
I moved here to play rugby in 2017. The club that wanted me to come over was Methven Rugby Club. They got me here and they were like, ‘what do you do for work? I’d just finished chef school in Finland. ‘We'll get you a job at Mount Hutt as a chef, you can do that while you play rugby with us.’ I said, ‘Perfect. Yeah, I'm in’.
I've always loved food. My mum was an amazing cook, and still is. When I was studying tourism I worked in some hotels in Finland, and I saw how the chef's worked. I just loved the kitchen vibe and I was like, Yeah, that’d be something I'd love to do.
I've had more of a culinary journey In New Zealand than in Finland. I started at Mount Hutt, after that I worked at The Dubliner in Methven. I worked as a senior pizza chef at Sal’s for maybe six months then worked as chef de partie at Cellar Door. At Eliza's Manor, I worked myself up to a junior sous chef. Then the opportunity came to work my first head chef job at Moon Under Water.
We're privileged to have a busy atmosphere, we can try new things and get a bit creative. There are no TV’s, just come here with your family or with your mates, play board games, to socialise.
I really want to drive the local food and ingredients through the menu. We don't mind spending more for quality ingredients as long as it's supporting New Zealand businesses. We just love to use local. And it's pub food, but I feel like it's elevated.
I play club rugby here for the Christchurch Football Club, the oldest club in New Zealand and I still play regularly for the Finnish national team, whenever they can fly me over to play."
- Kalle
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www.humansofchch.org......
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