Sunshine Coast-based agribusiness valuer and property specialist Leah Freney is about to embark on a ride from Toowoomba to Longreach to raise money for rural charities.

Leah has created the Long Ride, a Queensland-registered charity, and from this Saturday will ride more than 1100km through 19 towns in order to support rural mental health and disabillity support services including St Johns Ambulance, Are-You-Bogged-Mate, The Royal Flying Doctor Service and Swallow Tail Nursery.

Leah said she was motivated to act after travelling to remote rural communities.

“I’d leave the small towns overwhelmed, frustrated and concerned – the anguish and emotional devastation inflicted by drought and floods, and COVID, was real. It was very distressing for me,” Leah said.

“Town-by-town, and over many months, the stories continued and became all too similar; a growing lack of access to support for mental health and disability services – I found the circumstances extremely confronting.”

Leah said she made a big decision to turn her frustrations around and concluded that she had the capacity and network to make a difference.

In late 2022, she established The Long Ride (www.thelongride.com.au) and said she was astounded by the support she received from city and rural friends, business associates and agencies.

She has committed to a goal of raising $200,000 in just twelve months.

The ride starts this Saturday and will culimate in Longreach on September 15.

Along the way it will visit 19 towns (towns in bold denote overnight stays): Toowoomba – Oakey, Jondaryn, Dalby, Warra – Chinchilla, Miles, Dulacca – Wallumbilla, Yuleba, Roma – Wandoan (including the Juandah Plains Campdraft), Muckadilla, Mitchell – Mungallala, Morven, Charleville, Augathella, Tambo, Blackall, Barcaldine, Ilfracombe, Longreach.

For more details and to support the fund raising effort click here.

Also see video below for more information: