THIRTEEN men with beards have travelled Australia almost from north to south on postie bikes, raising much more than they expected for charity.
All of them, who grew up in the community of Strathalbyn, rode from Strathalbyn to Darwin as part of the Beyond the Darkness Postie Run group they had formed in October last year.
Member Nick Grosvenor said the idea started off as a couple of lads who wanted to do a trip across Australia and grew to include a cause that had affected their community in recent years.
"We wanted to get everyone involved so thought postie bikes (Honda CT110) because they are affordable," he said.
"Then we decided to get a charity involved and decided on beyondblue because of Strathalbyn's past."
The community had been hit by a number of suicides a couple of years earlier.
"Unfortunately it was a lot of young men that took their lives so we were riding in memory of these men," Nick said.
"These were people we went to school with, met in the same social circles, family members."
Nick said the group initially hoped to raise about $10,000 but this week, their fundraising page on everydayhero.com.au had more than $62,000 in donations.
He said the response had been "incredible" even in the first few days after they announced their plans.
"Strathalbyn is one of those communities that bands together and supports each other," Nick said.
He said the formation of the Strathalbyn Suicide Network had a positive impact on the town but the group still wanted to give back and support others.
Nick said the postie bike ride, that included side trips to Uluru and along the Oodnadatta Track, had many highlights but what made it most memorable was the mateship.
"It was good to band together as brothers," he said.
"Everyone was on the same page, we all had the same goal in mind which was to complete the trip.
"We all got a chance to talk about life and what's going on."
Nick said they encountered some "great people" on their journey.
"In each town we wouldn't even have to rattle the tins - we'd have people coming up, talk about their stories and give a donation," he said.
"In Daly Waters there was huge support, at least $1000 in just that one place."
The trip was not without some mechanical issues but the group had two diesel mechanics and a motorcycle mechanic on board to lean on.
Nick said there were other people along the way, such as Allan Lang at Carrieton who helped tow their trailer to Uluru when they had problems with the support vehicle.
He said it was hard tackling the corrugations on the Oodnadatta Track with three-inch tyres.
"Those postie bikes are unbreakable," he said.
"We all own our own bikes and are honestly contemplating another trip."
* Full report in Stock Journal, August 21, 2014 issue.
