A YOUNG Australian man is currently riding around Australia raising awareness about dementia.
Nicholas Tremaine, from Kangaroo Island in South Australia, cycled into Airlie Beach, last Monday, April 28, on his one-man, self-supported fundraising ride called the Distance 4 Dementia Tour.
Whitsunday Lions were waiting there to support him with a bed, hot shower and dinner, and a well-earned rest before setting off again, early in the morning, for Ayr.
Whitsunday Lions will also be donating to his ride.
Nick’s tour is planned to circumnavigate Australia, including Tasmania, and will take 365 days over 40,075kms.
Nick set off from Sydney on January 1, 2025.
Seeing his mother’s health declining with dementia since her diagnosis, in 2019, which forced a move into full-time care before the end of 2020, inspired Nicholas to travel the circumference of Australia to raise awareness and funds for research into this insidious disease.
“As I put my body to the test over the next year, I will document my journey every step of the way, driving awareness for the need to fight for a better future for people living with dementia and hopefully, one day, a cure,” Nicholas said.
His goal is to raise $1m for Dementia Australia – spreading the word through direct conversations, social media and speaking at Lions Club events.
“My parents Mervyn and Marilyn are founding members of the Lions Club of Western Kangaroo Island, so when planning my tour, I reached out to Lions Clubs Australia asking for support with accommodation, a bed or patch of grass for my tent, and speaking opportunities around dementia,” Nicholas said.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2022 report states dementia was the second leading cause of death, of all Australians, after coronary heart disease.
It was the leading cause of death for women and provisional data suggests it will soon be the leading cause of death for men.
In 2024, it is estimated that more than 421,000 Australians were living with dementia.
Without a medical breakthrough, this number is expected to increase to more than 812,500 by 2054.
Nicholas’s journey will take him to Cape York and Darwin, then to Broome, Perth and the Nullarbor, before eventually arriving at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, on December 31, 2025.
Distance 4 Dementia posts can be followed on social media.
