April 1999 Volume 80 Number 4 "serving the protectors"
Police Ride Again - for the RAH
By Tracey White

Some of the 1998 Charity Bike Riders who will participate in this year’s April 25 ride

Raising $100,000 will be the goal for riders in this year’s Royal Adelaide Hospital Charity Bike Ride. Members of SAPOL’s Major Crash Investigation section, the SA Ambulance Service and the transport industry will take part in the bike ride on April 25.

Cyclists will ride from Mount Gambier to Adelaide in three days to raise money for a new video communications system for the hospital’s Trauma Service. Paramedics at accident scenes will be able to relay video footage by satellite to doctors at the RAH. Those doctors can then provide crucial advice on appropriate treatment.

Major Crash Investigation section has raised money for the Trauma Service through two previous charity bike rides. A radiographic trauma stretcher and five portable patient monitoring units were purchased with the money raised. This equipment has assisted in saving the lives of many road accident victims, including police officers Sharon Savage and Terry Jaensch.

Major Crash investigator, Senior Constable Phil Doudle, hopes that more police will support this year’s bike ride. “We all know of friends or family who have been involved in road accidents at some stage,” he said. “We all hope that it never happens to us, but you can never predict what will happen.”

Teams consist of eight riders and two support crew with each team paying an entry fee of $1500. A minimum of $5000 must be raised through sponsorship.

Anyone interested in entering a team in the bike ride should contact Phil Doudle at the Major Crash Investigation section.