The riders, including Roy Sanderson, front left, take a break atop a hill in the Thai jungle.By Shaun Inguanzo
LAYING a wreath in honour of late ex-serviceman Bill Toon at the Hellfire Pass is one of Dandenong accountant Roy Sanderson’s fondest memories of a 400-kilometre bike ride through Thailand.
Mr Sanderson owns RJ Sanderson and Associates, which has branches in Dandenong and Berwick, and on Remembrance Day he finished the journey he began on Anzac Day.
Mr Sanderson, along with Colin Van der Lught, Robert Pol Bodetto and brother James Sanderson, trained hard and raised $24,000 in the months between April and November for the privilege of a 400km bike ride through Thailand, including a stop at the Hellfire Pass on Remembrance Day.
The awesome foursome raised the funds for Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance and spent a gruelling but memorable 11 days riding through parts of Thailand that most tourists did not see.
Mr Toon was a Greater Dandenong icon who served in World Ward II and was taken as a prisoner of war (POW) to work on the Thai-Burma railway.
He led a nationwide movement to have a monument installed at Hellfire Pass in memory of the soldiers taken as POWs and who worked on the railway.
Mr Sanderson and fellow riders were part of a larger entourage of cyclists riding for the same cause, and the group reached the monument on 11 November.
Mr Sanderson said at 11am the tear-jerking ceremony began, and there was not a dry eye to be seen.
“Bill Toon raised a lot of money for that monument, and in the Hellfire Pass on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11am the pipes and drums played through the pass, and wreaths were laid on behalf of the POWs,” he said.
“We laid one in memory of Bill.
“That was probably the most memorable part of the trip and it was truly heart-warming.”
Other highlights of the ride included swimming beneath a pristine Thai waterfall after a hard day on the bike, and teaching Thai children to speak and write English in a small village.
Mr Sanderson said he would recommend the experience to anyone.
“I’ve had a number of people throughout the whole experience indicate that this is something they’d love to do, and I believe the Shrine will do it again next year,” he said.
“I highly recommend it, because you don’t need to be experienced – I hadn’t ridden in 20 years – you just have to put in the training.
“But with enough time and preparation it’s achievable by anybody.”
Mr Sanderson thanked all the individuals and businesses who supported his fundraising efforts to enable him to take part in the ride.
