He’s swapped the scrubs for lycra and Nowra surgeon Patrick McSwiney is on a mission to raise funds for shark attack victim Brett Connellan.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 75-year-old Ear Nose and Throat surgeon is currently participating in the ‘Caesar,’ a cycling adventure from London to Rome.
Along with around 20 other riders, Dr McSwiney is leading the ‘Riders for Bretto’ team in raising funds to help Brett Connellan in his recovery after the 23-year-old had three-quarters of the muscle between his left hip and knee torn off in a twilight attack at Bombo Beach on March 30.
Dr McSwiney is keeping a blog on his cycling journey and said he was inspired to raise funds for Brett’s recovery after hearing his story from a nurse.
“She had intimate knowledge of what had happened and the horrific injuries Brett had sustained, as she is his best friend's partner and went to school with both of them,” he said.
“Listening to her, it was immediately apparent how emotionally involved she was and this together with seeing the photograph of Brett in hospital surrounded by his friends got me to thinking whether I could help in some way.
“The nature and extent of his injuries mean that he has a long road ahead of him with expenses that one can only guess at and other than my having a rather indulgent holiday with the blessing and unselfishness of my own partner, I got to wondering whether I could offer my support in some way and it seemed that trying to collect money for him for the road ahead was the most practical thing to do and dedicating a blog "Riders for Bretto" linked to a Go Fund Me account on Facebook was the best way to do it.”
The keen cyclist has currently raised $545 and has a $10,000 target. To donate head to https://www.gofundme.com/24zpbnhd
Jones Beach Boardriders and Brett’s family will also be hosting a fundraising evening on Saturday, June 25 at The Shellharbour Club. Tickets are $125 and can be purchased from www.surfersforbretto.com