Fourteen personnel from Albatross will team up with another 15 defence members from Wagga Wagga for the 10-day ride raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

The local riders will leave Nowra on October 11 and will cover around 2700 kilometres in their journey to and then around the Apple Isle.

A local team took part in last year’s 4500km ride to Margaret River in Western Australia, raising more than $12,600.

This year the team has already raised almost $4000 towards its goal of $10,000.

Last year’s Team Albatross was organised by Wayne Langworthy and Dave Loughman, and although Wayne is now based at Wagga they have again pooled their organisational skills to combine and make a joint team.

While the majority of the riders are all military personnel they are being joined by a few civilian spouses on the ride.

Riding a variety of Japanese, American and European machines, ranging from 250cc up to 1600cc, the locals will leave HMAS Albatross at 10am on Wednesday, October 11.

They will travel to Wagga to join the rest of their team. From there it is onto Melbourne where they will catch the Spirit of Tasmania for the trip across Bass Strait.

The group will meet up with the rest of the event riders on October 14 and make their way around the island, visiting Burnie, Strahan, having two nights in Hobart, travel onto St Helens before finishing in Launceston.

All the riders will arrive at Launceston together, finishing the ride en masse, making for a spectacular site.

“We will be calling into various towns and cities on the way, hopefully collecting money as we go,” Mr Loughman said.

“We will also visit schools during our trip. All the time raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation but also spreading the message of what the foundation does.”

The locals will then head back to Phillip Island for the 2017 Australian MotoGP which runs from October 20-22, with the Prostate Cancer Foundation one of the charities supported by the event.

This annual Tour the T event, which is held at HMAS Albatross, will once again support the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

The event, which this year is only open to local military personnel and their families, will be held on the runways of the Nowra naval air station on September 8.

The local team even hopes to be able to take to the airstrip on their bikes to raise even more awareness to their cause.

The local team would welcome any support from the local community.

Individual donations can be made, while any local business that would like to back their efforts would be more than welcome.

“Any business or individual who donates $500 or more will have their name or logo placed on our support vehicle,” Mr Loughman said.

To donate to the local team go to https://thelongride2017.everydayhero.com/au/team-albatross

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia (except for non-melanoma skin cancers) and the second greatest cause of cancer deaths in men.

It is estimated that over 18,700 new cases were diagnosed in Australia.

Tragically, more than 2,900 Australian men each year die from prostate cancer.

In the early stages, there are few symptoms of prostate cancer; however, if detected early, prostate cancer is often treatable and curable.

This is why men aged 50 and over, or 40 if there is a family history of prostate cancer should not wait for symptoms; they should talk to their doctor about prostate cancer - a simple step that could save your life.

The PCFA plays a vital role in the fight against prostate cancer and devotes all of it resources towards reducing the impact of prostate cancer on the community.  

The  goal of the PCFA is to reduce the impact of prostate cancer on Australian men, their partners, their families and the community; to represent the interests of all Australian men diagnosed with prostate cancer.  

The PCFA works to raise awareness and attract widespread financial support for the work of the foundation to: fund research into the causes, detection, diagnosis and improved treatment of prostate cancer; to provide information, support and counselling to those affected by prostate cancer; and to raise community awareness of the incidence of prostate cancer, thereby encouraging earlier detection and more effective treatment of the disease.

To learn more about the PCFA go to http://www.prostate.org.au/