ENGLISH SETS PADDLING RECORD FOR SURFAID INTERNATIONAL FUNDRAISER
It was a bit of
a slog coming back into the breeze and because of the storm we couldn’t
see Singapore for awhile,” he said. “Plus it was whitecapping in the
middle of the ocean and I was dodging container ships. Crew on my
support boat yelled out at one stage: ‘You have to give way to this one
coming here, Jackson’.”
A tired, sore and sunburnt English made land at Sentosa Beach at 11am
after another three and a half hour paddle, a total of seven hours, to
be greeted by his wife Anna and two-year-old daughter, Grace. He had
averaged a speed of 10-12 kilometres per hour.
SurfAid is conducting a fundraising campaign to raise US$300,000 for a
work boat to enable the delivery of life-saving mosquito nets and aid
staff to the remote villages of the Mentawai Islands, off Indonesia ’s
West Sumatran coast. The islands are only accessible by boat or plane.
The Mentawai Islands , with a population of about 70,000 people, have
some of the worst childhood death rates in the world.
In villages surveyed by UNESCO, up to 53 per cent of families have lost
at least one child from treatable and preventable diseases like malaria,
measles, tetanus and diarrhoea.
“The Mentawais are a difficult and dangerous environment in which to
work and a dedicated SurfAid boat will make the program delivery more
efficient and a lot safer,” English said.
SurfAid, which was founded seven years ago by New Zealand doctor Dave
Jenkins, has developed sustainable programs such as Malaria Free
Mentawai and the Community-Based Health Program.
SurfAid’s goal is to empower people to help themselves through disease
prevention, education, training, treatment and integration with local
health departments – to improve the quality of the villagers’ lives
forever.
In his fundraising effort, English, who has vast experience in
international paddleboard races, ironman events and triathlons, paddled
a specialized 18 foot (5.5m) epoxy board, similar to a streamlined
surfboard, that has been designed for open ocean swells.
Arm paddling in alternating prone and kneeling positions, English was
prepared for difficult crossings and the storm he encountered added
another dimension.
English, who is originally from Avoca Beach, on the NSW Central Coast,
is now contemplating his next fundraising adventure for SurfAid.
“Next year I’m thinking of paddling from Singapore to the Equator, a
distance of 130km, which would take a week to complete,” he said.
But first, he needs a good rest.
You can support English’s endurance feat by donating to SurfAid
International at www.surfaidinternational.org
Or cheques can be made out to United World College of South East Asia.
Attention: Anthony Skillicorn at UWCSEA, 1207 Dover Road, Singapore,
139654.
The school ran a 24-hour fundraising swimathon for SurfAid the previous
weekend with more than 800 students, family, friends and supporting
companies participating.
For further information please contact:
Jackson English
Email: jen@uwcsea.edu.sg
Telephone: +65 9618 7491
Kirk Willcox
SurfAid International Communications Director
Phone: +64 9 812 9005
Email:
kirk@surfaidinternational.org
About SurfAid International
The mission of SurfAid International, a non-profit humanitarian aid
organization, is to improve the health of people living in isolated
regions connected to us through surfing. In response to the December 26,
2004, Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami disaster, SurfAid also
conducted emergency medical relief programs in North and West Sumatra,
and Aceh, Indonesia. SurfAid is incorporated in the USA, Australia and
New Zealand with the program base in Padang, West Sumatra.
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