Rob Harley jokes that with a name like his, he was always destined to ride a motorcycle that was appropriately large and loud.
“Well, if my name was Rob Honda, it would be a different story, right” he joked as he made final preparations to hit the road for a deserving charity next month.
Rob, from our Counties Manukau’s Communications team, is heading south to join a 25-strong team of what he calls “slightly scary but gentle big boys and girls on the biggest, sweetest-sounding bikes I have ever heard”.
The charity mission, which starts on 3 February and includes members of the Christian Motorcycle Ministry The Redeemed, involves riding the length of the South Island, raising funds and awareness for a Kiwi organisation which mentors at-risk rangatahi in the community, changing lives and destinies.
“The charity, Heart4Youth, has for 12 years been positively influencing thousands of kids’ lives in many ways,” says Ross McCook who founded the mentoring service, which is now spreading its influence all over Aotearoa and other parts of the world.
Rob remarked that in his 50 years of being a journalist, he’s done awareness and fund raising for nearly 40 charities and aid organisations.
“Working in journalism and now healthcare, it really brings it home to you how many vulnerable people there are who need our help and I wanted to do something to help out in some way. I love the mahi our staff do to help people improve people’s health and lives.
“Heart4Youth is also doing the hard mahi and diverting kids into a better future and I am honoured to be a part of it,” says Rob.
If you’d like to see updates, find out more or sponsor the ride, check out Heart4Youth at https://www.heartforyouth.org.nz/
Rob promises entertaining updates along the way!