By Joni BoydWednesday 2 Oct 2024Hope MorningsInspirational StoriesReading Time: 4 minutes
Today, a group of motorbike riders are heading off for the weekend, on a ride with a very special story.
Key points
- Scrapheap Adventure Ride started out as a “silly ride” and has raised $1.1million for people living with Down Syndrome in rural Australia.
- “When I lost my legs, I remember my mum saying, ‘getting upset about it’s not really going to change anything.'”
- Listen to the full conversation in the player above.
Scrapheap Adventure Ride founder Perry Gilsenan is a devoted father and long-standing advocate for Down Syndrome communities in Australia.
He and his wife Jane are blessed to have two daughters, 21-year-old Grace, who lives with Down Syndrome and 19-year-old Molly.
Passionate to do something to support others with Down Syndrome, Perry started Scrapheap Adventure Ride, which is, as he calls it, “just a silly ride,” raising awareness and funds, while having a heap of fun.
The organisation has raised around $1.1million in the past 14 years.
“People have been very generous,” Perry said and explained that the funds go to supporting people living with Down Syndrome in regional areas.
“There’s a lot of services available in the metropolitan areas but you get further out in the regional areas, not so much.”
Scrapheap Adventure Ride started out as a “silly ride” and has raised $1.1million for people living with Down Syndrome in rural Australia.
Riders are set the challenge to build a motorbike for $1000 or less. And as can be expected, there are usually a few spare bikes in tow, just in case.
It’s no surprise that Perry is passionate about bikes.
“It’s sort of been my big hobby,” he said.
“I still build and manufacture motorcycles.”
What is surprising though, is that Perry has two prosthetic legs.
Perry and Grace, photo supplied by Perry Gilsenan and used with permission
“Through my life journey, I’ve had more hits than The Beatles I think in life,” he explained.
“I’ve had two car accidents and been run over by a train.”
And yet, his commitment to positivity is inspiring.
“When I lost my legs I remember my mum saying, ‘getting upset about it’s not really going to change anything,’ and it’s a very loving statement,” Perry said.
“We tend to focus on what’s missing, rather than what’s remaining.”
“When I lost my legs, I remember my mum saying, ‘getting upset about it’s not really going to change anything,
Perry says the determination to find the positives in any situation was instilled in him by his parents.
And when he learnt that his newborn child was unwell, he approached it with the same attitude.
“She was just stunningly beautiful, just the way she was, and just perfect, you know, the way God intended,” Perry said of the moment Grace was born and they were told she had Down Syndrome.
“She’s just an amazing young lady, who’s going through life, and doing it tenaciously.
“Grace has got a great personality and she’s an atmosphere changer, so she goes into a room and she’s joyful and she just wants to engage and she’s got an amazing recollection for names… she’s intelligent and she’s spiritually intelligent and spiritually aware as well.”
What’s the secret to Perry’s zest for life?
“A lot of times when adversity comes upon us, people seem to focus on the negative side of things,” he said.
“I think when bad things happen, often people run away from God.
“But when bad things happen, that’s when I run to God, I run to the creator of everything rather than run away and think ‘woe is me’ and [about] how bad things are.
“In life, being a Christian doesn’t mean that everything rosy and simple, it just means when it gets really tough, we just know who we are, we’re loved regardless of what’s happened, whether you’ve had your legs removed, or your back’s broken or your children are going through a tough patch.
“He gives us that strength to be able to continue on.”
Perry’s hardships certainly haven’t stopped him – so far, he has ridden close to 1 million km around Australia.
Support Scrapheap Adventure Ride at scrapheapadventureride.com.au
Listen to the full conversation in the player above.
Article supplied with thanks to Joni Boyd. Joni is the Digital Media Coordinator at Hope 103.2. She is passionate about the power of stories shared, to transform lives.
Feature image: Photos supplied by Perry Gilsenan and used with permission.