Next month Adelaide local Brendon Henman and his family, friends and those interested are embarking on an extraordinary journey, jet-skiing much of the distance of the Murray to raise awareness and funds for the fight against motor neurone disease.
The trek starts in Albury on April 10, with the crew to travelling from Yarrawonga to Echuca on April 11, staying overnight in Echuca, before heading to Barham on April 12.
This is the first year of The Big Ride powered by Seadoo supporting MND SA, which came about in a few different ways.
Big Ride 2025 volunteer Linda Crabb said there were four volunteers — who are all friends — running the event.
“Brendon, his wife, Anthea, Amelia and myself all got involved after Anthea’s mother was diagnosed with MND in 2022, where Brendon saw first-hand how this not only affected his mother-in-law, Sue, but also how it affected the immediate family and the difficulties of keeping Sue at home,” Ms Crabb said.
“Sue passed in September 2024 and in that time Brendan saw the strain it put on his family due to the lack of accessible care and knowledge around the disease, so he decided that there was a need for more resources and care for those suffering from this disease as well as support for families.
“The jet ski came in as it’s something Brendon loves, and we all have been on houseboats and waterskiing trips together.
“Brendon, Amelia and I are currently rebuilding shacks along the Murray post-floods to help support a local area and people affected.
“Coupled with his love for the Murray River where we have all spent a lot of time and his desire to explore the entire Murray River, the idea for The Big Ride was born.”
Ms Crabb said the main aim of the crew was to ultimately raise money for MND SA to purchase a support vehicle.
“Brendon's family noticed the need to be able to get Sue out of the house; however, due to the restraints and access cabs, it just wasn’t possible, and Sue ended up being housebound for the last 12 months of her life,” she said.
“However, as funds are hard to raise in the current economy, we are trying to provide a strong message on what it takes to care for someone with MND, especially in regional areas such as those we are passing through on our ride.
“MND Vic have a vehicle and MND SA have been discussing how this works to grow this prospect in SA.
“As we are travelling through NSW and Vic we are still very keen to have both organisations involved and run events in their respective states to help raise much-needed funds and awareness for the families.’’
Ms Crabb said that in regard to registrations, The Big Ride powered by Seadoo supporting MND SA had attracted a huge amount of interest and the organisers were looking to get commitments.
“Our trip does run for 10 days and we have a core group of around 30 doing the entire ride, including our road support crew and families (we organised this in school holidays and Easter to encourage families),” she said.
“However, people can join for one day or up to 10, it’s up to them, so we have a number of different people from their areas joining parts of the ride as we go down the river but encourage others to be a part of it.
“MND affects their day-to-day life so we are trying to also get the message out there to enjoy life, as these people simply can’t once this horrible disease takes over.
“Jet skis are for adventure; make life the best adventure; enjoy while you can; endure when you must.”
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