Roy fired up to raise funds for the vollies

Two years ago, fire destroyed Roy Griffiths’ garden shed and everything inside it, including motorbikes, a pool table, kayaks and camping gear.

Without the quick assistance of the Narrogin Volunteer Fire and Rescue crew, Mr Griffiths and wife Bev would have lost their house, their cars and everything they owned.

To thank the NVFRS crew for their quick thinking and bravery, Mr Griffiths is raising money to help them buy equipment.

“I will be riding my bike across 16 days in a loop around Narrogin and Highbury aiming for a total of just over 1000km,” he said.

Calling it the Highbury Circuit, Mr Griffiths plans to cycle 63km a day, covering Williams Road, Tarwonga Road, Highbury West Road, and part of Great Southern Highway.

The avid cycler hit the road on Tuesday and aims to complete the loop by Wednesday, June 3, camping overnight along the way.

Mr Griffiths said he had been training for a year and a half for the ride.

“I’ve done a lot of indoor training ... I used to weigh 102kg and now I’m at 80kg,” he said.

In his younger days, Mr Griffiths rode 80km-100km a day, but an accident six years ago left him with torn ligaments in his leg and he took a lengthy break from cycling.

“I am excited but also a bit worried. My training has been going well, so that’s a positive,” he said.

“It’s a good challenge.

“There are several things I will have to be mindful of such as the weather and my bike.”

NVFRS Lt Cameron Hayes has organised a GoFundMe page for Mr Griffiths’ fundraiser.

“We are thankful to Roy for doing this,” Lt Hayes said. “It will be helpful to us to get a bit of money for our funds and to encourage younger members into the service.”

Mr Griffiths has set a target of $10,000 in donations.

“I also want to raise awareness about the need for more members in the emergency services,” he said.

“Some younger people might not have any direction (in their life) so they can come here and learn about what it takes to be a firefighter.”

Mr Griffiths’ $100 bike is decked out with a two-way radio, camping gear, odometer, spare tyre and water.

To donate, search for “Roy’s Narrogin VFRS Fundraiser”.