Express Data employee cycles across China for Oxfam

Lee needs to raise $5,500 to cover trip costs and help fund the charity’s work with poor communities in 29 countries around the world and in Indigenous Australia.

So far, he has organised fundraising dinners and next up is a night of Classic Rock music featuring three bands including Les Gock, Chris Pailthorpe and Neil Smith former members of legendary Australian bands Hush and AC/DC.

Two of the bands feature IT industry employees, including Lee, Harris Loefti and Emma Broadbent from Symantec, Des Seeto and Anthony Miller from Cisco plus Jeff Sheard ex-Cisco now a consultant.

“My parents are originally from China and a couple of years ago I visited the country for the first time when my father took me to the village where he originally came from on Hainan Island, off the southern coast of China.

“I went again last year with him on a Chinese government sponsored tour and developed an affinity and a new understanding of the country which I wasn’t expecting, having spent my whole life as a “true blue” Aussie.

“The tragic earthquake there made me realise how lucky I am and I decided to look for ways to help make some sort of difference to the lives of others less fortunate.

“The Oxfam challenge provides that opportunity as well as a goal for getting myself fit,” said Lee.

The Oxfam Challenge starts in Yunnan, China’s most geographically and culturally diverse province, in the country’s far south-west.

Highlights include Tiger Leaping Gorge, the Yangtze, ancient towns and villages, such as World Heritage listed Lijiang and the lakeside town of Dali.

Oxfam has worked with communities in China since 1987, running more than 1000 projects in 27 provinces, mostly in the poorer inland areas of the south and north-west.

Emergency relief and rehabilitation have been an important part of Oxfam's work, helping victims of floods, earthquakes and snowstorms in several provinces, including Yunnan.

“Oxfam Challenge will give Ray the opportunity to experience a fascinating part of the world, visit an Oxfam project and raise funds to support our vital development work,” said Hanna Peltonen, Oxfam Challenge co-ordinator.

“He will see first-hand how local communities benefit from the money he raises and another side of life to the country that everyday tourists may not see.”

The Classic Rock music night is on Saturday 8th November, at 7.30pm at The Harp Irish Pub, 900 Princes Highway, Tempe.

To sponsor Lee, visit the Oxfam Australia homepage and choose the China Yunnan link.

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