ACTOR Samuel Johnson was humbled by the turnout and support in Ballarat for his epic unicycle ride about Australia.
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After an emotional farewell with sister Connie, who is terminally ill with cancer, Johnson reached Ballarat on day two of his Love Your Sister Ride – an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most distance travelled on a unicycle (15,000 kilometres), raise a million dollars for breast cancer research and spread the word for early detection.
It is all to help create a lasting legacy for his sister, as requested by her.
Johnson rode through the Ballarat Beat Rockabilly Festival, up the Main Street hill and to the lake where he was to race Olympian Steve Moneghetti, who had teamed up with his sister, Helen Paterson, on a tandem bike on Saturday afternoon.
“I’ve only come from Melbourne, so I’m certainly not far or counting my chickens yet,” Johnson said.
“I’m tickled pink with Ballarat – I thought I’d come here just to meet Mona but to have so much support shown here is truly overwhelming and generous.”
Johnson, who has close ties in his second home Daylesford – “but don’t hold that against me”, he quipped – said it was fantastic to trip through Ballarat.
Johnson is on his way to Adelaide from where he will travel to Darwin, down the west coast of Australia and cross back to the east coast.
To donate, go online at www.loveyoursister.org and visit any Bendigo Bank.
BreastScreen encourages Ballarat women to book a mammogram by phoning 5320 3527.