The students rode 25 kilometres and were sponsored by family and friends, raising $3000 for the centre and the Creswick O Clunes (CROCS) Murray to Moyne team. 

Murray to Moyne – from Mildura to Port Fairy – will be held in April, with CROCS entering a team for the third year to raise funds for their local health services.

Last year the CROCS team raised $5000. They are hoping to beat that this year.

The team includes doctors from Creswick and Clunes medical centres, teachers from Wesley College in Clunes, specialist doctors in Ballarat and other interested community members. 

Dr Jude Johansson said Clunes lost its 24 hour health service in 2011.

“We’re a small country community that is suffering from service cuts,” she said. 

“We just want to keep our country town thriving.”

Melbourne’s Wesley College has a campus at Clunes where its year nine students attend for one term. 

Dr Johansson said the group of students had learnt a lot about the community and decided to fundraise for their cause.

“The did a bike challenge and were sponsored by friends and family to ride 25 kilometres,” she said.

The school presented the cheque to Clunes Community Health Centre and the CROCS team last week.

Dr Johansson said they were hoping to get an automatic external defibrillator for Clunes. 

“It was really special they did this,” she said.

“Many are from Melbourne and don’t know what a country town is like, but learn through their time here.”