Date Published: 22 Nov 2010 11:44am
Author:Jan Russell
Birthday Boy in Blue, Stephen “Shippers” Shipperlee joined the esteemed Half Century Club as the Blue Team crossed the Nullarbor. Happy 50th birthday Shippers!
Judging from the reports below, Shippers (and everyone else they met along the way) will remember his celebration for a long long time:
Shipps: Yesterday was my 50th birthday and the boys gave me a great day. We stopped early and I made coffee and the boys presented me with a tiara to be worn for the WHOLE DAY and a T-shirt which they had all signed with good wishes. They invited two German backpackers over for coffee, who then sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in German and signed my T-shirt. Now I need to have it translated. I say again, I had a great day.
Simie: I had a great time when I rode my bike with Shippers and the Big Dick today across the Nullarbor. The fact that Shippers had a 50th birthday today was not lost on anyone when he paraded naked around the changeover point in celebration. I’m personally sick of seeing such sights; he’s getting worse with age, although it was very funny. We are now out of the night shifts, thankfully. Generally, everyone is travelling OK and we are all looking forward to the finish and seeing our families. It has certainly been a marathon.
Easy: Just completed our last night shift crossing the Nullarbor. All the boys pumped out some fantastic k’s – a job well done from Team Blue. The cherry on top today was celebrating Shippers’ 50th birthday having a Beraldo coffee overlooking the Great Australian Bight – it doesn’t get any better.
Marky Mark: An incredibly cold 9 degrees this morning when Pete and I headed off, which was really hard after the warmer climate up north. It all came together for the afternoon ride though, and we wound up to 50kph for the last couple of kilometres. I’m still having trouble seeing after trying to rip my out eyes out after Princess Shipperlee’s nudy run at the end of the day – fantastic effort. In conclusion, hats off to the Mighty Quin.
eNORMous: Writing this in the dark at Port Wakefield because all the other boys are in watching Nick shower. Amazing pink and purple sunset which Shippers says is due to the wheat harvest dust. Awesome! And now a full moon (which is not our barista). Only a few days left - and the riders are feeling it. An awesome achievement is nearly complete. Hey! The local volunteer firies here met us at the pub with a donation cheque and will lead us out tomorrow morning. We have met some very generous people, especially Jacqui in Darwin who donated her time to do some remedial massage on two of our (older) riders. There’s a lot of love out there.
Croc: The highlight of the day was finding the only hill on the Nullarbor Plain, the Eucla Pass. After that a lazy 40+ average on the third ride tickled my fancy.
Dick: we rode through Perth with a bunch of 40 WA firies – what great support. We turned eastwards and now we’re heading for home. Can’t believe the contrast between northern WA and the south. I have mixed emotions now as I look forward to getting home and seeing everyone, but realising the adventure is almost over. The Nullarbor is really flat – but no camels. Three days to go till we get to Colac and I feel amazingly good. Has anyone ever heard of Central Western Time? You take your clock 45 minutes forward from Perth Time. What’s that all about? Very happy!
JR: One day blurs into another and we are finally on the way home after 21 days on the road. Crossed the Nullarbor today with fantastic views of the Great Australian Bight and celebrated Shippers’ 50th birthday with coffee overlooking the ocean. We are all looking forward to getting home and getting some much needed sleep.
Beagz: I can’t believe what we have achieved as a team, riding around Australia raising awareness about prostate cancer. Two days to go; where has the time gone? Personally, I have seen so much and am still in awe over the ground we have covered, the different terrain, the night riding and, most importantly, the support we have given each other to finally achieve the goal. It has been easy because of the laughs we have had and I will have plenty of great memories. No regrets!
Blue team rider Simon Hohmann is well pleased with the support of number one sponsor HOSTPLUS on the ride.
The eagle has landed: The eagle will well and truly land for David Doherty at the MCG in Melbourne on Thursday the 25th of November.
Peter Leahy of the blue team sips on a Beraldo’s coffee during a break on day 22 in South Australia.
Mark Lyons (left) and Peter Leahy celebrate blue team crew member and friend, Stephen Shipperlee’s 50th birthday, on day 22.
Back on the Carlton Draught chain gang: The blue team’s choice of beer on the ride has been that of a sponsor’s product.
Blue team riders make their way through the landscape adjacent to the Great Australian Bight in South Australia.
Blue team captain David Doherty with his charges on the border of South and Western Australia.
David Doherty (left) and Nicholas Beagley of the blue team on climb of the Eyre Highway near the Nullabor Plain.
The blue team and their support crew on the cliff edges overlooking the Great Australian Bight.
Blue team crew member Stephen Shipperlee (centre) is presented with a gift for his 50th birthday on the edge of the Great Australian Bight.
Birthday boy Stephen Shipperlee (right) pours a Biraldo coffee for rider Richard ‘Dick’ Grant on day 22 of the ride.
Just how do you spell Shippers: A German back-packer goes to sign Stephen Shipperlee’s 50th birthday t-shirt near the border of Western and South Australia.