On the 24th March 2013 My Gungahlin took the challenge to skydive as part of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Jump To Cure Diabetes.
After first hearing about the challenge on the radio Mark from My Gungahlin decided to sign up and help raise funds for JDRF.
This was certainly a challenge for Mark as he has admitted publicly to not being a thrill seeker or adrenalin junkie. Also hating needles, Mark was hopeful that further research would mean kids in the future would no longer have to use needles to control their insulin levels.
Through the generous donations of individuals, businesses, family and friends My Gungahlin raised the required minimum $1,000 to participate in the skydive and went on to raise $2,495. My Gungahlin came third on the ACT leader board for their fundraising efforts.
General Area Manager for Telstra Countrywide Chris Taylor donated a signed Canberra Raiders jersey for the fundraising efforts. Each person that donated prior to the 24th March 2013 went into the draw. At 1pm on Sunday 24th March at the Telstra Shop Gungahlin Chris drew out “Sue” of the hat. When informed of the win Sue was pleasantly surprised to win the prize.
Michelle from Another Happy Customer – Creative Photography for Cool People kindly donated her time to photograph the event for us. The photos Michelle provided are absolutely fantastic, you can see them below.
The team from Giraffe VCM donated $50 initially to the cause. They also set out a challenge for My Gungahlin to get them 250 LIKES on their Facebook page and have people write “I love My Gungahlin” on their Facebook wall. Unfortunately we fell short of the extra 250 LIKES but they still donated the $250!
“Awesome”, “unbelievable” were just some of the words Mark used to describe the skydive. The team from Skydive Canberra were great on the day and very reassuring. When we were leaving the airport we were farewelled and invited to “drop into” the Mint to say hi and have an egg and bacon roll (provided by the Canberra 100 team).
The flight to the 12,000 feet above sea level took about 30 mins, this was a great opportunity to take in the view on a crystal clear morning above Canberra. The flight went across Gungahlin to give a great view of our region. Once above the landing zone Mark thanked the pilot for the lift and advised him they would be “hopping off now”. Once the door was opened the point of no return was to step outside and prepare to jump! Standing there on the edge with the air rushing past was certainly a moment! Next thing there was the sensation of falling and quickly! Free falling for 30 seconds and reaching speeds of up to 200km/h was exhilarating. The canopy was deployed slowing down the descent which was quite sudden but then allowed for an opportunity to take in the views of Canberra. Flying in above friends and family waiting at the oval Mark gave lots of waves and yelling out “Look at me mum, I can fly!”. The smooth landing on the oval was right on the target for a perfect landing and skydive. It was great to see so many of our friends and family there to support Mark.
Thank you to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Skydive Canberra for the opportunity.
Thank you to the following businesses for their donations:
- Callanetics Canberra
- Diana Burns Solicitors
- Ready Steady Go Kids Canberra
- TGF Online Store
- Crafted3
- Beauty On Hoskins
- Smile Photography
- 3D Entertainment
- The Marketplace
- Everclear Productions
- Michelle @ Another Happy Customer
- Pupcake Bakery
- GRCS
- Eroscape Pty Ltd
- Giraffe.com.au
Thank you to the following individuals for their donations:
- Lisa Smith
- Sharon Button
- Sue
- Sarah E
- Lisa Murphy
- Mat
- Evans Family
- Jonathan Martens
- The Stevens Family
- Karen, Greg & Owen
- Jo & Joe
- Angelique & Chris Matthews
- Ghatti
- Chris Taylor
- Di Taylor
- The Rose Family
- Bobby Jadric
- Jase & Charlene
- Justine Calvert
- The Chambers Family
- Mr Flibby
- Lisa, Michael & Isaac
- Amelia G
- Jess, Josh & Sam
- Dan & Meg
Loading ...
