Tired but elated at the finish line, the Energy Breakthrough team from left: Chase Campbell, Baxter Donnellon, Judd Geddes, Jesse Lydom, Lyric Davis, Hugo Funcke, Jack Reilly, Oakley Brennan and Luca Rice. Missing from photo, Charlie Burke.
Donald family and friends line the course. From left: Sandra Harris (obscured), Marsha Funcke, Leigh Funcke, Kathy Campbell, Emma Burke, Eliza Rotherham and Mel Rotherham.
Hugo Funcke gives the A-OK on the weekend.
Jesse Lydom and Chase Campbell.
Chase Campbell and Lyric Davis were on hand to support a hasty change of driver.
Chase Campbell and Lyric Davis were on hand to support a hasty change of driver.
More thumbs up, this time from Chase Campbell, in the shelter with Luca Rice (left) and Charlie Burke.
Trike #66, “It’s a GOODE Thing!”.
The Energy Breakthrough races through the streets of Maryborough.
A little wet and worse for wear: the tired but happy team at close of the EBT. From left: Judd Geddes, Luca Rice, Jesse Lydom, Baxter Donnellon, Hugo Funcke, Oakley Brennan, Jack Reilly, Charlie Burke, Lyric Davis, Chase Campbell and team manager, Karen Medlyn.
“Many Hands . . . and Feet”
Meet the members of Donald High School’s team who competed in this year’s Energy Breakthrough competition in Maryborough.
It was there that they peddled their sparkling new vehicle, named after a much-loved teacher, the late Tony Goode.
As reported elsewhere in today’s “Buloke Times”, they did the school proud with their performance in the testing endurance event against many other schools.
(From Karen Medlyn, Donald High School) That’s a wrap! The 2024 Donald High School Energy Breakthrough Team and “It’s a Goode Thing!”, completed an impressive 485 laps, covering a total distance of 766.3 kilometres.
The 24-hour endurance has students pedalling over a specific circuit, through the streets of Maryborough.The debut of the new trike was thrilling and the team worked fiercely to maintain an average lap time in the 2-minute range, achieving an average of 2.58 minutes per lap — an extraordinary effort.
Results That Make Us Proud
Out of the 91 teams that entered the competition, Donald High School secured an overall 20th place—a remarkable achievement in itself.
However, the real triumph was in the Open category, where the team placed 6th out of 27 teams! Here's how the top teams performed, along with their school profiles:
- Berwick College – 614 laps, 970.12 km (1,500 students).
- Pembroke School (SA) – 608 laps, 960.64 km (1,700 students, Early Learning Centre – 12, including 125 boarders).
- Caulfield Grammar School (#61) – 589 laps, 930.62 km (3,570 students across three campuses).
- Caulfield Grammar School (#60) – 536 laps, 846.88 km.
- Kingswood College (Box Hill) – 498 laps, 786.84 km (581 students, ELC–Year 12).
- Donald High School (#66) – 485 laps, 766.3 km (100 students).
Despite being a small school compared to some of these giants, Donald High School has shown that size does not limit success.
A Team Effort to Celebrate
This incredible result wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of the Donald community, Donald High School the Buloke Shire, our sponsors, parents, and, most importantly, our young riders and future leaders.
The elation was palpable as Judd Geddes completed the final laps, marking the end of the event. Despite the exhaustion and lack of sleep, the team is already looking ahead to 2025 with a renewed sense of determination.
Thank you to the parents and supporters for your loud cheers, words of encouragement, bags of ice, Zooper Doopers, and pats on the back. Your support made all the difference and helped us conquer the challenge. We did it!
Congratulations to the entire team on this fantastic achievement! Your hard work has put Donald High School on the map in this competition. Here's to even greater success in the future!
