Who We Are
Pedal Sri Lanka Charity Ride was initiated by Kieran Michael, a physiotherapist at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Having lived and worked in Sri Lanka in 2016, Kieran had a deeply positive experience and wanted to give back to the community.
During a visit to Sri Lanka with his family—his father, Wesley, was born in Colombo, and they visit regularly—they toured Lady Ridgeway Hospital. While there, they were invited to observe the operating theatre and witnessed a shortage of medical resources and growing surgical waitlists, particularly for children.
Determined to make a difference, Kieran solidified his vision for supporting Sri Lanka last year. With the input of his parents, Wesley and Christine, as well as his brothers, Aidan and Luke, he developed the idea of a charity ride. His family not only helped organise the event but also joined him on the ride.
Experiential Journeys, a specialist eco-tourism destination manager based in Sri Lanka, played a crucial role in transforming Kieran’s idea into a viable tour plan. They helped design a route that covered 1,350 kilometres, circumnavigating Sri Lanka by bicycle. The charity ride took place in 2024, bringing together a dedicated group of cyclists for a meaningful cause.
To ensure the funds raised had the greatest impact, Kieran and his family chose AUSLMAT (Australia Sri Lanka Medical Aid Team) as their charity partner. With extensive experience in delivering medical equipment and supplies to Sri Lanka, including to Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital in Colombo, AUSLMAT was the ideal organisation to help direct support where it was needed most.
What started as a solo plan soon grew when Kieran shared the idea with family and friends. Ultimately, 27 participants—including several nurses from Monash Health—joined the journey.
'Initially, I thought it was going to be something that I would just do myself and have my family come with a van for support, but to share it with family and friends has been unbelievable,” - Kieran
The goal of this 21-day charity ride was to raise a fund of AU$ 30,000 for Lady Ridgeway Hospital in Colombo, but the Pedal Sri Lanka Team raised around AU$ 63,000 - more than double their initial goal.