René Heyde left his 14th school in Year 12 after a teacher told him he was “useless”.
He wasn’t. He was a kid surviving a traumatic childhood, just trying to find his way.
A few years later, after a chance ride through the streets of Christchurch, René was wearing a New Zealand jersey at the 1974 Commonwealth Games - and bringing home a bronze medal. At the closing ceremony, he and a team-mate even stopped the Queen’s Land Rover in its tracks.
Fifty years on, at 70, René cycled nearly 4,000 kilometres across Australia to raise money for Cholmondeley Children’s Centre - the place that helped him through his toughest years.
René’s story is a reminder that no matter where you start, it’s never too late to grab life by the handlebars and ride it for all it’s worth.
Kiwi Yarns