Each year, I swap my real estate toolkit for a bike helmet and join fellow riders in Thailand to raise vital funds for Hands Across the Water, a charity that provides children with the safe homes, education, and opportunities they deserve.
I’d like to share this journey with you, along with the passion and purpose that drive me to continue riding and fundraising each year.
Why I fundraise for Hands Across the Water
Each year, I take part in a unique real estate initiative that brings people together to cycle across Thailand in support of Hands Across the Water. This Australian charity was founded in 2005 in response to the Boxing Day tsunami and continues to provide vital care for children in need. As Australians, we are fortunate to live in a country where education, healthcare, and the freedom to choose our careers are supported by strong government systems. It’s easy to take these opportunities for granted.
The children I ride and raise funds for don’t have that same safety net. Many have lost their families, and the level of government assistance available to them in Thailand is limited. Hands Across the Water creates safe homes, education pathways, and brighter futures for these children, helping them to thrive despite the challenges they face. Supporting this cause is my way of giving back and ensuring that more young people can access the opportunities they deserve.
Read more about the Hands Across the Water charity on their website.
How you can help me raise funds
Since 2020, I’ve been taking part in the annual ride to raise funds for Hands Across the Water, which supports seven children’s homes across Thailand. Each year, I join around 60 fellow riders from the real estate industry, and together we pedal hundreds of kilometres with one shared goal: to change lives. I’ve been incredibly grateful for the support of friends, family, and local residents who have rallied behind me through trivia nights, raffles, and generous individual donations.
What makes this journey so special is the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of your contributions. During each ride, we visit several homes, spend time with the children, and witness the facilities that have been built thanks to our fundraising efforts. Your donation doesn’t just go into a fund; it transforms into safe shelter, education, and brighter futures.
If you’d like to support my next ride, you can make a donation here:
www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/fundraisers/KateAshton
The difference we make to 350+ children
Hands Across the Water now supports over 350 children across Thailand, providing them with safe housing, healthcare, education, and pathways into adulthood. Some of the first children cared for after the Boxing Day tsunami are now young adults who have completed vocational training, pursued trades, or even graduated from university. This shows the powerful, long-term difference that consistent support makes.
The charity also invests in sustainable initiatives that equip young people with valuable skills while generating income to fund the homes. These include farming, fish and animal husbandry, clothing and merchandise production, and tourism ventures. By learning practical skills and gaining real-world experience, the children are better prepared for employment as adults. The ultimate goal is for the profits from these enterprises to cover the full cost of running the homes, ensuring more children can be supported into the future.
If you’d like to learn more, you can read more about Hands Across the Waters’ sustainable development goals on their website.
My prior connection to Thailand
At 16, I left my small hometown of Dunolly, with a population of 600, to become an exchange student in Bangkok. From a school of 350 students at CCC in Maryborough, I suddenly found myself at a school of 3,500 pupils. As the only exchange student, I had to quickly learn Thai to keep up.
It was 1990, long before today’s technology. I could only call home once a week, and no internet, and school life was far stricter than in country Victoria. Living in Bangkok opened my eyes to the broader world and to the daily realities of poverty and community.
Thirty years later, I returned to Thailand through Hands Across the Water and the Digital Live Bike Ride. The language came back automatically, not perfect, however, nice to use rather than always English. Positive changes were evident, even in remote and low socio economic villages, technology and connectivity being now available to Thai peoplechanges outcomes of future plans.
Funds raised by the many riders in the real estate community have included creating digital learning centres and education programs, giving children in remote villages access to opportunities that were unimaginable during my 1980s student exchange.
Having now participated in multiple fundraising cycling journeys, where we visit children’s homes en route, I’ve seen firsthand children growing up and thriving. Hands Across the Water doesn’t just support orphans, but children who can’t live with their families for many reasons. The aim is always reunification, but in the meantime, the charity provides safe homes, healthcare, education, and most importantly, love. The essentials every child deserves.
I feel privileged to be part of this mission, supported by friends, family, and two communities, residents from the Maryborough Goldfields and peers from the real estate industry. Together, we are helping these children not only to survive, but to live lives of their own choice.
If you’d like to support my next ride, you can make a donation here:
www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/fundraisers/KateAshton
