{"id":886882,"date":"2026-09-10T12:24:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/886882\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T12:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:24:13","slug":"81-year-old-rides-in-husbands-memory-to-fight-dementia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/886882\/","title":{"rendered":"81-year-old rides in husband\u2019s memory to fight dementia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Janice Fitzpatrick <\/p>\n

An 81-year-old cyclist will tackle a challenging 40km ride around Canberra\u2019s Lake Burley Griffin to raise funds for dementia research in memory of her husband.<\/p>\n

Illawarra grandmother Janice Fitzpatrick will set out from Acton Peninsula at 9am on Friday 18 September, completing a lap of the lake that includes the steep climb to the National Arboretum.<\/p>\n

Janice hopes to raise $15,000 for the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at UNSW Sydney through her Ride Out Dementia fundraiser.<\/p>\n

The ride holds deep personal meaning for Janice, whose husband Bernie died with dementia in September 2024.<\/p>\n

The pair met as trainee teachers at Wagga Wagga Teachers College in 1964 and spent 60 years together, raising seven children. In retirement, cycling became one of their shared passions, with the couple completing long-distance fundraising rides on individual bikes and a tandem.<\/p>\n

\u201cBernie and I had been a team for 60 years,\u201d Janice said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCycling was one of the things we loved and something Bernie continued until just 11 months before he passed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to take something that meant so much to us and use it to help research that could make a difference for other families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janice will be joined by her son, who is travelling from Ballarat, and a grandson driving from Melbourne. A Canberra cyclist has volunteered to guide them around the lake, while friends and supporters will gather at the start and finish.<\/p>\n

ACT cycling organisation Pedal Power has also provided guidance as Janice prepares for the event.<\/p>\n

Support for the fundraiser has exceeded Janice\u2019s expectations. After donations approached her original $8,000 target well before the ride, she increased the goal to $15,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be the one riding the bike, but there are so many people helping me get around that lake,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Bernie, an English and history teacher, was diagnosed with dementia in May 2018. Janice said it was heartbreaking to watch the disease gradually take away abilities central to his identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a grammar guru and an almost perfect speller,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs those abilities disappeared, he knew it was happening. This was the disease\u2014it wasn\u2019t Bernie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since his death, Janice has continued supporting the Corrimal Dementia Carers Group and initiatives including the Illawarra Shoalhaven Dementia Public Forum.<\/p>\n

She has also remained firmly in the saddle, riding about 22km every Friday with a group of fellow senior cyclists\u2014and she will complete the Canberra challenge on a road bike, not an e-bike.<\/p>\n

The fundraiser was inspired by CHeBA co-director Professor Henry Brodaty\u2019s recognition as the 2026 Senior Australian of the Year.<\/p>\n

Professor Brodaty described Janice\u2019s determination and generosity as remarkable.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 81, to turn something they loved doing together into an opportunity to help others is remarkable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery person who donates, turns up or simply shares her story is helping demonstrate just how strongly Australians want to see a future where dementia can be prevented and effectively treated.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Janice, crossing the finish line will represent far more than completing a lap of the lake\u2014it will be another ride with Bernie in mind and a step towards helping other families affected by dementia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Janice Fitzpatrick An 81-year-old cyclist will tackle a challenging 40km ride around Canberra\u2019s Lake Burley Griffin to raise…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":886883,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,63,456300,784,344083,3321,137,7060,456301],"class_list":["post-886882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-centre-for-healthy-brain-ageing","tag-cycling","tag-dementia-research","tag-fundraising","tag-health","tag-healthy-ageing","tag-janice-fitzpatrick"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=886882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/886883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=886882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=886882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=886882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}