Ballarat lineys back on the postie bikes to support the Shorter family

Ballarat Powercor lineworker Tyler Dittloff has packed his postie bike and set off on a trip of a lifetime across the country – for a second time – once again raising funds for Ballarat’s Shorter family who have three children battling a rare muscular disease.

Tyler joined fellow Ballarat lineworker Chris Donnelly for the ride, which will take them more than 4000km to Perth, starting with the Great Ocean Road, hugging the coast all the way and stopping in places like Robe and Esperance.

Their trip started on Sunday and Tyler and Chris dropped by Powercor crews in Ballarat working on the power upgrade for the Ballarat Base Hospital, with local crews on hand to bid farewell to their workmates and support the cause.

This is the second trip for Tyler, who joined colleagues in 2021 for a trip up the east coast of Australia on postie bikes, again raising money for the Shorter family.

The ride is to fundraise for the Shorter Brother’s Foundation, set up to support the family of Max, William and Hudson Shorter, who are all battling a progressive neuromuscular disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

The boys’ father, Leigh Shorter, is also a Powercor employee and his brother Dale was too, before he tragically passed away from bowel cancer in 2007 at 25 years old. Powercor’s annual award for most outstanding apprentice lineworker has since become known as the Dale Shorter Memorial Award.

“The first trip was so much fun and we got to see so much of Australia in a different way,” Tyler said.

“Raising funds for Leigh, Belinda and the boys really gives us the momentum to keep going, despite the sore bums and other challenges we have along the way.”

“Leigh and Belinda are the nicest people and would do anything for you, so this is a way to give back to them.”

“The money donated to Shorter Brothers essentially goes towards the family’s ongoing financial costs that come with the boys’ increasing needs as they age and as their muscles gradually deteriorate.”

“We’ll keep count of all the donations received since the announcement of this second trip we’re aiming to beat our last trip’s total of around $13,000.”

You can follow the trip’s progress at their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PostUpTheCoast

You can donate to Shorter Brothers Foundation here (mycause.com.au).