We have now completed 7 weeks of our campaign and there is a lot to celebrate. Participation and support for the campaign have been wonderful, surpassing what we had initially hoped for. At the end of last week we reached our initial goal of 14,886 kms, the distance from Canberra to Havana, and we also exceeded $20,000 in donations to be used for medical supplies in Cuba.
Last week, some of our campaign participants in Canberra rode to Parliament House and met with representatives from the Parliamentary Friends of Cuba group. You can see more on our blog site here. The range of activities has also been growing; in addition to walking, riding, dancing, swimming and mowing, some participants have been canoeing and windsurfing! Campaign supporters in Cuba have also been rock climbing and riding, with some cyclists linking up with us through the Strava Club of Australia to Cuba with Love. We have received lots of messages of thanks and supports from Cubans including workers at ICAP, musicians and entertainers. And it is great to see our logo showing up in some interesting places.
Photos are being shared by participants both here in Australia and Cuba, through social media. Lachlan has put together this collection to celebrate these last few weeks. Please keep your photos coming in. There have also been radio interviews on Melbourne’s 3CR and Brisbane’s 4ZZZ which have helped raise awareness about the ongoing brutal effects of the US government’s ongoing economic blockade.
What next
Later this week we will be sending out details of some group activities and we hope you will be able to join us for some/all of these. There is also another radio interview planned for early March with independent journalist Nance Haxton for her podcast Streets of Your Town.
Reminders
Please continue to share any photos and stories of your journey on your Dashboard blog space on the campaign website or our ACFS Facebook page, or share them to any social media you use, with the hashtag #UnblockCuba or #Aus2CubaWithLove and please spread the word about the campaign. New participants are welcome.
We have a few t-shirts and a couple of riding jerseys left if you know anyone who wants to purchase one T-shirts are $20 and riding jerseys are $70.
Yours in solidarity
Sue
Sue Monk
Australia–Cuba Friendship Society (Brisbane)