The big morning

It’s 06:45 on Monday 22nd January 2007 and the phone has rung seven times this morning. In ten minutes I give my first interview, and it doesn’t look like there’s going to be time to go to the toilet then until half nine.

Next door the team are spread out on mattresses like a parade of homeless, and I wonder if their dreams are permeated with mock-up phone calls, because surely they can hear the ring tone through the wall, again and again and again. We’re all very sleepy, it’s time to wake up.

Coffee, Cereal. Kate takes two calls when she’s pouring her milk. In six hours, if all goes to plan, BoardFree Australia reaches its climax. How do I feel? I don’t know how to feel – excitement, sadness. I feel kind of empty and unsure – how did we get to Brisbane so quickly? The joy of it all is slightly tempered by our fundraising total. Perhaps $120,000 was a big ask, but with the attention the journey has received I don’t think it’s been unrealistic. We currently rest just over $40,000 - although the finishing line approaches there’s still an awful lot of work to be done.