HypoActive celebrates 20 years of Murray to Moyne fundraiser
Thank you, HypoActive
For two decades, the HypoActive peer support group has been donning lycra for the annual Murray to Moyne cycle relay, raising funds for Diabetes Camps Victoria.
In 2024 HypoActive will celebrate 20 consecutive years of participation in the relay. If the name (and fundraising event of choice) didn’t clue you in, HypoActive is a group of likeminded people living with type 1 diabetes who enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle.
John Stevens has been a member of the group since 2010 and has cycled in the event most years since.
'There is a good reason why we do what we do'
“HypoActive started off the back of another group called Reality Check, which was a support group for young adults living with type 1,” he explains.
“Monique Hanley was part of that group and saw the need for a group more focused on living an active lifestyle while managing type 1 diabetes – she herself was a professional cyclist.
“That first year we just got a bunch of people together for the Murray to Moyne because it looked like fun, no one had any idea what they were getting into.”
As it turns out, what they were getting into compared to an adventure camp for adults.
The team is usually made up of 12 cyclists, four drivers, and two support crew, with riders taking it in turns to cycle or rest on the team bus over 24 hours of relay time.
“It’s brilliant – for that weekend, you put up with all the things that go wrong and go right and just have a ball,” John says.
“You get more value out of it than the effort you put into it.
“Helping to keep the diabetes camps going is the reason we do it, we raise funds for kids’ camps.
“For us, Murray to Moyne is diabetes camp for grown-ups.”
John says the group never expected to reach the 20-year milestone when they signed up for the first time.
“It was a surprise to us when we realised it has been 20 years since Monique kicked off this mad crazy thing,” he says.
“I'm eternally grateful that she did – it’s great for mental health.
“At events like this you learn from each other and pick up hints from other people living with type 1.
“The sharing is the important part.”
If you are living with diabetes, caring for someone with the condition, or simply passionate about supporting the cause, everyone is welcome to be a part of the HypoActive team.
“Get onto the HypoActive Facebook page, that's where most of the activity happens these days,” John says.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re living with diabetes yourself or you have a family member with type 1, you don’t have to be
a cyclist.
“The same goes for joining the HypoActive peer support group – we welcome anyone who lives with type 1 who is keen to be more active.
“If you just want to walk around the block and move more, our monthly meetups are all about just catching up and doing something together and we have a chat and coffee at the end of it.”
HypoActive is an integral part of the Diabetes Victoria Peer Support Network.
“I didn’t meet another person with type 1 in my 50 odd years until I did the OzDAFNE course,” John says.
“It was through the course that I heard about HypoActive.
“I went to a HypoActive event and there were hundreds of us, people using pumps, injecting insulin, counting carbs and none of it was strange to any of us and that was a brilliant thing.
“Peer support groups are important because you’re not strange and there’s no judgement.”
HypoActive welcomes anyone living with type 1 diabetes who embraces an active lifestyle to be part of the community.
To express your interest in joining the HypoActive team for the Murray to Moyne, please reach out via email to liz.pecotic@hypoactive.org. Join in the fun and contribute to Diabetes Camps Victoria.
