PILOT STUDY FUNDED BY RAAF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER
Flight Lieutenant Aaron Doherty is a man on a mission. The Amberley based air traffic control officer recently completed a 1,000 kilometre bike ride from Amberley to Sydney for mental illness research.
The ride, which raised over $7,000 for Australian Rotary Health, took Aaron 8 days to complete. He requested the money support a pilot research study into the causes of depression in adolescents. The research is being conducted by Dr Naomi Wray from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.
Aaron‘s brother has bi-polar disorder, a condition more widely known as manic depression. “Mental illness needs more money for research” Aaron said. “My ride from Amberley to Sydney, with all the aches, pains and testing conditions, was nothing compared to the daily struggle of people living with depression. I am so happy I could contribute this money to Dr Wray’s important research”.