By Michael Doran
Ian Burrows, the 2019 Ambassador for the Eastern 80, was born at Lilydale and grew up in Launching Place, although he spent a large amount of his pre-teen years at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
“I am very proud to be the face of the ride,” he said. “It has been a phenomenal effort by Norm to get this off the ground and to raise so much money for such a wonderful cause, a cause that is very close to home for me.”
“I don’t remember a lot from the very early days of being in the hospital but the overriding memory I do have is of a lot of really caring people. I am very grateful for the care I got from all the staff and being treated by some of the best doctors in the world has made a huge difference to my life.
“My family and Norm’s have been friends for ages and I have done the ride a few times already. There are so many people who go out of their way to make this ride a success and to be the Ride Ambassador is something I am really happy to do.”
After facing many health challenges in his early years, Ian has carved out a life where health and fitness play a big part. He is an AFL Boundary Umpire who has officiated in 274 AFL matches, including seven Grand Finals, commencing his career with the Yarra Valley Umpires Association in 2001.
“Like Norm, I want to get more than 100 riders there so I’ve drafted some of my umpire mates to join in.”
