The ride from Ipswich to Sydney ended with a ride through the streets of Sydney accompanied by a police escort.

It was a dream come true for Miss Newsome who had always dreamt of such a ride since losing her mother Mikhela to a drug overdose as a young girl.

She travelled through rain, snow, sleet and sunshine to make it to her final destination in Sydney but said the highlight for her was her ride through Glen Innes.

“We began in Ipswich and it took two weeks to get to Glen Innes,” she said.

“Riding down the main street was the proudest moment for me.”

A year of constant fundraising was needed to make the 22 year old’s dream a reality. It all seemed worthwhile when she was able to achieve her goal of educating students on the impact of illegal drugs at 32 schools along the way.

“The main goal was to deliver the message aimed at making students more aware.

The first school we visited was Ipswich Adventist School that had 160 students and the last one was King’s Boarding School in Parramatta where I spoke to 900 students; it was the biggest by far,” she said.

“I didn’t realise what I had achieved until I made it to that last school and that was when I became emotional.”

Ms Newsome reflected on the ride and said that she was exceptionally happy with the response she received from the students at the schools she had visited.

“The kids were in awe and inspired by the fact that we were young people like them.

To see Ace (Holliss) who is only 14 on the ride with me really made them realise it is relevant,” she said.

“I found a lot of kids in tears by the end and encountered a lot who are dealing with drug problems at home.”

In addition to spreading the drug awareness message the What About Life ride provided the opportunity for schools and communities along the way to donate to the Ted Noffs Foundation with a total of around $10,000 raised.

The ride was such a success at the schools that Ms Newsome has been approached by numerous schools to continue the program.

She intends on spending the next two years continuing to visit more schools around Australia and share the message and is hopeful of receiving a government grant to do so.

Adults will also have the chance to hear the presentation with a What About Life program to be held at the Glen Innes Services Club on September 17 at 7pm.

Ms Newsome stressed that the ride would not have been possible without the support of the Glen Innes community and was extremely grateful for the contributions made.