The grand old bush charity Royal Far West (RFW) — whose volunteers are traditionally seen around Christmas-time selling tickets for their famous yuletide raffle — is coming to the Central Tablelands next year.

Local riders and supporters are being asked to get behind their May 2026 'Ride for Country Kids' passing through Molong, Manildra, and Eugowra, on their three-day fundraising bike-ride.

Originally established in the 1920s to provide isolated youngsters with a chance to have a holiday by the sea at their iconic Manly beachside base, they now do so much more.

For the last financial year, RFW supported 453 children, 302 parents and carers, and 496 educators, across 29 primary schools and five early childhood centres — delivering services including speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology and social work, CEO Jacqui Emery explained.

Central Tablelands’ inclusion in this year’s ride, she revealed, is aimed at recognising towns where RFW has strong partnerships and a long history of supporting children and families.

“Children in rural areas are twice as likely to be developmentally vulnerable,” Ms Emery disclosed. “By riding through these communities, we're not only raising funds, we're raising awareness of the urgent need for early support,” she added.

Natural disasters like floods also pose a serious risk to children’s mental health and wellbeing, compounding existing challenges another reason for this tour towns.

“Following the devastating Central West floods in 2022, RFW continues to deliver targeted psycho-social support to children, families, and educators in Forbes, Eugowra, and Molong,” the group said.

These comprehensive supports help communities recover and build long-term resilience through locally-informed and culturally-appropriate care.

“The ride will be a celebration of what’s possible when communities come together,” Ms Emery said. “We’ll go beyond for country kids, making sure that distance never gets in the way of receiving the support they need to thrive,” she concluded.

Now in its 12th year, the ride has raised more than $4.5 million to support country children with developmental, behavioural, and mental health needs.

The 2026 Ride for Country Kids 2026, will take place from May 17–20 and aims to raise $500,000 to fund vital developmental and mental health services for country children and their families.

Local riders are particularly encouraged to sign up and show their support for the group, a spokesperson said.

“This year was our 100th year of operation, so we had 100 riders, we’re hoping for about 75 for next year; we’ve got about 25 entrants signed up so far,” the spokesperson said.

“We’d love to see some local riders, because of the support we’ve had from the region over the years,” they added.

The uniquely Australian not-for-profit was set up by the Reverend Stanley Drummond to offer country kids a break from their often harsh life in the bush, to have a once-in-a-lifetime vacation by the wide blue Pacific Ocean at the group’s Royal Far West Lodge on Sydney’s northern beaches.

“We now also do work in Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria with a range of counselling and other support services,” the spokesperson said.

“The holidays still happen, though, with 10–20 country kids every week coming down to stay,” they concluded.

For next year’s ride, RFW invites cyclists of all levels to join in. Register or learn more at the Ride For Country Kids website.