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Friday, 1 July 2005

A University of Adelaide Senior Lecturer in Law will soon swap his students and lectures for a pushbike and a ride of 3100km through the Northern Territory and South Australia - but all for a good cause.

Mr John Gava will begin his ride from Darwin to Adelaide tomorrow (Saturday) in an initiative known as "Bike for Books" to raise money for the University of Adelaide's Law Library.

He hopes to complete 100km per day, and will pass through such locations as Katherine (estimated day of arrival July 5), Tennant Creek (July 12), Alice Springs (July 17), Coober Pedy (July 25) and Port Augusta (July 31) before arriving in Adelaide on August 3.

"I love books, and believe they are crucial in helping equip students with a wider understanding of our world and the capacity to respond constructively to change," Mr Gava says.

"There are some very important legal issues which impact on all of us at the moment, such as human rights, the environment, and globalisation, and we need our legal graduates to be at the cutting edge of these fields.

"The Law Library at the University of Adelaide is essentially a research laboratory for our future lawyers: it needs an up-to-date and relevant research collection which will help give them the skills and knowledge needed to tackle these big issues."

Mr Gava is no stranger to long-distance cycling, having already completed a trip from Perth to Sydney among many other such journeys.

"I love getting out of the city and I think riding a bike is a great way to see Australia," he says. "You experience so much more than you would cocooned in a car - you get to hear and smell the country, as well as see it."

Donations from the public for "Bike for Books" are most welcome, and can be made either to Mr Gava directly during his journey, or to the University of Adelaide's Development and Alumni Office on (08) 8303 5800.