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Shayne takes on ‘a thrill a day’ adventure

Shayne Fraser was one of five people to receive a Guide Dogs 60th anniversary adventure travel bursary. Although coronavirus may have pushed back his plans, he is waiting in anticipation to reschedule his adventure.

“When I found out the news, the first thing I wanted to do was tell my wife Nerida. I decided to roll down the hallway and tell her I was practicing getting into a zorb ball,” Shayne said.

Shayne’s bursary experience will take him to New Zealand for a ‘thrill a day’ adventure including zorbing – an activity which involves a person climbing inside a giant inflatable ball and rolling down a hill.

This opportunity is only thanks to incredible community support, giving Shayne and the other four bursary winners the chance to live out their dreams and do something they never thought they would.

At 30 years old Shayne was diagnosed with Retinal Cone Dystrophy, which means that he can now only see shapes, shadows and contrast patterns in black and white.

“I want to show that as a blind person, while there may be certain limitations, there are also many things that you can do without being limited by your vision loss.”

Thanks to the support of people like you, Shayne has the chance to empower others living with vision loss.

Alongside zorbing, Shayne and Nerida will be visiting the snow, doing a 4km zip-line through the trees, white water rafting down a waterfall and jet boat racing in a lake within a metre of a cliff-face.

He did ask his guide dog ‘Ernie’ if he wanted to join them on their adventure but joked that Ernie was otherwise engaged.

“I asked Ernie if he wanted to come but he said that he’s getting his hair and nails done that day. He’s always busy,” Shayne laughed.

An uncertain start to the year has meant that Shayne and Nerida’s plans have been put on hold for now, but they hope to embark on their adventure in 2021.