David Andretzke 3/2/1958 – 25/3/2007

The first time I met David he was hauling his mountain bike into the offices of the Bible Society of Western Australia. It was just a few days before we cycled off across Australia on our way to Sydney to arrive in time for the 2000 Olympic Games.

Having crossed Australia by bicycle several times before I was quite concerned at the thought that one of our team would be doing the trip on such a heavy machine. Most of us had thin tyred road bikes. There was only one other mountain bike on the journey and I knew that those on mountain bikes would have to work much harder than the rest of us.

I needn’t have been concerned. David Andretzke was an absolute powerhouse. He was an incredibly strong cyclist and a wonderful person. I think I only saw him looking exhausted from riding once. Mind you, he did learn his lesson. He arrived for our 2003 Bike for Bibles ride from Perth to Hobart with a shiny new road bike.

I got the very sad news last night that David was killed while cycling on Sunday morning. He was out early on a training ride before church. I’m told he was out on his mountain bike when a delivery truck hit him from behind in the Barossa Valley about 6:30 a.m.

The collision happened on the Kapunda to Truro Road, 8km east of Kapunda, as both David and the truck were travelling west towards Kapunda.

David was a single guy who had 3 sisters and a brother. He was part of Gnadenberg Lutheran Church, Moculta. He was a farmer who loved a range of outdoor pursuits.

On the two trips across Australia, we had the privilege of hearing David play the piano for us a few times. He was accomplished on the piano and organ.

One of the main hallmarks of David’s life was his deep love of God. It just poured out of him. He loved God and loved being with God’s people.

When asked to say why he was embarking on the 2003 ride from Perth to Hobart, David wrote that he wanted to come out of his shell a little more, to create friendships and to touch other peoples lives. He certainly did that and more.

David will certainly be missed by all who knew him.

 



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About the author

Rodney Olsen

Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.

He has worked in radio at Perth's media ministry Sonshine for over 25 years and has previously worked at ministries such as Compassion Australia and Bible Society.

The views he expresses here are his own.

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