In Memory of
Laurence Charles Sams (SC, OAM)
Laurence was a wonderful presence, known for his kindness, generosity, and unwavering support. He touched the hearts of everyone who had the privilege of knowing him, and we are grateful for the love and friendship he shared with us. His spirit will continue to live on in the memories we hold dear.
As we remember Laurence, let us celebrate the joy he brought into our lives and the lasting legacy he leaves behind.
Thank you for being a part of Laurence's life and for keeping his spirit alive in our hearts.
This site is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend, Laurence Charles Sams.
10,000
The Long Ride Home
On the road
Written by Kelly Brennan for Australian Skydiver Magazine
Tribute to Bill Crowe 89.7 FM Community Radio Station Perth
The Long Ride Home team wishes to pay tribute and thanks to Perth community radio announcer Bill Crowe especially for his donations in support of The Long Ride Home’s epic rides carried out by Laurie “ Truck” Sams in raising awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that affects our veterans and first responders.
Radio Station 89.7FM
Radio Station 89.7FM and Bill Crowe proudly celebrate 20 year of service to the community of Perth in November 2021.
18th August 2021
Commendation for Brave Conduct
On behalf of The Long Ride Home Team I take this opportunity to congratulate Laurie “Truck” Sams SC, OAM for receiving a Commendation for Brave Conduct announced by the Governor General of Australia His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC, DSC (Retd) today.
August 2021 - Bravery List | Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
Truck received a Star of Courage in 2001 for protecting his parachute student when the main and reserve chutes failed to open on a tandem skydiving jump in 1995.
That incident cost him his left leg below the knee and a badly damaged right ankle.
Laurie went on to receive an Order of Australia medal from the then Governor General in 2019 for epic cycling rides such as the Hanoi to Sydney 10,000 km ride he had undertaken to raise awareness for veterans and first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
He himself suffers from PTSD from combat service with the Australian Special Air Service Regiment in South Vietnam in 1970/71.
Being Vietnam Memorial Day in Australia, today is a poignant day for his latest bravery award.
Laurie, or Truck to his many mates, continues cycling for victory over PTSD.
Congratulations Truck
From Bill Gray on behalf of
The Long Ride Home Team
Our Sponsors
Editors Note
Where do we even begin with our heartfelt gratitude to Google? A round of applause is in order for their remarkable ability to completely obliterate our video channel without so much as a whisper of explanation. Over 80 videos, countless comments, and a treasure trove of stats—poof! Gone into the digital ether, as if they were never there. It’s almost impressive how they managed to delete our content with such finesse, all while ignoring our requests for restoration. Clearly, our little channel was just too much for their algorithm to handle.
But let’s not forget the real reason behind their radio silence. After all, they must have been incredibly busy—too busy, in fact, to respond to our requests. Why bother with customer service when you can dedicate your resources to spying on users? It’s not like they have a history of unlawfully tracking people online or anything. Remember when they were caught tracking users even when they had turned off location services? Classic Google! Who needs privacy when you can have targeted ads and a company that knows your every move?
So, thank you, Google, for prioritizing your surveillance over our content. Your commitment to erasing our digital footprint while simultaneously collecting every bit of data on us is truly commendable. We’re just left wondering: if you can delete our channel without a second thought, what else are you erasing from our lives? Keep up the great work!
References:
2020 Fine: Google was fined $5 billion by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly violating user privacy through location tracking.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/google-settles-5-billion-consumer-privacy-lawsuit-2023-12-28/
2019 Fine: Google and YouTube were fined $170 million for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2019/09/google-youtube-will-pay-record-170-million-alleged-violations-childrens-privacy-law
2021 Fine: Google was fined $5 million by the state of Arizona for misleading users about its location tracking practices.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/10/05/google-arizona-lawsuit-settlment-85-million/8185226001/