rEports

Tony Gray President’s Report

Ihavespoken previously about the State Governments ‘Ride to Zero’ Road Safety Campaign in which members of the BMWMCQ have been heavily involved. The campaign’s intention is to reduce (ideally eliminate) the major cause of motorcycle rider fatalities on our roads - single vehicle accidents caused by rider error.

The program has followed a bottom up rather than top down approach involving the input of riders and their representatives. That is where the BMWMCQ has been invited as a responsible motorcycle club and I am very pleased to say that suggestions we have put forward are being pursued in their plans - rider training, education on road rules, messaging through advertising, rider mentoring programs, high exposure Policing. At the end of the day none of this will have an impact unless there is an attitudinal change for those who are 10 foot tall and bulletproof and to whom rules do not apply - yes we were all young once but it is not just the young who are adding to the accident statistics. We all have a part to play.

The ‘Ride to Zero’ program was unveiled to the media by the State Transport Minister, Mark Bailey, at a roadside gathering at Mt Coot-tha on Easter Monday. I was invited to represent the club with the request to bring my bike - clearly there is a greater impact with some props included. Unfortunately the Gray Ghost, our R1200GS, was still in a shipping container somewhere on her way back from NZ (another story). Her older sibling the R60/6 was pressed into service for the day and she turned out to be quite the media tart getting plenty of attention from the gathered media as well as the Minister. The occasion was well covered by all of the mainstream media which can only be a good thing.

Gary Bennett is compiling the list of suitable bikes for our Centenary Bike Display on 23 September. We have solid interest but there are still plenty of gaps so we want to hear from YOU. Please do not make your own call that your bike will not be suitable - let us decide. We would much rather have too many than too few applicants. If you will be around on the 23rd of September and will be able to bring your bike into Reddacliff Place in the Brisbane CBD then complete and submit an application form. Details are in the journal and on the club website. This centenary is a once in a lifetime opportunity so don’t defer and risk missing out. We will also be requiring plenty of helpers on the day so even if you don’t have a BMW for the display you can still be involved. This type of event is something that can bring the whole club together.

Jane and I have been very busy with family matters since returning from NZ but we did manage to get along to the coffee morning at Little Tree Bake & Brew House in Samford Village. There was an excellent turnout with new members Rich & Jackie and first event attendees George & Graham as well us the usual list of suspects. Everyone seemed to have a good time at a very good venue and that is what the Club is about - meeting like minded people in a pleasant environment and unwinding from the pressures of life. Well done to Ben our new Events person as he becomes familiar with this very important role on the Club Committee.

Tony