Sunrise comes for ride
Show to broadcast charity spin
SAM MAC from the Sunrise team will be coming to Queens Park tomorrow morning, to meet with members of Live to Ride Motorcycle tours.
Toowoomba resident Mick Jackson is the brain behind the to-be charity operation, which provides motorcycle rides for those with mental and physical difficulties.
Mr Jackson is in the process of forming a charity and will be celebrating finishing the paper work with the fun ride event at Queens Park on Wednesday.
“It’s true that it’s only a ride but it provides the opportunity and freedom to those who have been excluded in the past - it allows them to feel the thrill,” he said.
“For me personally, riding is like meditation. It’s an escape from all your problems.”
Mr Jackson had been a motorcycle enthusiast for years when an incident left him unable to ride.
Although the ‘emotional trauma was debilitating’, it put him on the road to creating the novel charity service.
“The incident gave me empathy,” he said.
“And after this we helped out the Make a Wish foundation with a charity ride.
“It was here we realised some people were excluded from riding due to their physical abilities.”
From here, Mr Jackson spent three years working with disability support providers to rewrite the rule book for motorcycle tours.
“I thought it wasn’t good enough,” Mr Jackson said.
“I created a new training program and also designed a new side car that is disability and special needs friendly.”
Mr Jackson said the motorcycle tours cater to people of all physical and mental abilities, with the service being the first of its kind in Australia.
Tomorrow morning, the team will be offering rides to people with disabilities, taking them for a lap around Queens Park to “put a smile on their faces.” The Sunrise team will be broadcasting the event live.
The event will run from 4.30am until 7.30am, with entertainment and breakfast options on offer.