Ride for Daniel

[1050Pome]

3 1/2 years ago a young boy was abducted from a bus stop on his way home from School. Daniel Morecambe. For the last 3 years there has been a ride organised around the Sunshine Coast to keep alive the search and to help other victims of child abuse. I went this year with my 9 year old son as a pillion. It was a huge turnout, 5,000 bikes meeting at a carpark close to where Daniel was last seen. The ride was 110 kilometers ending at the Etimogah Pub on the Bruce Highway. the final stage of the ride was 22 kilometers along the Bruce to the pub. The convoy stretched the full 22 kilometers with Police ensuring it was an unbroken chain by putting roadblocks at junctions and traffic lights. Daniels Mum rode pillion on the lead bike and his dad made a little speech prior to departure. There was a countdown to every bike starting their engines at the same moment. Made the ground shake and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A couple of bikes on the run:

He gets his good looks from Dad :wink:
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A nice Triple
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MAD :-D
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I rode with the local RAT group, there was a really good turnout of Triumphs. Probably 2nd to Hardly Davidson. Raised over $50,000 which has gotta be good.

[sanscrainte]

nothing beats a ride for charity or for a good cause

[welshrob]

:gpst:

A lot of my local ulysses club went to it. Sorry I couldn`t make it due to work commitments. A most worthwhile cause for a ride, as I`m sure any parent would agree.

[mlc]

gidday 1050
yeah i was there as well. i thought it was mostly about the ride until Bruce and his wife spoke.

as we all turned out on to the connection rd, with the people on the side of the road waving it dawned on me that the whole community have been traumatised by this ordeal. granted no where to the extent of the morcombes, but as we rode further on towards coolum, the faces of a great deal of people who watched on, clapping and cheering on the sides of the road are what will stay with me for awhile.

i saw one old bloke who was actually punching the air, his face contorted close to tears it looked like - it seemed like defiance in the face of what has been a sh1t 3.5 years all round. Your right - it made the hairs on the back of ya neck stand up.

i think the organisers are saying that over 7000 bikes made the trip. only downside was someone dumped their bike on the road before the turn onto the highway. besides that there were some great bikes, Nortons, Guzzis, a great old Ducati 250 single, the trumpies of course and too my surprise some great looking Harleys.

one definite date for the calender next year - hopefully by that stage there will have been closure for the morcombes and the region.

[1050Pome]

couldn't agree more mlc. It was the people lining the route that made it for me, the none acceptance of not knowing what has happened. A definate date for the diary.