Before I start what I’d like to say if you can please share this post to not only create awareness but also get these images out to the people that participated in the ride as most would never even know I was there nor would they know that they can freely get access to these photos.!
Last weekend I covered the wall-to-wall motorcycle ride, this ride is a memorial ride the police that have been killed in duty.
It’s an interesting ride as it starts many months before we each of the police Commissioners and over a wooden bat and tour rider for them to deliver it to the ceremony that is held at the police Memorial here in Canberra. Within each of these patterns is a scroll, this scroll holds the names of the officers that have been killed since the last memorial and it was nice to hear that none of these patterns contained any names.
The riders converge at our showground in the northern part of Canberra with a form up and create a massive convoy of bikes that is led by contingency of VIPs with their final destination at the police Memorial.
As part of the New South Wales contingency managed to strike a deal with Austin Martin and McLaren were they got to use one of their cars as a promotional vehicle with no cost to the police except for the registration and fuel costs associated with the vehicles being in the ride.
As a motorcycle rider I also took the opportunity to write from here to Goldman to meet up with the New South Wales and ACT contingency and wow, what a group of people and what a collection of bikes.
I think by the end of it there were over 2000 motorcycles registered which is a great turnout and I must say a very impressive convoy to ride in. Anyone that has written in a group of bikes before should really put this on the list of things to do next year as it is fantastic and for a great cause.
At the memorial they held a brief service that lasted around 40 minutes with tributes to the fallen and the laying of the batons. It was an interesting collection of people I must say, to seem bikie is talking freely with the police Commissioners from around Australia was something of a clash in everything that I see and hear through the media, and it was great to hear their stories of mateship and how they can work together.
watching some of these people places batons and looking into their eyes you can see the pain never fades, the loss of a loved one at any time is devastating that loan one that is taken for doing their job. A perfect example of this is a family that was there with their generations to remember their lost love one.
As the memorial finished and people when about their way a lot took the opportunity to have a look over the names on the wall of remembrance and if you are in town to take some time to go have a look as it is a solemn wall just as the wall of remembrance at the Australian War Memorial is.
If you want have a look at the photos you’ll find them by clicking on the events menu on the left-hand side of this page where you can freely download and keep a copy of any of the images for your personal use and give these away freely as a sign of respect on my way, be it small of giving something back to the people that sacrificed everything for our safety.