In the quest to make a difference in the lives of sick children, six bikers from Newcastle embarked on an extraordinary journey over the past weekend, traversing over 2000km on their motorcycles in support of an event that attracted thousands of like-minded bikers.
Quentin Ferreria, Robin Reineke, Freddy Stoltz, Marius Pretorius, Charles du Preez and Ewald Visser from The Newcastle Adventure Bikers initiated their journey on Thursday, 22 February 2024, heading towards Jeffery’s Bay to participate in Pediatric Care Africa’s Ride for a Child initiative held on Saturday, 24 February 2024.
The Ride for a Child initiative involves a 7000 km charity motorbike ride around South Africa, aimed at collecting funds for surgeries and medical treatment for underprivileged children. Although this marked the fifth occurrence of the event, there was a notable change and a more attention-grabbing challenge this time around.
While the official launch of the event was on 11 February 2024, Pediatric Care Africa invited motorbike clubs, organisations, and riders from across South Africa to participate in a massive bike ride on Saturday, 24 February 2024, to break the world record for the number of bikers riding in a staggered formation.
To set the record, a minimum of 4500 motorbikes were required to ride as one group in a staggered formation for the final 50km to Jeffreys Bay. The starting point was from Stormsriver to Mentors Country Estate in Jefferys Bay.
While the record wasn’t achieved, 2616 bikers participated, surpassing the previous year by 616 bikers. Among them were the six riders from Newcastle’s Adventure Bikers.
Reflecting on the charity drive, Ferreria expressed that it was Newcastle bikers’ inaugural participation in such an event but certainly not their last. He stated, “It was a privilege to be able to participate in the event and an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, Robin Reineke had to turn back home when we reached Uvongo with a shoulder injury and unfortunately could not continue to complete the ride.”
Delving into why they embarked on the journey, Ferreria clarified, “We are a group of friends who have a passion for motorbikes. When the organisers of the event did a social media drive on the event, two of our members said it was something we should look at doing. Two weeks ago, we got the necessary information and decided to join them for the world record attempt.”
Adding to this and highlighting the primary reason for their participation, Ferreria emphasised their empathy for children and commitment to helping others. “It was an ideal opportunity to give back to children whose parents cannot afford medical care while being able to enjoy riding our bikes,” he said.
Following the memorable experience filled with camaraderie, Ferreria stressed that intensive planning would now go into encouraging more Newcastle bikers to participate in the 2025 event. “This was our first official charity drive, and we are now going to look at how we can get more involved while getting more local biker clubs involved,” concluded Ferreria.
As the six men travelled thousands of kilometres to promote child healthcare, their efforts should be commended.
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Proud of you guys..Robin,well done my freind