Sea of red for Moreton Bay Red Ride

Published 5:00am 29 March 2021

Sea of red for Moreton Bay Red Ride
Words by Kylie Knight

This event has been postponed due to inclement weather. The new date for the ride is Saturday 15th of May. 

In a first for the region, motorcyclists will embark on a scenic ride from Caboolture to Redcliffe, through to Samford and Woodford to take a stand against domestic and family violence on May 15. They’re promising a sea of red as they embark on the first Moreton Bay Red Ride.

The event, which will raise awareness of the issue, will also raise money for three children’s charities: Act for Kids, Save the Children Australia, Variety – the Children’s Charity.

It’s an idea first hatched by Moreton Bay Regional Councillor Tony Latter (Div 12), which is now being driven by Caboolture Rotary Club with the support of local businesses, politicians and individuals.

During the official launch last week at Caboolture Sports Club, Cr Latter explained why the ride was so important.

“In the last financial year, in Moreton Bay we’ve had 2681 DVO applications. In Queensland, 44179 DVOs were made 77 per cent of these were to protect a female applicant,” Cr Latter says.

“Now more than ever, it’s important to encourage communities and individuals to speak out against violence and abuse.

“In previous work, within the social wellbeing arena including the department of child safety and foster care support, I’ve seen firsthand the impact domestic violence has on the people involved.

“I believe everyone has a responsibility to speak out and take action. In 2020, we saw a lot of risk factors increase at the same time protective factors were limited. Children were told not to go to school, which for some was the only safe place they had.

“As well as saying there is no place for domestic violence, it is important that awareness and acceptance is raised for intervention and local agencies. And for those who are experiencing domestic violence know that there is support.”

Cr Latter says Red Ride is an opportunity for Moreton Bay and the wider community to stand up and say domestic violence is not welcome here.

He says it is an event that can bring together government, social support agencies, the business community and individuals for a common purpose.

Sea of red for Moreton Bay Red Ride

What’s happening on the day?

Red Ride will launch from Caboolture Showgrounds, with a blessing of the bike, then hundreds of bikes (decorated in red) will make their way through Morayfield, Redcliffe, Samford Valley, Dayboro, Mt Mee and finish at Woodford.

At Woodford, there will be a smoking ceremony by the Jinibara people and a motorbike show and shine, stalls and presentations hosted by 101.5FM, and a concert headlined by Dave Reynolds.

Caboolture Rotary Club president Chris Sharp says the organisation is proud to take the lead in making the event happen.

“We had absolutely no hesitation in agreeing to organise the event and we’ve had an awful lot of support,” Mr Sharp says.

He is grateful to sponsors Caboolture Sports Club, Budget Direct motorbike insurance, Moreton Bay Regional Councillor Tony Latter, Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism (MBRIT), Richardson and Wrench Caboolture, 4510TV, and Craig Hewlett from Radio 101.5FM.

“We’ve been lucky to secure the help of a lot of community partners who will be helping us out on the day,” Mr Sharp says.

These include Queensland Police Service, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Queensland Transport and Main Roads, Rotarians and their partners.

Sea of red for Moreton Bay Red Ride

Community rallies

Mayor Peter Flannery says the community is coming together to back the cause and said it is part of Caboolture’s DNA.

“They always come together whenever there is a need for the community to provide a service or provide a fundraiser or provide support for people in need. It’s always the same people who come forward and put their hand up. I want to thank you for once again doing that,” Mayor Flannery says.

He says council has done a lot to raise awareness of domestic and family violence, particularly in the past 12 months and will continue to do so.

“It goes to the DNA of this council that we say to the community that it’s not acceptable for violence against women and children. And to let those affected by it know those services are there is a huge component to getting domestic violence under control,” Mayor Flannery says.

He recalls a school reunion a few years ago, where he was speaking to an old school friend who had been subjected to domestic and family violence as a child. Only a few close friends and teachers knew.

“For me, in those sorts of cases, they should not be ashamed and try to hide it, they should be able to speak up and get support and get them out of those situations,” he says.

Mayor Flannery says it is not ‘private business’.

“Too many people are dying, too many kids are dying and we’ve seen that in the media in the last few years. The more we can do to raise the profile of it, the better our community’s going to be,” he says.

“Hopefully, this is something Moreton Bay can hang its hat on in many years to come and say we started that idea here and it grows throughout the whole of South East Queensland and the country.”

Caboolture Sports Club Group says it is proud to be platinum sponsors for the first Moreton Bay Red Ride. 

The sponsorship, valued at more than $7000, has been awarded through the CSC Group’s Community Chest Fund which provides cash and in-kind support to local community groups that provide significant service to the Moreton Bay region.

“We are incredibly proud to support this deserving cause. Not only are we Platinum Sponsors for the event, we also have staff volunteering their own time to participate in the event”, CSC Group Sports and Community Manager Tony Clarke said. 

How domestic violence affects children

Act for Kids spokeswoman Tina Schultz says: “What you may not be aware of is the effects that domestic violence has on little people’s developing brains. Even children who experience violence in utero will have impacts on their brain’s development.

“These are really, really significant things when we’ve got children who have anxiety through the roof, they are hyper-vigilant all the time, they are living in fear. How can we expect them to be able to perform at school and often those children at school will be the ones who are acting out, the kids who teachers might say are the naughty kids … they are actually the kids who have really significant trauma.”

She says domestic violence often went hand-in-hand with other social problems – homelessness, mental illness and alcohol and substance abuse.

Want to know more about Moreton Bay Red Ride? Visit the website

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