Who’s Who in 2022, Sport: Shaun Batty

Published 4:00am 2 December 2022

Caboolture BMX Club President Shaun Batty, pictured left, has shown how resilient he and his club are after facing multiple setbacks in 2022.

When the floods hit at the beginning of the year, Shaun’s beloved club was forced to rebuild its track after water and mud destroyed everything.

Speaking to Moreton Daily in early March, Shaun said the track, the recently refurbished canteen and equipment such as laptops, two-way radios, fridges and fryers all needed to be replaced.

“Initially, when the river burst its bank it inundated our free-standing tower, and then within a couple of hours we had over a metre of water in the canteen,” Shaun said at the time.

Thankfully, the generosity of the community shone through with the club getting back on their feet a few months later following money raised through a Go Fund Me and grants.

Heartbreak then struck the club again in October, when heartless thieves broke into a locked storage shed and stole six bicycles that are used to help young children learn how to ride, plus two whipper snippers.

“We built a new storage facility on the end of our existing storage facility after the floods, which is where the bikes and whipper snippers were,” Shaun said.

“They (alleged offenders) had tried every lock on every door of our complex, and they were unable to get in, but they managed to get into this shed.

“These were bikes that kids who can’t afford bikes use to learn how to ride.

“It’s just really disappointing that someone would steal from kids.

“I know desperate people do desperate things, however, to steal from a community-based not-for-profit sports organisation, that’s unacceptable.”

Once again, the Caboolture and surrounding suburbs showed how tightknit they are by putting their hands up to help the club, with offers to replace the stolen bikes.