Motorcycle club hits the road

THE Military Brotherhood Military Motorcycle Club’s bi-annual get-together was held in Ballarat last weekend.

Hosted by the Vic-West Sub-Branch, which is based in Ballarat, the program included social events for the 170 attendees, meetings, a dinner with army jazz band entertainment, and a Saturday afternoon ride throughout the city, into the country.

“It’s a chance for the whole club to come together to discuss issues that affect all of us, and it’s held in a different place every two years,” MBMMC Vic-West Sub-Branch treasurer Steve Plowright said.

The motorbike ride started in Golden Point, moved up Grant and Eyre streets to the Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, to the Arch of Victory, along the Avenue of Honour to the memorial overpass, and then to Learmonth, where riders stopped for lunch.

“It was relaxed, pleasant, we rode in formation so we were neat on the road, and people got to see the broad range of military memorials we have here,” Mr Plowright said.

“It was really inspiring to see, as far as I could ahead and behind, two columns of bikes in each direction.

“A big reason for the club being established was that people left the forces, and felt there was something missing. They needed to have that culture, somewhere to get together, and speak the same language.

“It’s like a big family. We sometimes say the force is family because a lot of us have grown up in it and are second generation.”

Tasmania is the likely place the next bi-annual get-together will be held.

Mr Plowright is also president of the Ballarat Veterans Assistance Centre on Barkly Street, which was established by members of the MBMMC to support local returned servicepeople from all backgrounds.