Diggers motorcycle club charity ride to support young veterans

THE Diggers Military Motorcycle Club will host a charity ride from Ballina to Casino, with proceeds going to the Young Veterans community group that supports ex-service personnel.

The ride will be held on Saturday, January 31, with about 120 riders expected to gather at the Ballina RSL memorial.

Young Veterans operates nationally and helps recent military members transition back into the community by providing support and social activities, including car shows, fishing and motorcycle events.

The Northern NSW chapter of the Diggers Military Motorcycle Club runs two major events each year to support Legacy and other charity groups.

“We usually do a show and shine meet at this time of year, but we’ve changed it up a bit with the ride this year,” vice president Kodi Graham said.

“The weather hasn’t been great the last few years and we thought a shorter ride where we could still support a worthy cause would work for us.

“We saw what Young Veterans were doing to integrate ex-servicemen back into the community and a lot of us in the club struggled with that.

“It’s been great working with them and seeing the range of people they help.”

The motorcycle group is expecting up to 150 people to be involved this year, with registration costs bringing in at least $2,000.

Riders will also take part in raffles and prize draws at stops along the route before finishing at the Tatts Hotel in Casino.

The ride has been supported by the Casino RSM Club, Bunnings Lismore and the Ballina RSL Club.

“Ballina RSL Club were all for it and hopefully we can keep building on that relationship with them over the next few years,” Mr Graham said.

“It’s a beautiful place to ride out of. We’ll go past Lennox Head to get that ocean breeze and scenery before making a pub stop for lunch at Goonellabah.

“We want our people on the roads for the least amount of time if it’s a hot day, and I’m sure there will be a lot of laughs and fun along the way.”

Registrations at the memorial open at 9am, with the ride starts at 11am.