Crashed riders praise B4BD service

Crashed, sick and injured riders have heaped praise on the B4BD (Bikers 4 Bikers Down) service that started in May 2017.

Hawkebsury couple Cheri and Greg Nunn (pictured above) started the free service after suffering their own motorcycle crash on Anzac Day 2016, followed by prolonged rehabilitation.

“We now have over 3000 members on our page, around 500 registered volunteers and have helped around 50-60 people with various needs,” says Cheri.

“So it is doing what I saw in my head and the friendships this has brought is great.

“It makes me really happy to see how it has and is still progressing.”

The service caters to riders who are injured or sick and provides a wide range of services from bedside chats to mowing lawns, running errands, etc.

Apart from the work of volunteers, Cheri and Greg have also done a number of hospital visits since recovering enough to be of assistance.

But don’t just take Cheri’s word for it. Here are some words of praise sent to us from injured riders assisted by B4BD volunteers:

B4BD testimonies

Guy Winnall

I’m 25 years old and I run my own business, Guy’s Custom Works, which creates many different products from blacksmith forged items to handmade hi-end knives, as well as custom panel work and motorbike customisation. 

I was in a motorcycle accident a little over three months ago. A vehicle lost control and swerved on to my side of the road causing a collision. I suffered life-threatening injuries and as part of my recovery I went through Royal North Shore Hospital ICU and spinal ward.

This was where I first meet Cheri and Greg, helping another fellow biker down and we immediately became mates. They have helped me greatly with moral support and some incredible goodie packages.

I am absolutely astounded by their generosity and that of the many other volunteers of B4BD. I have many more months of recovery ahead and I look forward to every visit from Cheri and Greg, and the many other volunteers.

Jono and Gypsy

My husband Jono and I (Gypsy) have been living within the hospital system for over three years. We have stayed at cancer care in Brisbane for up to four months at a time. Hundreds of km from home. Your whole world upside down. And days were you just want the world to come to an end. You lose family and so called friends. They either get tired of the effort or just don’t know how to cope with what we are going through.  And friends we have made in Cancer Care are no longer with us. Most pass. And conversations are often limited to sickness, funerals and treatment. Everyone trying to survive but no one really living. You can imagine the strain that puts on our relationship, our finances, our health and our mental state.

Then one day when you think you just can’t take anymore an angel appears in the form of a flyer pinned to a notice board. 

It said Bikers 4 Bikers Down. B4bd. The flyer said that you can call one of their volunteers who could offer anything from company, help buying groceries, mow lawns, take people to appointments or just support etc. Just ask and this group of people will help where possible from the bottom of their hearts. Who would have thought that we could pick up the phone and get heart felt support from complete strangers?

We had nothing to lose so we phoned the B4BD group. We spoke to an amazing woman Cheri. We explained where we were at within ourselves and that we just weren’t coping. We needed some new hope to encourage us to keep going. We had already been in cancer care for about a month this time and had another six weeks to go. Over those next six weeks, we had calls to Jono from Mark and Steven. Just offering an ear and support. Exchanging motorbike stories, reliving their youth and getting to know each other. Just for us to talk to people not in the system was a huge relief. For Jono to talk to like-minded people about living life, passed and future adventures out on the open road, was the new hope Jono needed. You could see the life returning to Jono’s face. He looked forward to talking to the guys. All he could think about was being able to ride his bike again. 

I also had a few melt downs while Jono was struggling with treatment. I made a new friend support with my own little angel Nikki-Anne. She would talk to me while I walked from the hospital back to cancer care unit. She’d listen while I cried and waffled on. She’d still be listening when i got down to just a sobbing mess. By the time I got to my room we would be laughing about anything and feeling 100% better. It was Nikki-anne that arranged a bike ride for us. Bless her beautiful soul.  She got a group together to take us up to Mt Coot-tha. I was so anxious about Jono being to weak etc. But everyone looked after us so well , they were awesome. And by the time we got to the look out, Jono was a different man. The colour in his face. The spark of life in his eyes. And you couldn’t wipe that smile off his face if you tried. Life turned around for us that day. And there is nothing that we can do or say to express our feelings, gratitude  or explain the life changing hope, to that small group of B4bd that took us out that. They saved us.

Glenn and Anne Forrest

Earlier this year we found ourselves interstate after a motor vehicle accident, within days Cheri had put the word out and we had multiple visits from fellow riders at a time when we were feeling very vulnerable and stressed.  The support and good well from fellow riders was greatly appreciated when were many miles from home.

The support didn’t stop there, within days of being transferred back to New South Wales we were blessed with a visit from Cheri and Greg and other riders.  The moral support these visits represent cannot be under estimated.  The ongoing contact and support by B4B is greatly appreciated.

How to volunteer

Volunteers simply have to contact Cheri and Greg via their Facebook page.  

They keep a register of volunteer locations, skills and hours of availability, then assign them to various injured or sick riders.