Hi there, and welcome to the very first Bear’s Blog on our new website. I’ve spent almost all of the past week at the Ulysses Club AGM in Penrith, and managed to meet the usual cross-section of ARR readers. Thank you all for coming over to see us.

We also sold quite an amazing number of subscriptions for our new magazine, Cruiser+Trike. Not bad for a publication nobody has even seen yet! I guess we must be doing something right for you to trust us that much.

We auctioned off a complete set of Australian Road Rider on the stand, with the proceeds of $180 to our adopted charity MARI which looks after downed riders. The incidence of depression among these people is disturbingly high, and MARI takes care of them – initially at Sydney’s St Vincents Hospital, but soon elsewhere as well.

While I think of it, let me congratulate the entire motorcycle community, riders and industry, on your – our – reaction to the Victorian bushfires and the Queensland floods. I’ll just mention one initiative, we simply don’t have room for them all: Harley-Davidson riders and shops collected $40,000 and the Motor Company matched that to come up with a total of $80,000.

You’re a great bunch of people, all of you, and more power to your arms!

Well, I’ll come up with something a bit more amusing for my next blog – just be sure you check here regularly. You never know what I’ve dug up (so to speak).

Oh, and while I think of it: anyone who wants to promote a rally, just drop me a line and I’ll plug it here.