It’s funny. Had you told me two years ago that the first B’n’C Community Bicycle Workshop would be held in a remote Aboriginal Coummnity I would not have believed you.
Spool the tape back 24mths.. Mischa and I were having a sunday morning coffee at a South Hobart cafe when the discussion turned to community bicycle workshops. We talked about renting a space, restoring discarded bicycles, creating a bicycle library of velo-loaners and offering a free labour to those needing assistance in getting their pushies running again. Due to all the usual bullshit we wade through daily in our lives (working long hours to pay for stuff we dont really need and booze mostly), Mischa and I let this beautiful plan slide into the realm of ‘one-day’.
So how did a section of Mischa and my dream come into fruition in the Northern Territory? I dunno really, it kinda just happened. Jacob from Mission Australia offered me a trailer filled with new tires, tubes and some basic kit. Some friends offered me their labour and I had some tools. Between us we could work out which way to turn a wrench.
We set up shop in the dirt in front the Rec Centre in Mutitjulu. No advertising, no fanfare, just us and 10 or so broken-down bicycles. It was amazing, within minutes about 20 kids were helping. Within the hour about 40 people had rocked-up with long forgotten frames and a willingness to learn. We worked all day. We worked hard. We shared our knowledge and the community shared theirs. One young fella showed me how to run a chain through a derailleur (I’m a pure-bred singlespeeder, derailleurs are alien to me) and I taught him how to use a chain breaker.
I dont know how many bikes we worked on, but it was lots. LOTS and LOTS. Kids were zooming around on bikes left, right and centre. The day was a total sucess. We’ll run another next month. B’n’C out.
Nice job, keep up the good work!
Absolute winner mate!
Talk of a ‘bike kitchen’ actually resumed at the pub last night. Gus and Liam both have a fair amount of keen, so it could become a reality.
Awesome work!
We are in the process of starting up something in Hobart at the moment. Anybody interested should check out the the thread on the facebook Hobart Critical Mass group. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18042072556
Fixing up peoples old bikes for them is the best feeling isn’t it?
Great stuff ben. Very very inspirational!
Lynne and I did something similar when we were living and working on an aboriginal community in WA years ago. We put all the kids and anyone else who wanted on bikes that all came from the local tip. Some were complete all they needed was air in tyres, all the parts and spares came from bikes from the tip too.
We cannibalised parts from any bikes too ill to be resurrected (ie frames that had been run over by cars etc).
Didn’t know you and Lynne worked in a community? Which one Tim?
did this in the gulf at normanton, karumba and georgetown. ruled. so much slime and thornproof tubes!
This is good work, shows bikes are what people want, and what they can use. Given the opporrtunity to repair their broken bikes – they will do it. In Adelaide I run a similar project for the African community in my suburb – off my front porch!
In Alice Springs, “Deadly Treadlies” does this for people in the camps round that town (they dont do remote yet), and other young people round Alice. So you are doing a good thing.
Our bike group in Adelaide, , Bicycle Institute of S Australia (www.bisa.asn.au), organised 140 mountain bikes and BMXs to send up to help Deadly Treadlies. Literally the week we were arranging the shipping container, Deadly Treadlies were told that their funding had been axed and the two youth workers on the project were told they no longer had jobs.
They help hundreds of people a year, young people who need bikes, want bikes and use bikes. However not one person in government, or in private, was prepared to support the program. I understand they didnt even answer letters.
Bottles ‘n’ chains – your website shows just how much people want these bikes. We all know that riding a bike is great fun, healthy, and very useful. I am glad you are doing this work.
But I am ashamed our governments, leaves stuff like this to individuals, to do in their own time and at their own expense. Even where individuals give of their own time and money to get things going (as you do) – government doesn’t even chip in. Not one of the fat cats in Canberra, was prepared to lift a finger to help the Alice work. People there love bikes and want them. But as you know yourself – if you dont do it – it doesnt get done.
N Territory government chief minister, Paul Henderson, was also asked, for last minute emergency help to keep Alice kids on their bikes. I think it was Mick Dodson who asked him. Paul Henderson refused point blank, to help the Alice bike program. Someone really ought to be asking him a few questions about this.
Keep up the good work. I know from our work here with the Sudanese kids, how much kids love bikes, how much they appreciate them, how much they need people to help them fix bikes, keep them on the road. And also how hard it is, for kids otherwise to get help.
Mike Brisco, “Bikes for Refugees” scheme
bris0014@flinders.edu.au
08 8365 7489
Hi Mike,
Thank you for your comment on the Bottles and Chains website in regards to the first community workshop we held there… Good to know that others are reading the site eh? Haha.. and not just my Mama!!
Yeah, a few moths ago I first tried to get a workshop up and running, going through ‘official’ channels (Shire Council / Local Government) but as Bottles and Chains is a collective and not a registered bicycle club it got hard very quickly.. Who were we? Is the group legitimate? Would the kids get the bikes? Soo many questions and a lot requests of official submissions etc. Mate, just too much ‘red tape’ for me to deal with as one person juggling work and family commitments..
In the end I just went and did it without anyones ‘official’ backing, and it was a sucess. Almost straight away I had small offers of help. For example, Penny Farthing bike shop offered cheap thorn proof tubes, the NT Police donated 14 second hand Mountain Bikes, Mission Australia loaned me a trailer containing a few spare wheels, tires, tubes etc etc..
…but after two workshops the goodies in the Mission Australia trailer is drying up and we’re starting to wonder where the next load of tubes and spare parts is going to come from. There are only so many derelict bikes to cannibalise out here.
Although donation of Mountain Bikes was great, Mountain Bikes just dont last out here.. Too much stuff on them to break! Gears and brakes are the first things to fail. We’ve built a small fleet of single speed Mountain Bikes with er, ‘limited’ braking ability. Not ideal but hey, it’s remote area.
We’ve been scouring the two local tips and Alice for old BMX frames to revive as BMXs are ideal in the local conditions. The steel frames are robust, the smaller wheels strong, we can put coaster brakes removing easily broken parts and with only one gear, there are no derailleurs to worry about! Perfect! A plus is that the older kids (15-22) are keen for BMXs. The whole street and dirt jumping scene appeals to them and most of the local communities have BMX tracks on which they can ride.. there has even been a bit of discussion about holding BMX races in addition to the Football and softball matches at the next sports days which is great!
I’d be keen to have some discussion with BISA about getting some bikes for the three local communities (Docker River, Mutitjulu and Imanpa).. do you think they would like to help out? Lets talk more..
Cheers,
Benny Storer benny@bottlesandchains.com