Lynn and I set off to ride to Ballina for the first Babes Raid (raising money for the GO research fund, which funds research into Gynaecological Oncology).

Lynn had never done a long trip and was looking forward to this one last trip on her 250 Virago, before upgrading to a Harley! We set off at 6:00 am Thursday, myself from Temora and Lynn from Wallendbeen and met up at the McDonalds at Forbes. We had coffee and breakfast, and just as we were ready to leave it started to rain, and it rained all day, we stopped at Parkes for petrol and headed off again and finally had to stop at Tomingley as the rain had soaked through our chaps and rain gear! The man at the servo was kind enough to give us plastic bags to put on our feet and other wet parts of our bodies. We lunched there and dried off a little and headed off in the rain. You can all imagine what we looked like…Bag Ladies, after a stop in Narromine, still raining; we arrive in Coonabarabran around 4:30 pm and pull into the servo. I ask Lynn if she wants to ride on or pull in for the night, knowing we will be riding in roo country, Lynn says “lets book into a motel’, so we go to the Poplars Motel, last on left as you leave Coonabarabran, here we met Phong and his wife Collina, lovely people. We unpacked the bikes taking everything into the motel room and spreading our gear all over the room to dry it off. After all those miles in the rain it was still all fun and an adventure, and beats being at work!

Lynn and I got a cab to the Club, had dinner and back to the motel to have an early night, Phong was checking the motel grounds and we asked if our bikes would be safe at the front of our rooms, he reassured us that there had been no trouble here in the past and he had had many riders stay, and he also owned a bike that stayed out the front with no dramas.

We did look for the lock on Lynn’s bike but could not see it or find it in the torch light. It is still pouring rain!!!! So to sleep we went, the alarm goes off at 5:00am, Lynns up and at the door to check the weather...and then yells “My bikes GONE!!!!!!!” "Yeah right Lynn”... I reply, no she says "My F...g bikes GONE!!!!

We’re shattered, ring Phong at reception and tell him, he also does not believe what has happened, we ring the police (get Mudgee police) and they won’t come out for stolen bikes, the report is done over the phone! We ask them to come out; they arrive at 9:30am. In the meantime Lynn and I look around and can see where the thieves have left tracks!!! And Phong goes driving all over Coonabarabran looking for the bike! Phong comes back and sees how devastated we are our trip is finished, and Lynn won’t get on the back of me with all the gear as I’m high maintenance and there is some gear!!! Phong offers his 750 Honda Shadow to Lynn so we can finish our trip and says “when you come back you can stay at the motel free!”

Oh my god! We could not believe this offer; we said ‘you don’t know us!” and Phong said “you girls take the bike and have a good time”. So off we went and finished our trip and had the best weekend in a long time!!!

The 2wheel Babe Raid at Ballina is a non profit event and money raised is donated to the Gynecological Cancer prevention Go Research Fund! The event was very well organised, Friday was a Barbeque dinner, where we collected our event name tags, T-shirts and booty bags! Saturday morning breakfast and a rider safety talk, trade stalls on the day, short and long rides had been organised, depending on what one wanted to do. Saturday night dinner was a masked affair with a prize for the best one, along with live entertainment. Sunday morning saw the Show & Shine, with prizes for longest travelled, which Lynn won as she had travelled 20kms more than me to Ballina! (Lynn thought they should have included the return trip as I did 2,600ks all up! I thought as Lynn's bike been stolen she deserved a prize! They had the youngest rider, oldest rider, etc. There was a good roll up of 120 bikes and women, and yes there were a few males, but not many, less than 12 or so. The event cost $65.00 plus accommodation, at the Lakeside Holiday Park, breakfast was $4.00.

On Saturday we got a phone call from Phong to say Lynn’s bike had been found in the weir!! Later we get a call from the police to say that the bike had been found. Now how to get the bike and Lynn home from Coonabarabran? I have a friend visiting at Yamba who has borrowed my trailer! I ring Don and explain what has happened and he’s happy to meet up with us at Ballina and follows us back to Coonabarabran. We arrive back at Coonabarabran at 9:00pm Sunday night exhausted. Phong and Collina show us Lynn’s bike and Phong tells us they first found out about it on Facebook and then Phong and his mates went and collected it out of the weir. Phong tells the police and they say they can’t do much ... they can’t take finger prints as its been in the water... What The!

Out of something so low as to steal from a normal hard working Aussie and at a moment when ones world has been shattered (by some low-life tip rats!!!) then in an instant...the turnaround when kindness comes from others hearts, Phong and Collina, we Di and Lynn, thank you two !!! For your overwhelming kindness and generosity and hospitality. Neither of us will ever forget you two LEGENDS!!!!

If any of you reading this have an overnight stop in Coonabarabran, go and see Phong and Collina at the Poplars Motor Inn on the Newell Highway. Phone number: 02 6842 1522. You will be very well looked after!

Cheers