newcastle toy run 06

Ok, own up, which one of you bludgers out there has pissed off the God of Motorcycling? All year the weathers been up and down like a yo-yo, and to cap it all off, with most of NSW in drought conditions, there’s a deluge on the coast the day of the running of the 29^th Newcastle Toy Run,

needless to say, by the time I had ridden down from the AMC Christmas party at Harrington, I looked and felt like the proverbial drowned rat, or should that be cat? After getting off the bike at Sandgate Markets as I stood there with about a thousand other riders we watched the water level in the car-park quickly rising as the water seeped off us, and then proceed to run down the drains towards the ocean, to, no doubt, flood some low lying unsuspecting island in the mid Pacific, bloody hell it was cold and wet!!

A short break in the storm meant I managed to get a couple of photos, but as I was having a lot of trouble keeping the camera dry, I eventually just gave it up as a bad joke, and talked to a few people before we fired up the bikes to head for the foreshore. There was one thing that was pretty obvious about the whole thing though, and that was the fact, that, even though it was a bloody lousy day to be out on the bike, the respect that Big John deserves for running this event was more than adequately shown by the sheer number of people who turned up.

The ride through Newcastle came as a bit of a surprise, as I was fully expecting the streets to be pretty much devoid of people, however they were there as usual, albeit, a bit down on previous years numbers, but just seeing them there getting as wet a we were, and, especially the elderly woman standing on a street corner as the rain bucketed down, waving an Aussie flag that was bigger than she was, certainly made the ride feel a bloody sight easier.

Our arrival at the foreshore was heralded by a welcome break in the weather, which was no doubt also appreciated by the dozens of volunteers from various organisations, who, earlier in the pouring rain, had set up and manned the barricades, and then did a damn good job getting us all there safely. These volunteers put a lot of behind the scenes time and effort into this event, and their endeavour, for the most part, gets overshadowed by the sheer size of it, however, if it was not for people like them, this and other events would not happen, so, next time you ride past them, give them a nod and say thanks, just to let them know that you appreciate them. With the toys piling up behind them in the back of the semi, Big John, the visiting dignitaries and guests, gave their speeches and thanks, bringing to a finish what has to be the wettest run I have been on in a long while. Then, having met up with Will and Laury, a couple of our local Wildcats, I took a few more photos and we headed off home to finally get into some dry clothes.

Considering the weather, I thought it was a bloody good effort by Big John, the riders and volunteers who attended, and the public who waved us on in the rain.

Merry Christmas to the kids, and enjoy your presents, because this year they arrive with a little something extra from the hearts of some very wet bikers contained within them.