Introduction
BIKEast’s volunteers provide Cycling Without Age trishaw rides for people unable to ride for themselves living in care support: See the history of rides to mid 2022.
The Sydney-East Chapter Year 2022-23 ride program was affected by: several Care providers having COVID outbreaks; battery and display control unit failures; and the last half of 2022 was rainy that led to many ride cancellations in that period. Time saved enabled invitations for more Care providers to join us under the Cycling Without Age rides program and to provide advice and support towards formation of other CWAA Chapters across NSW.
More info on Cycling Without Age
CWAA program achievements
- Submitted several grant applications to support the rides program, our pilots and other volunteers.
- Successfully gained a very generous licence from Waverley Council for use of a
garage, enabling us to reach parks as remote as Rushcutters Bay to the north and Botany Bay’s Foreshore Park and La Perouse, to the south. - With the support of Allegra Spender, MP for Wentworth, $3,155 was received under the Department of Social Service Volunteer Grant round 2022-23. The funds are for CPR-First Aid and Rides Leader training and equipment such as a Marquee and digital terminal to deposit card based donations.
- Six new pilots qualified and one in training to serve Sydney-East; and four trained for the prospective Illawarra Chapter. Pilots unavailable due to work, travel & health reasons posed rostering challenges.
- Reaffirmed partnerships under Memorandums of Understanding with Holdsworth Community,
Montefiore Randwick, PAC-The Terraces Paddington, The Burger Centre, Randwick Waverley - Community Transport, and new ones signed with Windgap and Southern Cross Care. We shall re-
approach various groups, in the year ahead. - Planning started for locating a trishaw at Bondi Beach initiated by BIKEast member Russell.
- Still working on a better Booking System, but failed to achieve this as proposed for early 2023.
- Maintenance issues: Battery failure in May 2022 led to Trishaw 1 out of commission until end September 2022, with the re-cell raising capacity from 12.5AH to16AH (good) at a cost of $550; and Trishaw 2 had its Brose Display malfunction from about March, limiting power selection, requiring its replacement under Warranty (new item installed in August 2023).
- Thanks to many pilots volunteering on short-notice and especially Richard Lewis and Frank Dreyer for standing in to deal with and advise on management and maintenance issues. Yvonne Poon updated BIKEast’s Cycling Without Age page and Francesca Ehmig re-established our CWA Instagram site.
CWAA program rides
Ran 33 ride events carrying 267 passengers.
Of those:
- 256 live in care support;
- about half were under NDIS support;
- about 1/3rd were repeat passengers; and
- 11 were staff members.
Only 99 people in care support were given a ride in the 6 months to end of 2022.
Three special promotional events where held where about 40 people were given rides.
The mentioned restraints meant we are well short of our 500 passenger target.
Acknowledgements
The CWAA Sydney Chapter’s program of rides is very dependent on BIKEast Inc., for Executive support, funding and for member pilots serving as volunteers. The program is also very dependent on Bicycle NSW for support, particularly for insurances required to operate BIKEast’s trishaw.
BIKEast acknowledges Montefiore Randwick for its continuing participation and early support by training many of our pilots about cultural, health and safety requirements and paying for necessary police checks to allow pilots to serve adults with care support needs.
We operate under Memorandums of Understanding with care homes and care providers. Past and current agreements are with: IRT Woolwich (our 1st MoU); Montefiore Randwick; PAC-The Terraces Paddington (lapsed); Holdsworth Community; the Burger Centre, Montefiore; Windgap; Southern Cross Care Daceyville; Inala; Jewish Care; Randwick Waverley Community Transport Group; Charingsfield; Baptist Care Shalom Centre (now serviced by Sydney North Chapter). We have a number of MoU’s under offer and consideration and would welcome entering into further such arrangements.
Thanks all around to everyone involved. Without that continuing support the CWAA program of rides would fail. Its long-term sustainability will increasing rely on recruiting more volunteer pilots, donations and further grants.
Note: Any errors in Rides Schedules and in this report are the authors’, who has management responsibility for the program.Prepared by:
Adrian Boss, BIKEast’s CWAA Sydney Chapter Community Captain
Vibeke Cats, BIKEast CWA Pilot & Rides Leade