December 2015

IN THIS REPORT-Vice President standing downFirst aid coursesNew General Meeting VenueRoad Safety Commission Motorcycle Safety CampaignRAC Council PositionWhat great riding weather we are having at the moment, however if you get too hot then have a break and drink loads of water at keep yourself safe.As some of you will be aware our esteemed Vice president and Ride Coordinator Jeff Mazey has decided to stand down from his positions on the MRA WA Committee. He will however stay on as a General Committee Member. Jeff has given us great support and effort for many years as President, Vice President and Rides Coordinator and has always been a huge help to all of our members and has always been very busy behind the scenes as one of your Committee members. I have always enjoyed Jeff’s friendship and working with him on many projects including organising the Numbat Rally and look forward to this continuing in a new role. Thanks Jeff from me personally and on behalf of all MRA WA members.We seem to be getting spoilt with motorcycle first aid courses at the moment, with Janine from the Perth Company Rider Down providing their motorcycle first aid course on January 23^rd with more to follow. The first 12 financial MRA members to contact me directly for this course will not be charged for it (usually$70.00) so get in quick.  Tracy and Roger from First Aid for Motorcyclist will be traveling over from the east coast to provide 2 courses in Perth and one each in Bunbury and Albany during April and May.I have had conversations with all of these trainers and also received reports on the courses and both are of an excellent quality with information that will make a huge difference not only for a victim of a road crash but also within your circle of family and friends.I personally will be attending both courses as they offer different skills for us as riders.We have been looking for a new venue for our monthly meetings for some time now and are continuing the search. Franklin’s Tavern was too noisy, The Uniting Church hall and the RSL hall both proved unsuitable. So we are going to the Attfield tavern for our next meeting in January. We have been given our own room; the meals are large with a good variety and at a reasonable price and the drinks are also well priced.The meetings will be held every third Tuesday of the month starting on January 19thThe meetings start at 7.30pm but get there early for a meal and socialising.The address is 39 Attfield Street, Maddington. See you there.Some of you may have noticed some motorcycle safety ads on the radio and on TV. This is all part of the Road Safety Commissions Motorcycle Safety Campaign (Ride to Live) which will run from 6^th December to 13^th March, in both the metropolitan and regional areas. It will be advertised through newspapers, bus shelter posters, billboards, Pulp TV, Radio, and also on line. This is an extension of the motorcycle safety campaign that was run last year but with some additional materials and much more coverage, particularly for drivers to check there blind spots and not just to rely solely on their mirrors.Well done, a good start.RAC ElectionsI would like to thank all of you that gave me your vote for a position on the RAC WA Council at the recent RAC Council elections. Unfortunately I was not successful this time but intend to run for a position again next year as I am still passionate about the plight of motorcycle riders, cyclists and pedestrians. In fact I want to see better consideration for the safety of all vulnerable road users. I believe we need a motorcyclist voice on the RAC Council to archive this through there 800,000 members that is in part made up of motorcyclist. I was not too many votes short of getting a position on the Council and I hope to gain some additional votes next year with your help and support. For those that helped spread the message and voted in favor of me, thank you.That's about it from me for now, please ride safe Dave Wright