THE PASSION I’m Mick Jackson, I'm in my 50's and have I’ve been a motorcycle riding enthusiast for over 35 years and I’m passionate about sharing the thrill and exhilaration of the motorcycle ride experience with other people.
I am so passionate about sharing the ride experience that in the past I established and ran a motorcycle tour business.
During the time I was working as a motorcycle tour operator we conducted passenger rides for a lot of people but by far the best experiences we're while conducting group rides at events for the “Make a Wish Foundation” Christmas Party, “Cancer Council” events where we took some very sick kids for rides and during “Disability Action Week” events where we took people of all ages with a range of disabilities and special needs for a ride. Our passengers with a disability found the experience very exciting and personally rewarding and it was a much needed diversion from their daily troubles. Being able to share those experiences with their loved ones and friends only heightened the thrill of their ride experience and gave them some great shared memories that they took away with them and could re minis about together in the future.
THE REGRET The only regret that came from this experience was that we couldn’t take everyone for a ride because the ride procedures and safety protocols and indeed the solo bikes themselves couldn’t deliver a safe ride experience for people with more severe disabilities and conditions.
WHAT TO DO ?. I’ve been working for a number of years to develop, Live To Ride Motorcycle Tours. It’s an innovative new disability friendly motorcycle based recreational activities and tourism service that will provide people with or without disability's and special needs with the capacity, ability and opportunity to enjoy the thrill of a motorbike ride in comfort and safety.
I realized that the accepted standard isn’t good enough and changes needed to be made. That's when I decided that I needed to do something about it.
WHY ME ? Throughout my working life I have followed a number of career paths that have provided me with a range of skills that I believe when combined have equipped me to make the changes that I believe are necessary to make motorcycle tourism more inclusive and safe for people with disability's and special needs.
- I'm a qualified boilermaker and while working in the engineering industry saw a lot of my work colleagues badly injured, maimed and some were even killed through workplace accidents. When OH&S laws were finally implemented I trained and took on the role as the Chairman of the first OH&S Committee at the engineering factory where I was employed. The factory had some 70 men on the workshop floor and I drafted and helped implement the new OH&S work standards, procedures and protocols.
- After suffering a debilitating back injury myself I studied and then established and worked in my own business as an Engineering and Architectural Draftsman and Building Designer and I have an Advanced Diploma of Art in Furniture Design which included studies in ergonomics. In addition, my hobby is contemporary furniture design and manufacture. This has provided me with a good understanding of structure, form and function which I’ve used in the design of our unique and innovative new, purpose designed, disability friendly sidecar outfit.
- I have served in the Armed Forces as an Artillery Gunner and was a Rural Fire Service Volunteer for 5 years where I was a Volunteer Fire Fighter, a Certified Cat 1 Tanker Driver and reached the level of Deputy Captain which has provided me with strong skills, knowledge and respect for safety procedures, work protocols and training practices.
- I have established and operated a Motorcycle Tour Service in the past and was an Authorised Motorcycle Tour Operator and Rider and worked under the Qld. Department of Transport, Public Passenger Services Department Regulations.
- After closing the traditional motorcycle tour business I spent the following few years researching and developing this innovative new concept in disability and special needs tourism service by liaising with disability support organisations and providers, talking to people with a broad range of disability’s and special needs, attending workshops to expand my knowledge and I’ve also worked as a disability support worker which has given me better knowledge of what the support organisations need and what people want and how this service needs to be delivered.
- I myself have physical disability’s and in the past have suffered the associated emotional trauma and isolation that many people experience because of a disability, which has given me a unique perspective and first hand understanding and insight into how I can work with and assist people with special needs and of how beneficial inclusion in this lifestyle activity can be to a person’s wellbeing..
- I have been a motorcycle riding enthusiast for nearly four decades and have done a lot of miles, seen a lot and learned a lot about motorcycling, its inherent risks and the amazing joy, the sense of freedom and the benefits this activity can bring to a persons life.
A BETTER WAY ! In order to make things better I have basically re written the motorcycle tour manual from the ground up to cater to people with a disability and/or special needs.
I’ve developed new safer ride procedures and protocols, created a comprehensive new set of safety standards and produced a unique, and highly expanded tour rider training program that will give our riders the skills and understanding required to work with people with a wide range of disability’s and special needs.
I’ve also designed an innovative new disability friendly sidecar outfit that will allow unassisted access for a passenger that uses a wheelchair or will allow a disabled passenger to travel with their carer if required.
These innovative new standards combined with our especially custom designed and professionally built sidecars will give us the capacity to offer people with a wide range of disability's and special needs a whole new range of recreational activities and tourism options that many would have been excluded from in the past because of their condition.
This service will provide a very useful tool for disability support organisations, charity's, community groups and corporate bodies by providing access to engaging new activities that will increase attendance and participation rates at their organisations events.
OUR SUPPORTERS. We have the support of :-
- People from community that have disability’s and special needs
- Disability Service Providers
- Disability Support Organisations
- The general public
- Community Groups
- Charity and Fundraising Organisations
- The Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor, Mr Paul Antonio
- Local Council Members & Department Heads
- Current serving Local State and Federal MP’s
- Local and State Tourism Bodies and their industry members
- Motorcycle Interest Groups.
- Queensland Transport Department's Public Passenger Services Department Officials
They all recognize the financial and more importantly the huge social benefits that our innovative new service will bring to our community and are very keen to see our ground breaking new service operating within the community.
THE LIVE TO RIDE MOTORCYCLE TOURS FLEET. We need to purchase 3 very cool and stylish Harley Davidson ElectraGlide Ultra Limited’s (pictured below) which have been chosen for their engine's power, their safety features and their superior passenger comfort. Two will be fitted with our exclusive and unique wheelchair accessible and disability friendly sidecar outfits. One will remain as a highly optioned solo motorcycle to cater for people that are fit enough to go for a ride on a solo motorbike. Note the wrap around passenger seating, running board passenger foot pegs and front and rear crash protection bars.
Our fleet of 3 disability friendly vehicles will be supplemented by a number of traditional motorcycle tour riders and bikes so we can take our passengers friends and family members along to share in their ride experience with them.
We will also acquire a commercial van that will serve as our mobile ride control center, site office and equipment storage facility for when we’re conducting our group rides at outside and on site events. The van will also double up as a ride support and back-up vehicle for when we are going on long trips and will allow us to carry additional supplies and personal equipment that may be required by our special needs passengers.
MORE THAN JUST A RIDE. We are developing collaborative relationships with a range of inclusion ready recreational activity, tourism, hospitality and accommodation service providers with suitable services and facilities which enables us to create a unique recreational activity, tour and lifestyle experience packages that can be customized to suit our customers tastes, interests and other personal needs and requirements.
Now we just need to raise the funds to build the new vehicles and train the riders and I will be ready to start sharing the thrill of the ride.
PRODUCT RANGE Anything from a 1 hour motorcycle joy ride to an extended outback or coastal tour experience and everything in between. We have products designed to cater for people at community events, charity and fundraising events and activities and we also have products for your formal events, corporate functions and publicity events. There isn't much we wont do if it means getting out and going for a ride and sharing the thrill of the ride experience with other people.
FROM LITTLE THINGS. At this point our immediate goal is to establish our first branch of Live To Ride Motorcycle Tours in Toowoomba, which is Australia’s largest inland city. From here we will service The Darling Downs and Lockyer Valley. We will also service communities along the coast to the South East Queensland Border Regions, as far North as Bundaberg and out to the Western Downs Districts.
Once we have smoothed out any wrinkles and proven our unique business model we aim to share the thrill of the ride even further by establishing branches in major regional centers and large cities throughout Australia.
HOW CAN YOU HELP ? At this point, all the research, footwork and preparation has been done. The passengers are champing at the bit and are as keen as mustard to go for a ride. All we need now is the bucks to build our very special vehicles and train up our expert riders and we will be good to go. By making a financial contribution to our “What About Me” fundraising campaign, and sharing our story and encouraging others to chip in and make a contribution too, you can help make that dream of going for a motorbike ride a reality for so many people.
As a way of saying thank you, we have designed a very special Limited Edition range of our Live To Ride Motorcycle Tours Merchandise that will only be available to those who contribute to our crowd funding campaign. Our Limited Edition Merchandise Series is titled, the I Helped Kick Start Live To Ride Motorcycle Tours, range. And it's only for very special people like you.
With your generous support and financial contribution, people with disabilities and special needs won’t be saying, “WHAT ABOUT ME” any more.
It will be us at Live To Ride Motorcycle Tours saying to them, “COME ON, FEEL THE NOISE”.
We are also seeking the support of a small group of 3 or 4 community conscious corporate sponsors that would be keen to help us on our way. We have put together some unique and exciting sponsorship proposal packages that would provide a mutual benefit to both of our organisations. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like to inquire further into our corporate sponsorship proposals.
For more information and if you would like to follow our progress you can :-
Visit our website :- www.livetoridemotorcycletours.com
Follow us on Facebook :- @LTRMT
Email us at :- [email protected]
or Call us on :- 0409380727