Indigenous Peoples and a new social contract: UN International Day of World Indigenous Peoples

August 9th is the UN International Day of World Indigenous People.

Recognition for Indigenous people needs far more work.

This year, the UN is highlighting the marginalization of Indigenous Peoples by demanding a ‘social contact’ that better recognizes the social and economic inclusion, participation, and approval for all involved.

This post outlines 2021 the UN International Day of Indigenous Peoples and this year’s central theme.

I’ve also included a curated list of resources and links for those who want more at the end.

Indigenous Peoples and a new social contract: UN International Day of World Indigenous Peoples. Bicycles Create Change.com 9th August 2021. — Image: UN

This year’s theme is:

Leaving no one behind:
Indigenous Peoples and the call for a new social contract

Here’s what the UN has to say:

Indigenous peoples & a new social contract

There are over 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 per cent of the global population. Indigenous peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their own worldviews and priorities.

Although numerous indigenous peoples worldwide are self-governing and some have been successful in establishing autonomy in varying forms, many indigenous peoples still come under the ultimate authority of central governments who exercise control over their lands, territories and resources. Despite that reality, indigenous peoples have demonstrated extraordinary examples of good governance, ranging from the Haudenosaunee to the existing Sámi parliaments in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated many existing inequalities, disproportionately affecting populations all over the world that were already suffering from poverty, illness, discrimination, institutional instability or financial insecurity. From the perspective of indigenous peoples, the contrast is even starker. In many of our societies, the social contract, at the very least, needs some revision.

What is a social contract?

This August 9, International Day of Indigenous Peoples, we must demand indigenous peoples’ inclusion, participation and approval in the constitution of a system with social and economic benefits for all.

That is why the 2021 theme is ““Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.” But, what does it mean?

A social contract is an unwritten agreement that societies make to cooperate for social and economic benefits. In many countries, where indigenous peoples were driven from their lands, their cultures and languages denigrated and their people marginalized from political and economic activities, they were never included in the social contract to begin with. The social contract was made among the dominant populations.

Over recent years and decades, various societies have sought to address this, including through apologies, truth and reconciliation efforts, legislative reforms, as well as constitutional reforms, while at the international level, these efforts have included the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and advisory bodies such as the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Despite the existence of international instruments to respond these inequalities, not all are embarked on the collective journey to ensure that no one is left behind, including indigenous peoples. Therefore, the building and redesigning of a new social contract as an expression of cooperation for social interest and common good for humanity and nature, is needed.

The new social contract must be based on genuine participation and partnership that fosters equal opportunities and respects the rights, dignity and freedoms of all. Indigenous peoples’ right to participate in decision-making is a key component in achieving reconciliation between indigenous peoples and States.

To find out more

Here’s some Australian-focused links from Griffith Uni Library:

Read the Uluru Statement from The Heart and learn about Indigenous sovereignty and establishing a First Nations voice in the Constitution.
Browse Reconciliation Australia’s 20 Actions For Reconciliation In 2021 and develop your personal action plan.
Find which Indigenous nation you live in with the AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia, and learn more about the local culture.
Save important dates to your calendar, such as Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC Week and the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples—and get involved in any local activities or events.

Also check out:

Cultural Survival is an organization committed to advancing indigenous peoples’ rights and cultures worldwide. They have a well-curated list of 12 things to do ranging from articles, podcasts, interactive maps, and other links to learn more about indigenous people around the world. It is well worth a look – check it out here.

The Australian Human Rights Commission calls on the Australian government to take more decisive action for indigenous peoples.

Read Melb Uni’s vision for indigenous self-governance and a ‘brave new world’ here.

Delve into the Black Lives Matter LibGuide developed by Western Sydney University for critical resources and research.

Watch the Indigenous Knowledge Institute’s Indigenous People Symposium (see below).

03/03/202106/05/2021

Women’s History Month – March 2021

Internationally, March is known as women’s history month.

The aim of this initiative is to redress previously omitted women’s participation and achievements from being known by celebrating women’s contributions to history, culture and society.

There are many exhibitions, projects, protests and events run during March that raise awareness for the significance, roles, struggles and issues of women and girls.

So to kick off ‘Women’s Month’, here are three more-than-usual initiatives that are exemplary in celebrating a range of women’s achievements.

Enjoy!

Royal Australian Historical Society

The official Royal Australian Historical Society (RAHS) ‘Women’s History Month’ website page caught my eye this year.

This page celebrates March being Women’s History by highlighting a range of Australian women and the diverse contributions they’ve made to Australia’s history.

What I like about this particular page is that it is inclusive and immediately understandable in what it is trying to achieve. Having a simple photo album-style layout showcasing significant women (with names and dates) makes it quick and easy to get a sense of the range of cultural backgrounds (Indigenous, Australian-Chinese, European immigrants, white) and their contributions (politics, literature, arts, sport, law and many others) over time – ranging from Fanny Balbuk Yooreel (1840) to Everly Scott (2017).

I think it is imperative to not only name the person but also to give each woman just identity. Consider how many times you’ve seen historical male figures of significance. There is ALWAYS a photo of them to reinforce their status as ‘important’ and that ‘this individual is not only someone you should know the name of, but you should know what they look like.’

Including images of women is a political move in this regard. It’s a critical move to shift past erasures of significant women from not just naming them (whereby their name is ‘listed’ and therefore at risk of being yet again ‘lost’ in the density of descriptive discourse), but so that the uniqueness of each woman is also recognised – as well as their name.

Photos are especially important given that surnames are patrilineal (assigned by fathers and husbands) so it is usually only first names that distinguish individuals from others. Linking women to their first and surnames with their photos helps to identify AND personalise these women beyond a perfunctory mention by name in passing. This is what the RAHS site does well.

There are so many incredible women listed on the RAHS – and many that most Australians have probably never heard about. For example: Muruwari Community worker and filmmaker Essie Coffey (otherwise known as the Bush Queen of Brewarrina), or Ruby Payne-Scott who was Australia’s first woman radio Astronomer, or one of Australia’s first great actors Rose Quong, who was a breakthrough given her Chinese heritage during the Australian White Policy, or WWI war correspondent Louise Mack.

If you’re down under or have not seen this site yet – go check it out! It is a great starting point resource to learn-talk-share about incredible Australian women.

Dr. Katie Phillips #WomensHistoryMonth

I’m following Dr Katie Phillips’ Twitter account for all of March.

In an act of radical generosity and support, each day, Katie uploads a different post each day that shares the voices, work and contributions of highly influential, but lesser-known Native, First Nations and Indigenous women from what is now called the USA.

This project was a real eye-opener for me. Not only did I appreciate the forethought, planning and process that Katie applied to make this happen, but it was also an incredibly educational initiative that has far-reaching scope and implications.

Twitter’s limited text allowances meant that each day, Katie provides the name, image and brief synopsis about ‘the woman of the day’ and her significant contribution. I not only learned about these incredible women (which, as an Australian, I would have not have been exposed to), but this approach is also an invitation (and reminder) to keep learning about amazing women elsewhere around the world.

I found myself following up on many of the women Katie posted, wanting to know more about their conditions and experiences.

As a teacher, researcher, creative, and someone with half a brain and a heart, I was impressed by Katie’s approach. It showed a genuine commitment to decolonizing history and better accounting for diverse women’s experiences.

F@*king incredible work!

Dr. Kat Jungnickel – Bikes and Bloomers

Of course we must have something on bike riding!

I’ve previously posted on this blog about researcher-creative Dr Kat Jungnickel’s work which perfectly fits the theme for Women’s History Month!

Kat’s specific interest area is reinvigorating Victorian women investors and their amazing cyclewear. She published a book based on her PhD research called Bikes and Bloomers. Here’s a description of the book from Kat’s portfoilo:

The bicycle in Victorian Britain is often celebrated as a vehicle of women’s liberation. But much less is known about another critical technology with which women forged new and mobile public lives – cycle wear. Despite its benefits, cycling was a material and ideological minefield for women. Conventional fashions were inappropriate, with skirts catching in wheels and tangling in pedals. Yet wearing more identifiable ‘rational’ cycle wear could elicit verbal and sometimes physical abuse from parts of society threatened by newly mobile women.

In response, pioneering women not only imagined, made and wore radical new forms of cycle wear but also patented their inventive designs. The most remarkable of these were convertible costumes that enabled wearers to secretly switch ordinary clothing into cycle wear.

This highly visual social history of women’s cycle wear explores Victorian engineering, patent studies and radical feminist invention. Underpinned by three years of in-depth archival research and inventive practice, this new book by Kat Jungnickel brings to life in rich detail the lesser-known stories of six inventors and their unique contributions to cycling’s past and how they continue to shape urban life for contemporary mobile women.

Talk about raising awareness for previously hidden women’s achievements! Go Kat!

Happy Women’s History Month all!

30/07/202027/08/2020

New Materialisms SIG: PlayTank Collective

For this session, we were delighted to have incredible minds behind the Melbourne-based PlayTank Collective – Alicia Flynn, Sarah Healy and Allie Edwards present a session entitled: Lessons from the Play Tank: Adventures in playful scholarship.

New Materialism SIG: The PlayTank Collective. Bicycles Create Change.com 30th July 2020.

Abstract

In this session, we will discuss a workshop that was created to enact NM theories and provide a playful and collaborative space to re-think, re-imagine, re-( ) research for participants at the AARE 2019 conference. Working between the disciplines of art education and design, we embraced the opportunity to create this workshop in a way that attended to the joys and curiosities that we experienced while working/playing together in a material way. This collaboration was intentionally responsive and response-able, allowing us to experience a different way of being academics together, and enabling us to create a workshop that offered the same opportunity for those joining us in our session.

We will share some of the insights from our process of creating the workshop, some highlights and images from the workshop, and pose the question we now have:

What does this workshop make possible, both for us as researchers and for the people who participated in it?

Is this a method that allows people to practice more affirmative and ethical ways of working/playing/being together?

Twitter: @PlayTankCo

Alicia Flynn @LeishFly

Sarah Healy- @eduTH1NK

Alli Edwards – @allinote

Session highlights

Sarah and Alli (and Alicia) not only presented, but also took us on an engaging 2-hour journey through their ideas, inspirations, readings, discussions and no less than two 100s (Stewart, 2010) writing activities (see image) and left us with the enticing thought:

What does this experience make possible, both for us as researchers and for the people who participated in it?

Part of the framing for this session was this incredible piece that Alicia read out:

“Imagine a pattern. This pattern is stable, but not fixed. Think of it in as many dimensions as you like – but it has more than three. This pattern has many threads of many colours, and every thread is connected to, and has a relationship with, all the others. The individual threads are every shape of life. Some – like human, kangaroo, paperbark – are known to Western science as “alive”; others, like rock, would be called “non-living”, but rock is there, just the same. Human is there, too, though it is neither the most nor the least important thread – it is one among many, equal with the others. The pattern made the whole is in each thread, and all the threads together make the whole. Stand close to the pattern and you can focus on a single thread ; stand a little further back and you can see how that thread connects to others; stand further back still and you can see it all – and it is only once you see it all that you recognise the pattern of the whole in every individual thread. The whole is more than the sum of its parts, and the whole is in all its parts. This is the pattern that the Ancestors made. It is life, creation, spirit, and it exists in Country” (Kwaymullina, 2005, p. 12).

*Kwaymullina, A. (2005). Seeing the light: Aboriginal law, learning and sustainable living in country. Indigenous Law Bulletin, 6(11), 12-15

For this meeting we had 2 readings:

Braidotti, R. (2009). On putting the active back into activism. New Formations, (68), 42. doi:10.3898/NEWF.68.03.200

Stewart, K. (2010). Worlding refrains. In M. Gregg & G. J. Seigworth (Eds.), The affect theory reader (pp. 337 -353). Durham [N.C.]: Duke University Press.

Stewart (2010) Worlding refrains Download

Minor Design Activism(un highlighted)Download

Session note: A great question from last meeting that emerged out of the readings was: What is ‘the second corporeal turn in social theory’ referred to in Taylor and Ivinson (2013, p 666)? This question stemmed from this quote here: “Such moves reinforce earlier feminist theories (Butler 1990; Grosz 1994), and speak back to the second corporeal turn in social theory (e.g. Bourdieu and Wacquant 1992; Foucault 1979; Merleau-Ponty 1962, 1968; Shilling 2008) and within education (Evans, Rich, and Davies 2009; James 2000; Prout 2000; Walkerdine 2009). We indend to discuss this further!

18/06/202031/07/2020

Two 90-year-old WWII veterans cycle 167kms to commemorate D-Day

Another epic cycling story! If you were impressed fifteen-year-old Jyoti Kumari’s 1, 200kms bike ride to get her disabled father home, here is another inspirational epic ride. This story is about two 90-year-old WWII friends who are undertaking a commemorative stationary cycle challenge. After seeing this story, I will never accept “I’m too old” as an excuse not to cycle again. Wow!! Most people don’t ride 167kms, left alone in their mid-90s. There is hope for us all. What a way to commemorate a significant part of your life – AND raise money to help others in need. Enjoy. NG.

Two 90-year old WWII veterans are undertaking a 167 km (104 mile) charity cycle to commemorate the 76^th anniversary of D-Day.

The two friends, Len Gibbon (96) and Peter Hawkins (95) are both Normandy veterans.

The distance was chosen because it is the same distance that Len Gibbon’s took as a solider to get from his home in Portsmouth to the front in Normandy in 1944.

Using stationary bike they aimed to cover the distance from Portsmouth to Gold Beach by D-Day on June 6^th.

Both men are in wheelchairs, but this has not stopped them. To do the cycle challenge, they are using stationary bikes so they can still be comfortably seated while cycling.

Len Gibbon (96) started his cycle on VE day and has been riding every day since.

Already, they have raised over US$8, 500 for the charity Just Giving.

Mr Hawkins landed at Gold Beach a few days after Mr Gibbon in 1944 and was awarded a belated Legion d’Honneur for “recognition of military service for the liberation of France”.

Mr Gibbon said: “Although I’m 96, I still like to be active and take on new challenges. By cycling the same distance as the journey I took 76 years ago, it feels like a fitting tribute to those who were part of the Normandy landings.

The Normandy landings were like nothing else. You had to climb down this rope netting which hung down the side of the boat. Then when we got down to a certain point, someone shouted ‘Jump!’ and you had to fall backwards, someone caught you and pushed you on to the smaller landing craft to take you to shore.”

Originally from Elephant and Castle in London, Mr Gibbon joined the Royal Army Service Corps as a despatch rider when he was 20 years old.

In early June 1944, he got married and four days later he was posted to Normandy.

At Care for Veterans where he lives, physiotherapists have been working with Mr Gibbon on his balance and endurance.

His leg strength and overall fitness have improved with physiotherapy and he can now walk around safely with a mobility frame and supervision.

Taking part in this challenge would not have been possible without the physiotherapy.

Gibbons added: “Raising money for Care for Veterans means we can continue to help others who need support in later life.

I’m a keen dancer and am still able to have a dance with the other residents which keeps me young. I love to do the Cha Cha.”

Mr Gibbon was in Normandy through to the end of the invasion, then went to the Netherlands via Brussels, and was part of Operation Market Garden in September of 1944.

From there, he was posted in Germany, which is where he was when the war ended.

He recalled: “I was on my way to Hamburg, riding my motorbike along the autobahn by myself.

Suddenly a Spitfire was flying above me, came right down as if it was going to land on the road, then flew back up and did a loop. The pilot shouted down to me with thumbs up, shouting ‘victory!’

Then I knew it was over. I stood up on my bike, arms in the air, cheering.”

*Some content and images sourced from News Chain, Belfast Telegraph, CGTN and The Daily Mail.

15/08/201918/08/2019

Former refugee finds the man who gave her a bike more than 20 years ago

I don’t often directly repost stories on this blog. As a luddite, I am also very wary of social media. But amongst the doom and gloom of news reports, husband found this gem of humanity. It is the story of a former refugee, Mevan Babakar, who was given a bike by a refugee camp aid worker. 20 years on, she still remembers the kindness of the man and the joy of riding the bike. Mevan recently used Twitterverse to track the man down. Although this account is more about the power of Twitter and doesn’t have many details about the bike or what happened after she located him, I still love the idea that the simple gift of a biycle to a child can have such a profound and long-last impact.

Previously, this blog has posted about refugees issues and bicycles. With so much political and social insecurity and misinformation about refugees, it is lovely to hear a more personal and caring story of genuine connection, community and sharing.

It is also a reminder to make the effort to say thank you and/or recognise those who help and support us. Some valuable lessons for us all. This story is written by Maani Truu and was published in Australia by SBS online today. Enjoy! NG.

Thousands of people have come together from across the globe to unite a former refugee and the aid worker who bought her a bike.

A blurry film photo, a location and a touching Twitter post launched an international hunt to find a man who gifted a young refugee child a bike “out of the kindness of his own heart” more than twenty years ago.

Now, after more than 3,000 retweets and thousands of messages, London woman Mevan Babakar is set to meet the man who made her “five-year-old heart explode with joy” in person.

On Monday, the 29-year-old former refugee posted her quest to Twitter hoping someone would recognise the man who worked at a refugee camp in the Netherlands when she was a child living there in the 90s.

“Hi internet, this is a long-shot BUT I was a refugee for 5 yrs in the 90s and this man, who worked at a refugee camp near Zwolle in the Netherlands, out of the kindness of his own heart bought me a bike,” she wrote.

“My five-year-old heart exploded with joy. I just want to know his name. Help?”

In under 24 hours, the post garnered thousands of responses from around the world and on Tuesday evening, Ms Babakar shared the exciting news.

“Guys, I knew the internet was great but this is something else,” she said.

“We found him!”

Ms Babakar, who was born in Baghdad, Iraq, to Kurdish parents, also said she was not the only refugee to be helped by the unidentified man, known only as “Ab”.

“I’ve also had other refugees reach out to me and tell me that he and his wife helped them too! Their kindness has touched so many lives,” she wrote.

“One woman said ‘they weren’t friends to me, they were family’.”

According to BBC News, Ms Babakar and her parents fled Iraq during the first Gulf war, passing through refugee camps in Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Russia before spending a year at the one near Zwolle between 1994 and 1995.

Ms Babakar is now a tech expert, who currently lives in the UK and she has travelled back to Zwolle to research her family’s past.

Text and all images: SBS News.

03/06/201924/08/2021

A/P Chelsea Bond BAM! on World Bicycle Day!

I hope you had a great time today celebrating life on two wheels!

It’s incredible to think this is only the second year this commemorative day has been recognised internationally.

For last year’s first official World Bicycle Day, BCC looked at what this day means to the UN. We also checked out some of the awesome WBD events happening glocally (globally/locally) in Adelaide (AU), India and Denmark.

This year, in my hometown of Brisbane, World Bicycle Day coincided with another important event, the biennial Mabo Oration*.

After a lovely day on bikes, husband and I headed into QPAC with 800 others to hear the Oration. This year the guest speaker was Luke Pearson from IndigenousX.

It was a very interesting talk. Luke raised many important issues as well as sharing his thoughts on activism, racism, leaving a legacy, truth-telling, being a father, next steps and self-determinacy – and this discussion has continued in the media.

This public speech comes at a perfect time given the traction that A/P Chelsea Bond’s recent contribution to the La Trobe racism discussion created.

(If you are not sure what I am talking about – prepare to have your mind blown).

The traction I’m referring to started with a speech given by Associate Professor Chelsea Bond, who was one of four speakers for a LaTrobe University panel discussion on the topic of:

Has racism in contemporary Australia entered the political mainstream?

If you have not seen it, you need to.

Why?

Because A/P Bond delivered the most powerful, intelligent, inspiring, uncompromising, kick-ass speech on racism in Australia heard in a very long time!

Make up your own mind.

Below is the full video. A/P Chelsea Bond is the last speaker, so go direct to: 1:01:05 and watch until 1:14:11.

There is no doubt that A/P Bond delivered a masterclass in Indigenous excellence!

Her speech hit so many high points on so many levels.

I’ve been walking around for days inspired by Nat Cromb and Luke Pearson’s overview of her speech saying things like Bam! Kapow! Boom! Pow!

Most impactful for me was how she powerfully called out those who fail to have truthful and confronting conversations.

This is what has stayed with me the most – and something that requires ongoing consideration – and action.

In her speech, A/P Bond said ‘In my being, I refuse to bear false witness to these lies.’ Such statements reminds us there is much work to do – and it is everyone’s responsibility to take action and call out racism.

So, imagine our delight when, on World Bicycle Day at the Mabo Oration, husband and I ran into A/P Chelsea Bond!

OMG!

Shameless academic fanning ensued.

The oration had just concluded and we were all leaving the auditorium when we passed her. Husband spotted her and I took the initative to introduce ourselves and have a chat.

A/P Bond was very accommodating. She was happy to have a good chat and take a photo. We told her how significant her speech had been for us and we talked about how different people have responded to it.

We can home – elated, thrilled, humbled and exhausted.

It had been a day full of culture, challenges, activism and insights.

Without a doubt, World Bicycle Day 2019 has been the most rewarding and motivating.

I hope you had an equally thought-provoking and stimulating day!

*The Mabo Oration is a biennial event organised by the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland and QPAC. It is the Commission’s public commitment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Queensland. It celebrates and pays tribute to Eddie Mabo and the landmark High Court decision which legally recognised that Indigenous people had a special relationship to the land that existed prior to colonisation. The first Mabo Oration was on 3 June 2005 and this year, the guest speaker was Noel Pearson.

20/08/201724/08/2017

Granny, Wait for Me!

Granny, Wait for Me! is a beautifully illustrated children’s book.

I first saw this book while at an independent publishing/meet the author book event at Little Gnome – my awesome local bookshop. This book is written by Sarah Owen and illustrated by Anil Tortop.

It immediately caught my eye because of the bicycle on the cover – and the delightful energy that the illustration exuded.

I flipped through the book and instantly fell in love with it.

What makes Granny, Wait for Me! so good?

There are many children’s books about riding bikes. But this one is a little different.

The story follows a young boy and his grandma who take their bicycles on an outing. In this book, the usual stereotypes are reversed, and it is ‘Granny’ who is speeding around, whizzing to-and-fro, racing and doing death defying tricks and the young boy who is struggling to keep up.

The pair have a day of grand adventures. It is lovely to see Granny in the position of being the strong, confident, fit, happy and able protagonist in this story. I see incredible value in children’s books presenting different ways of looking at life and in showing diversity in people, lifestyles and choices – and this book certainly sheds some new light on perceptions of what a Granny ‘should’ be, and do.

Books like these also help progress discussions about family, relationships, assumptions, social expectations and not judging a book by its cover (oh dad!).

The added bonus of the bike means discussions about positive impacts of riding, how cycling is wonderful for all people, regardless of age or ability – and that you can never really tell a people’s ability or history with bikes just by looking at them. With such a predominance in current society of cycling being associated with young, fit, male road-riders, this book provides a wonderful alternative perspective.

I have lamented elsewhere on this blog, that I find the lack of inclusion, appreciation or unconscious negative associations of older people and riding, to be serious social issue – as evidence in previous posts such as Cycling without Age and my meeting with the formidable Hubert and his tricycle.

But it is good to know that there are awesome parents (and others) out there who are actively engaging our next generation by reading these kind of stories.

This book comes with a warning!

In a review of this storybook for Reading Time, Heather Gallagher wrote: This beautifully illustrated picture book is told in rollicking verse. The story is a simple one, a boy and his granny go for a bike ride and picnic at the park. The Granny is no tea-sipping, knitting gran – she’s one who likes to swing on the monkey bars and speed off on her bicycle. In a reversal of roles, the boy is shown as the reticent one, while Granny craves adventure. This book could be used in a classroom setting to discuss different kinds of grandparents and what they like to do. It would be a good one to read on Grandparent’s Day. Just one word of caution, while the illustrations do depict a warm relationship between Granny and the boy, in practice she speeds off on her bicycle, leaving him in her wake – hence, the title. (Emphasis my own).

I really like that this book comes with a warning – that this seemingly harmless ‘whimsical and fun-filled story’ could be ‘misconstrued’ and need to be explained.

I understand how some children might find it challenging that Granny is so active that she could roar off on a bike (being abandoned). Of course this would need to be explained to a little kid who need reassurances of not ‘being left behind’ – but this is not made clear in Heather’s review. Although I am sure this is what she was implying, my mischievous brain also likes to think it is the notion of Granny ripping on a bike that is also challenging!

I like that this book is presenting Granny in a light other than being a stereotypical, gentle, frail and caring …… non-bike rider. The image of her enjoying a fast, fun and furious ride is a great equaliser for talking about any other rider gearing up for an MTB race, criterion and any other cycling event where the whole point is to ride hard, be adventurous and get ahead! What… older people don’t ride bikes? Like hell….Go, Granny Go!!

What a great conversation to have with children!

That in itself makes me love this book even more!

You don’t need to ride fast and furious to have my vote – you just need to be on a bike and going at whatever is your speed. Whatever age you are, whatever speed you go – just that you are riding a bike is what makes it awesome in my book!

More happy elders riding bikes, please!

So next time you see an elder out on their bike – be sure to give ’em hearty wave and a word of support. Heavens knows we need more like them reminding us all that biking is a wonderful activity for everyone in our communities.

Granny, Wait for Me! – cover illustration / time-lapse from Anil Tortop on Vimeo. Images in post courtesy of Anil’s Behance

13/02/201620/08/2017

Hubert’s Tricycle

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting Hubert and his tricycle. I spotted Hubert cycling along Whites Road near Lota, Brisbane at 8.20am. Seeing him out reminded me of the post I did about Cycling without Age programs– I just had to tell him how awesome I thought it was that he was out cycling.

Why chat to Hubert?

As I approached, he caught my eye firstly because the only cyclists usually out at that time on a Saturday are packs of roadies. So it was cool that he was happily cruising around on his tricycle – and then I saw his ‘P-Plate’ (in Australia drivers who are about to get their license go from L = Learner to then P = Probationary, then full license. Drivers are on their P plates for three years). I thought the P-plate was a magic touch on the back of his bike. It was hilarious because it was on a bike, not a car. It was obvious from his age that he was certainly not a new road user and it also showed he had a good sense of humour.

I am always impressed when older people are riding; they are such an inspiration. So I stopped to have a chat to him and talk about the bicycle in his life.

Hubert’s story & his Tricycle.

Hubert is still riding at 75 years old. He loves his tricycle and the freedom it affords him and thinks that more people should have tricycles. He bought it awhile back and then fitted a small electric motor to it for assistance up hills. He said was not hard to do and more people could consider doing.

He is local to the area and rides everywhere – including to Bunnings to get hardware supplies, which he straps onto the back of his basket. He explained that the basket is very handy for shopping and carrying things and is an ideal option for older people.

We chatted about the stability that the three wheels afforded and how the assisted motor helped him when needed – and what a great tool this was for older people to maintain their independence; wellbeing; connection with community; mobility and self-confidence.

He had a wicked horn that was loud and fun – it made us both giggle. We chatted for a while, swapping a few stories about life on two/three wheels and bonded as only random lovers of bikes can on the side of the road. He was an absolute delight to chat to and when I asked him if I could put his picture and story on this blog, he took on a serious tone, looked me in the eye and said with conviction:

“You do that, you tell people about tricycles and let them know how good they are. There needs to be more tricycles – you promote it!”

I salute you, Hubert!

So here is to you Hubert – a quiet, unassuming man who loves riding his tricycle and whose good conversation, stories and wonderful energy serves as a marvelous example to us all that cycling knows no age.

It reminds that riding a bike still continues to bring positive changes to many people, regardless of age, in so many different ways. It made my day meeting Hubert and I am so glad I live in a community where people like Hubert are out riding bikes and being active in their communities.

More elderly cyclists.

I have always admired older people who are still out cycling, despite whatever physical, health or social issues they may face – I remember Betty (92) telling me that she was worried about going outside because the wind might blow her over (she was physically very fragile). I can’t help but think that the stability of a tricycle would be an ideal solution to problems of fatigue, balance and reassurance that a number of older people have.

I suppose seeing those who are over 70 out on bikes makes me happy because I hope that I will be like them when I am their age. I have always felt it is important to acknowledge and interact with older riders, as they are defiant in being active – and active members of the community by cycling – which I think is such a great statement about challenging traditional views about age, fitness, health and mobility.

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The right to feel the wind in your hair – Cycling Without Age

Everyone has a right to ride a bike and feel the wind in their hair – so here is a community cycling initiative that is right up my alley!!

“Cycling Without Age” is a movement started in 2012 by Ole Kassow. Ole wanted to help the elderly get back on their bicycles, but he had to find a solution to their limited mobility. The answer was a rickshaw. He started offering free bike rides to the local nursing home residents. Cycling Without Age website. Now four years into operation, this project has made thousands of elderly people incredibly happy; has over 400 purpose built rickshaws, ridden by 3,000 volunteer ‘pilots’ and can be found all over Denmark, as well as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Singapore, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Slovakia, Netherlands, France and Chile. I can’t wait for it to come to Australian cities.

I think this project is highly progressive for a number of reasons:

It’s an amazing way for the elderly (or others?) to be reintegrated into everyday life, despite various mobility or health issues.

It provides an amazing opportunity for those who would not necessarily get outside often (if at all), including the invigorating and curative physiological and psychological effects that fresh air, excitement and social contact have on degenerative conditions.

To remind an ever busy, self-centred and technological world of the finer things in life, like taking the time to ride in a park with friends – and for it to be so meaningful.

The organisation has even taken ‘international’ cycling trips – from Denmark over the sea to Norway, for one – what an amazing trip of a lifetime at any age.

It serves as a reminder that our Elders still have dreams, hopes and life to live – just as we all do.

Basically, this is a community service. Not only does it genuinely promote cycling for all ages, it also actively integrates elders into society. As well it creates opportunities for unusual and significant social networks and relationships to form between disparate community members – like the riders and the passengers, who otherwise would probably not have ever met.

In many eyes, this is a fantastic example of how bicycles can have a truly positive effect on people and communities. What an inspiration!

For more background and details, see Ole presenting his project at a TED Copenhagen in the video below.