Ups For Downs Visited by Santa

The Ladies of PetroSA opened their hearts and got together 23 Gift Packs that PetroSA donated to the "Ups For Downs" School in Blanco George. Star Riders adopted the "Ups For Downs" School as their local charity in 2011 and decided to spoil the kids afflicted with the Downs Syndrome, Santa arrived at the School on the 6th December bearing the Gift Packs donated by PetroSA. George Yamaha donated R500 and two other members of the Star Riders MC matched that donation and an envelope with R1500 was handed to the Principal of the school. The other members of Star Riders MC donated toiletries and other toys to augment the Gift Packs supplied by PetroSA. To make the day even more enjoyable for the kids, Star Riders MC got snack platters to feed the kids during break time. The joy on the kids faces were evident and we were greeted with much gusto and excitement, the bikes were admired and Santa was grilled with a lot of questions of what happened to his sleigh and reindeer. It was explained to them that the motorcycles were magical and had 1700 horses in that little engine that makes so much noise and that Santa can make time drag in the different countries so that he can reach all the kids in time for Christmas. The love that these kids exhibited was amazing and an experience we will never forget. I would like to extend my thanks to PetroSA management and the ladies that got the Gift Packs together on such short notice as well as George Yamaha and the rest of the crew from Star Riders. To my wife, thanks for being my Elf that day and handing me the right gift for each kid. To the Staff of the "Ups for Downs" School I want to say what a wonderful job you women are doing and all our love and respect for doing such a wonderful job with the Down Syndrome Kids in our region. We are looking forward to assist you in the future with more fund raisers and am proud to be one of your ambassadors.

Merry Christmas and my the Lord bless all of you and the school in this coming year and the years ahead.

 
From the pictures to the left and right you can see the joy we brought to the Kids and it was a privilege to be able to share the day with them.
 

 

SWDMCA Sleepover 2011



Swartvlei Caravan Park

 The annual SWDMCA Sleepover was held on the 19th and 20th November at the Swartvlei Caravan Park and what a lovely day it was on the 19th. The wind was blowing a bit and it was difficult to get the Braai Fires lit, but eventually the fires took and we could get the meat on the grill. The morning started off with all the Star Riders meeting up at Maxi's and 5 STAR Motorcycles showed up for this fun run. The members sharing this run was: Colin, Mandy, Heinz, Jean, Suzette, Gerhardt, Linda and Kids. Conwill joined us later and we would like to thank him and his family for making the effort in his busy schedule, since ACSA was busy with a runway audit at the airport and he stole time away from his family and the audit to show his support.

Leeukop

Heinz and Linda had a discussion about the location and some locals know this spot as Leeukop and Heinz could not understand why. Look at the picture on the right and see if you can spot why we call this spot Leeukop, it actually looks like a complete Lion with the dark rocks at the back forming the curling tail. Apparently a great place for fishing and Linda's Dad used to fish there a lot during angling competitions. There is also a nice beach to swim in, but take care as there is dangerous currents.

Star Lady Suzette

The ride to Swartvlei was great and we left at 10:30 for a nice slow cruise as a club. Jean and Suzette were our sweeper at the back of the pack and they did a great job of preventing as little as possible interference of motorists to our pack. We kept a nice tight formation and it certainly looked great in my rearview mirrors to see the group of bikes in formation. Linda also commented that it looks impressive to see such a nice group of bikes in front of her.

STARS at Swarvlei

This sleepover and meeting also served as our induction and welcome to the SWDMCA group and we are the 16th MC to join the organization and it is an honor to form part of the larger brotherhood of bikers. At 14:00 the meeting took place and our Vice-President, Mandy, was certainly better received by my male counterparts at the meeting than myself. As usual the meeting was opened with a prayer and one of the reasons why we as MC wanted to join the brotherhood since God is the centre of the SWDMCA and they strive to serve the community and charitable organizations.

The day was fun and the kids had a ball, we decided not to sleepover and headed back to George at around 16:00. A good thing since the next day it started pouring down with rain and our hearts went out to our new Brothers and Sisters having to pack up and ride back to their various destinations. Well we are looking forward to the next run which is the 2011 Toy Run being held on the 27th November and keep an eye out for my next Blog about this event.

Rocktober Festival 2011

       

    Jean and Suzette getting ready for the Mass Ride

This years Rocktober Festival hosted by "Set-Free Ministries" in Great Brak was

attended by Heinz, Jean, Suzette, Gerhardt, Linda, Suzette's Dad and the Koch Kids.

There were not to many people or bikes in attendance since the event coincided with

the Rugby World Cup. There were about 100 motorcycles and plenty more spectators

just soaking up the sun and the festivities. There were plenty of activities and the morning started off with a group ride to Great Brak River where we attended the Mass Ride through town.  

                    

After the Mass Ride we all got together for

Lunch. There was Curry and rice, Boerewors rolls, Pancakes and other snacks to be had and we had a great time visiting

together and enjoyed seeing the Stars that were there. After Lunch it was time for the

Strong-man Competition, Tug-off War,

Egg Toss Competition, Miss and Mister

Rocktober and the Concourse competition.

Jasmin and myself entered the Egg Toss

Competition and we did not fare to bad. 

We must of had a boiled egg since it fell

a couple of times without breaking but

eventually the egg did break and we fell out about midway through the competition.

Aidan came second in the Mr. Rocktober

competition and was crowned the 1st Prince, we are very proud of our little Star.

Spike my trusty Iron Horse came 3rd in the Concourse Competition. This was my first time entering a competition like this and I did not know

what the judges were going to look at. Now I understand why the guys were cleaning so furiously

beforehand, luckily I got the hint and tried to make the bike shine as much as possible. In the end I got points deducted since my numberplate light did not work and the lens fir the light is broken as well as dust underneath my mudguards. All in all it was a fun outing and we all enjoyed the fellowship off our brother and sister bikers out there and look forward to the next Rocktober Festival. 

                           

Springbok Rally 2011

                            From L to R: Colin, Mandy, Heinz, Icy, Conwill

We lived up to the Star slogan this weekend ....which is ....good rides, good friends, good times ...thanks to all for an enjoyable time ...our schedules are so hectic so the timeout time  in nature was priceless ....the rest of the Stars were missed as well as the families as the setting was perfect for family enjoyment ....we used more fuel on the trip home than when we came ....( 3 guys + 3 x 500gr stetson steaks )...LOL...Thanks to the Lord for awesome weather and protecting us all ...thanks to my hubby...you are amazing and exciting  and to Conwill, Heinz and Icy you guys made the Stars shine...look forward to the next Star Trek.

From L to R: Colin, Heinz, Conwill

The Boys of Starriders

         From Left to Right: Icy, Conwill, Gerhardt, Shaun, Heinz, Colin, Seegie

Above is the Boys from Star Riders Garden Route Chapter. Hendri is not in the picture as he was working that day. This was taken during the George 200 year festival. We will see if the Girls from the Club will pose for a group photo for us to post ,so that ya'll can see what the Ladies of star Riders looks like.

Ups For Downs 2012 Calender Photo-shoot

Starriders adopted the "Ups For Downs" school in Blanco George as their local charity and our first act as Sponsors was to pose for their 2012 Calender. Four riders pitched up for the shoot with their Iron Ponies much to the Kid's delight and judging from their expectant faces and smiles they relished the opportunity to pose with the STARS on their motorcycles. We plan to be much more involved in fund raisers for the school and hopefully contribute more in the future. Thanks Heinz, Henri, Seegie for joining me today and making the Photo-shoot a huge success.

PAWS Run 2011

Starriders was well represented at this years PAWS Run hosted by the Ulysses MC. Attending the run was members from left to right, Hendri,Mandi, Gerhardt, Linda, Heinz,Jean, Suzette and Conwill. Jeans Mom joined the Stars as a guest on this run.

All the different MCs met at the bottom of York Street in George at the old Game Center's parking lot, where everybody bought Dog or Cat food to donate to the Knysna SPCA. There was a good turn out despite the chilly weather conditions, and we guessed that between 150 to 200 bikers showed up to show their support to the furry creatures.

 Linda joined us for the first time for this run as the SPCA is her favorite charity and she feels the little furry creatures can not speak for themselves and she showed her support by joining hubby for this worthy cause. She was truly a rose among the thorns and  we enjoyed having her along on this run and appreciate the fact that she braved the cold weather on the back of my bike. The other Stars showed their support and even borrowed her some glasses to prevent teary eyes.

The pre-ride discussion was short and sweet and the riders departed at 9:30 for our mass ride to the Sedgefield Arms in Sedgefield. The ride went smooth and there was no incidents or accidents and everyone arrived at Sedgefield Arms safely. Our group was a bit slower than the rest since we had novice riders in our group and the wind was chilly and thus riding slower suited us. The breakfast served was generous at R25 and comprised out of 2 slices of toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and chips.

Everyone had a good time and we enjoyed the ride and getting together as a group of friends. Thank you to everyone who made it to the run and out thoughts went to those that could not make it and hope that we can ride together soon again

SWDMCA Meeting 28/08/2011

Henri and myself attended our first meeting on Saturday representing the Starriders Garden Route MC. It was held in George at Club Nitro and it was nice meeting the Presidents and the Proxies of the other MCs. The meeting was opened with a prayer and it was nice seeing where the priorities of the SWDMCA lies. I realised that it is definitely a misconception the world has about Bikers in general and here was a group of bikers praying for fallen brothers, brothers and sisters that had accidents or has taken ill. And most of the meeting was centered around supporting various charities and doing good in the community. I was not supposed to open my trap since it was our first meeting and were are not members of the SWDMCA, but you guys know me and I have to say something when the need rises. The SWDMCA needs somebody to do the accounting and I mentioned that we have a Starrider that is an accountant and we can approach him should the SWDMCA require it. Then I could once again not keep quiet and the President (Quinten Harris) of the SWDMCA was kind enough to point the fact out to me that I am not allowed to actually speak, but gave me the floor once again. The subject of a Website etc. came under discussion and I offered the Starriders assistance in helping the SWDMCA to set up their Websites and asked them to have a look at our website and to see if it is what the SWDMCA would like to have or some similar format. I also had an oppertunity to introduce our Starriders MC to the rest of the Corum and hopefully we will get accepted into the Brotherhood soon.

There is a PAWS run hosted by the Ulysses MC this comming Sunday the 4th September and all the Biker MCs are going to meet in the parking lot of the old GAME Centre where Checkers is now operating at the bottom of York Street. The Plan is to meet there at 9 in the morning and buy anything for the SPCA and place it in the 2 LDVs that will be there to transport the Bikers donation to Sedgefield in aid of the Knysna SPCA. We depart from George to the Sedgefield Arms where we will hand over the donation and have Breakfast. Breakfast will be served at R25 per plate at there will be discounts on drinks. I am counting on all our STARS to attend and show our support and willingness to be part of the brotherhood and to do our bit for charity.

The next meeting was set for the 15th October and I will be in country and able to attend, please keep the date in mind as it would be nice to pitch up as a club and mingle with the rest of the brothers and sisters. The meeting wads scheduled provincially to be held in Mosselbay and the venue will be announced at a later date.

Ride safe.

Gerhardt

Pizza Run 21-10-2011

A Pizza run was done on Sunday to the world famous little restaurant between George and Oudshoorn to try out the Pizza we have been hearing about for ages. Four Starriders pitched up for this run (Colin, Mandy, Heinz and Gerhardt) and it was Colin and Mandy's first time through the Outeniqua Pass. Mandy was taking it slow as she did not know the pass, a wise woman indeed, and it turned out to be a great experience since we were going so slow I could check out the local Fauna and Flora and even notice the other little things nature prove that we usually miss in our haste to get to our destinations. Arriving at the Pizza Place we found some other bikers there and a Trio of old balies on Vespas enjoying a run of their own. Truly the pizzas was great and the service was exceptionally fast, 6 minutes for our Pizzas to come to the table. We enjoyed our lunch and headed back through the pass, stopping for the great view from the top and some pictures. Thanks for the ride Stars and hope to do another run soon.

A Club is Born

The Star Riders Garden Route chapter was started in March 2010 after big demand from Star owners in the Garden Route. A president and treasurer was elected which falls under the national board. The fact that we are surrounded by awesome scenery and good roads are no secret and it was about time to enjoy it with our Stars. Since we started we grew to a great group of friends, from novice to experienced riders. We have runs as frequent as possible even if it's just a short one. Star Riders Garden Route covers the whole area from Riversdale, Oudtshoorn, George through to Plettenbergbay. We invite all Star owners to contact us and join us on a run!