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Thursday, 12 August 2004
 BUACA Australia line up a large group of motorcycles in front of the House Of Assembly meeting rooms amid supporters and media attention. |
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 Jacquie Burke opens the meeting with BUACA members and supporters at the House Of Assembly meeting rooms and (insert) Ilona Frasier and Michael Tharme. |
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 LEFT: Michael Tharme (FJ from ACT BUACA) speaking at the meeting and RIGHT: National Patron for BUACA Arthur Veno speaks of BUACA's future in Australia and beyond. |
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 From the children's charity Barnardos Australia, Annette Kelly-Eggerton addressing the crowd. Annette stated she was "looking forward to the support offered from BUACA" to raise funds to help Barnados Australia help children. |
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The national launch of Bikers United Against Child Abuse ACT Chapter (BUACA) in Canberra last week was welcomed amid the news that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of child abuse-related reports in the ACT.
BUACA members from around Australia rode hundreds of miles on
their motorcycles to gather in Canberra to launch their ACT
Canberra Chapter at the House Of Assembly meeting rooms.
A quote from the BUACA press release:
"We are a motorcycle social club, we are not vigilantes, we
are not an Outlaw club, our focus is the welfare of the children
of this country and the help that they require in a realm of
those that would abuse them. Our focus is the lack of
governmental support and funding where attention to the cries of
children have been largely ignored and wrapped in bureaucracy. We
make no apologies that we ride and live in the fraternity of
motorcycle riders, and this should not be open to innuendo nor
ignorance from anyone. We are concerned people that intend to
make a difference no matter how small or extensive or difficult
that may be"
BUACA chapters enjoy support from all facets of motorcycling
including enthusiastic backing from most of the mainstream outlaw
motorcycle clubs around Australia.
The meeting along with local motorcyclists was politician Jacqui
Burke, BUACA's national patron Professor Arthur Veno and a
representative of the children's charity Barnardos Australia,
Annette Kelly-Eggerton.
ABC Drive
Interview with "Spook" SA BUACA President ABC Drive
talks with "Spook" President of South Australia's
Chapter of BUACA (Bikers United Against Child Abuse)
This article thanks to The Canberra Times
Bikers driven to form anti-child abuse chapter in ACT
Tuesday, 3 August 2004
There are two easy ways to upset a group of leather-clad
motorcyclists. The first is to mess with their machines and the
second is to remind them that every three minutes a child is
abused somewhere in Australia.
Bikers United Against Child Abuse officially launched their
Canberra chapter yesterday at the Legislative Assembly.
They pledged to lend their financial and physical support to
fight the growing incidence of child abuse around the country.
Spokesman Michael Tharme said the group, now with chapters in
every capital city except Hobart and Darwin, had been kicked into
being after reading in the media "of yet another case of
child abuse".
"There are about 550 reports [of abuse] in Australia every
day. We love our motorbikes, but we also love our kids and
decided something had to be done," Mr Tharme said.
"[The bikers] might look big, dirty and ugly, but most of
these guys are family men."
He said the group would raise money through events such as
charity collections and local rides, and would also lend help to
Barnardos, the group which will be handling the money raised by
the bikers.
But Mr Tharme said the philosophy of protecting children did not
extend to vigilante action against known abusers or those
suspected of abusing. "That's for the police, not us,"
he said, emphasising the group's core actions as fund-raising and
assisting Barnardos and the children.
A recognised expert in researching relationships between bikers
and police, Professor Art Veno, of Monash University, was named
patron of the organisation.
He said children often trusted bikers and told them secrets they
would not dream of passing on to welfare workers.
Related Links:
Some of these links may be to sites outside the ABC and as such
the ABC has no editorial control over such sites.
South
Australia's BUACA Website
http://www.buaca-australia.com/SA/
Further info about BUACA is available at the state Chapter
site,
or the Australian site at: http://www.buaca-australia.com
