Every country in the world has them – those selfless individuals who don uniforms, forgo the pleasures of stable family lives and risk life and limb to protect the rest of us. And in almost every country, they suffer the same sad fate: when they lay down their weapons in times of peace, their sacrifices are soon forgotten as we enjoy the security they have fought to bring us.
The need to honour the memory of the fallen members of the uniform forces who spent their careers riding motorcycles was felt in the biking community, and a small group of ex-military bikers decided to do something about it. Thus began Forgotten Soldiers, a bike club dedicated to bikers in uniform who lost their lives while protecting others. The idea was submitted to the South African Legion and was accepted by the Legion’s national executive. As a result, Forgotten Soldiers was incorporated as a Branch of the SA Legion.
Central to the philosophy of Forgotten Soldiers are its five Pillars of Strength:
• RESPECT for doing their duty, well knowing they might pay the highest price;
• LOYALTY such as they showed in the face of danger;
• HONOUR in defending our country and its people;
• BRAVERY in doing their duty without a thought of the danger to themselves;
• REMEMBRANCE of their deeds for as long as God allows us to walk on His beautiful Earth
The main objective of Forgotten Soldiers is to raise awareness of the plight of Military Veterans – to be the voices of those who have fallen. Says one of Forgotten Soldiers’ founders, Victor Sargent: “For too long have our memorials to our fallen friends are being vandalised and destroyed, their graves been ignored and allowed to fall apart. The history of our lives in uniform is being thrown away and our children are denied the opportunity to learn about the sacrifices or understand why they were made. One of our objectives is to ensure that our history, the details of what we have done, is not forgotten.”
Because of their mutual interest in the safety of bikers, Forgotten Soldiers found kindred spirits in the Think Bike Motorcycle Safety Awareness Campaign. Think Bike started in a similar way, when a small group of bikers felt that something needed to be done about the lack of awareness of motorcycles and bicycles among other road users. The idea was met with enthusiasm by bikers, and from this small start Think Bike grew into Africa’s leading bike safety awareness campaign.
Think Bike has three main aims: to increase the awareness of motorcycle and bicycles among other road users, to make motorcyclists more safety aware, and to encourage bikers to wear the proper protective gear. Their primary passive safety item is the now ubiquitous dayglo yellow retro-reflective bib, which is worn by thousands of bikers in a quest to be more visible. Think Bike also writes a weekly safety column in CitiBike, the Citizen’s biking insert, in which bikers are given advice on how to handle a variety of situations safely.
To increase awareness among motorists, Think Bike members regularly hang their familiar yellow banners from bridges on the N1 in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. These “banner days” usually feature on radio drive-time shows and have been met enthusiastically by other road users. One of the campaign’s most important – if lesser-known – safety activities is marshalling. Think Bike currently has around 80 accredited motorcycle marshals who act as safety officers at a variety of events. This includes major cycle races such as the Cape Argus and the 94.7 Cycle Challenge, as well as several motorcycle events. Perhaps the best-known of the motorcycle events that Think Bike supplies marshals for is the Annual Motorcycle Toy Run. This spectacular event sees thousands of motorcycles, festooned with toys for lesser-privileged children, converge on several pre-determined venues – in Gauteng last year, more than 25 000 motorcycles participated in the Toy Run.
The co-operation between Forgotten Soldiers and Think Bike doesn’t only show that the South African motorcycle community is more responsible that it is usually given credit for, but also that it is a caring, socially aware community with its heart in the right place.