Riders Against Cancer arrive in Port
Bikers help Les with his battle
Yesterday the IGA Carpark in Port Douglas was filled with motor bikes and riders who care about others.
The Ride Against Cancer was created by Ryan Godfrey and Les Magyar, inspired by Les's own ongoing fight with cancer.
The goal is to bring people together to show support and raise funds for locals affected by cancer.
Around 50 bikers travelled from Cairns up to Port to show solidarity and support for Les and the COUCH Wellness Centre. 100% of the funds raised from the ride will support Far North Queenslanders and their families through COUCH.
COUCH stands for Cairns Organisation United for Cancer Health and has been fundraising and advocating for better cancer services for the people of FNQ since 2006.
The organisation believes in equal access to care for all people, which is why they make their services accessible by subsidising the cost.
They also have a hardship fund - which means, no matter what a person's financial position, they will still be able to benefit from the services and support at the Centre.
The riders rode through town and back to the IGA Carpark where stories were swapped and where Les Magyar could thank them for their efforts.
Les finds it difficult to speak as the cancer has affected his vocal cords, but he really didn’t have to utter a word, the gratitude was written all over that smiling face. Les told Newsport “I’m stoked, it’s fantastic, to think we got the idea for this ride only eight weeks ago and with everyone’s help we were able to pull it off” he said, “some have suggested an annual event, I’d like to do it every weekend” he laughed.
His mate Ryan Godfrey was equally as excited the event happened for Les and COUCH with such a short lead up time. “It’s awesome, and Les and I want to thank everyone who’s taken part. I’ve known Les for some 15 years now and he’s had a hard battle with this cancer.
Two weeks ago, he was told it was terminal so if we can create something in his honour annually further down the line that’s amazing” he said.
No shortage of riders
Phil Loudon and Blue are typical of the selfless bikers who took time to support the cause. Phil is the President of a group called Coral Coast Riders and they’ve supported COUCH for the past 10 years and told Newsport “When this popped up it was just another opportunity to help” he said. Blue said he heard about the ride on social media and thought it might be fun to get involved “I’m looking forward to meeting Les when we get back to Cairns and finish the ride at the COUCH Wellness Centre” he said. Another biker Chopper Mike who made it clear he’s no relation to Chopper Reid and has both his ears, told Newsport that he got involved after his mate, who’s on the committee of COUCH, asked him to round up a few riders for the day. “We got half a dozen in the Harley Owners Group who were keen to be involved so it wasn’t hard to organise” he said “next year I reckon we can get a lot more because all of us in one way or another have been affected by cancer and it’s for a good cause”.
Final word from Les
The last word goes to Les who when asked about his age, said “I’m 59 but I always said I’ll live to be 100, that’s in miles per hour” he laughed. Good luck Les we’re all thinking of you mate.