On the eve of turning clocks forward one hour, a leather clad convoy will be revving up for something bigger than the open road.
Top of the South Motorcycle Club’s hosting duties will be full throttle on 26 September for its annual Daylight Savings Ride fundraiser for a local lifesaving organisation who knows every hour, minute, and second counts.
With up to 90 bikies participating each year, lifting the funds for the Nelson Marlborough Westpac Rescue Helicopter is never left in their rear view mirror on the ride from Filco Farm & Sport in Stoke to St Arnaud before the motors cool at the Wakefield Hotel.
For club member David McNatty the cause is personal, after the rescue helicopter airlifted him after breaking his pelvis in four places while on a different set of wheels in the Codgers Trails in 2019.
“I was a bit quick and went over the handlebars on some bumps and couldn't get my feet down in time, landed on my pelvis on my side, and heard this almighty crack,” David recalls.
“I couldn't move; I was a bit of a mess.”
A women's downhill cycling event was taking place nearby and marshals were first on the scene before contacting the rescue helicopter.
David's wife soon arrived to support him while the helicopter hovered overhead.
A medic was lowered to the scene and administered morphine before David was winched into the helicopter on a stretcher.
“I was still in shock with waves of severe pain rushing through my body,” he says.
“They are so professional, and I felt that when I was in that vulnerable state of being airlifted out, they made me feel very comfortable.”
A long recovery followed.
“I had 12 months on ACC, I couldn't walk without assistance or crutches or pain for at least five months,” he says.
“Getting in and out of bed was such a chore, and I was on all kinds of drugs and medication and blood thinners.
“I'm back to full recovery now, back on the mountainbike, not as crazy as I was, but definitely back on the mountainbike.”
Club president Rob Shuttleworth says David's story highlights the importance of supporting the rescue service.
Registrations for the ride can be made on the day at Filco Farm & Sport from 9am before the 11am start.
All bikes are welcome. Entry costs $20 a person and breakfast will be served by the Nelson Host Lions Club from 9am.
Raffle winners will be drawn at the end of the ride, while jacket badges will also be sold to boost fundraising efforts.
