Fire Aid Ride

In 2013, Jimmy created the first ever ‘Fire Aid Ride’ following a bushfire in Yellow Rock NSW, near his home town in the Blue Mountains region. The concept was simple: Motorbike riders come together and fundraise for the bushfire-affected communities and local Rural Fire Service (RFS).

Fire Aid Ride was about meet the communities, saying G’day, spending money with them or just rumbling through towns on a bunch of cool bikes and being present. It tells our regional communities that we care, and that they’re not alone.

In the midst of the catastrophic Black Summer Bushfires 2019/20, Jimmy jumped on the phone to his good friend Mark Hawwa, founder of the world-famous Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, and together they hatched a plan to pull Fire Aid off the bench and back into action! On the 23 February 2020, over 800 motorbikes from the Sydney region gathered at Windsor and rode the black charred, winding roads to the Aussie town of Putty - which had been devastated by flames. Throwing their support behind the Windsor to Putty ride were familiar faces like Osher Gunsberg, Barry Du Bois and Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones.

Riders stopped to fill up on food and fuel at small businesses all along the way. The result was record-smashing for local businesses, with additional donations and merchandise sales going to the Putty RFS Brigade.

The Black Summer Bushfires saw a record-breaking 5.52 million hectares burned in NSW, an area equivalent to 7% of the state. With an estimated 3 billion animals, birds and reptiles killed, and 34 human lives lost, it is no wonder that Country and communities are still healing.

We give our heartfelt thanks to all of the riders and volunteers that joined us for Fire Aid Ride 2020. One of the best ways that you can continue to support these rebuilding communities is by getting your wheels on - visit, explore and support local, regional economies.