Our update from the Laverton Cycling Project in April!
A new partnership.
The Cycling Development Foundation is excited to be partnering with the Waalitj Foundation – an organisation supporting over 60,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people nationally – to deliver the Laverton Cycling Project, combining cultural empowerment with cycling development in remote Western Australia. Learn More
Ongoing collaboration.
The Cycling Development Foundation has been proudly partnered for several years with Pakaanu Aboriginal Corporation – an organisation supporting Aboriginal communities in the Goldfields – to deliver the Laverton Cycling Project, fostering long-term community engagement and youth development through cycling. Learn More
We wish to extend a particular thank you to Gold Fields (Granny Smith) for their support at this month’s visit.
Program coordinator, Sabine Bird, sent us this update following her monthly visit to Laverton.
This month featured a bike fixing workshop (utilising our BBB Cycling workstand, toolkit and pump), which had a great turnout over the Easter break!
“School holidays – no school, no pool, no youth centre, but a bunch of eager kids. Together with local tool-whiz Gary, our own bike mechanic volunteer “Rod the Rocket” and Gold Fields mining engineer Simon, we overhauled every bike we had available over the two days. A hugely productive few days, at times with kids dancing between bike stands and swinging tools and pumps, test riding, coming back with self-identified issues, and a massive desire for plums…! We all had a ball, made new connections, and gave the kids something to do in a currently very quiet town… This is exactly what we are here for.”
Brad Hall, CDF Board Director, adds the following:
“Over 8 years ago, the CDF embarked on a pilot program to deliver social support services via cycling to the Laverton community, specifically focused on their youth. Now, the program has gone from a 2-week pilot event to a year-round commitment to the community, with youths and adults benefiting from our presence. As Laverton is a very small and very remote community, it does not benefit from access to so many services that we might take for granted in urban settings.
An analogy I often find draws similarities and parallels with our LCP is best outlined in the Ted Talk on ‘Rat Park’ found here:
Whilst this talk refers to substance use issues, the underlying presence is that individuals want to have a connection to others, and this is meaningful to their purpose and being. So much so that without connection, dire things can happen. To this end, the Laverton community may be small in size, but it is incredibly committed to the betterment of those residing in it. A good number of people volunteer daily, beyond the scope of their roles, to assist, improve, and sustain services across this small town.
The role of the CDF is one of social facilitation, and this is for those we engage with (youths and Adults alike) and those we work alongside (the Shire, other NGOs, Schools, youth services, Aboriginal corporations, and the various enterprises that support the town). We believe that by providing challenging tasks that are social and healthy, we can promote autonomy and connection for people… through cycling. Given Laverton’s small size, we want to support the community in building cycling as a lasting presence, just like Dr Laver (Laverton’s contemporary namesake) did on his bicycle all those years ago:
https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/medicine/display/115853-dr-charles-laver
Cycling can be a form of exercise, transport, freedom, health/well-being improvement, and more. It is not age-restricted (you can cycle across most of your lifespan), so it transcends many of the other sporting codes that cross over into exercise practice where injury might be a risk factor (team sports, etc). We hope that through cycling together, we can build meaningful connections to others, through a healthy modality of exercise that unlocks a raft of other benefits and autonomy-supportive opportunities.
Much of this would not be possible if not for our financial contributors, for this, we say a heartfelt thank you for supporting one of the longest serving cycling remote cycling programs in Australia.”
