Gary - Riding Against Teen Suicide

Pete: 00:00:13

Are you frustrated by the constantly rising cost of motorcycle registration here in New Zealand?

If you're nodding your head, you're not alone.

I'm Pete and this is Keep It Twisted, the official podcast of magnz.

My guest this week is Gary Anderson.

It turns out he's a bit of an Internet celebrity.

He tours New Zealand in his motorcycle and sidecar combination along with his dog.

To give you an idea of the scale, his latest video, where he was forced to execute an emergency stop after a truck pulled out on him, has racked up over 57,000 views in less than two days.

I didn't know anything about Gary before we spoke, but when I told my wife I just recorded an episode with a fellow who travels New Zealand with his dog in a sidecar, she immediately said, oh, well, that'll be Gary from Cairo's suicide awareness ride.

And so it was.

Before I introduce Gary, I'd like to share an important update on the High Court process.

This Friday, 25th September is the deadline for the Crown to file and serve their evidence.

This is the material they intend to use to defend their levy setting decisions at the substantive court hearing in November.

If everything goes to plan, Mark Chappell will receive that evidence fairly promptly and the MAGNZ executive team are standing by to help analyse and review the material.

Regular listeners will remember that at the Wellington hearing in July, the judge said that how the sausages were made should become clearly apparent once this evidence is filed.

So this is the first real test of whether ACC and the Crown can clearly explain in evidence how they decided to tie motorcycle levies to engine capacity bands.

Now, I have to be mindful that this is part of an ongoing judicial review, so I don't yet know how much of that information I'll be able to share publicly, but.

But I'll do my best to bring you a full update as soon as I can.

Right, it's time to introduce Gary.

It's time to Keep It Twisted.

Pete: 00:02:04

Gary, welcome to Keep It Twisted.

It's lovely to have you on the show.

Gary: 00:02:07

And a very good afternoon to you.

Pete: 00:02:10

I understand you've got a bit of a story to tell us, Gary.

Gary: 00:02:13

Oh, I've got a few stories to tell.

Pete: 00:02:16

We should probably start by saying, Gary, are you a motorcyclist?

Gary: 00:02:19

I definitely am and love it.

Pete: 00:02:21

And what are you riding?

Gary: 00:02:23

I got a: 2008

My dog travels everywhere with me on the sidecar.

Pete: 00:02:35

That's fantastic.

What's the dog called.

Gary: 00:02:38

The one I got now is Pippinz.

unfortunately I lost Kairoin: 2024

Pete: 00:02:53

You've got to tell us about this sidecar and the dog.

So I can't imagine that there are hundreds and hundreds of sidecar combinations registered in New Zealand.

Gary: 00:03:02

No, it is getting more popular.

There is a New Zealand sidecar site on Facebook, so it is getting more popular.

But we definitely attract attention wherever we go.

Put it that way.

Pete: 00:03:14

I bet you do.

Yeah.

My dad had a sidecar on a bike when I was a baby and he tells fond stories of him riding.

Pete: 00:03:20

That and thinking he was on his.

Pete: 00:03:21

Postie bike and not quite squeezing through gaps.

Gary: 00:03:26

Yeah, it was a learning curve when I first got it, that's for sure.

I got my first rig in: 2021

My poor dog.

And it got a bit of a rough ride when I was.

I was learning.

He took to it straight away, just absolutely loved it.

Pete: 00:03:45

And is it an open top sidecar?

Gary: 00:03:47

Yeah, but it does have a canopy that I can put over, so it's like a convertible.

And when it's raining I can put the canopy over.

He's nice and warm.

Well, now Pippin's nice and warm and dry and I'm the one freezing.

Pete: 00:04:01

Is Pippin wearing a helmet, Gary?

Gary: 00:04:03

No, we haven't gone that far yet.

People often ask about the doggles.

I got a pair, but yeah, they're too big for her.

They fly up in the wind.

But she's got a windscreen there so, you know, it's a bit dirty or dusty.

She just tucks in behind the windscreen and watches where we're going.

Pete: 00:04:18

I know how much my dogs enjoy being in the back of the car.

They stand on the back of the seats and look out the window.

I bet Pippin loves being in the sidecar.

Gary: 00:04:25

Oh, she does.

You know, she's.

I got it out the other day and we hadn't been out for a while because of the shit weather in my old age and just don't want to get wet and cold.

And she was just humming around the side of the sidecar looking, waiting for me to open up the little door so she could jump in.

Pete: 00:04:40

That's fantastic.

Gary: 00:04:41

Yeah, she absolutely loves every minute of it.

Pete: 00:04:44

You're not just the sort of fellow who rides to and from the supermarket with his sidecar.

And dog are you?

Gary: 00:04:49

No.

e of New Zealand twice now in: 2022

We aren't a bike club, we're a charitable trust.

And this is one of the reasons why I rung up and wanted to have a talk, because how this ridiculous prices for our regos are going to affect people riding and it's going to affect the charitable trust as well.

Pete: 00:05:16

I imagine it is, because it's a huge chunk of money.

And on the Yamaha, what, you'd be paying $816 a year now.

Gary: 00:05:23

Yep.

And what, 970 next year.

Pete: 00:05:25

Yeah.

And on a pension.

That's a lot of coin to find, eh?

Gary: 00:05:29

It is.

I mean, people say, oh, it's less than $20 a week, but $20 a week is, you know, a lot for you to find on a pension because there's not much left at the end of the fortnight.

And then also save up to ride.

Pete: 00:05:40

Yeah.

I don't know if acc considered the charitable side of motorcycling.

I spoke to Rob Goulden yesterday, who's the president of Centurion's Motorcycle Club in Wellington.

He said exactly the same, that he's got 37 members and they regularly ride up into the Hawke's Bay and they've been helping with flood relief from the cyclone.

And he said that they've now got members who are struggling to do that and they're not prepared to break the law and ride dark.

Which then means that the community in the Hawke's Bay is missing out on the charitable work that those people would have brought to them.

Gary: 00:06:11

Yeah, that's right.

I mean, before I joined the Rats, when I first got the sidecar rig, I used to go and Napier for the Dogs on Bike fundraiser ride for the spca.

I've gone to Thai Happy for the river to River Ride, when the Thai Happy Riders are raising money for the St. John's to get a new St. John's building so they didn't lose their ambulance out of the town.

You know, all those sort of things,.

Pete: 00:06:34

All those events are really well attended by motorcyclists, aren't they?

Gary: 00:06:37

Yeah, that's right, Tai Happy river to River.

It was well over 100 bites easy.

Every time we did it, you know, it's just going to be less and less now because if you can afford to register your bike and keep it registered, you know, you've got to pick your rides that you can Go on.

Because of the price of petrol as well.

On top of everything, plus your registration to join the ride, it's getting harder and harder for people to be able to do it.

Pete: 00:07:00

You best tell us a bit more about riders against Teens suicide, Gary.

Gary: 00:07:04

Yeah, well, we're based here in Stratford and Taranaki, just under the mountain there.

Yep, yep.

Under the lovely, beautiful mountain which freezing bloody cold gets into the bones as I get older.

Pete: 00:07:15

But what a view you've got, Gary.

Gary: 00:07:17

Oh, it is.

Yeah, it is, truly.

Pete: 00:07:19

Yeah.

Gary: 00:07:19

Yeah.

We've been operating since: 2012

We aren't a motorcycle club at all, so anyone can join us.

We got members on the committee that are never ridden in their life and never want to because it's just not in them.

Yeah, yeah.

We can travel everywhere we go and help people out, you know, that are vulnerable, get them on the right track with help, through counseling, all the support groups that are around.

I felt myself when I was part of them and I felt myself getting back into a dark place because I'd been there.

I've lost three friends to suicide and I was close to doing it myself, but it was my dog I had with me at the time.

That was the only one that pulled me out of that dark place.

So I know from both sides how it feels.

I found myself getting back in the dark place.

So I closed my business down, sold everything off and I hit the road with my dog, Cairo.

Pete: 00:08:10

What an adventure.

Gary: 00:08:11

Oh, I tell you what, I was shitting myself.

I didn't know whether the bike would even last it back then.

I had a Yamaha XJR30 done over a hundred thousand K's.

Pete: 00:08:21

The old shaft Drive.

Gary: 00:08:23

No, this one was chain drive.

2001, It was.

She survived it.

And, you know, we got so popular, people demanded, don't miss out, the South Island.

So we did a month around the North Island 22.

We did six weeks around the South Island 23.

And then, unfortunately, I lost Kairoon May 24.

And now I got my new dog, Pippins.

She did a month around the North island in November 24, and then we did a month around the South Island March this year.

Pete: 00:08:54

Where do you stay when you're out on the road in the sidecar then, Gary?

Gary: 00:08:57

Well, there's a lot of motels and holiday parks and that.

And now dog friendly.

Last time I actually had to pitch a tent and be in a tent.

I got cramped trying to put my pants on in the tent one morning, so I don't tent it anymore.

You Know motels and hotels and motor camps with cabins and they have dog friendly ones, so that's fantastic.

Pete: 00:09:18

I told someone on the podcast the other week, I've got a lone rider moto tent.

It's never been out of the bag for that very reason you've just described.

Gary: 00:09:25

Yeah, the younger ones can do it now.

We're getting too old for it, you know, I'm 67 now, so I've been a manual laborer all my life and you know, the body's worn out and it's telling me hard yacker.

Definitely use it and abuse it and you pay for it later.

Pete: 00:09:41

With the sidecar, was it brand new or was it secondhand or have you built it yourself?

Gary: 00:09:46

No, no, it was secondhand, fully set up.

Brought it from a guy in Nelson and he got it on the ferry and I picked it up from Wellington.

Pete: 00:09:54

As a combination.

Gary: 00:09:55

Yeah, all set up and it was a total learning curve for the first month.

I really thought I'd done the wrong thing.

I thought, I'm never going to get used to this.

Pete: 00:10:04

Well, they're not the easiest thing to corner, are they?

Gary: 00:10:07

No, no, definitely not.

You got to have the knack for it.

I've got used to it now and I know I probably ride a bit faster than what a lot of the sidecar owners would venture to do, but I've just got used to it and how it handles now and I know my limits.

Sometimes I have surpassed them.

Give me a bit of a scare on some corners as we all get.

Pete: 00:10:28

The big advantages of the combination are, A, you can get all your luggage in there safely.

Gary: 00:10:33

Oh, yeah.

Pete: 00:10:34

And B, you're not having to look down and kick out a side stand when you stop, are you?

Gary: 00:10:39

No, you just cruise up and come to a halt and that's fine.

Someone said to me, would I go solo riding again?

I said, nah, never.

I said, I'm used to it now and I just love the sidecar combination and the fact that I can have my dog with me.

And wherever we go, we put smiles on people's faces.

Pete: 00:10:56

I bet you do.

I can just imagine there's no stopping.

Gary: 00:10:59

Somewhere fast because I'd go to the petrol station, come out and there's four people around the sidecar, you know, and then you're talking about it.

And that's the beauty of it, because it brings joy to people.

Pete: 00:11:09

Motorcycles do that.

But I imagine a combination is just next level.

Gary: 00:11:13

Yeah, that's right.

I mean, I've been riding off and on all my Life, well over 50 years and you know, I'm used to, you stop somewhere and people walk past you and that's it.

And they might glance at the bike or whatever, but they don't come and converse with you.

But once you've got a dog there and they look at the sidecar setup and they want to talk about that, and then they want to come and see the dog and what the dog's all about, and that's the icebreaker that starts talking, talking about suicide.

And I'll tell you what, very few times I can count on one hand the amount of times we've been around New Zealand that I've met someone that said they've never been affected by it.

Pete: 00:11:48

It's frighteningly common, I think.

Gary: 00:11:50

Yeah, it is.

It's a scary situation.

613 Or New Zealand last year, is.

Pete: 00:11:56

That the number who committed suicide?

Gary: 00:11:58

Yep.

We have them printed on our hoodies the year and the amount of suicides each year.

And people always ask us, what are those figures?

And you tell them and they just about fall over.

It's worse than the road toll.

And look at the millions and millions they spend on advertising for the road toll and road safety and everything else.

Pete: 00:12:16

And suicide's just not one of those things we talk about very often, is it?

Gary: 00:12:20

No.

And that's what I first realized when I got out on the road and started to talk to the little communities and that that have been affected by it.

It's more about talking to the people that are left behind.

Pete: 00:12:33

Yeah.

Gary: 00:12:33

You know, hopefully ones that are at risk will come forward and not feel ashamed to come forward and say, well, I'm feeling this way.

What can I do about it?

It's also talking to the people that are left behind after suicide and have been affected by it and how they can handle it.

The biggest thing is to let them know that, hey, it's normal to feel the feelings you do.

And that's what we get out on the road to do.

And people are amazed when they come down and say, oh, so everyone feels that way.

And I went, yeah, it's natural grief, anger and guilt.

Now the free feelings you get when you lose someone from suicide, you know, are you angry because, you know, why did the bastards take the easy way out?

You got the grief naturally because you lost a loved one or a friend and then you got the guilt.

Wasn't I a good enough friend that they could feel they could come to me or did I miss something and I didn't see it when they were reaching out and, you know, so it's all the feeling to go through with it.

Pete: 00:13:26

Well, I didn't know you were going to tell me about this before you rang.

While you're talking there, I just did a quick search on my computer and it says that between 600 and 630 people die by suicide in New Zealand each year, compared to an annual road crash death toll that generally ranges between 300 and 420.

So this is a massive problem.

Gary: 00:13:48

Yep, it is.

You know, it's an epidemic in itself and population wise, we're the worst, second to worst or worst country in the world for suicide per capita.

I'm passionate about it because it has affected me and working with the Rats, it's brought out that you do need to get out there and talk about it.

You do need to hit the communities that are left behind.

And the more a community is open to talking about it, the more likely someone's not going to be ashamed to come forward and say, hey, I'm actually feeling that way.

And they know they got support in the community and that's why I get so passionate about it.

Pete: 00:14:24

With both rats and with your sponsored ride or your fundraising ride around New Zealand, is that on social media?

Is it easy for people to find?

Gary: 00:14:32

Yeah, it's under KairoSuicide Awareness Ride.

K A I R O.

And we got.

Well, the rats have got their fundraiser ride in October this year and that's Cairo's ride around the mountain.

So honour him.

Pete: 00:14:47

And do we have to register for that?

Gary: 00:14:49

No, no, you don't have to register.

You can just turn up.

We have that on Labor Weekend, Sunday, Labor Weekend.

And it's just a ride around the mountain.

You'll see on Kairo Suicide Awareness Ride and Rats page the video of the one after I lost Kairo and I got his ashes back, we put on a ride around the mountain, his last ride, and we had close to 100 bikes turn up for it.

I was absolutely blown away that they turned up just for my dog, you know.

Pete: 00:15:17

Well, he was obviously a much loved character.

Gary: 00:15:19

Yeah, everyone knew him.

We had people coming from all over the country.

I think we had one come up from the south island for it, you know, because everyone knew him, he was his own little identity.

And I didn't realize how much he had actually affected people until he had passed away.

And I had people contact me on his page and said, look, please keep Cairo's page going because if it wasn't for watching your lives and what you do, we wouldn't be here now.

It kept us going.

And I had three different people bring me up and Tell me that.

Pete: 00:15:49

Well, that must make you feel warm.

Gary: 00:15:50

It does.

And it made me feel honoured that they wanted to keep it going and keep Cairo's name going.

So we always say in the Rats, if we can save one person, it's worth it.

Well, I can say Kairosaved three people at least that you know about.

That's right.

How many others haven't come forward, you know, willing to say that?

Pete: 00:16:08

Is there a webpage or anything for the Rats Society?

Gary: 00:16:11

Yeah, there's also a Facebook page for the Taranagi Rats, Riders Against Teen Suicide.

We're just, at the moment, we're just in the process of firing up a webpage as well.

Pete: 00:16:22

Well, I'll put the links in the notes for the episode, Gary, so people can find you.

Gary: 00:16:26

Yeah, that would be marvellous.

Pete: 00:16:27

Oh, well, is there anything else that you want to tell and share with us, Gary?

Gary: 00:16:31

No, well, I think that was about it.

I think I babbled on long enough and that's good.

Pete: 00:16:36

I've really enjoyed talking to you.

That's really interesting and it just proves to me what a variety of people we have in the motorcycling community.

It's full of good buggers and full of people who are prepared to put others first.

And I think you totally embody that, Gary.

Gary: 00:16:51

Oh, thank you very much.

That's what it's all about.

I'm right behind all of you guys that are out there doing it for us, doing the court case, everything, because if it wasn't for you guys, you know, we would all be sitting there bitching and grizzling, carrying on and nothing would actually happen, so.

Pete: 00:17:08

Well, that's exactly why I joined in.

You know, I thought I've got some skills that I can lend to the campaign and help with that.

And there's some exciting developments are coming out as the Freedom of Information requests are starting to come back from ACC now.

Gary: 00:17:21

I'll be very interested to keep an eye on it now.

I'm right behind you guys.

I was going to be down in Wellington for the last one, but the day before I pulled the bike out to go and load it up and get it all ready and clean it up and tidy it up.

And then the sidecar tyre was flat and they were an oddball sized tyre, so there's no getting that on a Saturday.

Pete: 00:17:41

Well, I spoke to somebody else at the rally who said he was going to bring his sidecar but he thought he'd struggle to get around the cbd.

Gary: 00:17:48

No, you just barge your way through like the cars do.

Pete: 00:17:50

I'd love to have a ride on your combination.

Probably not on the bike, but in in the sidecar at some point, Gary, I hope we can meet up and do that.

Gary: 00:17:57

Oh, definitely.

No trouble at all.

Pete: 00:17:59

Excellent.

It's been good talking to you and I do appreciate all the work you've done for Riders Against Teen Suicide.

Gary: 00:18:04

Well, thank you very much.

Pete: 00:18:10

I'd like to thank Gary for taking time to talk with me today.

It was a privilege to hear his story, the miles he's covered, the people he's met, and the quiet, consistent work that he and the RATS crew do around the country.

If you or someone you know has been affected by suicide, depression or suicidal thoughts, please don't try to carry that burden alone.

There is support available.

I've put links to Cairo's Suicide Awareness ride, Riders Against Teen Suicide, and some of the national support agencies in the notes for the show.

And if you're a rider who's feeling the squeeze from rising levees or you're just fed up with the lack of transparency, remember, you're not alone either.

MAGNZ is here to represent all New Zealand motorcyclists.

The more of us who stand together, the stronger our voice becomes.

Head over to the MAGNZ Facebook page or visit magnz.org.nz to find out more.

The booking portal is also open.

If you'd like to appear on the show, head over to Keep It Twisted.Co.NZ/booking or follow the link in the notes.

Recording is an easy process and it usually takes less than than an hour.

And if you're not already following or subscribed to Keep it twisted in your favorite podcast app, please do that now.

That way you'll get the next episode dropped straight to your device.

That's it for today.

Until next time, ride safe.

Stands up, visors down and keep it twisted.