Hotham Cruisers Motorcycle Club fundraiser raffling off firewood in Cuballing, Brookton, Narrogin and Pingelly

A group of motorcyclists have swapped their bikes for chainsaws, collecting trailers full of firewood to raise money for regional towns across the Southern Wheatbelt. The Hotham Cruisers Motorcycle Club has collected six trailers of firewood, which they are raffling off in fundraisers held outside supermarkets in Cuballing, Brookton, Narrogin and Pingelly. The firewood came from fallen trees donated by a Wickepin farmer. The trees were chopped down by the club’s 18 members to be raffled off to a winner in each of the four regional towns. The first raffle was held on June 4 at the Cuballing Roadhouse and was followed by another on June 7 outside the Brookton IGA. HCMC chairman Peter Brown said the idea came from the club’s yearly participation in the Black Dog Ride, which raises funds and awareness for depression and suicide prevention. “We got a group of enthusiastic people,” Mr Brown said. “We want to raise a few funds and give back to the communities we raise them in.” The club will decide how best to donate the money to each community once the final amount is tallied, working with the local shires to identify “a cause that’s dear and close to all of us,” Mr Brown said. The Hotham Cruisers Motorcycle Club was formed in 2006 and members come from “various walks of life” including “farmers, policemen and librarians” living across the Southern Wheatbelt. The group organises regular activities for members, including a long ride every second Sunday and a coffee run to a new destination every fourth weekend. “Everybody’s lifestyles are all different but the motorbike is a common interest in all of us,” Mr Brown said. “We’re bikers and we just want to give back” The next raffle will take place at Coles Narrogin on June 22 from 8am to about 12.30pm and the club plans to do a fourth raffle in Pingelly, with details to be confirmed.