The good bikers do in society

Shawny de Beer of Greenhills, a member of the Smokin’ Gun Motorcycle Club, said it’s about time for the infamous image of bikers being tough, rough, aggressive and rude to be dispelled.

This is because the 24-year-old, who has been a biker for over a year, has learned a great deal about the good the biking community does in society.

“This is a separate community, where you can have a brother or a sister, and everyone is there to help you, no matter who you are,” Shawny said.

She said said like any other thing, when someones joins the community, they need to have a passion and a purpose for it.

“Although you do get certain biking clubs that try to perpetuate the negative image, I think overall the biking community has changed a lot in the past years.

“We are there to help people more than anything else, and not there to prove that we are better than everyone else,” Shawny said.

She said she has realised that the biking community raises funds for the needy, from charity homes, to animals shelters and even old age homes.

She said that bikers can have a positively transformational effect on the lives of the community’s members, but added that unfortunately this goes unnoticed a lot of the time.

Shawny said being a woman biker comes with a few challenges, but as long as there are those who are in need, she will always be part of the community, and keep trying to make a small difference.

“Women bikers are often underestimated, because people think we cannot do what our male counterparts can do. But with the right training and the experience, a woman can do everything a man can do, if not more,” Shawny said.

She said upon joining, she was inspired by the sense of the community, and the support that members have for one another.

“The love within the biking community pulls you in and once you are in, you cannot get away from it. It is an exciting feeling of being together,” Shawny said.