Letter - Stormin The Castle Objections

Stormin The Castle Objections

With reference to your article in last weeks Mercury,as a true biker,(and as is my partner and many good friends) I must ask the people who object to the Stormin The Castle rally," Can you give us any true reason for your objections??"
The main "objections" raised were that of traffic conjestion and noise from the live bands which would be playing throughout the weekend. I think that there is a bigger problem that some people face and that is one of snobery! I dont recall any protests on this scale about Truck Fest. Nor do I recall as many protests about Country and Western weekends, or even Harness Racing in the same grounds as Stormin. Even engine noise from race meets at Barford Raceway ( which happen on a regular basis) haven't had any complaints.
I think the main objection is that as soon as some people see a group of bikers together, wearing our colours ( that is a big patch on the back of our leather waistcoats) we are autumatically branded troublemakers,drunks,and thugs!
I attend various Bike rallies with my friends, partner, and our children and have done for some time now.
I am a member of an MCC ( Motorcycle Club) with an international membership of over 20,000 people. I have been to rallies all over the country with other international clubs and have never seen one bit of trouble. This is more than can be said for a regular night out in Barney, where I have been assaulted twice in 12 months and one reason I was given by the thugs who assaulted me and my fiance, was because I was wearing my club colours!!!
The friends I ride with are ( as are all bikers) from wide and varied backgrounds. Police, Prison Sevice, Army, Civil Servants, Coastguard, Unemployed, Teachers etc.etc.etc......We are all people who have one thing in common. We are passionate about motorbikes and the biker life, of which, rallies are a big part.
Forget about the amount of revenue this rallie will bring to Barney, and the worldwide profile Barney would recieve. You object because you believe we are not "safe".
I think the rallie would be fantastic for Barney, and if you do have any genuine objections, do yourself a favour. Buy a ticket for a bike rallie and come and experience what being a biker is really like.
I suspect that the people who have objected to Stormin, have not looked into the numerouse bike clubs from around the world, let alone the local ones of which there are several and read about the vast amount of work we do for charity and the local community. If not, just look through the local papers ( especially the Dec issues) and you will find a lot of us give up our time to help others without question. Can the protesters say the same??
Maybe if we all turn up to the rallie in country and western outfits, or in big polluting trucks, would that make us acceptable?? Personally I find cowboy boots unsafe to ride in!
Stormin The Castle is a fantastic rallie. Barney is a fantastic place to live and work. Don't let ignorance spoil what will be a fantastic weekend for everyone, whether biker or not.