BIKE MISHAPS: Visitors to Bermagui Anthony Driscoll and Ross Holmes say they are grateful for the hospitality and generosity shown to them by locals during a recent holiday mishap.
A COUPLE of Bermagui holiday-makers have been left broken and bruised – but full of praise for a generous and helpful community.
Anthony Driscoll of Milbrulong, near Lockhart in the Riverina, wrote to the Bega District News recently to express his gratitude to the Bermagui community following a series of motorcycle mishaps he and his friend encountered.
“On a February holiday trip to Bermagui, some friends of mine and I were left truly grateful at the generosity and willingness to help shown to us by members of the Bermagui community,” MR Driscoll said.
“On a bright and sunny day, my friend Ross Holmes and I, being keen motorcyclists, decided a ride would be in order for the day’s event.
“We hadn’t made it out of town when Ross broke the drive belt on his Harley Davidson.
“A quick trip to the newsagent and we were told to look up Craigh Hurst, of Craigh Hurst Engineering.”
Mr Driscoll said he had met Mr Hurst on a previous trip to the coast.
On arrival at Mr Hurst’s establishment and a summary of the problem, the visitors were told “no drama, get your parts, tools are here, help yourself. I’ll duck home to grab my bike trailer, you boys take my ute and trailer and bring the bike around here.”
Mr Driscoll said that “most uncommon” reception led to their “first dose of grateful”.
“A day or so later, drive belt in hand, Ross landed at Craigh’s on my bike to reassemble his.
“I arrived to collect my bike with the third member of our party Lorrett.”
All things back in order, the plan was for the four of them (Ross, Craigh, Lorrett and Anthony) to report to the pub for a victory ale.
Oh dear.
“Two corners later, with a not common, but not unfamiliar crunching, scraping sound, I looked over my shoulder to see Ross sliding to a halt, motorcycle on its side, leg under it,” Mr Driscoll said.
“By the time I returned and parked, Craigh had the bike off Ross and Ross knew his leg was broken.”
Relevant authorities were called, but during the course of “what are we going to do with bike now?” Mr Hurst apparently did not hesitate to volunteer his bike trailer to get the stricken Harley home.
Home, Mr Driscoll pointed out, is Lockhart, 45 minutes west of Wagga.
“Another big dose of grateful.”
Mr Holmes’s tibia is broken in two places and he also has a badly broken ankle.
The visitors said many thanks need to be conveyed to Craigh Hurst, the two attending Ambulance paramedics – “as they are often the unsung heroes” – police doctors, surgeons and all medical staff at the Bega Hospital, as well as the community of Bermagui for all their well-wishes.
Mr Driscoll said perhaps the best part of this story was that he had to come back over the hill on the weekend to return the bike trailer and sample a bit more of the hospitality Bermagui has to offer.