EDITORIAL
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We Hoped 21 Was Going To Be a Good Year
I
think 21 is going to be a good year , wrote Pete Townsend way back in 1969 . Of course , he was talking about 1921 from the rock opera , Tommy . But let ' s not play with semantics , we ' ll assume that 2021 is going to be better than 2020 .
For most it has started that way although , a recent ride through the wilds of Tasmania indicated that perhaps it isn ' t as good as promised . Tasmania has managed its response to Covid very well , perhaps helped by the remoteness and low population yet one thing is very apparent ; businesses are struggling , many smaller ones are on the verge of collapse and others have already gone . Australia ' s island state does need our help .
In coming months , the Spirit of Tasmania ( ferry ) is offering free transport for vehicles , although numbers are limited . Even if you have to pay the full amount why wouldn ' t you go ? The riding is exceptional , both road and dirt , as good as anywhere on the planet . And in a small way you could help a struggling community or business through tough times .
While in Tasmania I learned of the passing of Tara Lee Sanders . Tara had fought a courageous battle with breast cancer for two years , and although we never met personally , we did communicate via email a few times .
It seems you didn ' t need to know Tara personally to be touched , her fight with cancer was very public , she didn ' t hold back and often made the funniest comments about her battles . The words ' determined ' and ' strong ' have been used by many to describe Tara , yet it ' s ' caring ' and ' giving ' that stand out . Tara was a massive supporter of anyone who wanted to try motorcycling , especially ADV riding or just exploring . She was a big advocate for encouraging more women into ADV riding , especially through the WARA group .
WARA have a raffle that seeks to raise funds for Northeast Health Wangaratta who were there with Tara as she fought her fight ( see page 87 for details ).
Leigh
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