More than 200 motorbike riders assembled as a united group earlier this month to ride through the streets of Beaudesert in a show of support for the Jack Beasley Foundation.
The foundation was formed by Jack’s parents, Brett and Belinda, after the tragic stabbing death of their 17 year-old son on the Gold Coast on Black Friday in December, 2019.
The foundation’s simply message is “Detect Knives, Save Lives” and its success in delivering that message has been overwhelming especially to both Brett and Belinda.
This month’s fundraising Ride for Jack event was the fifth they have staged and it proved to be by far the biggest.
“The ride has always started from the home ground of Jack’s Helensvale Hornets rugby league club where he ran out for 10 years in their colours,” Brett said.
“Each year we wind our way out to the Veresdale Hotel in Beaudesert where we do some fundraising and enjoy a toast to our son,” Brett said.
“This year we put the hotel staff to the test with all the riders and their supporters packing in and they did a great job of looking after us.”
One of the primary projects of the Jack Beasley Foundation has been to see police handed the ability to check for knives and other implements with the use of hand-held metal detectors.
The Queensland Government introduced this in April last year under “Jack’s Law” and already more than 540 weapons have been confiscated.
“In the next few days we will be travelling down to Sydney to attend parliament where the same law will be endorsed,” Brett said.
“That means we now have WA, Qld and NSW on board and my aim is to make sure the other states follow suit and do it quickly.”
