JEWELL’S BLACK DOG
PRAISE
Shortly a er entering the biking community
in 2012, I heard of a li le ride called the Black
Dog Ride. In March, 2013, I decided to register
and put my own ba les with my Black Dog
out there to raise awareness and hopefully
a li le coin for what I believed was a very
important cause.
This decision introduced me to an amazing
selfl ess couple, Darren and Julie Jewell, the
organisers of Black Dog Ride Central Coast.
From the moment Daz spoke at my fi rst ride
briefi ng in 2013, I knew this bloke was fair
dinkum, passionate about making a diff erence
and starting conversations about mental
health. A er the briefi ng, in 34-degree beautiful
sunny weather, around 300 bikes trekked to
Nelson Bay. This was my fi rst-ever big group
ride and I was well looked a er by my new
riding buddies. I learned that many others
riding this day had all experienced either
directly or indirectly the bite of the Black Dog.
I felt an amazing sense of belonging, pride, of
being heard — my pain and suff ering counted
for something.
Participating in the BDR 1 Dayer Central
Coast became an annual event. Fast forward
to 2017, I have just fi nished my fi h ride (this
year along with my partner and teenage
daughter and of course my special friends).
My involvement in this event also resulted in
a treasured friendship with the Jewells. And if
you met them, you would understand why.
Daz and Jules, from Lake Macquarie, NSW,
are great community-spirited individuals. They
are passionate about raising awareness of
mental health and suicide prevention — and
not just for one day of the year. Each year it
takes them four solid months — all voluntary
— to organise the ride (send and receive emails,
seek, beg and obtain awesome raffl e prizes for
ride day, arrange merchandise from Western
Australia, liaise with venue coordinators, look
a er registrations, fi eld endless participants’
questions, coordinate with head offi ce and the
media and much, much more). All this done in
their own time and at their own cost. Central
Coast participants became involved to support
our local community, one of these benefi ciaries
being Lifeline Central Coast, which each
year saves many lives through its telephone
service alone. BDR CC, in return, has had great
support from Lifeline Central Coast leading
up to and on the day of the ride, an impressive
community partnership.Sadly this year, Daz and Jules have
organised their last Black Dog Ride Central
Coast. This has been a staggering achievement
and commitment — fi ve rides and more than
$100,000 raised for Black Dog Ride. Holding the
national record for the most riders and pillions
on bikes at the 2015 BDR CC is again testament
to the popularity of this event. But it’s not
just about the money they have raised; they
have taken Black Dog Ride and put it on theradar. People know this name, they recognise
Winston (the black dog mascot for BDR), they
are starting and having conversations and they
are fi nally taking mental health seriously.
Jodi Ardill
Lisarow, NSW
Greg: I have nothing but admiration for the
people who make the Black Dog Ride happen.
I have had my own issues with depression and
still ba le today. Hats off to the Jewells, Jodi.112 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDERLETTERS
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