Rebecca (Bec) Eade has been greatly instrumental in the advancement of the Dubbo Dirt Bike Club, with her unwavering dedication and passion for the sport having significantly contributed to making the club a source of pride for the committee and its members. We caught up with her to learn more about what made her get started as a volunteer and her inspiring journey so far.
What are some of your earliest memories of volunteering in motorcycling? What inspired you to get started?
My earliest memory was when I was 15, where I began with flagging at the local motocross, while my younger brother raced. I really enjoyed being out on the track and amongst all the racing action. I was so excited when my eldest son turned 5 and started racing, and I joined the committee straight away with a group of friends who had kids of a similar age. I’ve stayed on the committee to this day (10 years on), holding a variety of roles from Canteen Coordinator, Scoring, Treasurer, fundraising, Sponsor and Grant Coordinator, Secretary, Race Secretary, Clerk of Course and President. There are so many diverse roles and I’ve enjoyed the challenges and learning experienced from each of these roles.
How has volunteering influenced your personal growth outside of the sport? Have you found yourself applying any skills or lessons in your day-to-day life from your experience volunteering?
There are a variety of skills to contribute to an effective team or organisation including leadership, communication, collaboration and organisational skills. I’ve applied and developed these skills as part of my volunteering and use these in my everyday life and work.
Any favourite or unforgettable memories of volunteering from all these years?
My biggest achievement was receiving the distinguished MNSW award for President/Clubperson of the Year in 2022.
I am proud of applying and receiving grant funding which led to major upgrades to the track and facilities, watching our club evolve and get bigger and better over the years.
Another fond memory would be hosting the East Coast and State Title events. Both provided opportunities for regional riders to participate at high-level events on local tracks.
Sticking with the theme of this year’s National Volunteer Week of ‘Something for Everyone,’ what have you noticed about volunteering in motorcycling that makes it such a fulfilling experience?
Exactly that, there is something for everyone. Volunteers contribute in so many ways and it can be quite rewarding and fun. Some examples are the track workers, prepping the track and then to hear the riders comment “How good is the track”. “We love riding this track”. Or even running the canteen and coming up with new meal ideas. In our local club, we have a bit of fun rivalry between two members and our wonderful canteen coordinator came up with a fun idea to make and name their favourite burger and sell. Everyone looks forward to hearing on the microphone which burger sold the most at the end of the day for bragging rights.
My favourite is doing sign-on and getting to say hello and get to know all the riders, parents and carers. Meeting new riders, especially nippers, and getting them pumped for their first race, and when they come up to you at the end of the day and say ‘thank you that was fun, I’ll be back’. It just puts a smile on your face and is pleasing to see new kids and families enter the sport.
It’s great that MNSW acknowledges the hard work of volunteers with their annual awards, whilst not every person may be nominated or be a recipient of a big award.
I encourage all Clubs to continue rewarding, supporting and promoting their volunteers. Motocross is a fantastic sport and through the kids riding, volunteering and being involved in the sport we have made friends for life from a variety of towns and cities.
What’s one piece of advice you would give other volunteers or others looking to give their time to our sport?
Volunteering can be a rewarding job and every little bit helps and is appreciated. I encourage anyone who wants to ride or have kids that want to ride to help out your local clubs whether big or small – it all makes a difference. Without volunteers, we wouldn’t have this amazing sport!