This is the history of Bike North

Significant Events

Proto Bike North

Members who were to form Bike North met at a Bicycle NSW Advocacy Workshop in 1996. They were keen to improve cycling in their areas and realised that there was no BUG in Northern Sydney and yet there was some bicycle plans in place and action under way.

Initial Meeting

Following word of mouth and “flyer on bike” promotion about 16 people met in a private house to form Bike North. At the first meeting the name, Bike North, was agreed after discussion about the vision for the future where we wanted to operate without limiting activities in any way. Also the first Executive committee was elected and the first rides program was created by members adding their regular rides to make up the program.

Initial Campaign – Cycleway along Northern Sydney Railway Line Maintenance Tracks

With keen enthusiasm, especially from Sue Saczko, we developed a campaign to request that the maintenance tracks along the railway lines be turned into dedicated cycleways. And not just cycleways but high speed veloways. With wide tracks, continuous riding over bridges avoiding all intersections and good grades bike travel times in northern Sydney would easily rival all other types of transport. 

We took this campaign to local councils, state government and federal government. We wrote reports, organised petitions and a postcard mail-in. Despite difficulty in engaging anyone in the concept we kept going for a long time. The section of the path between Denistone and Eastwood Stations became a prototype, albeit not built to the correct standard and only being short. 

Eventually several sections of path along the railway were included in the Bike Plan 2010 released by the NSW government as a 10 year plan in 1999. The next path to become a prototype was the Parramatta to Liverpool “rail-trail” which Bike North became involved in particularly to ensure best quality outcomes to act as important precedents.

Unfortunately after quite  few years of intense effort the concept was simply too advanced for the political situation at the time. By then Bike North was struggling with State and Local Government on much much smaller projects including short sections of path. We agreed to leave the large project in abeyance and return at a later date when the idea would be acceptable.

Award Winners

Life Members

  • Doug Stewart from 2012
  • Graeme Edwards from 2013
  • Carolyn New from 2015
  • Keith Griffin from 2015
  • Gerrit Hagen from 2020
  • Darryn Capes-Davis from 2021

Volunteer of the Year

  • 2013 Alf Torrisi, Advocacy
  • 2013 Caroline Minogue, Advocacy
  • 2014 Mal Hart, Rides
  • 2014 Peter Tuft, Advocacy
  • 2014 Alison Wong, Coaching
  • 2015 Debby Backhouse, Advocacy
  • 2015 Lyness Beavis, Advocacy
  • 2015 Gerrit Hagen, Rides
  • 2016 Matt & Fiona Berry, Rides (Tour de Cowra)
  • 2016 Greg Boyd, Advocacy
  • 2017 Willemina Hagen, Rides
  • 2018 Darryn Capes-Davis, Communications & Executive Committee
  • 2018 Christine Jessep, Social Committee
  • 2019 Peter Green, Tour de Cowra
  • 2019 Mark Withers, Ride Sweeping
  • 2019 Greg Boyd, Ride Leading and Advocacy
  • 2019 Justin Holmwood, Advocacy
  • 2020 Alison Pryor, Rides Coordinator
  • 2022 Carolyn New, Advocacy
  • 2022 John WIlliams, Rides (especially Tours)
  • 2022 David Vasey, Rides (especially Tours)

Office Bearers

Members of the Executive Committee of Bike North from our first meeting in August 1996 to the present are listed in the table below. Refer to the keys below the table for positions and initials. 

YEAR PresSecTreaAdvComRidesMembCchgOther
2022-23PHBLGLDTxGYSLGAP
2021-22PHBLGLDTxGYBOAP
2020-21PHBLGLDTDCDGYBOAP
2019-20TRLBGLxDCDAPBOxBL (EM)
VB (EM)
2018-19 TR LB GL u DCD AP BO SL
 2017-18 TR LB  GL JH DCD GS+AP BO SL
 2016-17 TR LB GL u CMc GS TR SL
 2015-16 DS LB GL  PG  CMc  MH  TR  AP 
 2014-15 DS TT GW PG u RL TR AP
 2013-14 DS TT GW  PG  JG  JK  TR  AP 
 2012-13 DCD TT GW  PG  SR  JK  WH  AP 
 2011-12 GE TT  TMc  CN PB  DCD  WH  AP 
 2010-11 GE MBA  TMc  CN  PB  DCD  SP  x 
 2009-10 GE MBA  TMc  CN  KG  DCD  SP  x 
 2008-09 GE  LH  TMc  CN  KG  MH  SP  x
 2007-08 GE LH TMc  CN  KG  MH  SP  x 
 2006-07 GE LH  TMc  CN  KG  MH  GilW  x 
 2005-06 GE JE  BF  CN  KG  PCK  GilW  x
 2004-05 GE  JE  BF  CN  KG  PCK  GilW x
 2003-04 DS  AW  BF  CN  WS  PCK  GE  x
 2002-03 MC YG  JC  CN  x  PCK  GE  x WS (VP)
 2001-02 MC AS  BF  CN  DS  PCK  SG  x 
 2000-01 MC AS  BF  DS x  PCK  SG  x
 1999-00 DS MC  BF  x  x  TE  SG  x RM (EM)
 1998-99 DS ST  BF  x  x  TE  x  x MC (VP)
 1997-98 NT SS  NT  x  DS  BC  x  x
 1996-97 NT SS  NT  x  DS  BC  x x

Key to positions in the table.

  • Pre – President. From 1996
  • Sec – Secretary. From 1996
  • Trea – Treasurer. From 1996
  • Adv – Advocacy Officer. From 2000
  • Com – Communications Manager. Communications Officer, Publicity Officer. From 1996
  • Rides – Rides Coordinator. From 1996
  • Memb – Membership Officer. From 1999
  • Cchg – Coaching Coordinator Bike 4 Life. From 2011
  • Other – (VP) Vice President and (EM) Executive Member

Key to initials in table.

Number in brackets is the number of years served on the committee.  
* means current serving member.

  • AP – Alison Pryor (9*)
  • AS – Alister Sharp (2)
  • AW – Alison Wong (1)
  • BC – Bruce Campbell (2)
  • BF – Brian Fong (7)
  • BL – Brian Lynne (2*)
  • BO – Beth O’leary (4*)
  • CMc – Craig McMurdo (2)
  • CN – Carolyn New (11)
  • DCD – Darryn Capes-Davis (8*)
  • DT – David Thomson (1*)
  • DS – Doug Stewart (10)
  • GE – Graeme Edwards (10)
  • GL – Geoff Lyons (6*)
  • GS – Gautam Sridhar (2)
  • GilW – Gil Webster (3)
  • GW – Geoff Wells (3)
  • GY – Geoff Young (1*)
  • JC – Jo Clendon (1)
  • JE – Jane Ellis (2)
  • JG – Jeff Greene (1)
  • JH – Justin Holmwood (1)
  • JK – John Kyriakopoulos (2)
  • KG – Keith Griffin (6)
  • LB – Lyness Beavis (5)
  • LH – Lindsay Harvey (3)
  • MBA – Malcolm Beech-Allen (2)
  • MC – Michael Chow (5)
  • MH – Mal Hart (4)
  • NT – Neil Tonkin (2)
  • PB – Phil Burge (2)
  • PCK – Pam & Col Kendrick (6)
  • PG – Phil Griffiths (4)
  • PH – Phillip Hart (1*)
  • RL – Roger Leigh (1)
  • RM – Rick Mockridge (1)
  • SG – Stephanie Groves (3)
  • SLG – Sarah Gillis
  • SL – Stuart Lee (3)
  • SP – Stephen Paine (4)
  • SR – Scott Ratcliff (1)
  • SS – Sue Saczko (2)
  • ST – Steve Turner (1)
  • TE – Tony Evans (2)
  • TMc – Tony McClelland (6)
  • TR – Tom Rubin (7)
  • TT – Terence Turton (4)
  • VB – Victor Buriak (1)
  • WH – Wayde Hazelton (2)
  • WS – Wayne Spencer (2)
  • YG – Yaffa Gould (1)
  • u – position unfilled in this year
  • x – position did not exist in this year