As organisers in the Pacific Island nation of Nauru began planning for Moving Planet on September 24th, they dreamt of a massive bike rally around the island, while the whole island went the day without oil. However, there is just one major problem with the plans; there are hardly any bikes in Nauru. With a population of just 13,000 people, very low incomes and it's relative isolation, bikes haven't made it big in Nauru…yet.
Having a big fleet of bicycles on Nauru makes sense in so many ways – from the health benefits to decreasing dependence on imported, expensive fossil fuels – that we don't want to let the opportunity slide. We're now coordinating a massive bike collection effort in Australia in time for Moving Planet.
Getting bikes to Nauru is not the easiest as there is only one boat to Nauru each month, leaving from Brisbane, Australia. The next one leaves on August 22nd – and thanks to the Nauru Ministry of Public Health we have free shipping for approximately 200 bikes – if we can collect them.
Are you in Australia and able to donate a bike? Do you have one lying around that you don't use much but someone in Nauru would love to ride? Can you send this around your networks to help us reach the goal of 200 bikes for Nauru?
Here's the details
There are two drop-off points – Sydney and Brisbane. Volunteers in Sydney will be driving a truck with collected bicycles up to Brisbane in time for the ship. Bikes can be dropped off at the following locations:
Sydney drop off point: 9 Lexington Place, Maroubra. Drop off by appointment – contact Benny on [email protected]. Bikes can be in any condition as Benny will be able to fix them up before they get shipped. Last drop off day: Friday August 19th.
Brisbane drop off point: The Bicycle Revolution, 294 Montague Rd West End, Brisbane Drop off between business hours: Mon-Fri 9 to 5; Sat 8 to 2. Only functioning bikes will be accepted. Last drop off day: Saturday, August 20th. Visit www.bicyclerevolution.org.au for more information.
As well as bikes, we’ll gladly accept donations of bicycle oil, puncture repair kits, pumps, and any other materials to aid bike maintenance. If you don't live in Australia, but would likely to donate money so that we can buy bikes to donate to Nauru, or have any queries about the collection, contact Aaron Packard on [email protected]