“The Ride” began as a simple idea shared between Uncle Neil Evers, a Garigal man; Aunty Clair Jackson, a Ugarapul-Gidabal woman; and Colin Hutton, a Thora man living on Gumbaynggirr Country.
We wanted to acknowledge and pay our respects to Aboriginal Peoples – their history and their culture.
We begin with a ceremony at Kayye-my, Manly, which includes songs in Dharug, poems of lived experience, and the soulful sound of the Yidaki (didgeridoo).
Riders then set off on the 26-kilometre journey to Church Point on Garigal Country. It is a powerful sight.
At Church Point we gather and are welcomed with “Al-a,” a GuriNgai word for welcome. We Listen to many stories, songs in Dharug, and feel the cleansing smoke drift over us. We learn how to dance and “fly like an eagle,” stretching our arms wide to the sky, while the deep, rhythmic sound of the Yidaki carries across the Pittwater morning air.
We ask people to imagine what Aboriginal life was Like more than 230 years ago – a place of welcome, of “warami” or “Ala,” of shared food, song, and story. A place where families hunted wallaby and gathered for ceremony; where babies were cradled in canoes while their mothers fished; where life was in deep harmony with the rhythms of the seasons – land, sea, and sky. Events like this remind us that reconciliation is not just a word – it is something we do together, on Country, in community: one step, one pedal, one shared moment at a time.
We thank all the people who come together to make this such a special event. Your warmth, joy, and respect inspire us all. Thank you also to Jacqueline Scruby, Member for Pittwater, for your support and recent recognition in the NSW Parliament.
Your Invitation to Ride, Tuesday
26th January 2027
Contact Colin Hutton 0404 353 253
colin.httn@bigpond.com
FB.com/ridewithaboriginalpeoples