Simon Milward – Always Remembered – Rider organisations, individual riders and those who knew him have been posting on social media that today is the thirteenth anniversary of the tragic death of Simon Milward.
As a rider you may never have heard of Simon and although we have been involved in rider’s rights for over twenty years I never had the chance to meet Simon. We (Elaine and I) have worked under his legacy all this time and have heard of stories of his representation of motorcycling as a pioneer in the riders’ rights movement and tales of his zest for life.
So, for those who have never heard of Simon and for those who have and knew him, we hope that our memorial mainly taken from articles and reviews is fitting and reflects the man the Simon was.
Simon Milward
FEMA’s obituary to Simon’s death at the age of forty, following a road accident on 4th of March 2005, near the city of Kayes in Mali (Africa) sets out some of Simon’s short but vibrant life:
Simon started a fulltime career working for the interests of motorcyclists with the Motorcycle Action Group United Kingdom.
In 1992 Simon established the Brussels headquarters of the Federation of European Motorcyclists (FEM) in Brussels and became FEM’s General Secretary. Finding his way through the European Union maze he started co-ordinating efforts towards specific legislative targets for motorcycling.
This resulted in bikers being among the first citizens to benefit from the democratic changes of the Maastricht Treaty and due to Simon’s never-ending work, FEM became a well-known and effective lobby NGO in the EU institutions.
In 1998 FEM merged with the EMA (the European Motorcyclists Association) to form the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA). Simon Milward became FEMA’s General Secretary.
On January 1st 2000 Simon left Europe to fulfil a lifelong dream: to ride his handmade motorcycle around the world on a humanitarian mission. His journey was supposed to last for 18 months, but it turned into a five-year odyssey.
Simon was expected to arrive back in the UK around October 2005 but this was not to be, his life ended instead, far away in Africa.
In 2005, the then FEMA President Kees Meijer said: “In Simon we lost a dear friend, and a very inspiring person. He died following his heart. A pioneer in the fight for riders´ rights, he managed to combine his wish to ride around the globe and contribute to the struggle against human suffering. He did that in a way only Simon could. We will remember him as a man with a good heart.”
More Than Riders Rights
Simons “Millennium Ride” set him out as a global humanitarian motorcyclist who championed effective healthcare delivery by motorcycles setting up his vision through Motorcycle Outreach.
Motorcycle Outreach gives us a bit of history of the Millennium Ride. “Started in 2000 and was in support of the charities Medecins sans Frontieres and Riders for Health. In May 2002, on seeing a direct and unmet local need, Simon helped to establish a pilot project based on the Riders for Health zero breakdown principles on the remote Indonesian island of Flores. This was called Health for All (HfA).
Simon Milward continued his journey through Latin America and then through Africa, travelling north from South Africa, all the while continuing with his fundraising. He also visited the RfH centre in Zimbabwe and continued to develop his thoughts regarding extending the Motorcycle Outreach concept upon his return to Europe.
Since April 2005, Simon’s family and close colleagues have worked to ensure that Simon’s legacy and vision for sustainable healthcare delivery in developing countries survives and in August 2005, Motorcycle Outreach Ltd (MoR) was incorporated in the UK.”
You can keep up to date with Simon’s legacy of Motorcycle Outreach and Health For All on their Facebook page, as Motorcycle Outreach continues to support an established project on the island of Flores in Indonesia. While Health for All (HfA) provides primary healthcare transport for a catchment area of over fifty thousand people living in over fifty villages, in Indonesia.
In 2003, Simon was quoted as saying, “I’ve certainly become more compassionate since I’ve been on the road, more patient as well, and the ride has become much more than I ever thought it could be. It’s a spiritual journey as well as a real adventure for me too.”
“And you know it’s just wonderful to meet the different people, taste the foods, experience the cultures and I found human beings to be really great everywhere. The human race is really wonderful.”
Motorcycle Outreach – www.motorcycleoutreach.org – On Facebook
Simons Original website – www.millennium-ride.com
Original Sources – Simon Milward: never forgotten – www.millennium-ride.com – English biker circles globe for charity
Pictures via FEMA – Millennium Ride
I am very honored to say that Simon was a friend of mine. I was an officer in DuKane ABATE in Illinois at the time and Simon made a couple of trips to our chapter. He was cheeky, fun and loving. He was a wonderful man that I will never forget.
Our Chapter and our Church took care of him when he was in Illinois and he honored us with a slide show of his travels (in his 2nd trip around the world). I wish that we had recorded it. He was man of passion and love
Simon was a man that I will never forget. I still donate to DWB in his memory.
Good day, I had the privilege to meet Simon before he left on his journey back to the UK from South Africa. I still remember many interesting stories and talks we had.
He gave me an article that he wrote about his journey in becoming a devoted Christian. In the article he explained the different religions he experienced on his journey around the world. Unfortunately I lost or misplaced it. Is it possible to find this article amongst his many or what can I do to help.
Looking forward to a reply.
Enjoy your time and stay healthy.
Ingo Beckert