Clearwater bikers rev up the retirees of Tornado Park
Belated Mother's Day festivities to the tune of the roaring Harley Davidson engine
Running on the fuel of nostalgia, the freedom to ride can transport anyone back to the glory days.
Bring thunder and goodwill, the Clearwater chapter of the Harley Davidson Owner Group (HOG) roared into the Tornado Park Retirement village on 15 May. The roughly 50 residents, anxiously assembled in the village’s hall, greeted 16 heartbeat-skipping motorcycles and their leather-clad two-wheeled pilots as they raucously paraded through the parking lot.
The event was an initiative between mother and daughter pair Merlyn Cluttey and Brenda Whiteside. Merlyn has been at Tornado Park for 24 years and Brenda wanted to use the Clearwater HOG chapter’s charity committee to spread some belated Mother’s Day cheer for the residents. The fathers and grandfather need not worry as they too enjoyed the day’s festivities.
Village chairperson, Spencer Petersen, gave the welcome address before the spritely retirees received their treats. “May you be safe on the roads wherever you may travel. Some people collect old cars, some people collect of books, some people collect old bikes buy few collect old people,” joked Spencer. “We look forward to seeing you in the future. Some of us have been here for 20 years and we hope to be here for 20 more,” he added.
Each retiree received a hamper that included a gift box, homemade cupcake, a warm meal and hand-knitted woollen gloves to warm those digits in the coming winter months. The charity arm of the iconic American brand usually aims for one project a month and while events have been restricted in recent time, the calendar is starting to fill up again.
Highlight of the morning was the opportunity for the gracefully aging residents to feel the engine between their legs while they twisted the throttle. “We really love to help and they are dear to our heart. Old people are so special and it is important that we don’t forget about them,” said a tearful Brenda. The Jerusalema dance was blasted one more time before the villagers returned to their bungalows to add another special memory to the photo album.
