Echoing the old sentiment of not judging a book by its cover, the Canberra Chapter of the American Motorcycle Club (AMC) is living proof that even the toughest exteriors can have the warmest of hearts.

While the club’s 20 Harley Davidson enthusiasts may look intimidating with their tattoos, big bikes and black and white vests, their ethos is anything but. They support each other through the trials life throws at them, but their real passion lies in helping the broader community.

While the Australia-wide club has been riding for 30 years, the local chapter is just shy of four years old. That doesn’t mean they haven’t made an impact; to date, they have raised over $50,00 for local charities and families in need.

Their latest endeavour sees the club team up with the St Vincent De Paul Society Night Patrol in a bid to keep those without a home warm during the cold winter nights. This Sunday 28 July, the club is hosting a Blanket Run in the Canberra Olympic Pool (AKA Civic Pool) car park and the whole community is invited. 

Bring down a blanket to share the warmth. On the day, they will also be accepting donations of warm clothes, canned goods, sanitary products for both men and women and cash. Don’t stress if you don’t carry cash as there will be a QR code for donations. There will be a barbeque, coffee van, raffles and the chance to meet members of motorcycle clubs from around the country.

“Whenever we do an event, we put the flyer out to all the other motorcycle clubs. For the Blanket Run on the weekend, the Veterans, the Sons of Aus and Bikers Against Child Abuse are all coming. All the social clubs come together, they’re gonna bring blankets, if they haven’t got any blankets, they’re gonna donate money,” says Peter Dixon, club President.

When deciding what cause to help, members pitch ideas at the monthly club meeting, and the Blanket Run hit close to home for one of the members.

“Before I moved down here, I was up in Newcastle and living in my car for about 18 months. The housing crisis is in Newcastle at the moment, everywhere is pretty bad. Once I came down here, I thought we should be able to do more for the community, especially as the winters here are pretty cold,” says Daniel Pitkin.

As the housing crisis continues and the cost of living increases more and more, it isn’t just people who don’t work who are finding themselves without a place to call home. Despite misconceptions, saving on rent by not living in a fixed home, doesn’t really help in the long run.

“It was very hard, even though you are working full time, everything costs more money. Living in your car people think you should be able to save but every meal is more expensive because it is constantly take-out, you have nowhere to cook and then washing clothes you have to go to the laundry mat,” says Daniel.

The difficult time came to an end around 18 months ago when Daniel moved in with his brother in Canberra. Within a few months, Daniel was able to secure his own place, moved his daughter in and found mateship with the members of the AMC.

“Coming down to Canberra, I left everything behind. About three months after being down here, I joined the club and there are 20-odd members I can catch up with and I found networking and a friend source, it has been great for me,” smiles Daniel. 

Looking out for one another is a core value of the club, says Peter. They are there for each other whether it is someone to have a chat to, go for a long ride to de-stress or help a family unit.

“One of our member’s wife last year was very ill and ended up in the ICU and the club came together and raised $15,000 so that her husband and family could concentrate on her recovery and not worry about paying the rent and bills,” says Peter.

What do you need to be a member of the AMC? The cardinal rule is that you must own a Harley Davidson motorbike, this is an appreciation club after all, then a charitable heart and good attitude are appreciated.

To see if you are a good fit with the members, you need to attend meetings and join five rides and two overnight rides, one with the chapter you hope to join and the other with a different chapter. Then the club votes on whether that potential rider is a good fit for the AMC, they have turned people down before.

“It’s all a unanimous decision, if there’s anybody who comes on along on one of the rides and has a few too many drinks or causes trouble, we have a decision whether they should be part of the club,” says Daniel.

Men and women can both join, while a few spouses are associate members, there are no female full members of the Canberra Chapter yet. Members range from late teens to mid-50s but there are no strict limits on who can apply, as long as they agree with their ethos.

“If anybody is caught selling drugs or any crimes or causing dramas that is going to represent the club in a bad way, that might be a good reason for us to vote no,” says Peter.

The club is on a mission to break the stereotype that all those who ride motorcycles are involved with untoward deeds. They say although some motorcycle clubs are involved in illegal activities, it doesn’t mean they all are.

“There is a bad backlash in the media, and we only see the bad, you don’t see the good that a lot of us do,” says Daniel.

“We’re just individuals that have a passion for motorcycles, we don’t wear a backpatch like the one per cent club, we’re not involved in money laundering or selling drugs or anything like that. We just come together and enjoy motorcycles, a bit like how motorcycling used to be before all that started,” says Peter.

In his third year with the club, Peter spent the first two as treasurer before accepting the President patch this year. A lifelong Harley Davidson fan, Peter got his motorbike licence as soon as he legally could, which was just 14 years and nine months old in New Zealand during the ‘80s. Seven years ago he secured his first Harley and hasn’t looked back.

“When you’re out on the road and you’re riding, you forget about all of the problems that you might have in your life and you’re in the moment just concentrating on the road, it is a great feeling”

Daniel grew up riding sports bikes and made the switch to motorbikes in the past five years, agreeing there is no other make he would rather than the Harley Davidson.

“They are miles ahead of anyone else, the moment I jumped on my friend’s Harley I knew that’s what I wanted to ride. I believe you can’t compare it to any other bike,” says Daniel.

Spanning Australia-wide, the club’s 500 members are spread across 20 chapters, and they come together throughout the year. Peter says each chapter puts on an event for the whole club annually. Together they have raised more than one million dollars for charities around the country. There is one event the Canberra Chapter won’t miss.

“Every year we support the kid’s cancer Superhero Cruise and every year we dress up as superheroes on the Harley’s. We are doing a raffle, we have over $1,000 worth of superhero merchandise and all the money goes to Camp Quality,” says Peter.

Always happy for people to come and say hello when they see them out and about – you can tell AMC by the club’s name patch on the front of the vest.

Join the Blanket Run at Canberra Olympic Pool car park on Sunday 28 July 10am-2pm; Facebook; learn more about how to join; Facebook.com

Canberra Daily would love to hear from you about a story idea in the Canberra and surrounding region. Click here to submit a news tip.