Sandtonista Hero: Shaun Fine and Graeme Cartwright

Both bikers are involved with the Motorcycle Toy Run, an annual event held to collect toys for underprivileged children. Fine is the chairman of the run, while Cartwright is the end-venue coordinator. The event is the biggest motorcycle toy run in the world. This year it will conclude at the MTN Expo Centre. “We have seven start venues for the run because there isn’t one venue that is big enough for all the bikers. There’s a great camaraderie among the bikers as they ride together with the toys. We travel for anywhere between 50 and 70km. At times there is a solid stream of bikers from Edenvale to Malibongwe Drive,” says Fine.

When asked what their motivation is for taking part in the run, it’s clear that it’s about putting smiles on the faces of the event’s little beneficiaries. “You see the look on a child’s face when you go to a party and give them a toy, and at the end of the day they come and try to give it back to you because they think they can’t keep it,” says Fine.

“We take some of the toys and put them on the back of a bakkie, and then we drive through extremely poor areas where there’s sewerage running through the streets. We then give the children the toys off the back of the bakkie. It’s a real eye opener. After that you feel extremely privileged,” says a pensive Cartwright.

The Motorcycle Toy Run is now in its 27th year, first started by seven guys who went to a local orphanage to donate toys. The biker community is involved – very quietly – with many charitable causes.

“When we do a run and we ride through these areas with guys riding bikes that cost
R100 000, you think they’re just like you. But then you see the locals waving at them and you realise that they worked their way out of there. They’ve been through a lot to get where they are in life. Most of them are just softies,” says Cartwright.

“We have a bike jol every weekend. I’d say that every second one is orientated towards charity,” says Fine. The toy run is a massive event. This year there will be two separate entrances – one for bikes and one for cars.

“People can donate toys to the event, or they can come to the MTN Expo Centre on the day. We are trying to move more towards a family event. Last year we had 25 000 bikes and 55 000 people,” says Fine.

Both men are adamant that their contribution to the toy run is merely a small cog in a very big machine. “There are 25 to 30 people representing each area on the day, for example, I look after the end-venue. So there are about 200 to 300 volunteers,”says Cartwright.

Aside from encouraging people to get involved with the toy run, Fine and Cartwright also want people to be a little more sensitive to bikers on the road. Says Fine, “If you listen to the traffic reports on the radio, every second day you hear about a biker being knocked over. When you see us on the road, try to keep in mind the work that we’re doing.”