Jivani: Transcontinental Motorbike Adventurer Visits Malaysia in Support of Women’s Aid Organisation

What comes to mind after reading the above title? I’m sure most of you would just brush it off as just another boring post. I don’t blame you. I did the same thing when the event invite appeared in my inbox. But I went anyway, simply because I wanted an excuse to get out of the office. It’s a real bore to be stuck in doors all the time. =)

Here they come!

So when I showed up at Shah’s Hotel in PJ, I was already planning on leaving early. Get the scoop, take a picture and leave within an hour. But as I listened to Paige Sinclair, fellow team member of Wheel2Wheel, explaine to me the concept of Wheel2Wheel, I was instantly taken in. Who wouldn’t when they hear of one man’s journey across 10 countries on a motorbike to help raise money for charities? “Morgan will be here any minute,” she says excitedly. Which got me a little excited as well and I rushed outside to join the small group of reporters who gathered there with their heavy and impressive camera equipment (me with my small Canon Ixus 300 HS) ready to capture the historical entrance by Morgan Parker.

Within minutes he arrived, flanked by a troupe of bikers (men and women) on huge Harley’s. The size of the bikes and bikers were intimidating at first but I must admit it was all rather exciting. As the biker’s parked and got off their bikes, the reporters proceeded back under the shade of the Lagenda Bistro at Shah's Hotel to listen to Morgan Parker’s story. Because honestly, who is this man and why is he doing this?

The bike! BMW F800GS

Morgan Parker is a successful Australian corporate executive based in Hong Kong. He was fairly happy living his life as a corporate giant, until one day when he decided to make a change. “I’ve lead a very privileged life. I’ve always had what I wanted and never really had to suffer. My eight year old daughter also leads a privileged life. I felt that I needed to do something; I wanted her to know that that’s not what life’s all about. At the same time I had all these organisations asking me to donate and people coming up to me and asking for money. That’s why I decided to set up Wheel2Wheel,” he says.

Morgan Parker

Wheel2Wheel is an innovative independent non-profit organisation created to raise awareness and provide financial assistance to brilliant yet under-recognised charitable organisations throughout Australasia.

Parker began his 100 day expedition/adventure on the 1^st of March 2011 from Hong Kong, and made his way to China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. After this he’s off to Indonesia, Timor Leste and finally Australia. His preferred mode of transportation is a BMW F800GS (the 2009 model). Although the expedition has taken him through some of the most beautiful sceneries, at times it can be inhospitable.

“It’s tough, I’ve been on the road for 59 days now and I’ve lost about 10kg! I’m not going to lie; there have been times that I felt I couldn’t go on. But I have gained tremendous insights with these expeditions. Realising my ride over thousands of kilometres can lead to a school being built for underprivileged children and helping abused women has made me strong enough to carry on. But it most certainly hasn’t been a joyride. I’ve fallen off the bike about 28 times and caught hypothermia three times. But these obstacles are the only things that remind me that I’ve made a massive change. Without hardship, you have nothing to remind you of why you’re doing this.”

Every country is plague by a different issue or concern, therefore, Wheel2Wheel chooses a different organisation in every country to offer their assistance. The organisation chosen for Malaysia is non-other than the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), an independent, non-religious, non-governmental organisation based in Malaysia and committed to confronting violence against women.

Morgan with the Harley girls

“When we were seeking an organisation in Malaysia, as in each country, we started by indentifying an issue that has a wide reaching impact and resonates personally. Then we searched for organisations effectively tackling those issues at a grass-root level, built around the work of inspiring individuals. Fellow Wheel2Wheel team member, Paige Sinclair encouraged us to look at women’s rights issues, more specifically domestic violence against women. After losing her cousin to domestic violence almost four years ago, Paige campaigned hard for Wheel2Wheel to support an organisation that is addressing this global epidemic from the ground up. Together with fellow team member Alan Ng they came to find WAO and the good work being done by this amazing organisation,” explains Parker.

Parker will visit ten charitable organisations in ten countries during his journey, which is being filmed for television. The journey aims to showcase natural wonders and human endeavour, bridging cultures, extending recognition to champions of grassroots charity and hopefully inspiring others. To date, he has already travelled through six countries and visited with six of the ten charitable organisations. Malaysia and the WAO is the seventh visit on Parker’s 100 day expedition.