KIWI RIDER 06 2019 VOL.2 | Page 93

RIDE OF REMEMBRANCE he annual Ride of Remembrance was set up in 2015 to remember New Zealand Defence Force personnel killed or injured in the Battle of Baghak in Afghanistan on August 4th 2012. Organised by Dion Taka, the most severely injured survivor of the engagement, Dion still lives with the debilitating effects of both Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) and the chronic nerve injury, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). PTSI is suffered by many NZDF personnel and civilian first responders, including police, ambulance, fire and emergency staff. Dion is also the first participant in K9 Comrade, set up by the RSA in conjunction with the Kotuku Foundation to provide veterans with trained assistance dogs. The 2019 Ride of Remembrance is set to take place the weekend of August 10-11 and sets off from Leeston to Christchurch with the goal of raising money for the New Zealand branch of SPARTA (Supporting Personnel And Responders Through Adversity) a charity dedicated to assisting veterans and first responders affected by PTSI. Further details will be announced closer to the date. ......................................................................................... VESPA AFICIONADOS GATHER IN ZANKA espite the rather clunky name of Vespa World Days 2019, there is something rather cool about the prospect of a world-class gathering of Vespa aficionados - or Vespisti - and their little icons of urban Italian style.