MOTORCYCLE enthusiasts hit the road on Saturday in support of a young Bendigo girl with a rare congenital disorder.
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Members of the Central Victoria American Motorcycle Club were joined by chapter mates from across Australia for the ride through central Australia.
They came to raise funds for the family of 11-year-old Keeley, who was born with Angelman Syndrome, a condition affecting one in about 15,000 newly borns.
Keeley also suffers from epilepsy and requires a wheelchair on outings.
She is cared for her by mother and older brother, who has muscular distrophy and is confined to a wheelchair.
More than 100 motorcyclists joined the Roll the Dice Run for Keely from the Golden Hill Motel in Bendigo, which included stops in Harcourt, Lake Eppalock and Axedale.
Club president Matrix said Keely's plight had come to the attention of the club through one of its members Lee, who has worked in disability support services for 20 years.
He said if ever a family was in need of some assistance it was Keeley's.
"Her mother is handling two disabled children on her own, she gets no government assistance whatsoever for Keeley," he said.
"Our objective is to raise as much money as we can for them.
"We have had a lot of things donated by people and businesses for various auctions – it's great to see people getting behind it."
Matrix said the club staged the dice run every January to support a Bendigo child or family in need of charity.
He said previous runs had raised thousands of dollars.
“Hopefully we can raise a good sum of money to get her the hydrotherapy she needs and a trampoline to get her mobility up and running,” he said.
“It’s a big task for one woman to look after two disabled kids.
“We’re helping by doing what we know best and getting on the bike.”
Support for Keeley and her family came from far and wide.
President of the club’s Tweed Heads chapter Dags rode 1700 kilometers alongside three of his club mates to be involved.
He said Keeley’s cause was well worth the long ride from Queensland.
“We don’t normally comes this far, other than one trip to Adelaide,” he said.
“But this is a great cause. Other than the cold weather (on Friday) it’s been great.
“We’ll do a donation from our chapter as well as support the ride.”