Thursday, 7 March 2024

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (10:03): As it is International Women’s Day tomorrow, I would like to acknowledge an incredibly empowering and inclusive space created for women, a place where difference is valued. Sheilas Shakedown is an annual festival that celebrates women who ride motorbikes and love vintage cars, bringing women together from all over Australia. Imagine this: hundreds of women collectively riding down the Western Freeway, engines roaring, hair flapping at the back of their helmets, while sitting on about 80 kilometres per hour to keep the learners at the back safe. Riders at all levels are welcome to attend, and the organisers want women to feel comfortable, because hooning is kind of a bloke thing. Arriving at the campgrounds, 500 women, non-binary and trans motorcycle lovers connect over music, tattoos, motorcycle games and fundraising for causes that are close to their hearts, and this year it was flat out. Sheilas Shakedown has built a phenomenal community where women feel equal, free of bias and stereotypes. It is truly an inclusive space. But that is about all I can tell you about that sacred space because whatever happens at Sheilas stays at Sheilas.