A small blue motorbike on a stand out the front of a cafe in Barker Street, Casino was getting a lot of attention today, Sunday, June 21.
The Blue Motorcycle Project president Heck McGregor said it’s a conversation starter.
RnT’s Cafe owners Tim Sawyer and Renee McSweeny reached out to the motorbike community to get a blue motorbike that will sit permanently outside the cafe.
”People need to talk,” Tim said.
”It’s about helping each other.”
The Blue Motorcycle Project was started by Heck in 2024.
A group of riders Heck was part of, from Armidale, Coffs and the Northern Rivers had been riding together since their 20s.
”We lost a few riders to suicide,” Heck said.
The group were going to a lot of funerals.
”We all had our heads down and nobody’s talking,” Heck said.
When 60 riders went on a ride from Armidale to Ebor, they got talking.
”Over a few beers, we said – why not start a conversation with blue motorbikes,” he said.
The idea took off. The first blue motorbike was at Coffs and the second at Killarney where Heck lives.
The groups goal is to get a blue motorbike in every state.
There are 33 bikes on display in Queensland and NSW, all on private property, Heck said.
”We’ve even had interest from Canada and New Zealand.”
The blue motorbike is a way to start talking about suicide and mental health.
The Feeling Blue? sign that sits with the blue motorbike has a QR code that goes to the project website.
Heck has had phone calls in the middle of the night from people needing help – sometimes that’s as simple as acknowledging how they’re feeling.
Heck and some of the team have done a course in how to speak to people who are seriously considering suicide.
Renee and Tim want to keep those conversations flowing and are offically launching the blue motorbike at their cafe next Sunday, June 28.
The launch starts at 9am – there will be a custom bike show, live music, karaoke, face painting and a sausage sizzle (gold coin donation).
Take the family, invite your friends to see the blue motorbike that will sit outside the cafe during opening hours.
There is also a blue motorbike at Sherwood, near Woodenbong, initiated by Renai Pearce. Read that story.
This article appeared on indyNR.com on 21 June 2026.
