John Causer knows even if he could go back in time and take his son’s bike away, it wouldn’t do any good.
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Matthew, the larrikin who ‘‘always had a smile on his face’’, had a need for speed.
And ultimately, it was his undoing.
On September 14, the 38-year-old Gwynneville resident and a friend took off for a ride across the Sea Cliff Bridge.
Always an adrenaline junkie, Matthew sped ahead, and by the time his friend came to the bridge, he found a line of cars with brake lights on.
Matthew had collided with a car after crossing into the oncoming lane. Paramedics and fire crew later pulled his body from underneath the vehicle.
On Wednesday, NSW Police launched Motorcycle Awareness Week, an annual event aimed at raising awareness about road safety among riders.
This year alone, 57 motorbike riders have died in NSW, while there have been at least 2700 crashes involving motorcyclists.
Police have established Matthew’s crash was caused by an error he made, and speed was a likely factor.
Matthew’s final crash was not his first.
Four years ago, he was caught speeding by police at Kiama Bends.
Rather than pull over, Matthew sped up, evading the police but eventually crashing on the side of the road.
He was thrown into a nearby paddock and lay there for two hours before curious children stumbled across his bike and contacted paramedics.
Matthew suffered multiple fractures to his ribs, legs and vertebrae, but within six months, he was back on his bike.
Meeting this week to tell Matthew’s story, his family said it was important people knew the hole Matthew had left in the lives of so many.
‘‘He had two characters,’’ his father said.
‘‘He was a rascally little Irishman who had a wicked sense of humour and if he believed in something he would argue point blank about it.
‘‘But on the other side he would drop everything and go and help anyone. He was very generous with his time.’’
Matthew had spent much of his working life in disability care – as a wardsman at Wollongong Hospital and in dementia care at Garrawarra Hospital.
He had also spent time in the Philippines building houses with his church group.
Long-time friend Martin Crowe said Matthew often came across as a ‘‘hard nut’’.
‘‘It was only when you got to know him you realised how much love he had in his heart,’’ Mr Crowe said.
‘‘I saw on numerous occasions where he’d just drop everything and go and help those in need.’’
Matthew knew what he was doing on a bike. His family remembered him as the best rider they’d ever known.
But they also knew the danger it posed, and only recently his father had helped his son purchase a new ute, on the condition he got rid of his bike.
His brother, Jason, said it was vital other bike riders learnt from what had happened to Matthew.
‘‘There are no second chances on a bike,’’ he said.
Matthew left behind his 11-year-old son Dayle, who has struggled since the accident.
Mr Crowe urged other riders to think about what they were doing each time they hit the road.
‘‘If you’re a bike rider and you’re getting held up and you’re angry, have a think about what you’ve got and what could happen,’’ he said.
Since the crash, Matthew’s family have made applications to have a plaque in his memory attached to an obelisk on Sea Cliff Bridge.
They are also pursuing options to have part of the bridge named in his honour.
There have been at least 2700 crashes in NSW involving motorbikes this year, with two-thirds of these incidents resulting in death or injury to the rider or passenger.
Crashes involving motorcycles account for about 15per cent of fatalities and 10per cent of injuries.
Motorcycles comprise less than threeper cent of the more than five million vehicles registered in NSW.