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Simon Buckley, Co-founder of Ride Right Round,
Dead in Single-Vehicle Crash at Age 32
by: Lorraine Payette
EMC freelance photographer/journalist

Simon “Moose” Buckley, co-founder of the team Ride Right Round, died on Saturday, March 13, in a single-vehicle accident in Argentina when the rear tire of his motorcycle blew.

Ride Right Round (RRR) is an ambitious project founded by motorcycle enthusiasts Simon Buckley of Melbourne, Victoria, and Todd Barry of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, in an attempt to draw attention to finding a cure for prostate cancer.  Their goal was to drive around the world, stopping in various communities and spreading the word.

“For a cause to get enough money to work effectively toward a cure or breakthrough, it has to be popular, in the news, on people’s list. So being realistic, we are not expecting to raise the millions of dollars needed for research into a cure and to run support programs. What we are hoping to do is contribute towards the search for a cure, and support programs, all the while giving organizations, media and the public a reason to talk about prostate cancer, to demonstrate the lengths one person is prepared to go to get it on the agenda. It's a proactive way to support men's issues,” said Buckley on their website, http://www.riderightround.org/.

And so they rode, starting in Sydney on March 28, 2009, stopping in communities throughout Australia, Asia, Europe, with a small side trip to Africa, then on to North America, and South America.  Other riders joined them for various legs of the journey, and everywhere they went they gave presentations on prostate cancer, the trip, and other topics that would interest their audiences.

Their stop in Kingston was hosted by the Motorcycle Ride for Dad campaign, and made them many new friends.  On November 4, 2009, Buckley posted in his blog:

“The RRR Team has hit Canada, and it has been an amazing experience. Although it is hard to believe that people could be more supportive and generous than they have been up to here, Canadians have been absolutely fantastic support, and extremely generous.

“The Motorcycle Ride for Dad is a fantastic charity, organized and effective at spreading the word, and has been a pleasure to work with. I hope to take the model they have here to Australia - watch this space."

“Minus 5 degrees tonight, need to get south ASAP.” Imagine how he would have felt if he’d experienced winter here! 

“Simon and Todd arrived in Montreal in October and were the guests of the Motorcycle Ride for Dad's Ottawa, Kingston and Niagara Chapters.  They made several media appearances in Ontario with us, helping raise awareness,” says Byron Smith, National Ride Captain of Motorcycle Ride for Dad.

“Simon’s mandate from the very beginning was to save men’s lives and to raise awareness for early detection of prostate caner.  His goals and Motorcycle Ride for Dad’s dreams are the same. We instantly fell in love with his spirit and we will miss him,” adds Alison Pinkerton of Leeds-Grenville, member of the Motorcycle Ride for Dad - Kingston-Quinte.

The team split up temporarily in Los Angeles where Barry decided to stay on for a longer visit while Buckley continued on into Baja, Mexico.  His trip continued well, with more and more contacts made at every stop along the way.  His last blog entry, from February 10, showed some disappointment at the theft of his computer, but no desire to stop.  His concern was solely for the loss of “all of my addresses and my research. I am in the process of deciding what to do about replacing it at this stage of the project…”

An experienced rider and well aware of the needs of both man and machine, he was touring Argentina when his rear tire blew, causing the fatal crash; a freak accident that could have happened to anyone, anywhere.

Simon Buckley will be sorely missed by all those whose lives he touched.  To leave condolences, please contact Todd Barry at todd@riderightround.org.  It is as yet unknown whether he plans to finish the ride in Buckley’s honour.  To learn more, and to contribute to the research into a cure for prostate cancer, please go to the Ride Right Round website or contact Motorcycle Ride for Dad at http://motorcycleridefordad.org/.