Bob
15th March 2005, 01:17
Simon Milward, the former General Secretary of the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA) has died in a road accident in Africa while on a round the world charity fund-raising motorcycle ride.
He had taken an18 month sabbatical in 2000 with the intention of circumnavigating the world on a motorcycle purpose built by his stepbrother. During the course of this odyssey, where he raised funds for Riders for Health and the international relief agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres, he decided to remain abroad and stand down from FEMA.
Speaking on hearing the news, BMF Senior Government Relations Executive Trevor Magner said “I had the pleasure of working with Simon in lobbying the European Parliament and developing policy. He had a great appetite for work but was also very sociable and certainly liked to party. He was very persuasive and in fact persuaded the BMF, a founder member of rival group EMA, to join FEM. Although he has been out of the European political scene for a few years, the riders’ rights movement will be all the poorer without him. I’d like to offer my personal condolences and those of the BMF to his family and those who were privileged to work with him.”
FEMA President Kees Meijer added"In Simon we lost a dear friend, and a very inspiring person. He died following his heart. A pioneer in the fight for riders´ rights, he managed to combine his wish to ride around the globe and contribute to the struggle against human suffering. He did that in a way only Simon could. We will remember him as a man with a good heart."
Simon’s body is being repatriated to the UK where his funeral will take place
He had taken an18 month sabbatical in 2000 with the intention of circumnavigating the world on a motorcycle purpose built by his stepbrother. During the course of this odyssey, where he raised funds for Riders for Health and the international relief agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres, he decided to remain abroad and stand down from FEMA.
Speaking on hearing the news, BMF Senior Government Relations Executive Trevor Magner said “I had the pleasure of working with Simon in lobbying the European Parliament and developing policy. He had a great appetite for work but was also very sociable and certainly liked to party. He was very persuasive and in fact persuaded the BMF, a founder member of rival group EMA, to join FEM. Although he has been out of the European political scene for a few years, the riders’ rights movement will be all the poorer without him. I’d like to offer my personal condolences and those of the BMF to his family and those who were privileged to work with him.”
FEMA President Kees Meijer added"In Simon we lost a dear friend, and a very inspiring person. He died following his heart. A pioneer in the fight for riders´ rights, he managed to combine his wish to ride around the globe and contribute to the struggle against human suffering. He did that in a way only Simon could. We will remember him as a man with a good heart."
Simon’s body is being repatriated to the UK where his funeral will take place