Our Kit
Joel is Aboriginal. His people are the Barundji / Barkindji from the Riverine Region of the lower Darling River in New South Wales.
Joel’s aunt, Sos Hawkins, creates the artwork for the Ride for Joel kits.
As you can see from the beautiful artwork above and below, Joel's Aunt Sos Hawkins has inspired another awesome kit to carry Joel's name and our message on Australian roads.
Our kits always tell a story; this time of the mountains Joel loved to ride – Mount Buffalo, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek (from left to right), with patterns representing travel lines. This beautiful kit was made possible thank to our wonderful sponsors and partners Seachange Property (Geoff Oxford), HP & CP Electrical Switchboard Solutions (Michael Pereira), Peninsula Hotsprings (Yuki & Charles Davidson), Geoffrey Elwin "The Finance Man", Roasting Warehouse Speciality Coffee (Ali Aziz), The Peninsula B Team (various local legends!), Velo Rapport (Chris Savage & Lisa Rush), Lycra Bros Custom Clothing (Joel Pearson) and Nalini.
Please note that Lycra Bros Custom Clothing and Nalini produce all of our kit at charity rate. The retail price covers the cost of every item and then $50 goes to The White Bike Foundation and our mission to make Australia's roads safer for everyone.
References to our previous three kits are also made, with #eyeswideopen and #lightsforlowndesy a reminder of Jason Lowndes inside the collar from our first ever kit artwork.There is a feather traditionally used by the Barundji / Barkindji people as a means to offer safe travel from our second kit.And a campground depicted by a series of circles with horseshoe shapes representing Les (Joel's Dad), Joel and Kane (Joel's brother), from our third kit.
2019 Ride for Joel Kit
The white feather was used traditionally by the Barundji / Barkindji people as a means to offer safe travel.In her 2019 artwork, Sos has used the white feather as a means to offer safe travel to cyclists.
Blue was chosen for the background design as it was Joel’s favourite colour.The white feather symbolises our mission for every road user to complete their journey safely.
2018 Ride for Joel Kit
The artwork illustrates the journey that Chris Savage set out on in March 2018 to honour Joel Hawkins and to launch The White Bike Foundation.
The circles represent each significant town or city Chris rode through (Dromana-Merton-Bendigo-Monaro Hwy-Canberra), paying his respects to Joel, Scotty Peoples, Jason Lowndes and Mike Hall along the way. The lines joining each circle are the travel lines.
The background of the artwork represents the paddocks, fields and the rolling hills that he passed through.
20-22 Ride for Joel Kit
Joel’s favourite colour was blue, so we chose a hi-vis blue for our 2020 jersey.The artwork on the jersey is about Joel’s aboriginal heritage, created by artist Sos Hawkins (Joel’s Aunt).
It depicts the Darling River where Joel’s grandmother, Elsie, was born. Elsie is of the Barundji/Barkindji people from the Riverine Region of the Lower Darling River in NSW.
About the Artist
Sos Hawkins was born in 1963 in Urana, New South Wales. She is the ninth child of Elsie Black and Ted Hawkins. Sos lives in Jerilderie, New South Wales. Sos has always been interested in art. As a young child she watched her mother paint emu eggs and wooden artefacts.
She started to paint on canvas in her early twenties and also dabbled in emu eggs and wooden artefacts. Sos had her own business designing and making ceramics and art for seven years. She was also published in ceramic and pottery magazines for her Aboriginal designs. Sos likes to use colour and has collaborated with her mother in large ochre paintings which have sold around the world. Contact Sos here.
