25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Eager new owner for second-hand bike
Nora Gorton tries out a bike she got from the Southern Youth Development bike grab yesterday. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN
Now that Nora Gorton has her own bike, she has become quite the explorer.
The 4-year-old was one of many who visited the Southern Youth Development (SYD) headquarters in Dunedin yesterday to buy a bike.
Her mother Jennie was not surprised by her choice.
It was decorated with characters from her favourite movie — Frozen.
Within seconds of picking up the bike, she headed off to a SYD staff member who was adjusting seats, and politely asked him to remove the training wheels.
She said she was a "pro" now and had no need for them.
Previoiusly, Nora had had to share a bike with her siblings, Mrs Gorton said.
"This bike is just for Nora."
Rather than buy a brand-new bike, the family wanted a second-hand one, partly because it would stop it from going to landfill.
"But also, kids grow so quickly that as soon as you buy something new, they've already grown out of it.
"We prefer to reuse and pass it on to other people," Mrs Gorton said.
"And also, SYD is a really good group of people to support."
SYD bikes co-ordinator Emily Cambridge said the organisation had about 50 bikes to give away for a donation this year.
"A large number have come from landfill, we've fixed them up and got them back in working order, and today we're redistributing them.
"We also have quite a large number of bikes that have been donated this year, which is awesome."
She said the bike grab was a great opportunity to teach young people new skills such as how to ride a bike and stay active, as well as teach them a little about circular economies and sustainability.
