BMF
SIMON MILWARD 1965 – 2005, ONE IN A MILLION
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Mar 8, 2005, 09:04

SIMON MILWARD 1965 – 2005, ONE IN A MILLION


The death of Simon Milward, former General Secretary of what is now FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations), has shocked many of his friends in the BMF and is a loss to motorcycling.

Simon died following a road accident last Friday 4th March in Mali West Africa, near the city of Kayes, while on a round the world fund-raising motorcycle ride.

He had taken an 18 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.

As well as supporting fledgling riders’ rights organisations on his journey, he was also working towards extending the Riders for Health scheme (currently confined to Africa) worldwide, something he was developing at the time of his death.

Instrumental in setting up the Federation of European Motorcyclists, Simon became its second General Secretary and with an office based in Brussels he quickly became successful in lobbying European Community Institutions and the European Parliament.

He became heavily involved in the Second EC Driving Licence Directive and Type-Approval for motorcycles, included a successful campaign against a 74 kW power limit being imposed. He also undertook the first European Commission project concerned with basic rider training. In 1998 he negotiated and oversaw the amalgamation of FEM and the European Motorcyclists Association, which became the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA). He also engineered closer ties with FIM.

He travelled extensively to recruit new national riders rights organisations from countries not represented. During his tenure he established a staff structure with Bob Tomlins and Christina Gesios who remain with FEMA today.  

Although he didn’t wear it on his sleeve, Simon was religious and was baptised in the USA during his travels. He also met the Dali Lama but paradoxically, he also had a reputation for riding in a way that put the fear of God into people as well as wearing motorcycles out!

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.”

Simon’s body is being repatriated to the UK where his funeral will take place

 

FEMA is currently developing a memorial to Simon Milward on its web site:
www.fema.kaalium.com/simonmilward 


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