For three decades motorcycle riders have gathered in London, Ont. for a three-hour trek to raise money for the Children’s Health Foundation. Started by Randy and his wife Audrey Collins, the event was renamed the Randy Collins Memorial Fall Colour Ride after his passing in 2023. “This was certainly a ride that Randy had a lot of passion for,” said Paul Goldsmith, sales consultant at Hully Gully. Dozens of riders met at Hully Gully to register, then made their way around Southwestern Ontario before heading back to London. Each rider collected pledges and the total over the three decades is now well over $800,000 raised. “It’s getting bigger and bigger,” said Scott Fortnum, CEO and President of the Children’s Health Foundation. “That money translates oftentimes into specific pieces of equipment. We’ve got lots of things in the NICU, in surgery and the pediatric critical care unit throughout the hospital, and it also supports the many programs. Our friend Ollie the therapeutic clown, they’re things like this wouldn’t exist without donor support and that comes through events like the Hully Gully Fall Colour Randy Collins Memorial ride.” Among those riding was Wally Thibodeau, president of the 1st Ortona Unit of the Canadian Army Veterans Motorcycle Unit. That group has been a big supporter of this ride because the Collins family has supported their endeavors. “Whether you’re veterans or civilians, you look at people walking around and when they see bikes all together like this, they want to talk bikes,” said Thibodeau. “Where you’re from? What you’re doing? I’ve never been anywhere without my bike that somebody hasn’t approached me. That’s the biker community. You see a bunch of bikers out on the road, you know they’re always out raising money for something.” The Collins family has always been community supporters, and donated thousands of dollars from their family business. They built and funded seven playgrounds in London, including a fully accessible park in 2021 to mark Hully Gully’s 50th anniversary.
