Ken Alcock
June 10, 2021
John Hooper
July 7, 2021
Giorgio “Jojo” Frausin
Co-Chair Halifax Chapter
Ride for Dad
I am honoured to have been asked to be one of the Co-Chairs of the Halifax Chapter of the Ride For Dad! I recently moved back to Dartmouth to be closer to my parents and it’s great to be back in what is arguably one of the best places to live and ride in Canada!
I grew up here and went to school in Dartmouth NS and enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1982. After a very rewarding career spanning over 35 years, I retired from the RCAF in 2017 at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. During my career I had the opportunity to ride all over this wonderful country, the US and overseas. When we were posted to Ottawa in 2005, I started hearing about the Ride for Dad and I registered as a participant. I was taken aback by the huge turn out and the exceptional level of organization that was required to pull off an event of this magnitude. To be honest, I registered to be part of the event and the cause was a secondary consideration. It wasn’t until I was posted to Kingston, ON and became the military liaison to the local chapter that I began to understand why the Ride for Dad became a thing. In 2007, the Kingston Chapter approached me to become a Co-Chair, alongside Allison Pinkerton, the daughter of the man who was the inspiration for the Ride; Charlie Pester. I served in that capacity until I was required to move to Cold Lake Alberta in 2010. My experiences with the Kingston Chapter stayed with me and I’m still constantly amazed at their energy and dedication.
When I moved back to NS just last February, I started looking for information about the local Ride for Dad and was surprised that it had gone dormant several years ago. I decided to contact the national office and I was welcomed back into the fold with open arms and I was offered the opportunity to revive the Halifax Chapter. The first thing I did was enlist the help of John Hooper, my brother-in-law, to take on the responsibilities of Co-Chair. Mary, my sister, has also signed on as our Finance Officer.
Starting a Chapter during these unprecedented times is an uphill battle and John and I, are working towards hosting a traditional ride day in 2022. In the meantime, we will be out and about, meeting riders and handing out our business cards in order to let the local riding community know that the Ride for Dad is back in Halifax!!