Tragic News: Cycling advocate and forum member killed

[AUbicycles]

With sadness, I am sharing the tragic news that the highly regarded rider and cycling advocate, Cameron Frewer was killed on November 5. 2018 in Caloundra, Queensland.

Bicycling Australia (online) have reported on this and shared some details on his activity to make cycling safer.

In the Australian Cycling Forums, the regular forum members knew Cameron as a positive and active contributor who was very active in cycling advocacy in Queensland.

When details are available to pay your respects, they will be shared here.


Christopher / Admin

[find_bruce]

Cameron went by the handle BianchCam on these forums and there are a bunch of comments here

[bychosis]

Shocked. Condolences to his family and all who knew him

He rode some dangerous roads, i hope some good can come of this.

[MichaelB]

Had something else started, but really, lost for words.

Condolences to friends and family

[Comedian]

Shocked

[cyclotaur]

Ahh......f**k it. I just feel numb at these reports now. Had a few pleasant exchanges with BC. Wasn’t particularly aware of his advocacy, just makes it extra unfair somehow.

Every road death is a waste. There are so few ‘accidents’, so many preventable crashes/collisions. We have to do better.

RIP.

[AUbicycles]

There is a gofundme fundraiser operated by Dave Sharp now up. I don't know have any further details so encourage you to investigate. link: https://www.gofundme.com/vtcf9j-cameron ... fundraiser

[g-boaf]

Cameron went by the handle BianchCam on these forums and there are a bunch of comments here

Geez! I'm shocked, lost for words. This is awful. I wasn't aware of his advocacy, but totally aware of his decency and positive attitude on here.

We cannot have people going this way - motor vehicles on the road must be more careful.

[Thoglette]

Cycling safety advocate who predicted his own death on Sunshine Coast roads dies on morning ride
I've not managed to read it all yet. RIP.

[g-boaf]

Cycling safety advocate who predicted his own death on Sunshine Coast roads dies on morning ride
I've not managed to read it all yet. RIP.

"What the cameras do is give my wife and children some closure on the day I do get hit."

That is chilling and very upsetting to read. I'm gutted for his wife and children. They must be devastated. I'm going to check out for a while I think.

[plugmeister]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-06/ ... e/10468864

[duncan16v]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-06/ ... e/10468864

Oh, no... That's BianchiCam.

Condolences to his family.

[Patt0]

Cameron was a champion for all road cyclists.

So sad.

[cyclotaur]

Cycling safety advocate who predicted his own death on Sunshine Coast roads dies on morning ride
I've not managed to read it all yet. RIP.

A-ha....I thought BC was originally from Melbourne.

I visited Sunshine Coast about 10 years back and had a family holiday there but didn’t like the look of the roads for cycling. The car cult(ture) there and on the Gold Coast hinterland feels very oppressive, from the perspective of a Melburnian - but nowhere is perfect of course.

It’s a terrible way to be proven correct. Hopefully the local government, community and police can take this situation and turn it into something better.

[MichaelB]

And I'm getting ready to head up to Gold Coast for some riding.

The riding I've done up there, mainly on the back roads and in the hills, has been pretty good, but there are some stretches which I avoid.

Definitely taking all the precautions when rising up there again.

Reminds us all how quick things can change.

[fat and old]

What? Tell me this ain't him.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australi ... spartandhp

please

[queequeg]

My parents used to have an apartment at Golden Beach, and I did some riding up there in 2010. I did a ride up to Noosa, which was great, but I also went out West bound on Caloundra Rd, which at the time had a lower speed limit, and was certainly not a 100km/h multi-lane monster like it is now.
I remember ending up riding down the on-ramp to the Bruce Highway, as there was no signage indicating that you couldn't do that. I think I got half way down the on-ramp before there was a sign, and I ended up backtracking up the on-ramp.
The bridge over the Bruce Highway to access Steve Irwin way was a bit rough, but it was a 60 zone. I think I rode a short distance up Steve Irwin Way before turning around and heading back into Caloundra.

When I look at what they have done now, there is no reason at all that Caloundra Rd needs to be a 100km/h motorway type road. They have provided bugger all parallel cycling infrastruture, with some meandering paths ending at Kawana Way Link Rd. Considering it is the only access out of Caloundra, this is pretty poor. The google street view shows a road shoulder that is clearly not what I would call cycling friendly, particularly at the On/Off/Merge locations. It looks like no real attention has been given to cycling in general.

I'm keeping a close eye on this one.

[warthog1]

Spotted his photo on strava, from a felliow forumite I follow, and the words;
Cameron Frewer - our world is lesser without you.

Well said. He and his advocacy work for the rest of us will be sorely missed

[Duck!]

What? Tell me this ain't him.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australi ... spartandhp

please

Sadly that is our fallen comrade.

Cameron had been an occasional customer of mine before he moved Up North, so this cuts a little close to the bone. In a bitter irony, I seem to recall that one of the reasons he gave for moving was that Victorian drivers were too unsafe. However from most reports Queenslanders are even worse, so talk about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire!

[Cyclophiliac]

news.com.au also just posted this article:
https://www.news.com.au/technology/onli ... 3d71488d1c

I recommend you don't read the comments. Some people just want another dig at cyclists, and couldn't care less that someone just got killed. I really wish I hadn't read the comments.

[trailgumby]

Sorry I've taken so long to post on these events. It's been an emotional roller coaster since Monday and I'm still pretty fragile.

I was one of two who worked quite closely with Cameron, moderating and administering his Drive Safe Pass Wide FB page, and I was in regular contact with him on his submissions to Queensland Police. We were together involved in a number of other initiatives (some of which I can't speak about due to the risks to innocent others if their nature becomes known). The pressure on my mental health of dealing with the constant malevolent barrage led me to slipping out of my role with DSPW unannounced a couple of weeks ago, a decision I severely regret: now it is all on the shoulders of one.

Cam and I corresponded on close to a daily basis. I am amazed at the time and commitment he put into the driver education project, and the growth in him personally and in the way he was interacting with others was impressive. My last message was me telling him how proud of him I was. (Damn, my eyes are leaking again. )

The last piece he was working on before he died, an open letter detailing the systematic culturally driven failure of Queensland Police to protect vulnerable road users was his strongest, most compelling and powerful piece of writing yet. I am hoping it will see the light of day very soon. In the light of his sacrifice and the media attention I expect it could well be explosive.

Some have noted that no charges have yet been laid against the driver. On the hate pages this has been interpreted as meaning it wasn't the driver's fault. Take courage: they are much mistaken.

Sadly, Cam was prepared for last Monday's arrival. Not that it would happen that day, but that it would happen one day. There are detailed instructions that those closest to him are working through now. Despite this expectation he continued to persevere, documenting his experience that only 2 out of three passes by a motor vehicle met the required safe distance, and documenting the appalling lack of care from those charged with protecting vulnerable road users from bad driving. Resigned to this fact, his strategy switched to gathering evidence that he hoped could be used to drive cultural change. This commitment cost him his life.

In the Good Book it says "Greater love has no man than this: that he lays down his life for his friends." This was Cameron, for all of us, no matter where we are in this country.

My thoughts are with his wife Catherine, and children Lachlan, Oscar and Heidi. I'm also thinking of Anne Sharp at BQ who was quite close to him and has had to put her grief aside to assist the family and deal with a predatory media. Dave Sharp from SCA is also having a particularly difficult time.

If you could contribute to either of the two fundraisers for Cameron's family it would be a great mark of respect.

I believe funeral announcements will be made on Friday. I hope to have other announcements to make to the community here soon.

[g-boaf]

news.com.au also just posted this article:
https://www.news.com.au/technology/onli ... 3d71488d1c

I recommend you don't read the comments. Some people just want another dig at cyclists, and couldn't care less that someone just got killed. I really wish I hadn't read the comments.

This is just f.... BS. Those comments make me angry. All those online superheroes would never dare to say that sort of stuff to wife or kids of Cameron.

[MichaelB]

...
If you could contribute to either of the two fundraisers for Cameron's family it would be a great mark of respect.

....

Can anyone provide links ?

Thanks TG for the added background. can't think of anything else to say ...

[find_bruce]

What always impressed me about Cameron was that his resilience, especially with ambivalent police - their failure to act only spurred him to push harder.

[queequeg]

Ivan over on the DFROC hate page has also posted another rant about Cameron and has truly lost the plot.

The comments from the echo chamber are pretty atrocious. I suggest not reading them if you value your mental health. How Facebook permits this kind of rubbish, while shutting down Cameron’s Facebook pages is something I will never understand.