Wallsend motorcyclist Joe Fairrie received an incredibly emotive send off from his friends and family, as 195 bikers formed the funeral procession from Howdon to Tynemouth Crematorium.
Joe grew up in Wallsend, meeting his wife Carole when they were both teenagers, and even then he was known for having a Vespa 150 Sportique Scooter. After settling down together and getting married in 1968, the couple moved around the country a lot looking for the perfect place to start a family.
They first lived in Whitley Bay, having two children, Michelle and Christopher. They then moved to Killingworth and Dundee before eventually settling back in the North East.
Joe had many different interests which include, fishing, swimming and photography, some of which were used for work in his adult life. It was at the age of 55 that Joe found his true passion, when he got his motorbike.
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This was the start of a completely new life for Joe and his wife Carole, as they met a group of amazing friends through the Harley Davidson owners group, with the couple joining the Geordie chapter.
They were involved in a bad motorbike accident in 2004, with Carole breaking bones in her leg, but that didn't deter either of them from allowing biking to take over their lives. It became their absolute passion and with a few friends they created the Bad-Landers MCC.
The group were hugely instrumental in setting up Armed Forces Day in South Shields, which has become a huge event, raising well over £100,000 over the years. As a result, Joe was nominated for the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, and enjoyed a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
It is this love of biking that inspired his daughter Michelle Williams, a photographer herself, to put together a special tribute to her dad with help from the Motorcycle Club. She has spoken about what the event was like and how she was able to get the photos of the procession.
"Since the funeral in February, I have always said that the event and the whole day would have been absolutely fantastic if it wasn't for the reason we were there. It was amazing to see the amount of people that turned up to pay tribute to him, and he would have loved to see all of the bikes that were there.
"I made sure to station photographers along different parts of the route so that we would be able to get the best possible photos, as I obviously couldn't be there to do that. Thank you to everyone who came to the funeral and took photos and videos of the day, creating memories that our family can treasure."
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