SINGAPORE - You can hear the members of motorcycle club Skulls of Nox (Sons) before you see them – the loud rumbling from their iconic Harley-Davidson engines are impossible to miss, especially when they arrive in a group.
Most of the club members are heavily tattooed, decked out in black and clad in leather. Each of them also sports a vest, commonly referred to as a “cut”, which is adorned with patches to reflect their names, position at the club, and the club’s logo.
“Some people actually look at us and think that we’re gangsters or criminals,” Sons president Aldrich Jai Kishen said, laughing.
But the Sons are on a charitable mission. This year, they are partnering Parkinson Society Singapore to help raise funds and awareness for the organisation. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system.
“Having the boys come in to help generate awareness is a breath of fresh air, and will hopefully garner more support from all walks of life,” a spokesman for the society told The Straits Times.
The club’s vice-president Savin Nair, 32, who also operates a motorcycle spray-painting firm at Hillview, designed a custom-painted tank that will be raffled off in May.
All of the proceeds, said Mr Kishen, will be given to Parkinson Society Singapore to fund its alternative therapy methods that include art and music.
Son’s traditions are based on motorcycle clubs in the West, whose rebellious image gained notoriety in the 1960s and 70s. They include a strict hierarchy among members, a long process to become a full-fledged member, and having to commute only on two wheels.
Where it departs from the Western clubs, however, is in its social focus.
Mr Kishen, 29, a youth social worker by day, told ST that the club was founded with a strong emphasis on community service. “When prospects want to join the club, the first question I ask is always – how can you contribute to charitable causes?”
When the Sons officially formed in 2021, Mr Kishen and Mr Nair made it a requirement for all members to plan at least one fundraiser or charity event a year. Its members are between 28 and 32 years of age.
Mr Nair said: “We feel privileged to be riding Harleys and doing what we do, and we feel the responsibility to support the communities around us.”
In March, Sons also teamed up with Sixteen Ounces and Taco Mantra, a bar and kitchen at Rail Mall at Bukit Timah to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation.
The event included a ride-along from the Singapore Expo to Rail Mall, where members rode in a convoy; and concluded with joyrides for the public.
The group, a self-described bunch of “misfits”, also acts as a support group for one another when times get tough. “If I’m too exhausted, all I have to do is talk to any of my brothers,” Mr Nair said.
“We didn’t grow up with a lot of money, but we’re at a point where we’re privileged enough to do the things we love… It only made sense for us to give back and hope the cycle of support continues.”
Agreeing, Mr Kishen said: “Ultimately, if we want things to get better in our community, we should be the change we want to see.”
Correction note: In an earlier version of this story, we misspelt Mr Aldrich Jai Kishen’s and Mr Savin Nair’s names. This has been corrected. We are sorry for the errors.
