LOUD & PROUD!

Biker Phyllis has led Sydney's Mardi Gras parade for decades

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The roar of the motorbike engines revving up the adoring crowds at Sydney’s Hyde Park has signalled the start of the city’s Mardi Gras parade for decades.

It’s one of Phyllis Holland’s favourite sounds.

“They’re cheering for me,” she jokes.

Phyllis, 67, has been attending Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade ever since she was in her early 20s.

Besides the recent COVID-19 lockdowns, she’s never missed the event. “The pride I now feel when I ride down the streets is more about catching up with the friends I have decades of history with,” she tells Woman’s Day.