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BRANCH NEWS & CALENDARS |
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Victoria Greetings from the Central Victoria Group! The little over a year we have been in existence has seen our Group, after an encouraging beginning, stabilise into a healthy Group of around 50 members. In this number is an enthusiastic core who attend almost every meeting and ride. It's most satisfying to see new faces constantly being added to this active Group. As well as our monthly meetings and rides, Club members attend rallies and involve themselves in other Branch/Group activities. This can only lead to a stronger Ulysses Club overall. Reflecting on the time since our Group's inception brings to mind a variety of activities, from day rides to weekends away, rides to race meetings and a family day. We have endeavoured to provide various types of rides and destinations to accommodate different tastes. We think we are succeeding but we're always open to new ideas. Looking ahead, the Bunbury AGM looms large, of course, but in between there's a little matter of the GP and Phillip Island, various rallies, plus our own Group's activities. I wonder sometimes what I would be doing if I didn't ride a motorbike. One thing I'm sure of, I wouldn't be having anywhere near as much fun. In closing, we believe our Group embodies the essence of what the Ulysses Club and motorcycling are all about - camaraderie, support, and the joy of riding. "To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.' Reg Loe The Central Victoria Group meets the last Wednesday of the month at 7pm at the Axedale Tavern. Secretary - Greg 03 5442 4340 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Geelong and District Hello, fellow Ulyssians form the Geelong Group. It's been a busy quarter here in the Geelong area, with weekend rides, get togethers, and more people wanting to join at every monthly meeting. Even with the cold weather setting in, people are still keen to ride and join in the fun. Late April saw us front at the wood oven for a Poker Run organised by Curly. It was a perfect Autumn day which guaranteed a good roll up. Curly was counting on about 20 bikes but ended up with 47 bikes and seventy people. Panic set in as he wondered how he was going to cook enough meat for 70 people on his two burner BBQ after the run. After some pleasant cruising on mainly country roads it was back to Curly & Rhonda's bush block for lunch and sitting round in a nice bush setting. In pouring rain, Rosie led the charge on her newly acquired Yamaha 550 to this year's Emu Rally. For her trouble, Rosie was awarded 'Longest Distance Female Rider'. Well done, Rosie! Nine couples and ten bikes set off in May for the weekend run to Rutherglen mapped out by Vicki Gordon. Judy and I had a late start after the new, you beaut Road King was found to have a flat battery. I had to quickly throw panniers and gear on the good old R90S and catch the others at Avernell. Some comments and smirking were made regarding Harley reliability! Colin & Beryl's brand new Vulcan 1500 seemed to be going well though. An otherwise uneventful ride saw us in Rutherglen settling into our motel rooms. At the motel a few people ended up in the motel spa. I don't know if it was something in the spa water or something they drank because a couple of people (Leon, Curly and Rhonda) weren't very well on Saturday morning. After a tour of the wineries, the motel owners provided a very nice BBQ tea. All in all a very entertaining weekend. The Queen's Birthday weekend saw 26 members on 10 bikes board the ferry at Queenscliff and travel overseas to Sorrento for a ride around the Mornington Peninsula with lunch at Flinders organised by Jeff James. Our Group Gymkhana conducted by local member Paul Ryan, a Stay Upright instructor, was a great success, with 53 members taking the opportunity to sharpen up their riding skills. Curly won the slow race, with Rosie winning the 'most improved skills' for the day. A good effort by Rosie and yours truly, who managed not to fall off this time. Thanks to Paul for his time and expertise. Curly & Rhonda's dance night/cabaret was a great success, giving couples the opportunity to show off their dancing skills. Some were pretty good, while others were... well? Everyone had a lot of fun all the same and thanks to Pro Cycle, Geelong for donating some nice prizes once again. Mid July saw about 50 members and 33 bikes line up for Peter Baillie's Mystery-History Ride around Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. Peter had obviously spent quite a bit of time to work out the questions to be answered en route. Of course, he included a couple of directions designed to send people on a wild goose chase, but nobody was fooled by these, were they? A very nice bistro was provided at the Sergeants Mess followed by a conducted tour of the Queenscliff Army Fort built last century to guard Port Phillip Heads. Thanks to Peter for an interesting day's riding. That's another busy quarter gone with another coming up. Until next time, best regards. John & Judy Cuthbertson Monthly meeting held at Derwent Hotel, Batesford 8pm on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Contact: Group coordinator Leon Millard 03 5282 2267. The Group meets at the Wood Oven, opposite Pro Cycle in Mercer Street, every Saturday morning from 10.30am. For information on regular monthly rides contact Leon Millard 03 5282 2267 or John Cuthbertson 03 5229 7553 |
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