From his younger days on, motorcycle riding was one of Gernot Minig's hobbies, later on joined by sky gliding. Between 1990 and 1992, he worked in Australia as an exchange teacher, where he got in touch with the Ulysses Club. Gernot felt enthusiastic about the Ulysses concept of a social club for elder riders and became a member. At the end of the nineteen-nineties, he once again resorted to Australia, but this time by bike, on his beloved Africa Twin. For this extraordinary journey, he took a sabbatical and was on the road for about one year, including expanded tours through Australia. So he became friends with a good number of Australian Ulysses Club members.

Gernot Minig and the current President Hans-Hermann Bohrer

Inspired by this positive experience, he returned with the idea to establish a Ulysses Club back home in Germany. After having obtained the authorization for this project by the Australian club, in 2002 the Ulysses-Club Germany started with Gernot as founder and President and a couple of his friends as members.

One of the new club's first major activities was a trip to Santiago de Compostela in Spain in 2003 with six participants. Other rides followed, within and outside of Germany, and right from the start, there was the regulars' table, held twice a month, at first in a quite familiar atmosphere with seven or eight members. So, in these first years until 2011, a number of traditions still existing today had been established, for example our Whitsun meeting and, as well, the European gatherings, at that time joined by Ulyssians from Great Britain and from the Netherlands. In addition to these activities, a major journey was organized once a year plus day trips at the weekends.

Currently, the club is on the brink to counting 100 members, most of them living in the Saarland.

Gernot and the Dearnley Medal.

It is definitely not an overstatement to call Gernot the moving spirit of the German Ulysses Club. He rendered outstanding services to the   international   Ulysses Club  community   by networking and maintaining friendly relations to the Clubs in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Great Britain. During the past ten years, several new clubs have been founded in Europe, including Switzerland, France and   Norway. This gave us the opportunity to make new friends. Last, but not least, those good international relations have been strengthened by the fact that, over the years, a lot of Ulyssians from abroad have found accommodation in Gernot and Wally's house in Eppelborn. In spring 2019, the two of them once again made a journey of three months to Australia.

After 17 years as President, Gernot asked for relief. In regard to his merits dealing with establishing and afterwards leading the Ulysses-Club Germany for such a long period, he was elected in unison honorary member by our 2019 AGM. We all appreciate his kindness and his unpretentious manners; in short, he's a really fine person.

The managing-committee of the Ulysses-Club Germany e.V. is very pleased being able to nominate  Gernot Minig for that high distinction represented by Ulysses Club's Dearnley medal and hopes that Gernot shall be with the club a good while longer.

The National Committee was pleased to receive and approve the awarding of a Dearnley Medal to recognise Gernot's service to the Ulysses Club. The award was announced at the Annula General Meeting held 15 May 2021 in Orange, N.S.W.

The following photo is the combination that Gernot built last winter.