ALBANY VINTAGE & CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE CLUB

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October 2007 Club News

Broken | North | Narrikup | President | Calendar

President's Report, 2007

Bob and Grandies in chairIt would appear to be another good year for the Club and I hope you've enjoyed being a member and have been able to participate in as many Club events as you have wanted. We seem to be averaging around 150-160 members which is a very good number and this helps keeps Club fees down as we make enough money through renewals to keep the Club ticking over without the need for extra fund‑raising. Without a committee there wouldn't be a Club, especially a concessionally licensed one, so I would like to thank those who have taken up positions of office, they have done a great job in making the Club run smoothly. Thanks also to those who turn up at our monthly meetings, again without the attendance of these members there would be no Club.

To be able to register our older bikes for less than $30 a year is a real bonus and without the enthusiasm of Neil Bromilow as Machine Registrar and 1st Time Examiner, and Ronnie as our 2nd Machine Examiner it would not be possible. Apart from carrying out machine examinations in their own time, there is also a lot of paperwork involved as well as Neil having his shed complying to the Dept of Transport regulations etc. The Hillclimb weekend is once again our premier event of the year and was again a great success. Many thanks to Robin for her organising abilities and enthusiasm in taking on the job. Thanks also to Club members who help out on the weekend your assistance is invaluable. Being able to give the local Volunteer Fire Brigade a cheque for $7000 a record donation, reflects on the work that went into the weekend.

The Club also benefits of course by proceeds from the Hiliclimb paying for our Liability Insurance, the $10 million cover costs around $1600. Other noteworthy events were the Pink Ribbon Ride organised by Raelene & Chris, they organised a great day raising $406 for Breast Cancer Research in October. Many members enjoyed the ride to Philip Island for the MotoGP, Don completing it on a 30‑year‑old BMW. The cruise on John and Forrest's catamaran, camping at Walpole, the Tuning Day, Afternoon Tea at Strawberry Hill Farm, breakfast rides, economy run, hopefully there was plenty of variety to suit Club members.

If there are other rides you would like to see, then please let us know and we'll try to accommodate them (I've had someone ask me for more trials events - Web Ed). The Week Away for Old Bikes in April was also a great success with around 15 bikes taking part at various times. We will be doing another ride for 25 year‑old plus bikes next year at the end of March. Matt Wells put a lot of effort into organising Club Polo and T‑Shirts and the results speak for themselves, they have proved to be extremely popular, so if you want one put your order in ‑ they look great. Once again Albany Printers deserve special mention for the quality of the printing and also the quality of paper of our Club News, and also of course keeping costs down.

The friendliness and professionalism of the staff is exceptional. Thanks to Carl, Clive and Marilyn ‑ its most appreciated. There has also been an increase in the amount of contributed articles and pictures this year which I think shows in the magazine making it more interesting and personal. John McKinnon does a great job in updating our website. I just give him a CD of the Club News and he transfers the articles and pictures onto the website in a most professional manner. We get a lot of visitors to it and also a lot of compliments, thanks John.

The other volunteers that the Club could not do without are those on the Back‑Up Roster, without someone dragging a trailer behind there would be no rides for the older bikes, so your help is invaluable. We also appear to be getting more older bikes on the slower rides which is great as this is part of what the Club is about and I'd like to encourage more to enjoy the benefits of riding these older machines. I'd also like to thank Chris for the amount of time and support she puts in helping me thoughout the year and making my job easier. Thanks also to John and Forrest for organising this brilliant venue for the AGM. So I think a big round of applause is in order recognising the members of the Club who have made this year successful.

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