Summerland Rally 26 to 30 March 2009
The venue for this rally was Evans Head and the hosts were Alan and Lyn Stratton. The whole Stratton family backed them up and the Northern Rivers Motorcycle group supplied many of the marshals. The rally pack was done well to suit those of us with absent minds and if in doubt of what to do next you just consulted the programme supplied in the pack. Name badges were also included; we only had to remember to wear them if we could find them. Evans Head is one of the jewels in the crown of the Richmond Valley and the promotion of the run to the locals had them well informed of our pending arrival. The locals gave us a hearty welcome.
I camped at the Silver Sands Caravan Park and arrived midday Thursday to pitch the tent in sparkling sunlight which warmed me immensely, so a dip in the Ocean soon followed. The beach was so picturesque that I thought I had found heaven on earth. There was a rock wall to my right as I was scanning the Pacific Ocean, further inspection revealed it to be the break wall for the river mouth. The tide was coming in at a great rate and a small fishing boat was trying to get out to the ocean. The boat failed to out power the tidal force and did a U turn back up the river.
Seeing first hand the power of nature I decided to return to my campsite and refresh for our evening meal at the Bowls Club Chinese restaurant. I met up with a lot of familiar faces and some people that I had not met before. Members from BSMCC included Brian Flemming, Mark Single and me. There was a large contingent of people from other Brisbane Clubs together with some past members of BSMCC. Friday rolled around and after cooking breakfast and finishing setting up it came time to start the Ariel and go to the start point of the rally at the RSL club. “Did I use both start and Ariel in the one sentence”? My apologies for that grammatical fau paux! True to form, the Ariel refused to start; I had ridden it onto the trailer so why would it not start now. I did all the usual pre checks, like fuel, clean spark plug and points but only wispy yellow spark was present. Oh Dear!!
After many kicks of a 500 single and some flat ground pushing only one thing could save me from exhaustion. I needed a Hero. Adrian Hannon came to the rescue; his weapon was a can of CRC points cleaner. Spray this on your points and allow a couple of minutes for it to dry he stated. Kicking the motor with the plug out revealed a big fat blue spark. If that would not start it nothing would. Yes, plug back in and it started first kick. Off to the starting point late and dehydrated, lucky they put cold water at the check in. Just enough time to take a few photos then run back and zip up the bag to get last place on the long run. There were 95 riders on the entrants list and apparently a few who joined the run making it almost 100 bikes rumbling along country roads. From my position it looked like a giant snake winding up the countryside. What an awesome sight.
Fridays run was a follow the leader run and there was one pretty red and light blue leader present though probably located mid pack and not at the lead. The rider of the leader was Alan Donovan who comes from the north side of Brisbane. The run broke into 2 parts as the slower bikes took a kinder run to the next meeting spot being the SES Shed at Woodburn.
The countryside was a magnificent bushland setting displaying many types of flora including bottle brush trees and other banksias then blending into sugar cane fields and dairy farms. Threatening clouds appeared but did not unleash upon us making it a near perfect ride.
At the SES Shed at Woodburn we were given a tour of the rescue vehicles and afternoon tea. “Thunderbirds are go” for the rescue machines without a real thunderbird triumph on the rally. Alan Stratton is a volunteer with the Woodburn SES but the Head of the establishment complained of him being away on too many motorcycle tours to be on call these days. I do think that the rescue boat will be in service straight after our rally as torrential rains fell from Friday night and barely let up on our whole tour.
The rally went onto Tuckurimba Hill where we were able to look down on the valley below. We could see the Pacific Ocean and the sugar-mill sending us a smoke signal to indicate where we were to go next. We could see the twisted ribbon road we had just been on well below our lookout point. The Watson’s, three generations of Ariel riders gathered for a photo on Tuckurimba Hill.
Soon we were back into the valley we perused from the lookout. The marshals guided us well at the points needing caution to cross busy hi-ways. This is the point at which I should say the management of the rally and material provided in our sample bag was very well done that even if we got lost the Programme would have got us back to the RSL. The photo chosen for the front of the Programme would be enough to earn the tourism grant to keep all who attended to put it onto their return to list. When you are a puzzled stranger to an awesome place like this you could easily find yourself misplaced and the material supplied and the locals would have you enjoying yourself where you were bamboozled. Thanks to all who put me back on track.
On return to Evans Head many of us needed petrol and we had a social at the only garage in town, which was the only one we knew off. It sold ice as well so there was my refrigeration for the night.
Next process was to scrub up for the sportsman buffet at the Evans Head RSL. The entertainment on Friday night was a Patsy Kline tribute singer with another male vocalist. Some of the more romantic took to the dance floor but the males sure outnumbered the females. Luckily I asked a princess for a dance and she accepted, thank you Brenda, you made my night.
I drove my mates back to the campsite for a peaceful nights sleep for all after such a good evening. Alas at 2am Saturday morning the corker of all storms was about to sour my champagne tastes of the rally. I heard a clunk on the trailer and thought I would wait until morning to attend to it. However the strong smell of petrol fumigating my tent said I should get up and look for its source. I looked for my well wrapped bike but it was not standing. I had to try to lift it up in a mud pit in the pouring rain and gusting wind. Which was not easy in ones PJs and thongs! I finally overcame the traumatic situation but I do have a severe head cold whilst writing this article.
Saturday morning arrived and a bedraggled me peered out of the tent to see the president checking his bike after it had ended up on its side also producing a petrol spill. He had woken his wife to help him lift in up in the pouring rain and pitch black that the night dished up. I thought mine would not start again so at a respectable time I broke the peacefulness of the morning to hear it roar to life.
I still parked on the hill near the RSL as I did not trust it to kick start after being caught in the rain once again. Start time was 9.30am daylight savings time. I being from Queensland saw it as 8.30am and was there in the bare nick of time. A very enthusiastic editor of the Horses Mouth braved the threatening rain to take photos of the group leaving. Super woman came to mind when I remembered this was the same woman who had to help her husband at 3 am in the morning to bring his 500 twin Ariel back to its feet in the storm. This event is where the majority of their articles come from so you can’t afford to miss anything.
I had wished all those on the bus a good trip and they exchanged that for their sympathy for all the riders facing more storms that were predicted. The forecast were correct, unfortunately we all got drenched on our way to Casino. Morning tea was done by the Woodburn Bowling club and it was a shame to leave the comforts of the hall and all its wonderful refreshments to don our soggy bike wear and make way in the stormy weather to CMCA Village for the bike show.
Have you ever attended a bike show in the rain? What should have been such a thrill was hampered by the constant threat of a downpour. Those who spent time to polish their bikes were rewarded with another shower to rinse them off. The numbers on the headlights were just legible giving the judges extra work in deciphering them. After ducking for cover we heard the Mayors welcome speech. The mayor was also on the bike judging panel.
A hot roast lunch was delicious and warmed us to the heart. Soon after it was time to put on the wet weather gear and head back. You will notice the absence of the description of the magnificent scenery. We will have to come back another day to take it all in. It’s hard to appreciate it with rain falling on your visor and staying upright is the most governing factor.
The presentation dinner was well prepared and no storm could get us here. No storm popped up at the AGM before dinner either. All went to plan with almost all the position filled with the previous committee. For entertainment we had to work out what many antique items were used for, fill in a sheet and your table be judged for the most correct answers. Kay Hammond ended up the Queen of Ariel for the night, provided with crown and gown for the occasion. Winners of trophies all felt well rewarded and would be listed in the next “The Horses Mouth” which is the quarterly journal for the ARR.
After the dinner I had to face another night of my tent being buffeted by gusting winds and left in total amazement that it did not blow away. Awaking early and breakfast in the dark had me ready to attend the 6 am swap meet. Arriving early at the venue had me checking other places in case I got it wrong. On return to the RSL I noticed a couple of cars opening up with Ariel parts for sale. I was extremely lucky to converse with an absolute gentleman who rallied to my cause of obtaining the correct speedometer for my bike at a very reasonable price.
Sunday looked a little better for weather conditions. Still I donned the top half of my rain suit as a precautionary measure. The run to Tevan in the mist allowed us to see some of the spectacular rainforest and vast rural layouts. Morning tea was in “The House with no Steps” and many meaningful conversations occurred here. I met Gary Alve from New Zealand who told me the surprise his wife Jan organised for him by sending him to this rally. Of course it clashed with the New Zealand Rally for Ariels as well. Barry supplied the bike. A special welcome was made at our dinners to these people who came over from another land bringing with them a unique sense of humour.
Invitations were given to visit New Zealand and drop in to see them at the Opossums shop. I would put that down to one of the must do’s in the future.
For lunch we ended up in a beautiful little town by the name of Clunes. The lunch was delicious and was provided by the Northern Rivers Motorcycle club. They showed us their catering trailer which had just been completed.
We all received an invitation to come down to their rally being held in November. They could not promise good weather but supplied us dessert for free to let us know the catering would be top notch. More scenic adventures, riding next to rivers and crossing bridges led us to the ferry stop at Burns Point. I was amazed that all the bikes fitted onto the ferry in one go. What does nearly 100 bikes look like squeezed onto a ferry? Picture provided below with many riders praying that it does not sink. It was a very social interlude and when we departed the ferry we knew the run was soon to be completed.
So that described the rally but there is much more to report and I will leave that for later issues. This was a very well planned event but I would like to see some of the same scenery on a fine day. I intend to go on the Northern Rivers Rally to have some more of the local’s hospitality and get to take in the views of the region.