Alice Springs news
Alice Springs news; NewspaperNT
2010-09-23
This publication contains may contain links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
This publication contains many links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
English
Community newspspers; Australia, Central; Alice Springs (N.T.); Newspapers
Erwin Chlanda
Alice Springs
v. 17 issue 34
application/pdf
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
Erwin Chlanda
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/232924
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/659688
course. Derek and others have organised the courses for the Masters Games enduros out at Undoolya Station. After writing to every motorcycle club in Australia, they got about 40 entries for their first round of Masters Games and about 70 or 80 people from interstate for the second. At their third Masters Games, it was about 44 degrees at 9am and although the locals werent bothered, the interstate competitors were not very impressed. Derek has raced in the veterans class at the Masters Games as well as out at the local motocross track and taken home a few trophies. The last time he actually competed was about five years ago. He attended a Motorcycling Australia course in Sydney a few years ago and is qualified to run courses for stewards, flag marshals, starters, scrutineers, etc. He has raced in the Finke Desert Race three times: finishing in 2000, winning a trophy in 2001 and breaking a leg in 2002. He hates the Finke track now and considers parts of it to be dangerous. Its always been a very fast race but at 66 years of age, I dont think Ill be riding in it again. Derek still goes dirt bike riding regularly with a few mates. He would have liked to do the Masters Games enduro this year but will be in Adelaide for the annual Bay to Birdwood rally. He will also take part in other events with a couple of vintage clubs from Adelaide, including visits to a number of private motorcycle museums around the city. Earlier in the year 20 members of the Australian Motorcycle Trail Riders Association came up from Adelaide and he accompanied them on a trail ride around Alice Springs, including to Chambers Pillar and from Bundooma across to the Maryvale Road. He was amazed to see them set up their camp and then produce gourmet meals pineapple cakes and things like that in the campfire at night! Next year Derek will ride with them from Coober Pedy to Ceduna via the Anne Beadell Track and way out through Cook along the railway line of the Nullabor Plain. He spends a lot of his spare time restoring and renovating old bikes. Hes done about 50 or 60 to date. He also buys old dirt bikes to renovate and sell. It began when he found a BSA B33-500 wreck here. He spent ages totally restoring it before riding it and discovering that he didnt like it so he sold it. You cant count the time you put in otherwise youd never make a profit. Twenty years ago it was very difficult to restore a motorbike in Alice because of the problems with getting parts. Now the internet allows him to shop for any part he wants, anywhere. His favourite bike is his Velocette, which he and his wife Sharon found in a shed up in the Adelaide Hills. And of course just restoring and building the bikes is not the thing its riding them. NANCARROW ARROW: Camping joy (not). We live in a visually spectacular place, that is undeniable. The view from our back porch is of the MacDonnell ranges (once you get past all the trees and things in the way), and on a winters morning they glow a deep, primordial red that is quite stunning. I love to ride my mountain bike along tracks that twist and turn over ridges and along valleys. I delight in strolling along shady pathways and climbing mountains. I embrace my surroundings with passion and joy as long as I have a proper bed to sleep in afterwards, a hot shower and television to watch (good but not necessary). So I think its fair to say that camping out is not my forte. Which is unfortunate as it is something that Kirsty (leaving wife) likes to do a lot and as she is going soon I kind of had to go along for the guilt induced ride, agreeing to an overnight night trip to Trephina Gorge this week. Im not a total sook about where I sleep. For the first few years in the music industry I was a stage technician and guitar tech for a variety of Australian pub bands, working stupid hours and travelling almost every day. And believe me, the lifestyle aint that glamorous for the bands and even less so for the roadies. You make enough money to get by, drink too much and sleep too little, usually in the rooms the publican cant rent out to the public as they are so dire. I had my first experience of inter-species war at a Holiday Inn in Dee Why, a battle for supremacy between the