WHENCE IT CAME

Organised by the venerable Nomads Motorcycle Club, the Buffalo Rally traces its origins to a campfire chat among club bikers in March 1969 (appropriately, their attendance record was inscribed on a paper plate). The first event, in the Eastern Cape town of Bathurst, drew 250 bikers – including a contingent of Hell’s Angels (bless ’em). After a few years, the rally relocated to Aliwal North, Oudtshoorn, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Maseru and finally, Mossel Bay; by all accounts, its permanent home.

Nomads president John van der Spuy, a cheerful man who has attended every Buff since 1973, attributes the event’s success (over 4 450 bikers, pillion riders and other two-wheel enthusiasts pitched this year) to the glorious mix of people who roll up year after year aboard machines ranging from the prosaic to the breathtakingly quick, from the utterly beautiful to the downright insane. “You get gentleman bikers, hooligans, tough guys, sexy women... they all go to the Buff. That’s why it works.”

Interestingly, says John, the average age of the attendees is rising every year.

John’s friend, Robbie, also a Buff regular (he was at the very first event in 1969), proffers this advice for the rally newbie: “Just take a step back and enjoy it.” Any suggestions for essential survival equipment? “I would say the basics include ear plugs, a tent, and Prohep.”

Bikes, beer and good times aside, the Buff is also about helping people. As John and Robbie tell it, the event injects millions of rand into the local economy. Citing one example of its impact, John reveals that last year, one of the many watering holes in Mossel Bay sold more beer in a single night than it did over three months when the bikers weren’t visiting. “Nomads also contributes a substantial sum to charity every year. In 2016, for instance, we helped to finance the construction of an autistic school.”