Britannia rules Echunga
All British Day • 10 February 2019 – Echunga, SA
There had been some rain in the preceding days before this year’s All British Day at Echunga, breaking what is Adelaide’s longest stretch of dry days since records had begun. That had also been accompanied by many days when the temperature had been high with Total Fire Bans in force. It was very pleasant weather conditions for the 6th All British Day to be held at Echunga ovals, overcast for much of the morning and clearing to sunshine later. The event had been held for many years before it moved to Echunga, and even now the Echunga Ovals are at full capacity for this show.
There were motorcycles aplenty to feast your eyes on, representing all the major British manufacturers such as BSA, Triumph and Norton, as well as examples of many other makes from the “smaller” manufacturers like Velocette, Scott etc. with some speedway machines thrown in for good measure. A feature again this year was the firing up of the RollsRoyce Merlin engine, the power horse of the famous Spitfire fighter ‘planes. There was also an air display at lunchtime to entertain the huge crowd that is now a common feature of this annual event held on the second Sunday of February each year.
Any motorcyclist who has at some stage owned a British marque, and that is probably most of us (well, us older ones anyway), will find this event entirely to their satisfaction. It’s easy to walk away at the end of the day feeling like you’ve revisited your youth and the heady days of ‘60s and ‘70s motorcycling. It’s events like this that rekindle your enthusiasm or make you put on the rose-coloured glasses and remember the “good old days”. Entry fee was again a modest $8. Considering the huge display of mainly cars, but also some trucks and of course the many motorcycles, the entry fee is excellent value for money. This is no doubt appreciated by the huge number of people attending over and above those displaying their machines.
Congratulations again to the organisers, but also to the CFS who control parking and road crossings for pedestrians (always drop in a few dollars to their collection tin as a thank you), and the generous farmer who allows one of his paddocks to be used for parking.