On the Green
I held my breath, anticipating fine weather and no sudden Covid lockdown which would have prevented the QAGOMA ‘On the
Green’ event from taking place on the 27th Feb. It was a stellar effort from Doug Jolliffe and the QAGOMA staff to plan and execute the logistics of arrival, display and departure of 62 HMCCQ club members’ motorcycles on the lawns adjacent the Art Gallery. Being well oversubscribed, many members were disappointed that they couldn’t display. The restricted display space and trailer/van parking in this urban environment gave Doug the difficult job of selecting which bikes were to be accepted. The display covered the special interest vehicle categories from 1907 to 1987. They were divided into two lawned areas and the larger area was divided into three sections which allowed the public to circulate. QAGOMA supplied pop-up shelters in each area to provide much appreciated shade on this very hot and humid day.
The motorcycles on display included 2 pre-1910 machines, eight from 1911 to 1919, four from the 1920s, five from the 1930s, five from the 1940s, 12 from the 1950s, eight from the 1960s, 10 from the 1970s and eight from the 1980s. The ‘Countries of Origin’ consisted of 30 English, 18 Japanese, four American, four Italian, two Australian and one each from the
Czech Republic, China, Belgium and New Zealand (to which I have allocated the Konig). The HMCCQ placard stands came in useful and Doug went to the trouble of getting printed cards for each bike displaying the HMCCQ emblem, make, model, year and the flag of the country of origin in full colour. It all looked very professional. I noted that all the sample club magazines and most HMCCQ flyers were snapped up by the public. Ian Rennie had his sidecar full of club calendars for 2022 and I’m sure he sold plenty. A DJ provided appropriate music and Ellaspede included a display of their custom motorcycles. Several attendees told me that they were very
impressed and would not normally visit ticketed bike displays but, being free, this one got them to make the effort. The morning saw the whole area bustling and also a very long cue into the gallery. The crowd tapered off after lunch to a more manageable level but it was still a very successful day for all. QAGOMA said that they recorded an amazing figure of 2,800 visitors which I assume is the figure that visited the ticketed display inside. A fantastic day all round and if you missed this one the Ducati Owners Club of Qld. will be presenting another ‘Motorcycles on the Green’ for all brands of Italian motorcycles on the 18th of April.