Hitting the ton

It’s hard to believe this is the one hundredth issue of Old Bike Australasia. OBA took its first unsteady steps in 2006, but the gestation period had been lengthy, dating back at least four years prior to that. To me, the idea of a locally-focussed classic motorcycle magazine had much merit; after all we had a heritage the envy of the motorcycling world, a wealth of personalities, more than a century of vigorous trading, including, for a time, a thriving industry of locallymade (or at least locally-assembled) machines. But getting such a magazine off the ground proved harder than I had envisaged, and more than once the project was shelved; only to be revived when another glimmer of hope appeared.

There have been some challenges, especially in the COVID period, but by and large the original concept of this magazine has hardly changed. That must mean there wasn’t much wrong with it in the first place. Along the way I have been fortunate to meet some remarkable people, although sadly quite a few of those are no longer with us. I also have to thank the contributors, photographers, and especially the advertisers that have supported the magazine since its inception. The economic model of a publication such as this means that without such loyalty, it would be a difficult if not impossible task, in an era that increasingly embraces electronic (and often free) media.

OBA’s publisher, NextMedia, has also stuck to its guns in terms of print integrity. Even when there have been times when ever-increasing costs could be cut by utilising cheaper materials, this has never been the case, and I know our readers appreciate the quality of the publication.

This issue, as well as being our 100th, is also our biggest-ever, at 132 pages including covers.

It has been my privilege to sit in the editor’s chair for the past 16 years, and I plan to remain there for some time yet, but there is more to a magazine than just the editor. From Day One, the art direction and graphic design of OBA has been the work of Mat Clancy, who is passionate about his work – and it shows. Mat also designed and maintains our website www.oldbikemag.com.au which is a vital part of our overall publishing package.

And for the past six years, my wife Sue has been our Advertising Manager – a job she initially took on for ‘a year or so’, to help us out of a spot. This role she has maintained in addition to the other roles she has filled since Day One – proof-reader, photographer, accounts, and occasionally, journalist. Indispensible is the word that springs to mind.

And so that brings us to our second century in terms of issues. Pretty much nothing will change, although we must be nearing the end of our Tracks in Time segment – something that I thought would run maybe 15 or 20 issues, not 100. From feedback and letters, I know this has been the single most popular regular feature, and as a compendium of the circuits upon which we have raced for well over a century, I feel this is a valuable contribution to Australasia’s history and heritage.

I thought for such a milestone, I should update my photo (below) which dates back to 2006, but then I thought…nah, I haven’t changed (much).

See you next time.