The most important meal of the day – a ride

• 9 January 2022 – Lake Wivenhoe, Qld.

For the running of the first HMCCQ event of 2022, the traditional breakfast run, the move away from the traditional venue to Billies Bay on the shore of Lake Wivenhoe was a blessing. The spacious sealed parking area offers allweather access, lakeside vista and easy sanction by SEQ water. The easy access also allowed the club to reserve a dedicated mobile food and coffee vendor. The COVID escalation, floods in the Maryborough/Gympie region and a full week of local rain put the event in doubt, however Sunday saw only an odd shower. Those that took the Mt Glorious route were confronted with wet roads littered with fallen leaves and branches, rather large pot holes and a pea soup fog in one area. It turned out an amazing day with 160 motorcycles counted at one point, so with regular commers and goers the number was way more. Earliest bike was Ray Smith’s 1908 Triumph which was taken on a few rides around the car park. Sharleyne Hoskins has owned her famous sportified 750GT forever. She had a special blend of purple made for the bike but on this day it was (by very rare co-incidence) joined by a Moto Guzzi which you’d swear came out of the same paint shop. Evergreen Dave Dettmar rode in a bit later on his Velocette. He had got sidetracked being the good Samaritan and going back to rescue a fellow rider who had trouble with his Sunbeam. Ian Rennie had also jumped from his regular Indian marque to ride a rather nice looking 1929 AJS twin port. The consummate salesman, you could never pass by without him asking you to buy a 2023 (yes, 2023) HMCCQ calendar. The venue also allowed riders to ride at will which allowed me to take motion shots of riders arriving and leaving over the duration. Many thanks to Doug Jolliffe, Jeff and Jenny Rook, Wayne Lawrence, Fred Inwood and Mike Crowley for organising the event, signage and handling the regulation COVID desk. Let’s hope the rest of the year is as kind to our gazetted events even if we have to wear masks.

Nice roll up at Billies Bay. Rob Patrick tackles Mt Glorious on his Indian Roadmaster.

Jeff Knight on his 350 Jawa at wet and foggy Mt. Glorious. Sharleyne Hoskins’ purple 750GT and a lookalike Moto Guzzi. BELOW Bob Truman and his Yamaha XS750 triple, airbrushed by his son Ian.