Colin’s Potholes Blog

Laurie Fox at Australian TT, Longford, Tasmania.

Laurie Fox at Australian TT, Longford, Tasmania.

Australian T.T, Longford, Tasmania, March 1953. The Auto Cycle Union of South Australia had selected Mount Gambier's  Laurie Fox as one of two State representatives (Allan Wallis, 125cc rider, the other) for the Australian T.T. in Tasmania. Fox had been only “toying...

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Harry Vause – early Borderline Speedway solo star

Harry Vause – early Borderline Speedway solo star

G'day! Well, some bad news, then some good news! Dear Harry Vause, one of the very early Mt Gambier Motor Cycle & Light Car Club members and the only remaining person to have walked with Laurie, Maurie & Frank over the scrub block now Mac Park has been hospitalised...

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Basil Coombe, a remarkable man!

Basil Coombe, a remarkable man!

Today marks the birthday of a remarkable man, the late Basil Coombe.  Basil and Joan, with children Jim, Pat and Frank moved to Mount Gambier in 1956 (Judy was born here later) and this proved to a stroke of luck for the Mount Gambier Motor Cycle & Light Car Club.  It...

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McPherson Ariel Royal Enfield Special

McPherson Ariel Royal Enfield Special

Local lads were pretty good at building "specials" and this is a very pretty 350cc Ariel engined Royal Enfield built by the late Graham McPherson. I believe Duncan Morrison may have been the last to ride it at Mac Park, but am open to correction. I badly wanted this...

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Laurie Fox Memorial Classic Master of Mac Park

Laurie Fox Memorial Classic Master of Mac Park

Great weekend coming up for Mac Park, our great local road race circuit, with one of the features being the annual Laurie Fox Memorial Classic Master of Mac Park for sidecars.  March 3 to 5 will see an exciting weekend of sidecars and solo races, with around 20...

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George Turnbull

George Turnbull

Saw Mr George Turnbull out walking last evening - he is out walking most days really, but this time I stopped to chat with him.  George is the oldest living ex rider from the Buck's Hill Scramble days and will turn 98 in July this year.  Walking (with a frame) and...

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Ariel advertisement media from the 50s

Ariel advertisement media from the 50s

With all the electronic set up for our newspapers etc it is interesting to look back and see how our papers were set up in the 50s etc when they used lead blocks for illustrations. In a pile of Ariel parts I bought years ago I found this lead block used in an...

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Happy Birthday Harry Vause

Happy Birthday Harry Vause

Today is the 92nd Birthday of one of the early Mount Gambier Motor Cycle and Light Car Club members, Harry Vause. Harry is the only remaining member of the trio that, in late 1951, walked a 40 acre rough bush block/worked out quarry site with Frank McNamara, to check...

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Author

  • Colin

    Colin is a self confessed motor cycle tragic who bought his first motor cycle in the 1950s. He began racing outfits in Scrambles in the early 1960s with quite a bit of success. Following his move to Mount Gambier in 1972, he soon became involved with the local motor cycling fraternity and so began his interest in the history of motor cycling in the South East, especially at "Mac Park". This ultimately led to the publication of the two volumes of "Potholes and paddocks to the Park". Colin has done several Charity Fundraising events with a Powerpoint on the contents of the books for organisations such as Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal, Queensland Flood Relief, Movember, RFDS and Cancer SA. One is being planned to assist Lifeline. Check out this site for future events.He still has a couple of motor cycles and always a project on the go.

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