A very interesting old man-classic Victorian road race pics

[Rookie#1]

I found a notice on the local Bacchus Marsh community board recently from someone selling a bunch of old tools and workshop equipment, I gave the fella a ring and went around to see his wares. Out came a smiling, mid 80's man hobbling around like Quasimodo (turns out his three lowest vertebrae are pulp! :'( He took me into his little garden shed and showed me some stuff he had, as we got talking and he allowed me to snoop around i noticed more and more motorcycle related tooling. I asked how he ended up with all this stuff? He goes on to tell me that he once owned a motorcycle workshop in Melbourne's CBD (little Lonsdale st i think) around 1955 and did a heap of work on British bikes, then he starts telling me about his old racing days with MCRCV and Preston club in the 40's and 50's. Showed me all his old leathers, flying boots, helmets etc, i was in awe of this old bloke and what he had done in his life and he was chuffed to bits that anyone would actually care to know let alone someone of my age.

I spent near on 3 hours with the bloke (Bob Johnstone) and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, the amount of British bike knowledge and experience that will be buried with this man is too great to think of, i bought 500 bucks worth of tools and bits n pieces from him but the greatest thing i walked away with was free. The pleasure and privilege of spending time with someone who was lucky enough to enjoy a sport in its glory days and all that went with it, i was also lucky enough to have look through the few clippings and pics he'd kept from along the journey and to my delight he allowed me to take a few pics of his clippings and share them with others. He claims he's the only person ever to appear on the front page of a Melbourne daily paper piloting a motorcycle sidecar, a claim i'd not argue!! 
Here's some pics from circuits around victoria, he mentioned (that i remember) racing at circuits such as: Fishermans Bend, Calder Park, Darley (Bacchus Marsh), Winton and others.

Cheers, Brendan









This great pic of him and his Vincent solo with the missus (still married to!), he says the picture of him and this missus was taken just a day before it was stripped and raced at Fishermans Bend! Then put back together on the Monday!

[Big Bird]

Wow.  What a find.  Look at the photo with the missus and it could have been any of us at 20.  Thanks for sharing, Rookie

[Rookie#1]

Wow.  What a find.  Look at the photo with the missus and it could have been any of us at 20.  Thanks for sharing, Rookie

Well not quite what I looked like at 20 but I'm sure plenty of the older blokes here can relate 

[the stig]

Wow.  What a find.  Look at the photo with the missus and it could have been any of us at 20.  Thanks for sharing, Rookie

Well not quite what I looked like at 20 but I'm sure plenty of the older blokes here can relate 

     Sure can Rookie we had our type of ( Bling ) as well back in those days.
     Have you got any more you can Post..

     The Stig

[John Orchard]

Thanks Brendan, I love stories like that, it's a sad thing when modern riders know nothing of the great feats from the older generation.

[pancho]

 That was a real pleasure Brendan, reading your experience of a link with the history of MC sport and a personality from the era.

      And well written.
 
   cheers pancho.

[firko]

That's a nice story Brendan. We really need to savour every minute we spend with these old blokes...no, old people in general. They've lived a lifetime of experiences that are lost forever once they're gone. Four years ago I took my then 89 year old mum to see an old mate of hers in an old folks home. While sitting talking to my mums friend the old fella sitting across from her noticed that I had a t shirt with a bike on it (one of Sieges creations) and he asked me the eternal "bike guy" question....."What do you ride mate?" which morphed into over an an hour of wonderful memories from the Sydney bike scene of the post war fifties. He hadn't been a racer but he had owned a bunch of bikes ranging from Ariels through to Velocettes and had even owned one of the first Bultaco Sherpa T's in Australia back in '64 or so ("if that Spanish stuff is good enough for Sammy Miller, it's good enough for me"). Eventually I had to leave him and my mums mate and sadly, the next time I went there I found that John's wife had died in the interim and that he'd sunk into depression and didn't communicate all that much any more. I consider myself privileged to have spent time with old John and often think of him and the great yarn we had.

You should also feel privileged to have been allowed into Bob Johnstone's life Brendan, don't let him slip away, keep in contact. I know from the experience of living with a 93 year old mum that talking about their lives is one of their great pleasures.

[John Orchard]

That's a nice story Brendan. We really need to savour every minute we spend with these old blokes...no, old people in general. They've lived a lifetime of experiences that are lost forever once they're gone. Four years ago I took my then 89 year old mum to see an old mate of hers in an old folks home. While sitting talking to my mums friend the old fella sitting across from her noticed that I had a t shirt with a bike on it (one of Sieges creations) and he asked me the eternal "bike guy" question....."What do you ride mate?" which morphed into over an an hour of wonderful memories from the Sydney bike scene of the post war fifties. He hadn't been a racer but he had owned a bunch of bikes ranging from Ariels through to Velocettes and had even owned one of the first Bultaco Sherpa T's in Australia back in '64 or so ("if that Spanish stuff is good enough for Sammy Miller, it's good enough for me"). Eventually I had to leave him and my mums mate and sadly, the next time I went there I found that John's wife had died in the interim and that he'd sunk into depression and didn't communicate all that much any more. I consider myself privileged to have spent time with old John and often think of him and the great yarn we had.

You should also feel privileged to have been allowed into Bob Johnstone's life Brendan, don't let him slip away, keep in contact. I know from the experience of living with a 93 year old mum that talking about their lives is one of their great pleasures.

Totally agree!

[shelpi]

fan bloody tastic, please go back and visit him from time to time 

[Rookie#1]

I most certainly will be keeping in touch with him and dropping in from time to time, Bob still gets his "hands on" fix every week with a bit of woodworking down at the local mens shed. I have promised to get hold of some old parts or maybe even a tank for him to have a play around with and tidy up down and the mens shed with "the fellas"  .

[albrid-3]

Ray Mathews still lives in the geelong area, there was also welcome back race meeting at Little river a couple of years ago, lets not forget the Road race circuit at Victoria Park in Ballarat. Nice story Rookie.

[yzhilly]

Good stuff brendan you will have to tell him about   HBBB next easter . maybe a mens shed bus trip ,or just show him some pics of this years meeting . Next year will be a big road bike focus with the 6 hr bikes featured.Theres plenty of pics on the MA site .Hilly

[RW490]

Great story Brendan.
I remember Dad telling me that in the early days he could not afford a bike trailer, so his brother would tow dad to the races behind a car on a rope. He would race all day and then get towed home again.
Stuff like that is legendary.
Rick

[Ted]

Good stuff brendan you will have to tell him about   HBBB next easter . maybe a mens shed bus trip ,or just show him some pics of this years meeting . Next year will be a big road bike focus with the 6 hr bikes featured.Theres plenty of pics on the MA site .Hilly

Men's shed....You'll be there in a couple of years. You can drive them

[pancho]

Great story Brendan.
I remember Dad telling me that in the early days he could not afford a bike trailer, so his brother would tow dad to the races behind a car on a rope. He would race all day and then get towed home again.
Stuff like that is legendary.
Rick

My first ride was at the old Vineyards track. No trailer, so I made a bracket, [foreign order at work] bolted it to the tow bar on my '36 Ford V8, took the front wheel out of my Ajay 500 threw it in the boot, and slipped the front axle through the bracket. Cool!  What would the cops think of that today?

 I got a trailer after I saw another Ajay with a broken alloy fork leg from being transported that way!
cheers pancho.