Rally wrapup

[Ian]

The Centenary rally has now successfully run its course. I thought people may be interested in some final information.

Number of entrants - 57
Number of bikes - 67 approximately
Weather - fine
Distance traveled - 304 miles

There was a discussion at the final dinner as to the possibility of future events. general consensus was that we could have a Douglas rally once every two years. A number of people are interested in hosting a future rally. More information to come on this website soon. I hope this comes to pass as it was wonderful to have so many flat tank machines out at the same time - particularly with the fact that they were Douglas of course  . We also had a significant contingent of post-war machines which I for one have hardly ever seen before.

Peoples choice awards
Belt drive - Wilf Rath - 1923 Model B 4 hp
Pre-war - Ian Richardson - 1926 OC/26
Post war - Alwyn Hunt - 1948 T35
Overall - Peter Davey - 1948 MK3 Sport
Hard Luck - Ian Coulston - 1924 SW 2.75 hp

We also had Lindsay Douglas in attendance who is a direct descendant of William Douglas. She cut the birthday cake as shown in the attached photo

Ian



Larger view



Larger view

[graeme]

I think you are understating things a little here Ian - the rally was an outstanding success, and a credit to all concerned - including the entrants who turned up from all corners of the country and O/S. The fact that this one-off event has led to the promise of future Douglas rallies is a great result - and I reckon that this has really got the ball rolling, like what happened after the first all veteran rally was run 10 years back. The numbers at that first rally was almost the same as attended this event, and as we know the numbers have grown at subsequent rallies, and the enthusiam for veteran machines has grown with it. I hope we will see the same for the Douglas marque.
Well done!

[wilf]

Ian
It was indeed a terrific rally with excellent weather.  I wish to thank you and the organising committee for your commitment and vision in hosting the rally.  Apart from a little dirt riding (for some of us) the management and directions were flawless and a credit to you all.   Wilf




Edit
Quotation Ian's message removed. Thanks for your comments Wilf.
Alwyn

[alwyn]

Hi all,
It is heartening that all feedback received following the Rally has been positive.

It is our wish that the Rally be reported as widely and as completely as possible within this forum and in other publications - several people in attendance were seen to be taking photographs, some with video cameras. I personally asked one or two of those persons if they would share their photos and films and had positive
responses at the time - to date there has been little material forwarded or posted save for Ian's and Dave's contributions.

We appeal to anyone with photos or video footage that they would like to share to post the material here or forward it by e-mail to the address shown in this topic.

Also we are seeking anecdotal stories; if you have favourite moments or incidents that took place at the Rally that you would like to share please post an account of them here or forward it to us by e-mail as above.

Alwyn

Updated details for emailing photos - Dave, 11Feb2021

[albervin]

Ian, this was not a good rally. It was not a great rally. It was a fantastic event! This is the first time I have seen more than 3 Douglas' in one place at one time. I gained confidence in riding the bike (1926 EW) & the bike went superbly. The roads were as good as they were in the 1920's so it gave a good feel for the way it was. As the organiser of the recent Vincent Rally (see current AMCN) I appreciate the effort you all put into this event. NOTHING happens unless you make it happen. There is also a big thanks to the members of the CEMCC Illawara branch for the assistance they rendered. I certainly hope the momentum can be maintained for another similar event in 2 years.

[Chris]

      Now back in harness in the UK and more or less up to date on the chores arising from 6 weeks absence, I would like to formally thank the organising Committee of Ian, Alwyn, Graeme and Peter for what was a very enjoyable and well organised event to celebrate 100 years of Douglas motorcycles. Thanks must go also to Paula and the ladies for the catering arrangements and I am now on a regime to remove the excess weight acquired. The standard of marshalling was outstanding so my thanks go also to the CEMCC Illawara branch members who helped me to avoid becoming lost. We must also not forget the invaluable service given by those providing backup trailers (who were kept quite busy). 
   I am very grateful for the welcome extended to me and my wife as first time visitors to your country and I much enjoyed the opportunity to associate faces with the names of members of the LDMCC with whom I have been supplying spares for some years.
   My special thanks go to Ian Richardson for the loan of his 1923 TS model together with helmet and clothing. The bike performed faultlessly not missing a beat in the nearly 200 miles I rode on days 1 and 2 except when I ran out of petrol half a kilometre from a garage.
     Unfortunately, awaking with a dodgy back made the third day's ride inadvisable so I followed the route in my car accompanied by my wife.  Beautiful scenery interesting tea and lunch stops throughout the Rally all added to the enjoyment.
   Congratulations all round. I hope it can become a regular event as discussed at the Rally Dinner and best wishes for the future to all Douglas owners in Australia.
Chris.   

[pjondeck]

Not sure where to start really. The organisation, the comradeship, the rides, the participation of CEMCC Illawarra, the memories, fantastic all of them. I look forward to the next Douglas event. I am confident that with the good will that exists with this marque fraternity there surely will be a next. I am very happy to be a Dougy owner.
Thank you all
Peter Davey  

[trevorp]

looks like a good rally i had to go away for 3 weeks and so couldnt get to meet everyone but ill be at the next one without fail

[PeterH]

The ADCR - A Marshal's Perspective

Having played a small role on the organising committee, but being a non-Douglas-owning- motorcycle-enthusiast left me in a bit of quandary as to how I would participate in this event. Volunteering as a travelling marshal seemed the logical answer - ride a bike, ride the routes, see all the bikes in action, enjoy the camaraderie of the real rallyists - oh, and get some time off work!

Driving some 1400 kms to the event (after I flew 1500 kms to get to the departure point) meant it was better for my father Alwyn (a real Douglas owner, or should that be a real owner of a Douglas?) and I to trailer just the one bike leaving a crucial element of being a travelling marshal, a bike! rather lacking. So thanks to locals, Ian and Paula, I started Day 1 on board their kindly loaned BSA Empire Star. Not being used to English bikes all that much, the challenge of right foot gear change, upside down gears, left foot brake, decompression levers, etc., was a little too much for me - particularly when the bike decided to pay me back for my ignorance and misbehaved a little. So much of Day 1 was spent kicking, sweating, swearing and puffing as I tried to coax it back into life - the rescue trailer seemed a nice option, so I opted! But I did manage to be stationed at one corner on the 1st leg and happily waved the riders through in the right direction without too many mishaps, whilst also taking some video footage. In between batches of riders, I made friends with a black faced sheep with a broken leg that had hobbled over to see what all the fuss was about - yes, marshalling can be a lonely job!

The 2nd day was a much happier one - Ian and Paula kindly loaned me (thank you again folks!) another of their trusty fleet, a 2004 Triumph Bonneville - everything was in the right place so we were instant friends and happily and exuberantly cruising through the magnificent countryside with the other marshals. As we arrived at our designated corner, chief marshal Col Elliott directed one of us to stop and man that point until the sweep arrived to send us off after the field to gather for the next stage. At my marshalling points, it was tremendous to hear the first of the bikes burbling and popping in the distance and then watch and hear them all at close quarters as they rode by, the jockeys offering a friendly thank you wave and a smile, some grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat. Stirring stuff indeed!

By the time the 3rd day came round I was really getting into the swing of things and trying to work out how I could make a living doing this type of work! In fact I'm still working on that - there has to be a way!

The 4th Day was a casual "un-marshalled" affair of a shortish ride to a coffee stop and back again but not needing much excuse to give the Trumpy another blast I headed off through the morning fog with about 20 or so hardy souls who just hadn't had enough Dougie riding over the previous 3 days. Clearing the fog and riding into brilliant sunshine, being surrounded by green pastures and having virtually no traffic to contend with was a fantastic way for me to wind up the rally, albeit it bringing to an end my all too brief but very happy liaison with the 'Bonnie'.

I can't say enough good things about my time on the rally - fantastic bikes, awesome scenery and motorcycling roads, truly nice people with common interests, lots of chat and stories short and tall, new friends, new understanding of Douglas bikes and history, new yearnings to actually own one, sensational morning teas provided by enthusiastic wives, partners and supporters, great lunches, a sumptuous dinner for the awards evening and so the list goes on. It had everything!

I won't attempt to name any of the people I met and whose company I enjoyed so much - be sure to miss somebody out - but I can truly say this rally will be remembered for life as a wonderful time meeting new friends and sharing great times surrounded by great motorcycles - what more could one ask for? I can't wait for the next Douglas rally to renew acquaintances.

Many thanks to the two main hard working organisers, Ian and Alwyn, my other co-organiser Graeme, all the other volunteers, the members of the CEMCC, Col for his excellent work coordinating and directing about 15 of us marshals, all of my fellow marshals, the participants for making the effort to be there, and of course thanks to 'Mr Douglas' for creating the first of his many special machines 100 years ago - we're very glad he did!

Peter Hunt.

[Dave]

That's a good story Peter. Well done.

... it was tremendous to hear the first of the bikes burbling and popping in the distance and then watch and hear them all at close quarters as they rode by...

I too enjoyed the "burbling and popping" sound as they came by, did you manage to capture that on video?

Dave