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Ulysses Club Waikato Branch meets 7.30pm at the Waikato Commerce Club 197 Collingwood

Street, Hamilton on the first Monday of the month except January. Visitors Welcome. Evening

Meals available from 6.30 pm except Public Holidays.

Waikato Ulysses website: www.ulyssesclubwaikato.wordpress.com/ This Newsletter plus other information is available on this website.

WAIKATO BRANCH COMMITTEE 2015 -16

Waikato Branch Committee Election, 2016 – 17

Time to make some input into the running of our branch. All positions vacant,

Coordinator, Vice Coordinator, Secretary, Treasurer + four committee members.

Nominations and Election at Meeting next Monday 2nd May. Nomination Form

below.

“Ask not what Ulysses can do for you, but rather ask what you can do for Ulysses”

[Apologies to JFK, 1961]

Committee Contact Details

Coordinator Lawrence Gosnell 07-871-4040 027-439-0039 g.cd@xtra.co.nz

Vice Coordinator Glenn Proctor 021-508-576 glenn_p@orcon.net.nz

Treasurer Rowena Smith 07-889-5461 022-471-4012 rowenagsmith@gmail.com

Secretary, Acting Roger Green rmgss@wave.co.nz

Committee Mick Aldred 07-843-2675 027-268-4588 mick@eznet.co.nz

Mark Empson 07-828-4750 021-839-934 markempson@gmail.com

Anthony Mol-Krijnen 07-855-5415 021-1205798 penant68@gmail.com

ULYSSES CLUB – WAIKATO BRANCH

April 2016 - Newsletter

ULYSSES CLUB – WAIKATO BRANCH AGM – 2nd MAY 2016

I nominate _____________________________________ #

For the position of: C VC S T Committee (circle one)

Nominated by: ____________________________________ #

Seconded by: ______________________________________ #

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VISITOR TO APRIL MEETING

Otago member Nikki Trevathan (#8189) visited us at the April Branch Meeting with her shiny

orange Vespa scooter. Nikki is keen on Vespas, has done 34,000 kms on current one, and after

attending the Westport AGM is now on her way to Cape Reinga which she has never visited

before. Over the years she has attended many meetings of the World Vespa Club in Britain and

Europe, with testimony of the many badges displayed on the bike.

Date Destination Leave From Leave Time In-Charge

Thu-28-Apr Thursday lunch rideCycle track, Ham

East10am David

Sun-1-May Tihoi Tavern - Pig on a Spit Cambridge BP 10.30am Goose

Mon-2-May Branch AGM & Meeting Commerce Club 7.30pm Committee

Thu-5-May Thursday lunch rideCycle track, Ham

East10am David

Thu-12-May Thursday lunch rideCycle track, Ham

East10am David

Thu-19-May Thursday lunch rideCycle track, Ham

East10am David

20-22 May Tauranga Waihi Beach Rally Make your own way

Sun-22-May Coromandel Loop Rototuna BP 9.30am Athol

Thu-26-May Thursday lunch rideCycle track, Ham

East10am David

Thu-2-Jun Thursday lunch rideCycle track, Ham

East10am David

Mon-6-Jun Branch Meeting Commerce Club 7.30pm Committee

CONTACTS: David 021 168 1413 Topher 027 246 6172

Shrek 021 508 576 Lance 027 476 8422

Jim 021 901 557 Goose 027 439 0039

NOTE:

Check Branch website for latest updates - www.ulyssesclubwaikato.wordpress.com

Waikato Branch Events, May 2016

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The “Cannonball Coleman” Run – 10 April

Like every club rides leader I was incessantly checking the weather the day and night before and

hoping for a fine day to visit Bob Coleman in Kinloch near Taupo. The forecast wasn’t great but

seemed promising. We gathered up at the Caltex in Te Awamutu (yes there are still some of these

around) in warm dry weather – things were looking up. I made the mistake of making two

promises I wouldn’t subsequently keep – 1) the weather would be fine and we would be tucked up

in bed by the time the rain arrived, and 2) there would be cream on the scones at Kinloch.

The first promise was broken by the time we turned onto the Old Taupo road as at first the mist

turned into light rain and then just plain rain.

There was little respite all the way to Whakamaru where I’d promised a rest stop for those

needing it – apparently I was the only one. We had a gap back to our Tail-End Charlie who arrived

about five minutes later with Shrek. Seems he’d been choked for fuel and was limited to 80k’s- as

we had stayed on the 100k limit he wasn’t far behind (turned out to be a folded breather tube).

The weather was kind at Whakamaru and our spirits were feeling bit soggy as we left - and soon

the grey arrived again and we were back pushing through the rain for another half hour to reach

Kinloch. Later I noticed a thin silver sliver sticking out of my back tyre – on closer inspection it

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looked like a staple but after some minor surgery by John a 3cm pointed shiny piece of metal was

extracted. Luckily that didn’t go in any deeper. Ron got caught with his pants down then it was a

cruise into a sleepy Sunday in Kinloch to Bob Coleman’s place.

On arrival we parked in an orderly fashion on the roadside opposite Bob’s house - all except

Budgie of course, who could obviously see the morning tea laid out and beelined up the front

lawn. My very cool mother in law was on hand to greet us and I gave her a wet hug while the guys

got out of their wets. Bob was very dapper dressed in his white cheese cutter and Sunday best. I

gave the guys a brief history of the Coleman family dynasty in motorcycles as I introduced them to

Bob.

Percy “Cannonball” Coleman (Bob’s father) was born in Taranaki, and he began racing motorcycles

at 14. His first event was at the Ashhurst horse-racing track in 1912, when he rode a 3½-

horsepower Humber motorcycle racing on one-mile, grass horse-racing tracks, the most popular

was Takapuna racecourse, which drew crowds of up to 20,000.

In his second year of racing Coleman won the New Zealand five-mile lightweight championship,

riding a Douglas motor cycle. In 1915 he graduated to a seven-horsepower Indian, and at the age

of 18 he won his first New Zealand heavyweight championship, a competition he was to dominate

for the next 15 years. An aggressive rider, Coleman took the corners so closely that he would

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often bark his knuckles on the railings. In 1916, riding an Excelsior (or 'Big X'), he set an

Australasian record of 17 minutes for an 18¾-mile event at Masterton.

In 1919 Coleman visited the United States, where he competed in two events as an official rider

for the Indian Motor Cycle Company. The first was a 200-lap race on a one-mile asphalt track at

the Ascot speedway in Los Angeles. He finished sixth, but was the first rider home on an Indian.

Returning to New Zealand with the nickname 'Cannonball” he began riding Harley-Davidson motor

cycles with great success.

In road racing Percy Coleman became the first British rider to exceed 100mph at Brooklands

(England) in 1919. In 1925 he opened a retail shop in Wanganui, selling and servicing bicycles and

motorcycles, and acting as a distributor for Harley-Davidson. In 18 years of racing he won more

than 200 events, racing with success in New Zealand, Britain, America and Australia.

“Cannonball” was the first New Zealand rider to represent New Zealand at the Isle of Man, in

1930.

Cannonball Coleman retired from competitive motor-cycle racing in the early 1930s, and

concentrated on expanding his business. He died in 1965 and was inducted into the Sports Hall of

Fame in 2008. His son Rod Coleman was the first New Zealander to win at the Isle of Man riding

an AJS to victory in the 350cc race at a speed of 91.51mph in 1954.

In major international racing Rod scored 10 victories, was runner-up 16 times and placed third in

10 events. He was fourth in both the world 350cc and 500c championship classes in 1952 and third

in the 350cc and sixth in the 500cc during the 1954 world championships. In 1964 Bob broke his

father's 1929 world one-mile record.

Rod Coleman won numerous New Zealand motorcycle road titles and was also a national jet boat

champion driver. Next in the Coleman motorcycle dynasty was our host Bob Coleman - a New

Zealand grass track and motocross rider for 21 years, winning 12 national championships.

He won five New Zealand one mile grass titles between 1949 and 1970, three New Zealand beach

racing finals, two New Zealand miniature TT grass-track titles and two NZ motocross

championships. On the road Bob Coleman was NZ 350cc TT champion in 1954, and two years later

was fourth in the Ulster 250cc Grand Prix as well as racing at the Isle of Man. Percy, Rod and Bob

all represented New Zealand at the Isle of Man races over a period of a quarter of a century and

also established the renowned Wanganui Cemetery Circuit.

The company was eventually sold to Suzuki New Zealand in 1984. Those residents of Hamilton

who have been around a while will remember the Coleman Suzuki shop in London Street along

from Scobie Honda. Having heard enough from me it was on to the sumptuous morning tea.

Shirley (M-In law), Linda (sis-in law or fellow “Outlaw”) and even Bob’s neighbours had pooled

their cooking talents to lay out scones (date and cheese - but no cream!) sausage rolls, piklets and

cake and hot drinks for us all. It must have been good because the post event left-over count – six

measly piklets- not even enough for Bob’s afternoon tea!)

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We then respectfully toured Bob’s garage and office and his memorabilia. We struggled to

remember some of the names as of course Bob was from another era, one even older than ours -

but there was plenty of polite attention and questions for Bob. Hearing that up to 20,000 people

would front up for grass track racing in Auckland was an eye-ear opener. So was the collection of

pudding basin leather helmets!

It came time to depart so there were some photo ops in front of the assembled bikes and with the

rellies and neighbours and us all taking photos it looked like a media scrum – much to the delight

of Bob who I’m sure appreciated being acknowledged. Following lunch in Taupo we headed home

and had a reasonable time of it weather wise once we cleared Tok.

Weka, Wayne Green #7745

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WHO’S GOT A NEW BIKE?

Curly with his

CB650 Honda

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Entertainer Ronnie Corbett, best known for The Two Ronnies, died last month aged 85.

Here is one of his best jokes:

A man was marooned on a desert island. One day a beautiful woman arrives in a wet suit. 'When did you last have a smoke?' she asks. 'Five years ago.' So she gets out a cigar

and he smokes it. She unzips her wet suit a bit and says, 'When did you last have a drink?' He said, 'Five years ago.' So she gets out a bottle of Scotch and he has a drink.

Then she unzips her wet suit a bit more and says, 'And when was the last time you played around?' He looks at her in amazement and says: 'You're not telling me you've

got a set of golf clubs in there?'

Only in Britain - Complaints to Councils

Extracts from letters written by council tenants

1. It's the dogs mess that I find hard to swallow.

2. I want some repairs done to my cooker as it has backfired and burnt my knob off.

3. I wish to complain that my father twisted his ankle very badly when he put his foot in the hole in his back passage.

4. Their 18 year old son is continually banging his balls against my fence.

5. I wish to report that tiles are missing from the outside toilet roof. I think it was bad wind the other day that blew them off.

6. My lavatory seat is cracked, where do I stand?

7. I am writing on behalf of my sink, which is coming away from the wall.

8. Will you please send someone to mend the garden path. My wife tripped and fell on it yesterday and now she is pregnant.

9. I request permission to remove my drawers in the kitchen.

10. 50% of the walls are damp, 50% have crumbling plaster, and 50% are just plain filthy.

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COME & SEE US AT HONDA HAMILTON FOR SPECIAL ULYSSES

DISCOUNT ON HONDA POWER PRODUCTS

Newsletter Editor: David Coy P: 07 855 0929 E: dcoy41@gmail.com