AS A BOY GROWING UP IN THE SIXTIES THE SPEED RECORD BREAKERS WERE VERY MUCH A PART OF A LITTLE BLOKE'S FANTASY SET, DONALD CAMPBELL, CHUCK YEAGER, JOHNNY ALLEN AND MANY MORE WERE NAMES LADS MY AGE ALL OVER THE WORLD MUST'VE KNOWN . . . . HOWEVER, THE ONE WHOS NAME STUCK IN MY TINY MIND WAS THAT OF ROLAND 'ROLLIE' FREE, HE WAS MY TEE NUMERO UNO !!!
I KNOW WE'VE ALL SEEN 'THAT' PHOTO A ZILLION TIMES, WE ALL KNOW THE FEATS ACCOMPLISHED ON 'THAT' DAY AND EVEN HOW THEY WERE ULTIMATELY ACHIEVED, A LA THE SWIMMING TRUNKS AND SNEAKERS AND SIZE XXXXL BALLS, BUT THE THING THAT IS BURNED INTO MY MEMORY IS ONE OF THE LESSER UTILISED SHOTS FROM THAT EPIC DAY IN '48 ON THE BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS . . .
IT'S THE AERIAL SHOT OF FREE SCREAMING ACROSS THE SALT SHOWING THE EVER LENGTHENING SHADOW, THE STRAIGHT BLACK GUIDE LINE AND THIS ALMOST OTHERWORLDLY VISAGE OF THE LOCATION . . . THE SHEER EXPANSE OF SILVERY, WHITE FLATNESS SURROUNDING HIM, THE MOUNTAINS WAY OFF IN THE DISTANCE AND BIKE AND RIDER GOING LIKE A BULLET . . . . AWE INSPIRING THEN AND NOW.
GUESS I MUSTA BEEN ALL OF SIX WHEN MY LATE DAD SHOWED ME THE PHOTOS HE HAD ACTUALLY 'LIBERATED' FROM THE LIFE MAG THEY WERE PUBLISHED IN WHEN HE WAS STATIONED IN THE U.K AND HAD STASHED IN A PHOTO ALBUM . . . . EVEN THOUGH MUM DETESTED BIKES THEY WERE IN A WAY 'ACCEPTABLE' TO HER, SOME SORT OF CLASSIC BRIT DERIVED SENSE OF THE 'NOBLE CAUSE' OR SOME SHIT I SUSPECT NOW.
THE OLD MAN HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH VINCENTS IN THE LATE PRE WAR YEARS AS A YOUNG MAN IN SYDNEY, WHEN THEY HAD ACQUIRED THE NICKNAME 'THE PLUMBERS NIGHTMARE' AND THEN HAD THE CHANCE TO RIDE A SERIES B RAPIDE A MATE OF HIS IN THE FLEET AIR ARM HAD IN ENGLAND, IF NOT FOR THE OLD LADY'S INTERVENTION HE LIKELY WOULD'VE BOUGHT ONE I RECKON . . . SHE DID THE SAME THING IN 1971 WHEN HE WAS ON THE HUNT FOR A NEW CAR, SO, INSTEAD OF A XY GT FALCON WE END UP WITH A GTR TORANA !!!
AGAIN, IT'S NOTHING NEW AS FAR AS SUBJECT MATTER GOES BUT 'THIS' SHOT IS ONE OF THE LESS POPULARLY REPRODUCED FROM THAT INCREDIBLE DAY IN THE WORLD OF MOTORCYCLE FOLKLORE AND THE MANNER IN WHICH I WAS GIVEN AN INTRODUCTION TO IT IS WHAT FOREVER MAKES IT SPECIAL IN MY WORLD.
MY DAD DIED, WHILE I WAS ON STAGE DOING A GIG, BACK IN '95, NOT TOO LONG AFTER I'D BOUGHT MY FIRST NEW, MODERN BIKE, A HINCKLEY SPEED TRIPLE . . . I TOOK HIM OUT TO SEE IT IN HIS WHEELCHAIR . . EVEN THOUGH HIS ONCE BRILLIANT MIND WAS FAILING AS THE RESULT OF THREE STROKES, HE LOOKED AT THE BRIGHT ORANGE BEAST, THEN, LOOKED UP AT ME AND SAID, 'VERY NICE DIBS [THAT WAS MY PARENTS NICKNAME FOR ME], IT'S NO RAPIDE BUT IT'S VERY NICE INDEED' . . .
THIS POST IS FOR MY FATHER, COMMANDER K. A WILLIAMS, R.A.N, O.B.E, RTD.
LOVE YOU DAD, FOREVER WITH ME AND IN MY HEART. XX
***** TO VIEW THE PHOTO FROM 'LIFE', COUTRESY OF 'BLACK WATCH' BLOG, SIMPLY CLICK ON THE POST TITLE . . . CHEERS.
P.S - WISH I COULD LOCATE THE PHOTO ALBUM . . . THEN AGAIN, MAYBE I TOOK THEM OUT AND TO SCHOOL OR SOMETHING DUMB ALONG THOSE LINES . . . IDIOT !!
I KNOW WE'VE ALL SEEN 'THAT' PHOTO A ZILLION TIMES, WE ALL KNOW THE FEATS ACCOMPLISHED ON 'THAT' DAY AND EVEN HOW THEY WERE ULTIMATELY ACHIEVED, A LA THE SWIMMING TRUNKS AND SNEAKERS AND SIZE XXXXL BALLS, BUT THE THING THAT IS BURNED INTO MY MEMORY IS ONE OF THE LESSER UTILISED SHOTS FROM THAT EPIC DAY IN '48 ON THE BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS . . .
IT'S THE AERIAL SHOT OF FREE SCREAMING ACROSS THE SALT SHOWING THE EVER LENGTHENING SHADOW, THE STRAIGHT BLACK GUIDE LINE AND THIS ALMOST OTHERWORLDLY VISAGE OF THE LOCATION . . . THE SHEER EXPANSE OF SILVERY, WHITE FLATNESS SURROUNDING HIM, THE MOUNTAINS WAY OFF IN THE DISTANCE AND BIKE AND RIDER GOING LIKE A BULLET . . . . AWE INSPIRING THEN AND NOW.
GUESS I MUSTA BEEN ALL OF SIX WHEN MY LATE DAD SHOWED ME THE PHOTOS HE HAD ACTUALLY 'LIBERATED' FROM THE LIFE MAG THEY WERE PUBLISHED IN WHEN HE WAS STATIONED IN THE U.K AND HAD STASHED IN A PHOTO ALBUM . . . . EVEN THOUGH MUM DETESTED BIKES THEY WERE IN A WAY 'ACCEPTABLE' TO HER, SOME SORT OF CLASSIC BRIT DERIVED SENSE OF THE 'NOBLE CAUSE' OR SOME SHIT I SUSPECT NOW.
THE OLD MAN HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH VINCENTS IN THE LATE PRE WAR YEARS AS A YOUNG MAN IN SYDNEY, WHEN THEY HAD ACQUIRED THE NICKNAME 'THE PLUMBERS NIGHTMARE' AND THEN HAD THE CHANCE TO RIDE A SERIES B RAPIDE A MATE OF HIS IN THE FLEET AIR ARM HAD IN ENGLAND, IF NOT FOR THE OLD LADY'S INTERVENTION HE LIKELY WOULD'VE BOUGHT ONE I RECKON . . . SHE DID THE SAME THING IN 1971 WHEN HE WAS ON THE HUNT FOR A NEW CAR, SO, INSTEAD OF A XY GT FALCON WE END UP WITH A GTR TORANA !!!
AGAIN, IT'S NOTHING NEW AS FAR AS SUBJECT MATTER GOES BUT 'THIS' SHOT IS ONE OF THE LESS POPULARLY REPRODUCED FROM THAT INCREDIBLE DAY IN THE WORLD OF MOTORCYCLE FOLKLORE AND THE MANNER IN WHICH I WAS GIVEN AN INTRODUCTION TO IT IS WHAT FOREVER MAKES IT SPECIAL IN MY WORLD.
MY DAD DIED, WHILE I WAS ON STAGE DOING A GIG, BACK IN '95, NOT TOO LONG AFTER I'D BOUGHT MY FIRST NEW, MODERN BIKE, A HINCKLEY SPEED TRIPLE . . . I TOOK HIM OUT TO SEE IT IN HIS WHEELCHAIR . . EVEN THOUGH HIS ONCE BRILLIANT MIND WAS FAILING AS THE RESULT OF THREE STROKES, HE LOOKED AT THE BRIGHT ORANGE BEAST, THEN, LOOKED UP AT ME AND SAID, 'VERY NICE DIBS [THAT WAS MY PARENTS NICKNAME FOR ME], IT'S NO RAPIDE BUT IT'S VERY NICE INDEED' . . .
THIS POST IS FOR MY FATHER, COMMANDER K. A WILLIAMS, R.A.N, O.B.E, RTD.
LOVE YOU DAD, FOREVER WITH ME AND IN MY HEART. XX
***** TO VIEW THE PHOTO FROM 'LIFE', COUTRESY OF 'BLACK WATCH' BLOG, SIMPLY CLICK ON THE POST TITLE . . . CHEERS.
P.S - WISH I COULD LOCATE THE PHOTO ALBUM . . . THEN AGAIN, MAYBE I TOOK THEM OUT AND TO SCHOOL OR SOMETHING DUMB ALONG THOSE LINES . . . IDIOT !!
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