Vol 1, No 12 Editors:

June, 1963 Len Shearer

Ron Landers

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The May club social was one of the brightest held for quite a time. Almost everyone turned up in fancy dress, and those who didn’t were fined. Among the costumes were: Anne B. as Annie Oakley; Anne C. and Rae as two Charlston Twins; Maurie M. as a schoolboy; his sister Elaine "Bernie Briquette"; Lila Lynch a schoolgirl in uniform (with slip showing); Janice J. representing "Night Trots"; Richard as a sleepwalker; Alex became Dr. McLean; Cynthia the Mad Scientist; Len the Hula Boy; Dennis Weaver as Miss Weaver; Peter Philferan as Mrs Philferan; Joyce in Charlston outfit; Rex was a clown (more so than usual); Ron F. I couldn’t work out; Ken K. as one of the Flinstone Family; Jeanette as an Indian Girl; Danny as a Cowgirl; Ted the Spaceman; and a few others I cannot remember, with apologies. Nice to see Tom Garrett back after his accident. Also first-socials for Anne B., Janice J. and Lionel L., on his new-style Vespa G.S. And not forgetting Elaine Kelly and Lila Lynch too. Alex won the raffle for the chook, and Len won the fags for the Monte Carlo. The cigs were auctioned for 5/3 for club funds! Dance took place with Ron F. as compere. Three bods from the Vespa Club arrived, and were welcomed to join in, which they did very willingly. Bob G. showed his newly decorated helmet, and the club decided to adopt the idea as a uniform club helmet adornment. White with two blue stripes and M.S.A.V. on front, and name on the back make them stand out very well. A new social committee was elected, consisting of Richard and Ron, the two original members, and Cynthia and Janice, the two new ones. Congratulations to both. Films were shown by Ian C., and also a few slides taken by Rex and Len during the trip to Sydney. One of the Vespa-ite George M. was flashed on and off again. (What happened to his clothes?). Supper vanished with the usual speed, and the evening finally came to a close well after midnight.

Bob G. and Janice J. were messing about. Bob picked up his opponent. Mike S. broke in with: "Bobby, you naughty boy, put that woman down. You don’t know where she’s been."

Here are a few hints on keeping your scooter looking brand spanking new. A few hours spent on cleaning can completely alter its appearance:

BODYWORK: Before attempting to polish your machine, wash it all over thoroughly to remove road grit and dust. Any car shampoo or soap and warm water will do the job well. Then dry it off with a soft cloth. You will now be able to spot little blemishes which rust will quickly attack if not remedied. Rub down the damaged area with fine wet-and-dry. When the surface is completely dry and free from dust given the area several coats of a touch-up paint of the same colour. Rub down the fresh paint when dry to a matching finish. Finally, complete the job by polishing the machine with a good brand of wax polish.

RUBBER: Clean down tyres and all other rubber fittings with soap and warm water. This gets rid of that filmy look and is best used with a small scrubbing brush or scourer. Wipe dry after washing. To apply a touch of freshness back to the old rubber, you can polish them with black boot polish. However, if you wish to do so, you can by a tin of tyre black from any service station.

VYNEX: Thoroughly wash seats with soap and warm water, rinse with cold clean water and dry it off with a soft cloth. It is possible to buy vinyl cleanersalso, and these do a first class job. After cleaning carefully, a coat of wax polish will protect it from damp weather.

PERSPEX: This is for those scooterists who have windscreens on their machines. Wash thoroughly with soap and warm water and dry down with a very soft cloth. Don’t use any abrasive material (eg sand soap or pot cleaner), as perspex scratches very easily. Perspect cleaners can be obtained which also do a first class job. These cleaners generally remove any small scratches from the screen. If there are deep scratches, jeweller’s rouge does the trick. Finally, after making certain that all the marks are cleared off; a power-tool buffing outfit will give a "new" brilliance to the item in question.

ALLOY: All alloy castings can be freed of grease and dirt with an application of kerosene/phenyl mixture. Special cleaners can also be obtained for engine cleaning at any service station. For polishing after cleaning we are told that Solvol Autosol is proving very popular, also obtainable at the garage. A very light coating of clear lacquer will protect fittings and will make cleaning easier next time.

CHROME: If rust has penetrated into the metal, clean it right down with steel wool and a metal finish. If the chrome is in good condition and is only drity, a tin of chrome cleaner will brint it back to new. During the winter months, a coat of clear lacquer offers good protection against the elements.

FIBREGLASS: If your machine has any of this material, it can be taken care of as follows: Hand-X or similar hand cleaners will first of all clean away any road dirt. Rub well into the surface and leave for 15 minutes for grease to absorb into the surface. Next, wash off all traces of cleaner with clean cold water. Dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. Check for any scratches or chips, and if necessary, touch up. If the surface is in good order, you may apply a coat of wax and then polish to a shine.

Why don’t life’s problems hit us when we are eighteen and know everything.

Twenty-one of us attended the Forum Theatre on Thursday, May 16, to see the film "The Notorious Landlady". Enjoyed by all, and supper followed at "The Mimosa Café". Pancakes were the order of the night, and we were given steak knives to cut them with (fortunately). "Pre-chewed buggle gum", "squid gizzard", "old tyre" and "stale tripe, uncooked" were perfect descriptions of them. The hot coffee was cold, and the iced coffee was warm. The bill was high. Can thoroughly recommend it if you dislike after-show suppers.

And there they were, him and her, having a session on the hessian with no ration on the passion.

Eight members attended a showing of slides at Malcolm Bevan’s home on Saturday, May 18. Time unfortunately did not permit the showing of all that we had, and supper was served at 11 o’clock. Many thanks are extended to Malcolm and parents for a pleasant evening at their home.

The benefits of being single can be glowingly described by any married man.

A good number of 12 machines gathered on Sunday, May 12 for our trip to Powelltown. Janice brought a friend, Angela, and Len brought Tessy. Also along was Kevin Sheehy, who took a prize in the recent trial held in conjunction with the university. Kevin rides a Lambretta 125. Discarded Peter’s "Smokey" at Forest Hill, owing to mechanical trouble, met Tom G., and proceeded to Lilydale, where we met the Y.M.C.A. Club. They decided to ride with us, and their five members (Mike, Bep, John, Dave and Sydney) did so. Also met Lionel Lobbe on his new Vespa G.S. Made Powelltown in good time, and had lunch. Following this, we began a game of "Poison Ball", and then Australian Rules Soccer. During this latter match, outstanding players were Fred "Captain Blood" Carron, Cynthia "Goal-sneak" Noble, Bep "Expert" Slee, and not forgetting Ron "Robber" Fordham (the umpire). Game finished level, with three-all. Left for home at 3.00pm or so, and apart from Tessy giving trouble, ahd a pleasant trip home.

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On Friday, May 4, we all had a most enjoyable Club Social, with everyone coming in fancy dress. Among some very original outfits were Elaine W. as a Court Jester, Ken K. as a Swaggy, with his trouble and strife (wife) as a Ghost, Maurie as a Candle, which suited his shape, and Joyce as a Witch (beware, Maurie). Elaine took first prize with her very well made costume. Good on you, Ginge.

Very soon now we’ll have to change the club name to the Matrimonial Club, or something along those lines. Since we have been scootering a good number of our handsome(?) bachelors have taken the plunge and gained an additional income tax deduction. So in order of sequence, we would like to extend our congratulations, and a special badge of valour, to the following members: Ian and Margaret; Kurt and Anne; and to Maurie and Joyce, who have become engaged, and becoming Mr and Mrs on October 6.

Must ask Ken K. whether a rolling stone gathers any moss. He must know after the Churchill Park run, where he enjoyed himself chasing the ball downhill.

Wonder who couldn’t find the Australian Paper Mills? Better brush up before the next trial, eh, Malcolm? But the telly at Carron’s was good, wasn’t it, Mal?

Hooray! We finally got there. We should have had sails on our bikes on the trip down. It would have saved us petrol, as the wind was so strong it could have taken us down there on its own. Finished the day with a barbecue at the Kilgour home. Many thanks to K. and J. for a wonderful evening. But it was hard leaving that warm chair to go home in the rain.

MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE: We are now the Motor Scooter Association of Victoria, with the White Horse still as our emblem. More details will follow in the next issue of Whitehorse Whispers.

Hear that someone’s scooter ran out of steam while climbing a steep hill at Churchill Park. Didn’t know gears were changed down as well as up. Seems that this could be a good tip to a few other "good" riders. Thanks, Elsie!

Scooter riders to become members of the M.S.A.V. Last seen in 50 mile radius of Melbourne. When found, please send to Club functions.

No doubt that Jerry, trying to catch that policeman’s eye with the "L" plates, while carrying a pillion passenger. He was successful, too.

The human brain is a wonderful thing. It starts working the moment you are born, and never stops till you stand up to speak in public.

Another good night was had at the Australian Paper Mills, at which nine members attended. Bit better than the bowls, anyway. £100 question: What happened to the rest of the 22 members who signed up for this outing?