President’s Report – May 2004

Another year has come and gone for the “Touring Club”. With no scandal or controversy during the year, one may think something's wrong. But after nearly 50 years of existence the old saying of "when you’re on a good thing, stick to it" rings true.

Our Club is primarily a riders club. Our proven formula of an interesting route, competent leader, rear rider and corner marking system make our rides the envy of many other clubs! In fact 'our formula' has now being adopted by many clubs as the correct way of conducting a ride. It is also evident that many of the roads/destinations we pioneered are now being used by these same groups. Therefore we must be doing something right. They say "mimicry is the greatest form of flattery"!

Membership: Our website and ads in Just Bikes and Motorcycle Trader continue to attract many inquiries from all types of riders, many of whom eventually join the Club. Our membership has now grown to a satisfying 71 financial members. This is a great result, especially when compared to last years 'high' of 64.

One worrying aspect of all these new riders is their involvement in the excessive number of crashes on our Club rides! Statistics show that during the year we had 678 motorcyclists participate in 53 rides and of those attending 27 were involved in some sort of crash, that is, for every 20 people on a ride, one will crash! In an effort to reverse this trend all members are reminded that Club rides are not races and there is NO prize for being first. Therefore we should ensure that all new riders are advised to "ride at their own pace" and not try to keep up with the leader. A bruised ego is far better that a bruised and battered body! On a positive note, there have been no crashes this year.

One sad aspect of the year was the loss of member Mario Ibeas who died as a result of a car crash. Although Mario had only been in the Club 2 years he had made quite an impression on most members with his enthusiasm for all things motorcycling. Vale Mario.

Our social sip venue, the Whitehorse Inn, has proved quite popular. Unfortunately the owners have been given the go-ahead to demolish the pub and redevelop the site into a restaurant and apartment complex. Although it will be at least six months before we need to move, the Committee is already seeking alternative social sip venues that will suit our needs.

Fees: The good news is “no” membership fee increase is envisaged for this coming year because once again our income has been greater than our expenditure. Although this is the desired result, it just doesn't happen. The Committee must always be mindful of the business side of running our Club and are always looking at ways to conserve our meagre funds. One example of this, that not only cuts costs, but also adds some personal interest to the newsletter, is the 'photo covers' that our editor has been attaching to the recent magazines. Although more time consuming to produce they save the cost of commercially printed covers.

Committee: Our current Committee comprises the following members and it is through their dedication that the Club continues to prosper. What may seem a little odd is having three females as office bearers in what is perceived as a male dominated activity. But the mix works very well.

President Ian Payne Vice President Bruce Saville

Treasurer/ Public Officer Liz Oliver Secretary/Editor Ben Warden

Captain Pete Weyermayr Vice Captain Kate Stewart

Assistant Secretary Ron Johnston Social Secretary Kirsten Anderson

To all members I thank you for your participation and friendship over the previous 12 months and look forward to another exciting year in the MSTCV.

Ian Payne,

President. 2003/2004