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In these times Manawatu-Orion Motorcycle Club worked closely with Feilding Lions Club, helping the Lions raise funds for charity, obviously in this case to fund the Feilding swimming pool. Great events that also gave us a key to use some excellent venues through Lions members. Some of the names are incorrect from these clippings, found when the Feilding Liuons had a clean out of their archives. Have a look through the names & bike makes on the programme snips, great memoirs.

I sent this note to Ian Parsons in England who is the Scott Motorcycles Registrar. "A friend of mine found this photo of this bike amongst some family estate photos. Thought you might like to look at it. Our friend Steve Roberts who you met with me while in NZ, along with Peter Thomson of Thomson’s Motorcycle Museum think the description above is close.

Scott "died in the wool" enthusiasts Steve Roberts from Wanganui talks to Ian Parsons from UK, the world wide Scott Registrar. The discussion, Scott motorcycles!

This photo is from Chester Burt Senior, the funeral director. The bike was ridden by Chester Burt (born 1911) & this photo came from his daughter Barbara. Taken after 1931 earthquakeas he rode the bike from Pahiatua to Napier over the broken up roads after the earthquake in 1931 to see the damage. Chester told stories to his family of tying macrocarpa branches to the back of their bikes & riding along the Manawatu Gorge, in those days unsealed & no barriers, to create a dust storm! My wife's father, Dick Cleghorn from Ballance near Pahiatua also told us the same stories & travelling through the Gorge at night with no lights, as motorcycle lights in those days were a luxury during the depresssion years of 1931-33. He had a Harley Davidson sometimes fitted with a sidecar

A friend from Hawke's Bay, Bob Grover showed me the photo recently.

We think it could be 1924 speedway Scott with a modified rear frame and early 1930's rear wheel. Only guessing

Interesting that a funeral director owned it & rode speedway!

The photo is certainly a bit of a mystery. As far as I know Scott did not make dirt track or speedway bikes until about 1929. That is not to say that individuals would not earlier have built up specials for that purpose. The photo is rather indistinct so I find it difficult to identify it better. Is it possible to get a higher resolution scan? I can then post it on the Scott Forum. From what I can make out the engine is a Super Squirrel engine which was introduced in 1925 as it has the aluminium water dome. I am fairly certain that I can make out a hand change gate quadrant and the rod going to the gearbox. As the gate appears to be attached to the frame this would be from 1927. I do not recognise the front forks and they do have a stirrup brake which if Scott would be pre 1924. The rear wheel is not the correct type for a 3 speed bike as they had the brake drum within the rear sprocket although later 3 speed Flying Squirrels did have a wheel similar to the one in the photo.

Those were the days - it happened when we were young as they say, in black & white, the only colour in those days!

New Zealand Miniature TT Champs, 1977. Held at Rangiotu, near Palmerston North

An Austrian rider, Freddi Postmann joined our 1968/69 International MX Series, which started near Perth, WA, then went Eastwards to Snake Gully, South Australia, Christmas Hills in Victoria & I can't remember from there possibly Tasmania & NSW before we crossed the Tasman for a further 5 to 7 event series in New Zealand.

Out of the blue, Freddi sent an email & photos to Tim Gibbes of then & now. Upside down? He's from the other side of the world!

Freddi rode a Husqvarna during his visit to the Antipodes, but now he's an artist living in Austria near the Hungarian border.

Photo 1 is meeting up in Perth, Freddi, 4th from left, Tim Gibbes, John Rock (WA) Alf Carstairs (WA Organiser) Randy Owen (UK) on right, in front Gordon Adsett (UK) Tony Owen (UK)

Photo 2 is taken outside Al Paterson Motorccycles near Melbourne, from left Randy Owen, Gordon Adsett, dunno, Al Paterson, Freddi Postmans, Ross McLaren.

Photo 3 is taken outside Blenheim Post Office from left dunno, Gordon Adsett, maybe Des Boyce, Laurie Alderton (NSW) Freddi, Randy Owen (UK).

Freddi first met Tim Gibbes near his home town of Mistelbach in Austria when Tim won the Buschberg Kurier International MX, May 1961

9,10 & 11 June, 2011 - VMX Magazine Classic Dirt 8 at Maleny in Queensland. Gunnar Lindstrom formerly from Sweden & now USA was the invited guest for the event.

Gunnar was one of our International MX riders for the 1967-8 New Zealand International MX Series.

Gunnar & Tim Gibbes exchange books at the VMX C8. Gunnars book is Husqvarna Success which recalls many previously unknown details of the original Swedish made Husqvarna MX bikes.