By Noel Fisher
This weekend is a big one for Broken Hill with not only the Broken Heel Festival, but also the Veteran Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Club (VVCMC) of Broken Hill is holding its vintage motorcycle show in the Trades Hall.
There is over a million dollars worth of historic bikes dating back to 1925 on display by club members.
Club President Wayne Orr said that there are over 90 bikes consisting of 25 brands on show, the doors opened yesterday – Friday – at 10am, with club members spending Thursday getting the show ready.
“Only club members are eligible to enter the show or there would be too many bikes,” Wayne chuckles.
Trevor Blackwell from the club estimates that the most valuable bike is worth over $80,000, the Vincent HRD was manufactured around the 1950s
Held every four years, this is the sixth show the club have put on and in the past there have been several thousand visitors through the doors to view the machines that have been lovingly restored and looked after.
The club is very active with 83 members, all are locals except for one that comes from out of town.
Membership numbers have varied in recent years as former members have either retired and moved away from the area or have passed away.
Bikes must be over 30 years old to qualify for entry, and this means that some of the Japanese bikes are starting to join with their American and English counterparts to feature in the show.
“There are plenty of bikes around town and a lot in sheds that we don’t know about,” Wayne said.
Pointing to an unrestored Honda from 1960, Wayne says it’s one of the latest shed finds.
An added feature for this year’s event will be the raffle and silent auction of 12 original mineral artworks donated to the club by local artist Laurie Pace.
The works are the last that Laurie will be producing and each one takes about six months to complete.
All the minerals used in the artworks are sourced from Broken Hill and its surrounds, they feature local motorcycles from club members, some of which are on display at the show.
With a reserve of $250 for each auction item Wayne is expecting strong activity as many of the bike owners featured in the artworks will be wanting to bid for the image of their own bikes.
Catering at the event will be provided by the Silver City Swimming club so you can grab a coffee, tea or some sandwiches.
There will be videos on old bikes running continuously throughout the weekend.
Today the gates open at 10am and club members will be on hand to answer any questions until the doors close at 7pm.
At a cost of just $5 or $10 per family Wayne says it is a great family event that doesn’t cost a lot and all proceeds go to staging the next show.
PHOTOS: Noel Fisher
