History
Above: Club members and friends at The Harley Club, circa 1935
The Place For A Club House By Ilma Hackett (Balnarring and District Historical Society)
T
his was it; the perfect location for their club house. Ever since the Harley Davidson Club had returned from their trip to South Australia, members had been looking for a beach setting similar to the one at Sellicks Beach where the South Australia club met. Balnarring Beach, ticked all the boxes. Beginnings The Harley Davidson Motor Cycle Club was one of a number of motor cycle clubs that had sprung up around 1920. Motorcycles had become popular after World War I as an efficient and relatively inexpensive form of transport for working men. Developed during the war years as a form of military transport they were promoted for civilian use after war’s end. With a side car attached they were used as a work vehicle or a means of transport for a small family. Moreover, there was the sports aspect. The motorcycle could be raced and used competitively. The number of enthusiasts grew and clubs formed.
The inaugural meeting of the Harley Davidson Club took place at the Ritz Café in Lonsdale Street on the evening of 5 February, 1924. Forty people attended. A name for the club was decided and office bearers elected. The first president was Mr Peers and Mr Cripps was elected the first Club Captain. The Club’s opening event was a run to Barwon Heads in which mostly cycles with side cars participated. During the following months reliability trials on public roads throughout the state took place often during the winter months. Some were twenty-four-hour, non-stop affairs. Over the summer of 1925-26 a Christmas tour to Adelaide was organised. Thirtyone sidecars and two solo cycles took part. The South Australian Harley Club had a club house at Sellicks Beach near Adelaide where races and trials took place on the wide stretch of beach and families enjoyed the beach setting. The Victorian group returned with the goal of finding a site close to a suitable sandy beach and at a convenient distance from the city. continued next page...
February 2022
E ssence | 43
PENINSULA