From the Archives A Piece of our Past T
HISTORIC MOTORCYCLE ARRIVES HOME EDITORIAL BLUE TAYLOR
MOTORCYCLE RESTORED .01 The refurbished model will be displayed in the Victoria Police Museum. .02 The 1958 Squad Four Ariel motorcycles in the 1950s.
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he Victoria Police Museum will soon be home to a restored 1958 1000cc Squad Four Ariel motorcycle, used by Victoria Police’s Mobile Traffic Section from the late 50s to early 60s. The fleet of 14 bikes had an electric siren, but no flashing lights or radio system, which forced police to pull over at farm houses to use the phones of residents in an emergency. Although average by today’s standards, its 1000cc four-cylinder motor was the most powerful bike of its time. While at Victoria Police, the motorcycle was used by former traffic policeman Geoff Tulloch from 1958 to 1959. He was based at Bairnsdale police station and
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patrolled the vast area from the Southern Ocean to Corryong, and Stratford to Genoa. The uniform to accompany the bike included jodhpurs, leggings, leather gloves and a white helmet. The bike was retired from Victoria Police in 1962. In 2005, nearly 50 years since Mr Tulloch rode for Victoria Police, coincidence saw the two reunited. “I stumbled across an ad in a magazine calling for anyone who knew the history of a bike with registration number CF 107 to contact them,” he said. “I knew it was mine straight away. I was astounded.” The bike had come into the possession of Lilydale motorbike enthusiast Peter West in the late 1990s when he was looking for a restoration project. Mr West spent three years stripping it and collecting parts from Australia and the United Kingdom to restore it to its original state. Mr West then contacted the Victoria Police Museum to find out more about its history, but, as the original registration had been cancelled, the task proved incredibly difficult. The Museum put Mr West in touch with retired inspector Ian Meats, a historian of modes of police transport in Victoria. Mr Meats organised an advertisement to be run in the Police Association Journal which, with great luck, was read by Mr Tulloch. With an incredible journey from its roots with Victoria Police to its refurbishment by Mr West, the motorcycle will soon retire once and for all at the Victoria Police Museum for everyone to enjoy.
Victoria Police Museum Items relating to Victoria Police’s history can be seen at the Victoria Police Museum, corner of Flinders and Spencer streets, Melbourne. Opening hours are from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Entry is free. For more information, telephone 9247 5214.