CommittEE rEports

Tony Gray President’s Report

Welcome to the Club’s 66th year of operation and to my third as Club President. I sincerely thank those of you who placed your trust and support in me at the AGM to guide this great club for another year. We have a new face on the committee in the form of Ben Nazzari who has taken on the very important Events coordinator role and an old face has returned for another year in the form of Bill Luyten in the Tools role. We welcome back Paul, Darryl, Geoff Hodge, Greg, Don, Cindy & Duncan and bid farewell to Mark, Donna and Geoff Hamon who did not seek re-election. Thanks to you all for the work you did to make 2022 another successful year for the club.

This year is going to be a real cracker with the 100 year celebrations in September being a highlight. Paul Hughes received tremendous support and encouragement from BMW and Clubs Australia when he attended the AGM of Clubs Australia recently in Melbourne. Queensland will hold centre stage for the centenary celebrations - no pressure at all lol. We will need the whole club to support our two signature events being the dinner at the RQYS in Manly and the bike display in Brisbane’s CBD at Reddacliff Place. We will need bums on seats, bikes in the display and many willing workers to help spread the load. I know we can do a great job of this, we have many talented and gifted people within our ranks. If you own a BMW that might be a little different from the norm or know someone who does, an older model or rarely seen model then pass on the details to Gary Bennett who is maintaining a register of bikes for the celebration display. Our goal is a minimum 100 bikes for the 100 year centenary.

My other major focus this year, and that of the State Government, is road safety and in particular motorcycle safety. This should be something we all care about and take very seriously. Paul Hughes and myself have both been working closely with State Government representatives from TMR and QPS and other affected road user groups as they strive for ideas to stem the alarming increase in motorcycle fatalities and serious accidents in Queensland. We all have a part to play so remember to RESPECT EVERY RIDE whenever you take your bike out of the garage. Keep your skill levels up with rider training (don’t forget the club subsidy scheme), keep your bike in top condition and always ride to the road conditions. There are still a lot of very damaged roads in Queensland and our favorite roads in northern NSW so take care and expect the unexpected.

We will look to once again put on a calender of events from coffee stops, mid week & monthly rides, mystery rides, weekend rides and our really enjoyable cane-toad rally. With a great variety of ride and social events we hope to attract you all along to enjoy the company of like minded people to at least one event this year. If you are a new member or even a new rider then introduce yourself to the ride leader or committee member in attendance and you will be welcomed and looked after. There will always be a committee member at every event. If you are a bit nervous or unsure about attending an event for the first time then give me or one of the committee a call beforehand and we will ensure your first event is as relaxed and enjoyable as possible.

Don’t forget we are always looking for ride leaders for mid-week or monthly club rides and pictures and stories for our journal which is always a great monthly read. Take care out there.

Tony