Who hasn’t cauterized their finger tips removing a hot spark plug, managing a few turns before having to blow madly on you fingers looking like a twit or using a rag which snags on everything or bulky riding gloves.
I can’t remember where I heard about this but it works for me about an inch and a half of rubber tubing with an internal diameter of 10 or 11mm.

Once the plug is loosened with your spanner It fits snugly over the plug allowing you to spin the rest of the plug out pain free, and doesn’t take up any room in your toolkit. I actually carry the tube and spanner in my riding jacket, for easy access especially when doing plug chops.
Max

Max actually sent me this article a few months ago. This was long before the elections for the new committee were held (Or as it turned out, un contested re-nominations)
Anyway, it was such a good read that I thought that even though the committee for the next twelve months is now in place, it would still be worth publishing.


THE ELECTION OF A NEW COMMITTEE
Well it is that time of year again (I seem to say that a lot) where the committee will be sending out nomination and proxy voting forms for the election of the new committee. The AGM, where the new committee will be elected, is being held at the Australian National Classic Rally to be held in Phillip Island this year, which is a first, but you know it makes sense.
To the best of my knowledge filling the roles on the committee has always been something of a challenge, where the Club is usually struggling to fill the roles, and the membership need to be aware that “no committee, no club”. My better half frequently asks why I do it, as so often it gives me the shits, and it’s because, I get so much from the scene, I want to give something back, (well that’s what I tell myself) which is also the case for the rest of the committee I’m sure, and there are of course, many members, state reps, etc. who feel the same and contribute without being on the committee and we salute each and every one of them.
By and large there are a few specific responsibilities for individual committee members to be responsible for, particularly Secretary and Treasurer, but the rest is all about working together to forward the Club’s outcomes, there are quite a few tasks which need to be managed, by no specific role as such, but still have to be done, “Can someone sort out that F**ken Website!”
The committee meets through Skype every couple of months on average.
Anyway, something of an overview of the roles.


THE PRESIDENT

Handsome devil, delivers general guidance. Occasionally… OK frequently has to deal with crises, Dinnergate, Pandagate, Membershipcardgate, Cuban Missiles, come to mind.


THE VICE PRESIDENT

Hmmm, this one seems familiar as well, OK the main reason for having a VP is to take over from the Pres. in the case of resignation or assassination, (ring any bells Ed?). Otherwise it’s all about helping out the team. (Ian Brill took on the role of VP after I stepped up to Pres. on the proviso that I didn’t resign or get shot.)

THE SECRETARY

o you know how many sexist and stereotypical images there are if you Google “secretary”, I only wanted one.
OK let’s not beat about the bush, this is the mother of the roles, it is not rocket science, however it is considerably time consuming, in a stuffing envelopes, record keeping kind of way-Agendas, Minutes, membership database. The committee recognises the need for the Secretary to have extra help in this regard. The Secretary is also the main point of contact for Consumer Affairs Victoria, Association of Motoring Clubs, our insurers, etc.


THE TREASURER

D’ya think I could find the photo of him smoking a cigar?
Hey, if you manage a family budget, and use online banking you can do this. The committee has a policy that dictates a majority of the committee has to agree to any expenditure. Oh and we need a simple profit/loss statement at the end of the financial year.


ORDINARY MEMBERS

These are the guys that help out in so many ways, coming up with ideas, helping with the detail, and keeping an eye out on the office bearers making sure they don’t get above their station.


The Future

I can’t say for sure which current committee members are prepared to nominate again, some maybe, but not all. I will say that I am prepared to do another year in a senior role (Pres. again or maybe Sec.) So if you think we are doing well and want to help, jump on board or, if you and your mates feel like the current committee is doing a lousy job, then maybe you should stump up and nominate yourselves, we’re not here for the prestige. The bottom line is if everyone sits back and waits for someone else to do the job you won’t have a club.

The trick with Perth, where there is at least a ride a month on offer from various scooter clubs, is to do something different, not just your normal 50k dash to the pub. The other thing I really wanted to do is to get out of the ‘burbs onto some roads where you can wind the scoots up and cover some distance. I wasn’t sure how this would go down, however I organized a run that would take in one of our best riding roads and a little bit extra, the fun would be to keep everybody moving and not have them stop at the admittedly great pubs along the way. So with some trepidation I organized a breakfast meet at Amici Miei Café in Carlisle where twenty members turned up and great full breakfasts were tucked into, (thanks Steve for suggestion and booking).
This run was also another chance for me to give my ‘Lot 28’ rat project a decent flogging, to make sure it was up to taking to Phillip Island later in the year.
To my surprise all were in for the ride up to Kalamunda, then the Mundaring Weir Rd, then through John Forrest National Park, and down Greenmount Hill to the Rose and Crown Hotel in Guildford.
Steve is very experienced at being left behind on his LD, and let us know that we were free to abandon him and he would catch up with us at the pub, so we were off. So it was that we had a great blast up through the hills, which some of you may remember from the 2011 National, and we all managed to avoid temptation at the Kalamunda and Mundaring Weir pubs, blasting through before a brief pit stop at the Mundaring town site for fuel, where we saw Steve quite oblivious to us noodle past.
An attendant from the petrol station came up to Simon and said something, which I didn’t quite catch…. Me ‘what did she say mate’, Simon ‘she said fuck off’ oh right.
The next bit was Park Rd through the John Forrest National Park, which was a route I have had my eye on for a while but haven’t tried, the scenery from the top of the scarp was spectacular, the surface of the road not so much, and there was a moment when I thought I’d led the club down a one way road the wrong way but we all survived to tell the tale, and to tear down Greenmount Hill through Midland into Guildford and the Rose and Crown for a pint at last, to be met by a few more members.
There was a really positive response from the ride, so happy to organize another, or if other WA members have any suggestions or want to organize something themselves all the better.
Max