A very sad time for our club as our President John Stock passed away suddenly on the 8th January.

As we did not have an elected Vice-President I have been asked to step back into the President's position in a caretaker role. The election of a new President and Vice-President will be a priority for the committee.

John's partner Polly and family held a private cremation and a celebration of his life at their Cockatoo property. Over 200 people from various clubs and organisations gathered to pay their respects.

Moving on to a brighter note the Gippsland Rally will be over by the time you read this issue of Sprocket and I can assure you it was a resounding success as always  - details and photos in next month's issue. The next big Rally is the Otway Rally hosted by the Geelong members, taking on a different and colourful style. The date  has been changed from previous years to avoid being too close to the Gippsland event and the Christmas rush. Entry forms in the December issue.

Our club has taken on the responsibility of running the Brass Monkey Rally in June, formerly run by the Vintage Club. As previously there is an open invitation to the

Vintage, Indian, 2-stroke and Maffra Clubs to attend. This is always a great opportunity to test your thermal  underwear and enjoy the hospitality of the Traralgon district. The route is set but we need a  trailer with driver and someone to do the tea and biscuit breaks. Give it some thought.

It never ceases to amaze me with the continual world wide enthusiasm in the Classic motor cycle movement. If you look in the English magazines and also our local Old Bike Australia you can see there is a steady demand for classic bikes with prices on the increase particularly for the more popular potent and rare models while not forgetting the humble scooters. This local trend is great for the membership potential of various clubs including ours and ultimately putting more examples into the classic scene and onto the road.

Keep your Classic on the move.

Ray Isles