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U l y s s e s E a s t R a n d

Newslysses Issue: 384 October 2012

Meet every Sunday for a breakfast run departing from Bimbo’s, 5th Avenue, Northmead Benoni, at 8:15am

Contact: Chairperson: Llewellyn Collins Cell: 082 940 4983 E-mail: wells@hotmail.co.za Vice Chairperson: Allen Burger Cell: 082 459 4959 E-mail: allenburger@vodamail.co.za Ulysses East Rand on the Web:www.ulyssessa.co.za/pages/chapters/gauteng/east-rand.php

================================================================== Planned Rides :( subject to change)

Month Date Venue Area

October 21st 33 High Street Modderfontein

27th Ulysses Welkom 10th year Birthday Bash returning 28th Welkom

28th To be decided @ Bimbo’s ?

November 10th AGM (13h00 till late) Andre and Belinda’s

Backfiring from the chair:

Sunday morning, cold and grey!

The crowd was a lot smaller than normal, must have had something to do with the weather.

Two rides were again available as some of the members opted for a motor show close by.

Trevor arrived on his new Beasty Busa but did not want to chance the long ride, as he is

still not well. The members on the roll call were:

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Wells Bandit 1250

Big Rob BMW1200RT

Mike C BMW GS1200

Mike OD Truimph 1050ST

Trevor Busa

Les Truimph 1200 adventure

Tjaart (visitor) VFR800

Nigel BMW 1300

Ivor BMW 1200GS

Graham & Bradley BMW 1200 GT

David & Louise(visitors) Harley

Nick VFR1200

Gansen BMW 1200GS

On arrival at “Die Emoe” we were taken to the lapa area were the band was busy

setting up. There were a few stalls selling odds and ends, but it was the sweet stall

that got my undivided attention. The expected crowds did not arrive, also put off by

the weather I suppose. The venue was nice and the food ok, but the service was a bit

long winded, not that anyone was really in a hurry to go anywhere.

After breakfast the group split up and proceeded to various other venues.

Myself, Nick, Gansen and Tjaart rode home via Route 66, Tin Pan Alley and The Crew

room, ending the day at around 18h00.

Not a bad days riding, considering.

Those planning to attend the Ulysses Welkom Birthday Bash can book

accommodation at the Stanville Inn on 057 353 2452. Rooms range from R295.00

per night. They are situated at 180 Tempest Road, Welkom.

We will meet @ Bimbo’s on 27th October 2012 @ 04h45 and leave at 05h00.

Hope to see you there!

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The AGM date (10th November 2012) has been booked and will again be at Andre

and Belinda’s pad. Bring and Braai as usual, please liaise with Belinda regarding the

salads.

Please forward your nominations for the chairman and vice chairman positions to

me by no later than the 3rd November 2012.

See you all Sunday.

Regards,

Wells.

Captains Log: Sunday 14th October 2012.

Two months forced sabbatical from motorcycle riding is stern punishment enough in anybody’s

language and I can definitely vouch for that. As most of our UER group is aware, I have been

attacked by what the ENT guy thinks is a virus that has attached itself to my inner ear

somewhere. There is no known cure and physiotherapy has been prescribed along with (more)

pills to slow the disorientation-dizziness attacks down.

Absolutely no driving or bike riding sed the ENT until the virus has died (of old age?) and your

system has recovered he stated emphatically. The worst is that I have been so nauseas from

the dizziness that I have not felt like riding. Up to this past weekend that is! I took my recently

acquired (new to me) Busa for roadworthy test on Saturday morning and I didn’t get dizzy or

disoriented.

I must be OK I thought and intended to ride to Bimbo’s slowly on Sunday Morning to see if

anyone remembered me. I did not intend to do the breakfast ride to Harties and was just going

to go back home (slowly) until Ivor and Les suggested we take a shorter ride of 7 kay’s up the

road to Willow Park in Pomona for breakfast and “cars/bikes in the park.” I have a delicate arm

which can easily be twisted so I made up the third member of the three musketeers and led the

trio to Willow Park Conference Centre where we received a very nice buffet brekky with

coffee/tea included for the princely sum of R40, no kidding. Really good food & value I thought.

After brekky, I was a bit unsteady on my feet and opted to leave without taking in the vehicles

on display and for sale on the lawn. The ride home was uneventful and I enjoyed the outing

immensely. Les and Ivor came with me to keep an eye on me since I was a bit unsteady,

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however the ride back was fine and I sat watching TV for a while at home. Pam had gone to

meet my daughter Hayley for breakfast & shopping in Irene and I was moerofa bored with sitting

watching the 20/20 cricket on the telly so I re-donned my bike-wear and trundled my Black T-

Bird out and headed for the horizon.

The ride was awesome and I returned home with 60kms on the trip meter. I felt fine until around

03H00pm when for no reason the room began to spin around me and I had several bad turns

after that. I took the sea-sick pills but really felt grim, going to sleep at around nine o’clock. So! I

guess the quack knows much better than me and I am going to cool-it on the riding front for now

& for a while longer.

Hope you are all well and I’ll see-ya (disappearing) in da mirrors sometime soon I hope.

Twisty Two.

PS: I’m not sure if you have seen the two stories below but I stumbled across them and found

the content to be quite interesting and true.

Two Stories: BOTH are TRUE and worth bedtime reading!!!!

Story Number One

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Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for

anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything

from bootlegged booze and prostitution, to mass murder. Capone had a lawyer

nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was

very good!

In fact, Eddie's skill at legal manoeuvring kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money

big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family

occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of

the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block. Eddie

lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the

atrocities and repercussion that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie

saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and received the best education.

Nothing was withheld. Price was no object and despite his involvement with

organized crime, Eddie even persevered to teach him right from wrong. Eddie

wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his

son; he couldn't pass-on a good name or a good example. Eventually Easy Eddie

reached a difficult decision. He wanted to rectify the wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface"

Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of

integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew

that the cost would be great. Even so, he testified. Within the next year, Easy

Eddie's life was ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his

eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price

he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a

religious medallion, and a poem clip from a magazine.

The poem read:

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"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when

the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live,

love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander

Butch O'Hare. He was a Mk1 Wildcat fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier

Lexington in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he

looked at his fuel gauge and realized that ground crew had not topped up his

fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

On being informed, his flight leader instructed him to return to the carrier.

Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he

was returning to the carrier ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a

squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were all committed on the sortie, and the fleet was all

but defenceless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to

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save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There

was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them away from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dived from above into the

formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted .50 calibre guns blazed as he

charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove

in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible

until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault diving his P50 at the Jap Zeroes, trying to

clip a wing or tail in the hope of damaging as many enemy planes as he could,

rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the surprised Japanese squadron withdrew and took off in all directions

before regrouping in retreat.

Deeply relieved and nursing a shrapnel-grazed bloody shoulder Butch O'Hare

flew his bullet riddled fighter plane back to the carrier.

After landing successfully, he reported in and related the events surrounding his

return. Film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed

the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect the US fleet. He had in fact, shot

down five enemy aircraft and crippled seven more. This enemy engagement

took place on February 20, 1943, and for that action Butch became the US

Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of

Honour.

Twelve months later Butch O’Hare was tragically killed in aerial combat at the

age of 29. He was mistakenly shot down during a night enemy engagement by

another American pilot.

His home town would not allow the memory of their WW II hero to fade and

today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great

young man.

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So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International Airport, give some

thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of

Honour.

It is easily found and located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.

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Die Emoe @ Harties 14/10/2012

Tin Pan Alley 14/10/2012( After Burn)