Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 1
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: [email protected] Vice Chairperson: Allen Burger Cell: 082 459 4959 E-mail: [email protected] 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:
Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 2
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!
Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 3
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,
Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 4
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
Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 5
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:
Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 6
"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
Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 7
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.
Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 8
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.
Not for use by under forties – Age restriction 40 SNLV 9
Die Emoe @ Harties 14/10/2012
Tin Pan Alley 14/10/2012( After Burn)