Continuing on, first quarter of 2007, oldest to bottom:
From: HunterDOGs Discussion Forum [mailto:HunterDOG@HunterDOGs.org]
Sent: Saturday, 10 March, 2007 10:44 AM
Subject: HunterDOGs - Scotty & NDR Updates
G'day Cyber Dog, Some important Ducati Goings On
How's Scott Travelling?Well I must admit we were down there over a week ago and I have been too tied up in other stuff to let ya's know! I see that a few people have spotted the pics I put up of Scotty here:
http://hunterdog.org.au/Gallery/categories.php?cat_id=35. I kinda figure the road back is going to take a while to travel and it would be easier to have a few pics as we go along to tell the tale, rather than the thousands of words that disappear in the emotional turmoil surrounding his unfortunate circumstances. So these pics are a start, I am looking forward to the day I can take some more of Scotty at Mt Hotham - and hopefully he will be strapping his video camera to the front of his bike again then too like last time! I know brain injuries can take up to 5 years to resolve, but I am hoping he will check in as his old self some time later this year - then it is "just" the rest of the physio stuff to worry about....
It had been three weeks since our previous visit and it was really encouraging to see how well he has come along in that time. He is absolutely making better progress than could reasonably be expected and that is as much about what Scotty has figured out and done for himself as it is the determined work Paula is putting in behind the scenes to get action where it is needed. Just in starting writing this I know I could go on for ages with all the little pieces of hope, the good signs and the ups and downs of the struggles about being so close to such an uncertain future - and I've got the easy job! But I will try and contain myself to just a couple of thoughts.
There are a number of classic symptoms of the transition through a brain injury, one of them is topic lock. The previous visit he would get stuck on something and you just needed to gently take him somewhere else every time it popped back in again. It was a fairly mechanical disjointed sort of process and would just interupt the flow in a Groundhog Day sort of way on about a 2 - 3 minute cycle. But this time he would often so masterfully manipulate the conversation back to the selected topic in a way that left me dumbstruck and laughing. I was truly astonished at his dexterity to logically argue for what he wanted. For instance it is just not OK for a visitor to pick Scotty up with his various injuries and put him on a sofa as he wished. But he was so convincing in arguing for exactly that he had me on the verge of compliance, even after talking to the nurses about the different ways we might be able to do it and getting a flat NO WAY. However, for now, he stayed in the wheelchair!
One thing I took down was a folder full of emails and pictures of what has been going on, including people's good wishes etc - Scotty really liked this so if there's anything you want to send me I will see it gets added to the folder for him to look at in the quiet times. He is reading very well, as good as ever I suspect - but when he is being visited he would rather play with his visitors than read much. There are moves afoot to get him set up with a computer soon which should also be a help.
Another aspect of the injury is that Scott is not completely aware of what has REALLY happened - it was plainly much closer to the surface this time than it was before, sure he knows he was in an accident etc and is concentrating on recovering from that, but he is not yet clued up about the whole sense of loss thing that surrounds the facts of his circumstances. When it breaks through Scott is going to be feeling pretty miserable for a while as he comes to understand the consequences of what has happened, and the frustration of not knowing why (etc...) - which is when he will really need support. Please give Paula a call on 0438 478 804 should you wish to visit etc, she will know what is best!
Speaking of support the fundraiser on 17th Feb was just plain brilliant - it exceeded everybody's expectations and will be a very big help in what is to come. The generosity of many of those who attended, donated etc was simply extraordinary and is greatly appreciated. Initially some funds have been put towards fixing the family car and doing an LPG conversion so Paula can get there more reliably / cheaply. A committee will be formed to maximise the benefits that can be gained down the track a bit as the needs become more clear - and then we can let people know what's going on as it gets sorted. We did get the whole tax deductible charity fully sorted in time for this event - which was pretty handy to be able to share the load with our fellow Australians and it definitely encouraged those there to go even deeper into their pockets. This infrastructure can remain in place with only low level annual maintenance should it be needed elsewhere in the Ducati (etc?) community.
National Ducati RallyWell it's nearly here, NDR that is. Off to Canberra via some interesting back roads to enjoy the road less travelled. This of course is the monthly club ride day but there will be no formal club ride since the lucky ones that could take Friday off will be off enjoying the ride home from NDR. It isn't too late to decide to join us if you like, so far I know 5 Ducs (4 boys, 1 lady) are leaving from up here for another fantastic Ducati adventure. I just checked the Rydges Resort website and it says they still have vacancies, but you would need to ring them on (02) 6241 6033 to arrange. For information or to register, visit
www.cddc.org.au/NDR/ndrhome.html or call 02 6282 7109 or 02 6241 1599.
The Newcastle contingent will be leaving for NDR and a fantastic day's riding this Friday, 530km in all. We will be going via Wisemans Ferry, Sackville ferry, east Kurrajong, Bells Line and that magnificent road to Oberon for lunch, then down the newly tarred road to Goulburn which still has a short unsealed section on it. I rang the Director of Works early this week to make sure the last bit of dirt is beautifully graded in time for our arrival, he is completely fine with that so we are GO! From Goulburn it is round the back of Lake George and should easily be there by 5:30pm in plenty of time for the official bbq at 7pm. This is a lot more enjoyable day's riding than the Sutherland departure which they tell me is an expected 2-2:30pm arrival, and I'm expecting that quite a few of our southern friends in the Sydney crowd will be similarly inclined so I will shortly invite them to join us at Ebenezer. I know of at least 1 Duc joining us there already.
Departure & Pick-up Point details:
7:30am sharp departure from Freemans Waterhole
8:10am approx pick-up at Mangrove Mountain where Russell will join the group
9:50am approx arrive Ebenezer for fuel & pick-up, we should be right to leave about 10am
Rain Plan is to still go to Wisemans and Ebenezer, but then if we are worried about it we might cut around the back of Penrith to Mulgoa, The Oaks and Bundanoon to Goulburn and decide which side of Lake George to travel on depending on the time / weather.
If you wish to join us, please let me know on 0414 706 875. You can see details of route and pick-up points here:
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=119.0Kindest regards,
Vince Sunter
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.phpFrom: HunterDOGs Discussion Forum [mailto:HunterDOG@HunterDOGs.org]
Sent: Saturday, 17 February, 2007 1:45 AM
Subject: HunterDOGs Newsletter - 1098 Launch and other Ducati Doings
G'day Cyber Dog, Just a bit of info for your amusement:
1098 LaunchWell, what a great outing last night (Thursday) was. When the curtain finally went up there she was in all her fire breathing glory. An intensely bright intoxicating temptress, laser lights blistering off her exquisite surfaces as she poised for a moment aboard her Dyno-Jet dyno, awaiting instruction from that leather clad creature on her back. Then instantly and intoxicatingly she transformed into a glistening ball of red 1098S fury - exploding triumphantly out of her erotic Termis growling into the crowd as she howled up to 300 clicks in an obscenely short time. Exuding raw power that couldn't be disguised. Again. And again for the appreciative crowd. The poor dyno uselessly trying to hold her back while all that pure energy pulsed into it was like nothing experienced on the planet before. And the 10 lucky test ride winners have a real feast of two wheeled pleasure waiting for them soon, boy what a moto-sickle!
But in typical Ducati style it was a lot more than "just" about the bikes. Sure it was great to see and hear of all the new models - and enjoy the champagne and nibblies and the visual feast that was put on for us. Those lovely Ducati ladies that greeted us on arrival were a fabulous entré to the 1098 and the smorgasbord of motorcycling magnificence that surrounded the fine examples of the most powerful sports bike on the planet draped enticingly around the show room and environs. Of course, after a rowdy trip down in the coach a load of eager Novocastrian Ducati enthusiasts we were expecting a good time - helped in no small part by the beer and snacks that were being passed around.
On arrival we had to squeeze past a Ferrari parked in the drive way "my gawd look at that thing, that is one serious motorcar!", and mingle amongst a crowd of Ducati faithful that wouldn't be too far shy of 250 people. As we sipped champagne and partook of the delicious snacks a few cheeky legs were thrown over the odd 1098, boy does that thing feel good. The search lights were running, AV units reminding us of the delights on the road / track and sparkly eye candy everywhere. Then the official show kicked off.
We were formally introduced to some of the other inspirational models recently released, the 50% reduced servicing costs was mentioned and then the 1098 was described in glowing terms. In a bit of a coup Marcus, the style designer of this superb machine, had flown out from Italy a few days earlier. In his snazzy Italian suit and accompanied by his most delightfuly swish wife Maria the couple had been enjoying the atmosphere of the evening, talking to people in their broken English as best they could. Marcus had originally led the design for the 916 before returning to the family winemaking business. But Ducati had told him of the 1098 project and he just knew he had to be involved again, so he explained a bit of what all that meant to him to do this task and now he was to return to the family business fully happy about the 1098 creation.
Marcus went on to give us little insights to the wine industry, both his experiences in Australia and at home in Italy. Did you know that they sing to the wine before crushing it, in order that the wine will sing back to you from the bottle? He gave us an example of an Italian winemaking song, it was very inspiring. Then he encouraged his shy wife Maria to sing a native song of love, which she did spectacularly well. Whereupoun Ben, our entertainer for the evening, felt he would return a bit of culture in kind and went through a rousing rendition of Waltzing Matilda. This was all a bit much for Marcus, and then he fessed up that Opera By Stealth had taken us over, the accent was gone and "certain admissions" were made about their earlier conversations in the crowd!
The trio launched into several amazing pieces of opera, it turns out you don't really understand opera until you're soaking in it, at least I didn't. Sure you can't understand the words well whatever the language, but it is the wave of passionate all powerful emotions that washes through the crowd and soaks into the soul and really gets to you. Exactly like the 1098 how appropriate!
We had been expecting the 1098 to make a test ride appearance in Newcastle in a week or so, apparently that plan hasn't come off so we will now wait with bated breathe to see if another plan will take it's place....?
See here for some photos:
www.hunterdog.org.au/Gallery/categories.php?cat_id=34The ONLY thing that was a problem, we noticed when we were getting back on the bus that the person who drove the Ferrari away was younger than most of us - so the only way to make up for this slight misfortune was to save out pennies for a 1098S, then those sludge box Ferraris become all very unimportant....!
30th Karuah River RallySorry, this was last weekend, a great time was had by all that made it. Not too many Ducatis braved the 14km of dirt in to Frying Pan Ck but those that did had a great time intermingling with our Bovarian cousins. We noticed the NSWDOC was heading up to Dungog for lunch - so we joined this little patch of 20 something Ducatis that made their way up to Dungog into a landscape liberally sprinkled with a sea of BMWs. Notice there was a 1098S in the group
www.hunterdog.org.au/Gallery/categories.php?cat_id=33 - it was brand new, otherwise questions would be asked about why this fine machine wasn't in Dungog first...?
Scott Priestley FundraiserThis is on Sat Night, there are 280 people coming along and it will be one heck of a shin dig. The donated prizes are fantastic. We have got the charity fully tax deductible now and there will be a bit of a bonus for those that have donated already or are yet to, plus $70 of the ticket price will be tax deductible. See here for details
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=116.msg283;topicseen#msg283. With events of the last week it is plain the future for Scotty and his family is a long way from certain, so the bigger the boost we can give them now the better.
Club Ride on SundayYep, 10am departure from Freemans Waterhole after hopefully a not too late the night before at the fundraiser. We will take in the scenic delights of the lake and finalise the route on the day, the intention is to wind up at the Catho Pub and doss out the back and listen to music in the garden for a while, it's always a pleasant time out the back of the Catho Pub in summer! Whether you get to the fundraiser or not make sure you come along for the ride!
National Ducati RallyMore on this later, but it is plain we will have a Newcastle contingent. Several people on the 1098 launch were keen to come along, hopefully they will get it sorted, there is still enough time and it promises to be a beauty.
Phillip Island Superbikes + HypermotardI notice a bit of a discussion has started up here
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=124.0 for anyone wanting to ride down to the Supers with others. Also, the 1100 Hypermotard is being launched at the island, here is the official announcement for those that haven't caught it yet:
Ducati HYPERMOTARD to Debut at Philip Island World Superbike 2 – 4 March 2007
As if the recently released 1098 wasn't enough for the performance-minded motorcyclist, Ducati now enters the final months before delivering the already much-sought-after, awarding winning Hypermotard.
Patience will be rewarded at the World Superbike races at Phillip Island 2 – 4 March 2007. It gives NF Importers and Ducati Italy great pleasure to present the Hypermotard for its first viewing in Australia at this premier World Championship event. Unveiled Friday morning in the WSBK Expo with Ducati Champions Club participants on hand, this new ‘family addition’ to Ducati becomes reality.
The award winning concept combines the best features of a single cylinder Supermotard bike - light weight and compact with the best features of a Ducati 1100 twin engine - increased power and vibration free, with unmistakable Ducati innovation and styling really has taken the Supermotard motorcycle to the highest level - the Hypermotard.
Coming in two models, Hypermotard 1100 and 1100S, all Australia and New Zealand Ducati Dealers are currently in position to accept orders both pre and post-presentation at Phillip Island. Expected first arrivals and deliveries will be June / July subject to production and shipping closer to date.
With the overwhelming positive response to the Ducati 1098, the unveiling of the Hypermotard and Troy Bayliss’ defense of the World Superbike title at Phillip Island, this is a weekend to savour for all the Ducatista and Ducati fans.
If you are interested in being among the first to see the Hypermotard at World Superbike, please contact Shivani_naidu@nfimporters.com.au. Ducati Champions Club tickets on Gardner Straight are still available at $495 (includes event entry all days, pit walks, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea all days and motorcycle parking at the marquee). Visit
www.ducati.com.au for details or call 02 9704 2911.
Kindest regards,
Vince Sunter
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.phpFrom: HunterDOGs Discussion Forum [mailto:HunterDOG@HunterDOGs.org]
Sent: Thursday, 08 February, 2007 7:07 PM
Subject: HunterDOGs - Update on Scott Priestley's recovery
G'day Cyber Dog, I figured you might like an update on how Scottie's travelling:
Frances and I rode down and visited Scottie in Ryde last Sunday, he is travelling really well all things considered but it is obviously going to be a long haul back. Still, things are improving at a remarkable rate so it may not be as long as some of our medical friends are expecting, here's hoping!
Scott is speaking really well now, and you can tell there is a lot more happening inside than he can fully let on at the moment. Certainly he recognised us without any prompting and could remember and talk about a lot of things that had happened in the fairly recent pre-accident past. But he is going through all the post-traumatic phases that are typical of brain injury so there is stuff like topic fixation, heightened sensitivity, minor coordination issues etc happenning. He is extremely aware of what is going on around him, I couldn't keep up the level of attention he is at times, presumably this is just another piece of the brain reprogramming itself.
We spent the day with him, disappearing in the middle for a couple of hours so he could catch a bit of sleep. Mal Cherlin and daughter Elsa dropped in during the afternoon, and between the 4 of us we wore Scottie out with our various shenanigans by the end of the day! One particularly noticeable thing is how extremely polite and considerate Scott is in almost everything he says - and he didn't swear once all day. I presume this is just another symptom, but this one we will lament when it passes!
Only a week earlier I was being told of much more significant brain injury related behaviour that had been happening and we were sorta prepared for the worst when we rocked up. However there was not the slightest sign of those symptoms the whole time we were there. It is that, plus I could tell that he really deep down inside "got it" when I was talking to him about his feelings that makes me optimistic that he will make a faster recovery than might otherwise be expected.
To look at Scottie he has lost about 10kg, which is actually pretty good for his circumstances. He has pretty good control over the right side of his body, but the left leg and arm are waiting for the brain to plug them back in properly - he can manage to twitch his left hand / arm at the moment but that's about it. Apart from a few fancy bandaids and having grown a bit of a goatie there isn't much to show that he had such an awful run-in with the scenery, thanks in no small part to a good full face helmet and a decent set of leathers.
Of course we went for a bit of a hoon around the hospital in his fancy wheelchair bed gizmo, managed a couple of very small monos (duos!) and the odd foyer donut and took him outside to look at the Dukes - but it was too hot to stay out for long. It definitely perked him up a bit, I suspect the wardens don't go looking for too much of the fun side of getting around in a 150kg wheelched!
Another nice thing is that there is no shortage of miracle cure stories. People who had apparently been splatted into solid objects worse than Scottie were living to tell the tale, usually making full recoveries with minor if any residual problems. Many of these were displayed on the walls around the Royal Ryde Rehab facility, but I keep coming across them in the general community too. There is no doubt this is a top notch facility to have in our medical system and Scottie is in the right place.
Of course all the up-beat stuff doesn't make it easy street for Paula, Cassie & Samantha, or the rest of their extended family, far from it. We stopped in for a chat on the way home, Paula is keeping it together magnificently in pretty trying circumstances. Obviously she is getting a bit stressed with the busy-ness of it all, and some of the complex difficulties that rear up in these life changing circumstances. Yet she is keeping her eye very much on the prize of keeping their family together and maxing out the positive outcomes for Scott as part of making that all work. She sure appreciates the help that the wider motorcycling and general community is giving her in doing that too!
Kindest regards,
Vince Sunter
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.phpFrom: HunterDOGs Discussion Forum [mailto:HunterDOG@HunterDOGs.org]
Sent: Friday, 02 February, 2007 6:29 PM
Subject: HunterDOGs Discussion Forum: Subject
G'day Cyber Dog,
I sent out a Newsletter on Wednesday - but there were errors and it is a bit uncertain if it went out properly, so here is some new stuff with all the 2 day old stuff underneath in case you didn't get it (except the headings should hopefully be fixed this time!):
Eastern Creek Track Day next Friday, 9 February
From NFI: If you are planning to attend, please make a booking as soon as possible on line at
www.easterncreekridedays.com.au, or phone 1300 793 423.
Additionally, same as last year, we are planning a trip to Phillip Island for 22 and 23 February. If you would like to attend the track days at Phillip Island please book on line at
www.phillipislandridedays.com.au or phone 1300 793 423.
If you need assistance with transporting your motorcycle, flights, accommodation and / or transfers, or if you require any further information, please contact either myself (details below) or Warren Lee on (02) 9704 2900.
Kind regards,
Maria Lewis
Executive Secretary
Fraser Motorcycles Group
P: (02) 9701 8218
F: (02) 8746 0987
E: Maria.Lewis@frasers.com.au
Ducati Strategic Plan 2006 - 2008
I came across this on the web somewhere, it is quite interesting. I just passed a copy out and realised everybody might be curious about it! So there is a direct link on the Technical Info page of the website to this 1.4Mb document, it is:
www.hunterdog.org.au/GeneralInfo/DucatiStrategicPlan2006-08.pdf.
You can see what Federico Mineli had to say about the subject a month ago in his DesmoBlog here:
http://blog.ducati.com/post/102/auguri#moreIf you don't want to read the lot, read the ending:
Enough business talk. Let’s face it: in racing and in business, Ducati faces a task that, on paper, looks impossible. We produce and sell thirty to forty thousand bikes per year; Honda, nine million… We are David fighting against Goliath. And we beat Honda on their own track at Motegi. At this very minute, they are drooling over the 1098, the Hypermotard, and the Desmo 16. .....We are the only Italian company that can win this battle and we must never give in. We need not only passion, commitment, and technical excellence, but also ingenuity, stubbornness, a contrarian attitude, and perseverance.
Does that give you the clue why these people are so good at it? Maybe not as perfect as we sometimes wish but Ducati sure have an in your face way of getting the important stuff right!
Somewhere else in the Desmoblog I have seen that the ST range is to be discontinued - but I have it on good authority that the market segment won't be abandoned and we can look forward to something really smic in a couple of years or so. Personally I reckon we just lobby for the ST1098S and all possible problems are solved!!!
THE OLD STUFF REPEATED:From: HunterDOGs Discussion Forum [mailto:HunterDOG@HunterDOGs.org]
Sent: Wednesday, 31 January, 2007 2:28 PM
Subject: HunterDOGs Newsie Stuff
G'day Cyber Dog, here's some newsie stuff for you:
Scotties Fundraiser UpdateThe updated prize list for the fundraiser is in the (20kB) file
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=115.0;attach=126. This sheet is now replaced in the original full document on the web site, but this is the small version for people that just want to see how it's going. Bill Delaney says: "Here is an updated version of the items available for raffles, auctions and lucky door prizes. There is still more to be added once confirmed and we are still accepting prize donations. We still have a limited number of tickets available for the night so contact me asap if you have not purchased your ticket.".
The medical advice from the Ryde Rehabilitation Centre is that Scottie is looking at a two year-ish recovery period with no particular guarantees about how well it will work out. This is obviously going to be hard for the family to work through and will be full of trials and tribulations that are going to give even a plucky chick like Paula a hard time. All the more reason for us to make sure the fundraiser is a success and give the family a good boost as they journey down this path.
The charity arm is now official, see:
http://hunterdog.org.au/GeneralInfo/HunterDOG-AuthorityToFundraise.pdf - just waiting on the ATO for the tax deductibility bit to happen now.
Paula Says (for those that may not have seen this yet):Posted by: "Paula Priestley" Thu Jan 18, 2007
Hi Everyone ,
my apologies for it taking me so long to write this
email to you all - as you have probably guessed I have been spending
many hours at the hospital with Scotty and the rest of the time with
our beautiful daughters . The other reason that it has taken me this
long is that in all honesty it has been difficult for me to put into
words the gratitude that I feel for all of the kind words thoughts
prayers and financial support that our family has received from our
motorcycling friends . THANKYOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART EVERYONE !!
You girls and guys are the reason that I am proud to call my self a motorcyclist !
hoping to catch up with many of you at the next ride !
ride safe
xo Paula
1098 launch, 5pm departure Thurs 15/02/07Say, whether you saw the bike at the bike show or not this is a great opportunity to mingle with like minded people and find out more about the workings of these fabulous bikes and the people behind them! Peter Fordham (Newcastle Frasers mgr) says the 1098 is going to be available in Newcastle for test rides on Sat 24th Feb with people that attended the official launch being given first preference for bookings. If you have received a personal invitation then contact Vanessa as per
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=120. However those that haven't made the mailing list for any reason can still attend by contacting Kim Bilby at Newcastle Frasers, ph 4952 2666 or email kim.bilby@frasers.com.au. The coach is filling fast so don't leave it too late.
And on the coach we will get a bit of a roll on to get together a serious contingent of Novocastrian Ducatisti to the NDR, there is no reason we can't blitz the attendance records, why should only a few Novocastrians have all the fun??? Speaking of which:
NDR 2007 Update - 16-18/03/07 to CanberraOK, the details are starting to roll in. It is looking like there will be a Newcastle contingent making a day of it to go down on Friday, there are at least 4 Ducatis I know of and I suspect a couple more are close to taking the day off too! I was just talking to Peter Fordham and he is thinking of throwing some support behind it - we will talk about the details on the bus trip to the 1098 launch in a fortnight, undoubtedly there will be a few more Novocastrian Ducatisti decide to come along from that and more plans can be made then.
It seems we will be going down via Wisemans & Sackville ferries, Bells Line then the fabulous road to Oberon since we have just had confirmation that the scenic road from Oberon to Goulburn has been tarred to a high standard (possibly there will be 5km still in a hard packed ready for finishing condition but we are assured by a very recent traveller that the road is in excellent condition right now as the last little bit is being finished, whether they get to it before we go through or not). Apparently there is a very delightful river valley road section to enjoy. With the advent of this news the Sydney contingent is now considering going this way in lieu of the Crookwell detour.
The 533Kb file
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=119.0;attach=125 shows the programme of events and ride details, plus we just received this publicity notice via NFI:
Canberra District Ducati Club and the Australian Capital Territory welcome the National Ducati Rally this March.
The rally will continue the strong Ducatisti traditions established long ago by committed Ducati owners in Australia. “This is the ideal environment to reveal what NDR is all about: a weekend together enjoying the common excitement and fun of the Ducati brand and fellow Ducatisti,” said NF Importers General Manager Warren Lee. “The NDR has a long history in Australia. Together with a Ducati Owners Club, each year in a different Australian location, we host a rally. This ensures a new experience for new and lifelong Ducatisti to ride and explore different parts of our country.”
The Canberra National Ducati Rally opens at noon on Friday the 16th of March at the Rydges Eagle Hawk Resort. (Special rates have been arranged for this event). Participants can enjoy Ducati test rides, trade stalls, and camaraderie until the BBQ dinner begins at 7:00 p.m. Lucky door prizes will be drawn at 8:30 p.m.
Canberra District Ducati Club are thrilled to announce a new addition to NDR - the Western QBE Supercruise. Created to draw attention to the passion of the Ducatisti for motorcycling, the Supercruise will feature all attending Ducati motorcycles leaving NDR HQ Rydges Eagle Hawk at 9:30 a.m. traveling in convoy up Canberra’s main thoroughfare. The Supercruise will arrive into Canberra Central Piazza (Garema Place) around 10:00 a.m. where additional classic Ducati’s will be on display all together through noon.
Saturday’s big events include the Western QBE Supercruise, three different group rides to choose from (3 Peaks, Cotter Loop or Gunning), afternoon workshops and demonstrations, a 5:30 group photo followed by a Gala Dinner at 7 p.m.
The weekend closes Sunday morning with breakfast and a momento photo shoot before everyone rides home in the sunshine.
“This year our sincere thanks go do Canberra District Ducati Club for hosting the 2007 rally,“ Lee added. “In 2000, this club successfully launched the ‘new’ style of the NDR that continues to improve once again. We look forward to seeing you in Canberra for a great weekend in our nation’s capital.”
For information or to register, visit
www.cddc.org.au or call 02 6282 7109 or 02 6241 1599.
Club Ride Update, next one is Sun 18/02/07Boy did we learn a lesson on the last club ride, it was to be to Smith's Lake - or so we thought. Now that is a very pleasant ride in good weather, but it was 35 degrees at Freemans when we were about to set off. Two bikes decided it was a smidge too hot and went home - they were right! But five headed off, stopping 80km later in the Clarencetown pub for a breather. Once we were out of the 39-40 degree heat we had been riding through for the last half hour we knew we had all had enough! So we stayed for an hour or so and then it was a quiet ride home via the Medowie pub to hide from the heat.
What we shoulda done is head straight for a pub near the beach, probably via a loop of the lake - we won't make that mistake again! Smiths Lake will get rescheduled and in future we will be a lot more cautious about finalising ride destinations on the day with due regard to the weather. The next ride is set down as a small one, given how it comes straight after the fundraiser night - however if people are feeling good for a bit more of a ride on the day then it'll get sorted out by popular consensus, and we'll all have a good day out regardless - so put it in your diary and rock along.
Club DevelopmentThere are a few things happening under this heading, as with all voluntary clubs nothing happens too fast but it does happen! Also Frasers / NFI have been developing their thinking along these lines and we can expect to see more tangible support from that direction soon. The bottom line is that Ducati is a fantastic marque for all sorts of reasons, and there are a lot of people that want to see the owners of these machines really enjoying them to the max.
Personally I know the satisfaction and good feelings that come from putting in a bit of effort to participate in whatever's going on and am happy to encourage others to do the same. There was a distant time when it did seem like too much bother, but there have been some spectacularly successful outings and they just keep coming. It came home to me how much people truly enjoy these events when we were coming back from the Murramorang Resort 2004 NDR (Batemans Bay) with bedraggled wet r's's and were huddled together in a servo somewhere and everybody was in such good spirits - despite the various leaks in their wet weather gear or whatever, even the massive Sydney hailstorm we hid under a bridge for was just another amusing part of a great adventure! But as you will see above the Canberra DOC has arranged for a sunny trip home, even better!!!
So, if you too want to get involved a bit more in making good things better please let us know - whether it is with ideas or actually doing stuff it is all good and appreciated. Or just jot some things down in the forum (
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php), it has been tidied up a bit since it was started - although there is a bit more to do there yet too. Or just turn up more often, this is its own reward!
Kindest regards,
Vince Sunter
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.phpFrom: HunterDOGs Discussion Forum [mailto:HunterDOG@HunterDOGs.org]
Sent: Wednesday, 17 January, 2007 11:26 PM
Subject: Hunter DOGs update and ride news
G'Day Everybody, especially including you Cyber Dog,
There is a lot of local Ducati goings on in our world at the moment, it's just fantastic that we not only get to own these fabulous bikes, but can always find something to do to share the fun and pure joy with others who appreciate them too! Many of us have experienced the pleasant surroundings and company of our fellow Ducatisti on heaps of occasions in the past, and look enthusiastically forward to doing it lots more in the future.
SCOTT PRIESTLEY UPDATEBut before getting into all that there will be a lot of people wondering about how Scottie's going. Things are definitely looking up but it’s a looong road yet to travel. From his first words a week ago he has come on and is talking a lot now. Last Thursday he was transferred to the Ryde Royal Rehabillitation Centre which is a really excellent facility for traumatic injury recovery (see
http://www.royalrehab.com.au/brainInjury.html for details). We are expecting big things there, in due course.
With the extensive injuries Scottie has suffered there is still a fair bit of confusion going on, but he seems to be picking his way through it. It is pleasing to note that his passion about motorcycling in general and Ducati in particular has not waned a bit. He says he'll "just have to be more careful" when people say he wouldn't want to ride again "of course!". And he remembers all about beer and barbecues and is looking to organise one of those as soon as possible. However two months of living in a badly beaten up body with little in the way of pain relief have left its mark, absolutely everything hurts in ways you wouldn't imagine. At least now he is out of the coma and they can deal with the pain a lot better.
Of course all this has a significant effect on his wife Paula and their two kids Samantha and Cassie, as well as Julie (Paula's mum) and the rest of their extended family. They might not have got all beaten up by the side of the road like Scottie did, but they have a lot to deal with and it sure ain't easy. Paula has been a truly magnificent advocate and ally for Scottie. His recovery will be in no small part due to her tireless efforts often in the face of significant adversity. It is just amazing what that lady has had to go through to get the best outcomes for Scottie and only serves to egg the rest of us on to help out in any way we can.
Just by the way, it will be some time before Scottie is up to visitors beyond close family and we need to let Paula filter whatever is going on for Scotty rather than to inadvertently add to the problem. But everybody knew that huh?
SCOTT'S FUNDRAISERPeople have been absolutely fantastic about providing support in all sorts of ways. The kind words of encouragement, personal donations, practical assistance and donations of goods and services are all greatly appreciated and have been going 100% directly to Paula of course, who is both deeply touched and amazed at how kind people have been. Well, one of these magnificent efforts is coming to fruition being the fundraiser Bill Delaney has been the driving force behind. This is on the Sat 17th Feb at Club Macquarie, there are a bunch more details here
http://www.hunterdog.org.au/GeneralInfo/ScottPriestleyFundraiserFlyer.pdf (313kB file). Please contact Bill (etc) direct to purchase tickets as per the flyer. Note that if you downloaded it before the flyer now contains extra details of the menu and prizes to be raffled / auctioned on the night, it should be a beauty. I understand tables are being reserved for groups coming from several sections of the community, and there will be a general bikers area so everyone will be in good company regardless of who they know - just let Bill know your preferences.
FRIENDS CHARITYSetting up the charity arm of the club is getting pretty close now, I think the last piece of "we want our forms filled in just so" correspondence has been done and dusted now so the next letters should be the formal approvals of the fundraising authority and also tax deductibility of donations. Speaking of which I need to formally advise club members that the newly revised constitution has been registered per special resolutions and a further ammendment was needed to adopt a model rules requirement wrt quorums, the final document is available here:
http://www.hunterdog.org.au/Constitution.htm.
RIDE THIS SUNDAYOK, getting back to the riding stuff. This Sunday is the monthly club ride and we are going to Smith's Lake which was a brilliant ride when we discovered it last year along with the great little café on the water (see
http://hunterdog.org.au/Gallery/details.php?image_id=112). So rock on down to Freemans Waterhole 9:30am for 10am departure, everybody is welcome - there are some more details here
http://hunterdog.org.au/Calendar/view_entry.php?id=42&date=20070121.
NDRAnother fantastic event you should consider now is the National Ducati Rally, full details available at
http://www.cddc.org.au/NDR/ndrhome.html. This event is coming up on 16-18th March and you need to get your booking and registration sorted out soon to make sure you don't miss out. There will be more details of whatever the Newcastle contingent is doing turn up here
http://hunterdog.org.au/Calendar/view_entry.php?id=73&date=20070316 as we get closer to the event, but this gives you an idea for now. I would have to say that last year Scott and I ended up riding down together to the Beechworth NDR in Victoria and this was one of our personally most memorable ever riding holidays. It is well worth it if you can get away, love to see you there too.
1098 LAUNCHI have just got an invitation in the mail from Frasers to attend the official launch of the brilliant new Ducati 1098 on Thursday 15/2/07, possibly you did too? If not you may want to know there is a bus leaving the Broadmeadow store at 5pm sharp for the cocktails night launch at the Sydney store, returning after the event. And they are taking bookings for Saturday test rides only at the launch for people to try out "the highest torque to weight ratio of any sport bike in the world". Ring Vanessa on 9701 8215 or email Vanessa.Savi@frasers.com.au to participate.
CLUB CALENDAR ETCWe are working up the rest of the club ride calendar for the year, the ride following next Sunday's outing to Smiths Lake is the day after Scott's fundraiser. This one is set down for a relaxing doddle around to the Catho pub, probably via Wollombi. Some of the rest of the calendar is taking shape with regard to events that we know about, but if you have any suggestions or requests we would be more than happy to hear them. At the moment tentative details are here:
http://hunterdog.org.au/Calendar/year.php?user=__public__, expect it to change!
We are also working on ways to simplify and improve club operation, this was started last year just before our illustrious Top Dog got taken out so they got put on hold for a bit. However, if you have any ideas to contribute they would be most welcome too, just let us know.
Kindest regards,
Vince Sunter
http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php
