Words by Rob Thornton
Just what can I say? I won’t bother because no words could adequately describe the day! From an initial bright idea from GRA Chairman Colin Sparrow, through much gnashing of teeth and wailing in committee meetings to the sheer enthusiasm and stamina of the organisers on the day, it worked out beyond anyone’s wildest dreams! Even a simple matter such as placing a commemorative plaque on the old factory buildings proved a mammoth undertaking. What should the plaque look like / be made of? How much can we afford? Who owns / occupies the buildings? Who will dedicate them?
In the event, it all came together perfectly! The GRA occupied it’s own area at the Battlesbridge Classic Show comprising of a roped off display area around which was a marquee containing the star attraction and a small stage for the celebrities. A further tent housed a buffet for the invited guests and adjacent was a scrambles demo circuit.
Close on 200 Greeves models of all descriptions turned up on the day ranging from standard production models to such exotica as Reg Everett’s (accompanied by Reg) original ‘Greeves Special’ road racer to Bill Wilkinson’s (accompanied by Bill) 1969 Scottish 6 Days Trial winning machine. Incidentally, Bill’s bike was There were many bikes on display shining with a chrome-plated frame.
This drew a certain amount of comment from his colleagues of the past, as apparently Bill was not prone to cleaning. In fact, he once received a letter from the factory stating tersely, ‘clean the bike’! A statement from one of the stars that Bill turned up on a ‘pulsating blob’ and proceeded to beat everyone drew a good laugh! It would also not be a Greeves event without an ex-Don Smith trials machine, naturally accompanied by Don. The sidecars were not ignored with Alec Wright’s machine on display with Alec himself not far away.
Once the bikes had arrived, the day got underway with a fascinating interview session of riders and ex-factory personalities. These were hosted / kept under control by Mike Jackson, himself no mean rider and an ex-Greeves sales rep. On the rostrum were Bill Wilkinson, Tony Davis, Don Smith (making the sessions into a double-act with Mike!), Mary Driver, Reg Everett, etc.
When the session finished, invited guests were themselves entertained to a buffet (this was so plentiful that not even invitations to all comers could finish it off by the end of the day!). Whist the guests tucked in, the rest were rummaging through the Greeves autojumble, watching the scramble demo or trying to take in the sheer number of bikes on display. Amongst the more unusual of these were a two-Griffon-engined grass track outfit and a 500 prototype.
Following this it was time to board the vintage buses for the trip down to Thundersley to visit the old factory buildings. The first of these was the old show rooms, now a tile centre. A plaque had previously been placed in position and with the forecourt packed with Greeves machines; Colin introduced a local council official who did the honours. It was then a quick walk around the corner to the old service department for a repeat performance. With 3 bikes arranged in the doorway, the official was thanked with a bouquet of flowers and it was back on the bus.
No sooner had everyone arrived back at the show than rumour abounded that Dave Bickers had arrived, freed from an earlier christening. Needless to say, a further session was hastily arranged in the marquee and Dave intrigued everyone with his tales of yore. Lastly, Ian Stonebridge appeared, taking a break from riding in the scrambles demo. Ian is the son of the late, great Brian Stonebridge and it was really marvellous to have him appear. All to soon the day was over and it was just the clearing away to complete. Where an hour before, a great event had been taking place, it was now just so much grass. Had it all been a dream??!!
A few more pictures are shown below, and plenty more sharper images will be uploaded as soon as the films are back from the developers.
