Australian Wing Riders Association (Qld) Inc
THIS IS YOUR LIFE
Member Profile ‑ Ray & Val Thomas
The Sixties: Career, Romance and Marriage.
Ray left school at Junior and went bush with the Forestry Department learning about trees and our forests in the sleepy hollows of our fruit capital towns of Mundubbera, Gayndah, Monto etc.
Ray's social life involved washing his smalls in a communal boiler at camp in readiness for his night out in raging Mundubbera! Meanwhile I was whiling my time away in Wembley U.K. nightclubbing and pub crawling (illegally of course) in the big smoke of London.
1965: I migrated to Australia with my family and literally walked into a secretarial job with a Copper Manufacturing firm in Milton, and almost simultaneously Ray had moved back to Brisbane as there were very few girls in Mundubbera, and after a short stint with his Dad at Lands Export Butchers Ray applied for a Storeman's job at a Copper Manufacturing firm in Milton.
They say that "opposites attract well it must be true, now we have a stuck‑up Pommie in the office upstairs ‑ I wore hat & gloves ‑ ugh I shudder at the thought! Then there is this skinny redhead in VERY tight jeans and industrial boots, who was constantly running up to the office making a lot of enquiries, which of course eventuated in my having to TALK to him! Well, that was the beginning of a very big romance as we left messages to each other on my desk calendar, which I regret I never kept.
1968 we were married and Ray also began his new career as a Prison Officer at Boggo Road Gaol, and my career was coming to an end very shortly.
The Seventies: Children and our first motor-bike:
So began our lives together we had a modest (nice way to put very run‑down cottage) 2‑bedroom weatherboard house in Oxley, and following the birth of our second child/daughter Ray bought a Suzuki 250 2‑stroke/twin Motorbike which was our second mode of transport while I used the family car.
After the birth of our fourth (second son) we had well and truly outgrown our 2‑bedroom house, and so we moved to our current address at Yeronga with four glorious large bedrooms. We were also ready to upgrade our motor-bike, so Ray had to go for his Open Licence!!
First Attempt ‑ Booked in at Ipswich ‑ balance and manoeuvres okay, then out on the road. Bike horn was used for instructions I toot turn left; 2 toots = turn right; 3 toots = stop: Well Ray lost the plot by the third instruction! So back to the depot Fail!
Second Attempt ‑ Booked in at Coorparoo ‑ balance and manoeuvres okay, then out on the road. Not for long ‑ back they go to the depot to be told that he was in the wrong position on the road, taking his little finger off the handlebars etc. Fail! Ray came home fuming and swearing, and decided that he had better take a lesson to brush‑up on the road rules again.
Third Attempt ‑ booked into Woodridge (very confident this time) balance and manoeuvres fine ‑ out on the road they go. Completes this course this time, back to the depot and the instructor began to question Ray on his bike position on the road ‑ before he went any further Ray very loudly pointed out that the previous instructor had already given him clear advice on that subject, also he had been riding a bike long before he was even born and proceeded to outline why he was still riding, to which the young instructor very quickly added - you have your licence Sir!! I am sure this instructor was very close to being throttled anyway!
The Eighties ‑ Second Bike and many rides:
We then purchased our Katana 650cc, it was great and what a wonderful seat after the Suzuki!
We did many trips around on the Katana, the children were all at school, and with Ray's shift work we were able to do day trips up and down the coast, and zip into town.
I also went back into the work‑force, and we enjoyed 4 weeks holidays annually taking ourselves camping to places including Cairns, Carnarvon Gorge, Stradbroke Island, Dubbo, Canberra and Melbourne.
The Nineties ‑ Big Changes, and another bike:
Our children are growing up, our eldest daughter gets married. I was made redundant from Dulux, and Ray was getting more disgruntled with the prison system. Ray had served 25 years with Boggo Road when it was closed, and he took up a Managers position with the private prison Borallon outside of Ipswich.
That was a long way to ride, and it was cold in the mornings! Following a lot of research and soul-searching we purchased ourselves a Stationery Shop where we are currently working and still enjoying the long hours and challenge!
This also eliminated our social riding on the bike, and we only had Sunday to get out and about, so we went looking for a new different bike ‑ a few priorities now:-
a. Ray found it very uncomfortable leaning forward.
b. Valerie also needs a comfortable seat.
c. We didn't have time to do lots of little trips.
d. Family grown‑up so we could go away ALL DAY.
e. The Katana was starting to sound sick. She had done a lot of kms.
f. We wanted a new bike!
We took a Virago for a test ride, but not for long, it was a dreadful ride, even brand new ‑ we will keep the Katana! Next stop dare I say ‑ we walked into Morgan and Wackers only looking but we mustn't have looked Harley material because no one approached us to even ask us if we were interested! Cheek.
Anyway we looked into a few windows and we eventually ended up at Brisbane Honda and we had our very first look and sit on a Gold Wing ‑ WOW ‑ that was it good‑bye Katana and hello Gold Wing.
Into our lives came I987 I200 Red Wing, it was love from the first ride for both of us (on the bike that is). So began our affair with Gold Wings and long rides.
The Millennium ‑ New Bike and first grand-child:
What a huge year 2000 was, our second daughter announced her engagement and impending marriage. Our eldest daughter announced we would be first grand-parents after many years of being on the I.V.F. program.
Our eldest son announced his engagement, and our youngest son completed his apprenticeship and Ray found a millennium Red Gold Wing. We bought this gorgeous Red bike, after a little protest from me.
Our Sunday rides are a huge incentive for us to do as much work during the week and Saturday, so we can keep the Sunday free for our ride. However, family commitments still come first (mainly me) but we will always try to make the Sunday ride, and our social functions with our Wing Riders ‑ here's to long and safe rides, and thank you.
Cheers from Ray & Valerie Thomas. 16/7/2001.