To Debbie, Bev and Bob, write letters to MPH!!! You have less chance of being censored and censured in MPH than here.
The trouble is, MPH could be filled to the brim with letters and it still wouldn’t make any difference - it would just lead to yet another complaint against Graham for supposedly “rallying the troops”. I have seen too much in the Club over the years (been part of the VOC since I was 2, a full member since my 16th birthday) to know that if certain “powers that be” have made up their mind then that is that. No amount of arguing will get them to change their mind because they don’t want to be seen to have been wrong.
I am proud to say that I have countless fond memories of my 40+ years in the Club. Sadly I have also witnessed and been party to bad ones - but if you speak out you are deemed a troublemaker. When I think back I remember the Concours Head Judge going up to my Dad at an Annual rally and telling him “technically your bike has won…..but we want to give it to our mate instead. You don’t mind, do you Ray?” The endless battle we had when after 20 years of voluntary service by my parents running the Club Shop, Mr Kirker & Co decided to take it off them and give it to the VOCSC to supposedly boost their coffers. Many members stood up for my parents, for which we were eternally grateful but the decision had been made regardless. Russ and I even offered to run Club shop voluntarily from Vinparts’ premesis so that my parents could continue their enjoyment of running the shop at rallies but at the relevant Exec meeting (when I was on the Exec at the time) I had to remind the Chairman, Mr Kirker, that a second proposal existed - he agreed there was a proposal from Vinparts but it never even got read out or addressed further. The deal was already done.
Whilst on the Exec as Social Secretary I had to deal with a number of issues which in the end resulted in my resignation - though a different reason was quoted in MPH. My first two meetings found me sat squirming in my seat while it was debated whether I should be allowed to be there, given that I worked for Vinparts at the time. The third meeting, I was told to leave the room while the VOCSC was discussed - as if they thought I was there to spy. Russ would be interrogated after Exec meetings to see if he knew anything that they wanted to keep from him. As the token female, I sat in several meetings feeling extremely uncomfortable while one man (who I will not name) sat leant across the back of my chair etc - and no-one batted an eyelid. I received email correspondence that I was supposed to keep from my partner that was actually slagging him off and plotting against his (our) livelihood. When I quit as a result of that, I got a nasty slagging off by the person who had had to take over my job temporarily.
I feel completely torn by the latest shenanigans. Both Ernie and Arthur, whose bahviour is amongst that which has upset people, are people who for many years I have considered good friends. I have had fun times with both, Arthur was even amongst the few Club members who attended my wedding. Nevertheless I can still remember a couple of telling off’s received from one for selling my Dad’s Prince without offering it to him first and for daring to say anything against the VOCSC in public and the other guy has sent me several stupid emails and a phone message berating me over my opinion of the forum’s future. It’s all just REALLY sad. When did this Club get so bitchy and political? As a bit of an old fashioned person who has been brought up to respect those we look up to, I am personally glad that the likes of our President, Bryan, Sir Mark Goodson, Andy Everett and so forth were not present at the last GCM to witness what happened. Bryan is the epitome of good manners and I would hate for him to be upset by how downhill the standards have dropped. By the way, was I the only one who physically gagged when the person who SHOULD have been defending the IT changes started picking his nose on camera amid his continued silence? I know children with better manners!
Russell and I both pay full membership (no fighting over MPH in our house, lol) but we too have talked about not renewing our memberships this year. Based solely on the way the Club is going, I vote “leave” but my inner conscience knows that my Dad would turn in his grave in horror as he was a VOC man through and through. I therefore beg the Exec from the bottom of my heart to change my mind.
Allowing both forums seems, to most, to be such an easy, cheap and logical solution. Yet we have all this arguing and mud-slinging because one or two people don’t want to be seen to be conceding. Now it has developed into a character assassination of a VOLUNTEER who has given up 15 years of his personal time to create one of the Club’s most notable assets. Accusations that, regardless of whether they are truth or lies, have implications that could re-ignite the Lumley case that the VOC has tried so hard in recent years to forget, given the terrible reputation it gave the VOC from the outside motorcycling world.
I hope, for the sake of the VOC, that those in power on the Exec can find a way to rectify what has become highly embarrassing for them. The odd apology here and there and an agreement to allow this forum to continue in it’s current format is all it would take to end all the upset and return to normal pleasantries. Yes, maybe one or two may need to re-evaluate their ability to continue on the Exec but people come and go and so far the VOC has survived okay.
