In 1963, as a sixteen year old motorhead I worked as an apprentice sheetmetal worker for an Invercargill company originally named South Island Dairy Association. Bert Munro also lived just around the corner from our house. My father knew both Bert and Bert's family. But I did not know the man until I went to work for the above company. Bert was always trying to do things on the cheap, and he came into work so often that I'm sure the boss (George Hogg) never charged him for it. Company vehicles at that time were FC or EK Holdens and I can remember one lunch hour admiring the newest addition to the fleet sitting out the front of the factory when Bert rode up on his pushbike, dismounted and took off his bike clips (they stopped trousers getting in the bike chains). Invercargill people in those slower, friendlier times often engaged in conversation before names were mentioned. Bert was no different from the rest and started berating the appearance of the new car. I was a bit flabbergasted and lost for words, because this was the latest model Holden with a new and unique two-tone panel along each side that appeared pretty snazzy to a sixteen year old.

I wasn't aware of his exploits at that point and my thoughts were 'stupid old bugger - what would he know'. Seeing his streamlining work and gaining a bit of maturity I can now understand his aversion to the somewhat cubic design of that bodyshell. Bert was a likeable old codger though and I did get to talk with him. We were all party to his ingenuity if we showed interest, although he spent more time talking to adults than the apprentices at the factory. I remember one day he brought in a cylinder head for his other bike (Velocette?) to have the spark plug hole filled in as he had fitted larger valves to the block and the spark plug was fouling movement of the larger valves. He could not turn the head 180 degrees because there was no room between the plug lead and the exhaust pipe, making spark arcing a problem. The four cylinder heads studs were in an oblong rather than square layout, and Bert arrived at the required solution by locating the spark plug 90 degrees around from the original position. The trouble is, much of his ingenuity was lost on a 16 year old who didn't have a lot of knowledge of the things he talked about. This other bike was what he worked on while recuperating from burns to his right leg from a blown motor at Bonneville. Bert took great pride in telling people that all he used on the burn was parrafin wax. I did admire his courage as he told of how he held on to the bike that day, but he just shrugged it off with 'Well, what else could you do'.

I also knew and to this day very much admire George Begg who wrote one of the books you are offering. An English engineer he was, like Bert, an innovator. His story is also very much film material. He raced motorbikes at the Isle of Man, designed and built hundreds of tractor front end loaders. He also designed and built one of the most competitive Formula 5000 chassis from a small workshop in the very small town of Drummond. Or his Begg Special, a 650cc motor cycle engined single seater race car that was competitive with many of the (flathead) Ford V8 specials racing at that time. He is not famous but I am so glad that I knew him.

I have many memories of unsung motor heroes in that town, and the Tapper family, the motorbike kings of Invercargill. Check out Vernon Russell (Jnr.) as well with his Austin A40 engined Citroen gearboxed front-wheel drive single seat racer in the early 60's. Loved the site, and shared the emotions with the guy who rebuilt the Indian Chief.

Best wishes, Andrew