thebunker

When the Queensland Chapter of the VVMC was first formed in 1990 there were only 7 members who, apart from the organised rides would meet each Friday night at a pub somewhere for social drinks. Over the years, as the club grew the need for a more permanent base became apparent. The idea of a clubhouse of their own began to appear.

The first 'clubhouse' in early 1995 was above a gunshop in Logan Rd, Wooloongabba. It was a fairly spartan affair utilising what had been someone's old flat with a couple of rooms. Unfortunately, bike parking was at a premium and the gunshop was moving so the clubhouse basically moved with it. The new home was at Juliette St, Stones Corner, this time in the yard of the gunshop, using an old caravan bought for $200 as a makeshift refreshment area. While it was an improvement on the old premises it still meant club members and their guests had to virtually socialize on the street and the size of the place did not lend itself to holding functions of any sort. This meant that any fundraising for club or charity purposes were either non existent or held at rented venues which only served to make the owners of those venues just that much richer.

Then in December of 1995 there came a major break- through. In that year the Chapter took over the lease of the old God Squad club premises in Persse Rd. Runcorn. There was a garage size shed and a great big marquee set in 3 acres of useable land in a semi-rural situation.

Over the next 7 years the land and buildings were transformed and improved to the extent that we had an excellent site to have parties, functions and shows. It was also big enough for our out of town members and guests to be able to pitch their tent or chuck their swag down in reasonably secure and comfortable conditions. The 7 year honeymoon came to an end though, with a change of ownership and rent rises, plus encroaching suburbia.

But, once again, fortune smiled and 10 acres of grass, bush and swampy creek came up for sale in Kingston, only a few clicks away from Persse Road. The Chapter made the decision and opted to buy the property thereby getting rid of the landlord albatross forever.

It was intended that the old premises be dismantled starting on 2nd April, 2002 and the goods and chattels shifted to the new site over a week or so. We didn't count on the enthusiasm of the members, though, because the shift took only two days, with the bulk being done on the first day. Finally, 12 years of memorabilia and paraphernalia was shifted to its permanent home. Having taken part in all the other shifts, I can tell you I, personally, was one happy duck to see the end of it. The lantana and scrub down the near the creek has been cleared giving us more usable land and the cottage and club area are being renovated.

The property is located at 132 Meakin Road, Kingston and is situated in the cul-de-sac end off Queens Road. We are the last property on the right nestled behind some lovely industrial units. Not having suburbia surrounding us is a plus - for us and the neighbours. We can crank up the stereo as loud as we like without fear of complaint We will be holding our regular days such as Anzac Day and Vietnam Veterans' Day here as well as some more biker orientated shows namely the Bike Trike and Hotrod Show in March and Tattoo Show in October each year. We look forward to seeing you there.