Indian & Harley Vintage Club

 

 

Vic Maberley, aside from being a family man and hard worker all his life,
was a gentleman, elder statesman, champion, custodian and well respected
guardian of the Indian Marquee. He was generous, a good listener and a good
mate. Vic enjoyed a nice cup of tea, a sweet biscuit which was always good
bait for a yarn or two, or three or four.

 

Vic was a country lad, born in 1931 at Tooraweenah (between Gilgandra and
Coonabarabran) during the depression years and the family did it tough
during those years. He spent much time trapping rabbits with his father,
their main staple source of food during those years. Before and after school
he built shearing sheds, cropping and digging wells with his father and
grandfather until the age of 16 before leaving for the big smoke, Sydney as
his father enlisted in the army as the war broke out. Whilst in Sydney after
a few jobs he joined the Citizen Air force and became a jet mechanic and
also began studying diesel mechanics.  

On a trip back home to Tooraweenah he met the love of his life Wilma at a
local dance. Wilma (we think) got a glimpse of what she was in for as they
rode back to Sydney on his motorcycle in torrential rain which kept breaking
down.  

 

During the 1970s, Vic was sick of struggling and was working 3 jobs to make
ends meet, all mechanic jobs, and his hobby was Vintage Indians, he could
not get enough of mechanical things however he got perplexed when he could
not make TV remote control work.

 

I first met Vic back in the early 1970s when trying to find bits and pieces
for my Indian Chief outfit. Vic was there to lend a hand and happiest when
he could be of help.

 

He loved his Indians and most of people who owned them, loved his garage
sales, and was always on the hunt for old motorcycle parts, he had it bad or
good, whatever way you look at it. He always opened up his shed for club
Christmas parties, club rides for "drop-in" morning teas or lunches. Vic was
an active member of the Vintage Motorcycle Club of Australia (NSW) and was a
long term machine examiner, the Indian Harley Vintage Club and the Indian
Motorcycle Club of Australia and awarded life memberships in recognition of
his dedication to the Indian Brand.

 

It was obvious to me back in the 70s he knew his Indian stuff and was
obsessed with his hobby and lived for the Indian brand even going so far to
have the Indian logo signs affixed on the sides of all his many work vans.

 

Long time friend and fellow shed dweller Mick Atkins remembers Vic since the
late 1960s, with philosophical conversations like "Mick - when you're out in
the forest, try putting your arms around a large tree, put your ear up to
it, and you will hear water running through it,  

 

 

( I guess Vic was an original tree hugger) and another one was, Mick he said
- when I was a kid helping my dad on the farm, when I was down a 100 foot
shaft during the daylight -  guess what, when I looked up I could see the
stars even though it was daylight. Mick told me he has not validated either
yet, but those two Vic sessions on 'the meaning of life' stood out.

 

We take this occasion to pass on our condolences to Wilma and Family, and we
from the vintage motorcycle fraternity will surely miss Vic, his guidance
will be felt for many years to come - "Good Innings Vic and Well Done".  

 

Garth