Jim Clark

V.M.C.C. # 96L

Jim Clark. Such a gentleman! We agreed we’d meet and put together a “Profile; some little time passed before we were able to do this and meantime Jim had written his own story. Try as I might, it’s very hard to take any credit for this, though I did find the odd spelling error! Typist Sheryl did more. Thank you all.
Jim is pretty modest and gives little in the way of detail about his model making talents. Some years ago he decided a model of the “Batavia”, to be about 2 feet long, would be an interesting project. Of course no plans exist (or photographs) of this seventeenth century ship, but extensive research, in conjunction with Jeremy Green of the Fremantle Museum produced a design as authentic as possible. For the next five years Jim worked at turning his drawings into a museum quality model, but his pride was short-lived; Jeremy Green reckoned the stern of the model was incorrect for the period so Jim demolished the offending part and rebuilt it. Such patience – the rigging is a work of art and the whole ship beautiful. The sculptures he won prizes with are beautiful too, one such, a bronze young lady about 1 foot tall, seemed to be doing door stop duty in the house.

The sketch books Jim produced in New Zealand and on the Don Bowden Overland Tour truly capture the spirit, fun and camerarderie of such events, delightful keepsakes for all involved. The Club library has copies and it’s worth having a look at this special record of Club activities.

Son Ross also enjoys old motorcycles and can be seen on occasion riding one of Jim’s bikes. Jim and Carol are very active club members, long may they continue so!

I was born in Perth in 1937 and lived in Maylands till about 1947, when my father was discharged from the army. We moved to Geraldton where Dad was a builder.

My parents divorced about 1950 and my mother and I moved to Cottesloe in my Grandmother’s house – not with her though. Life was hard for Mum as a single parent with no support from the Government or my Father. Mum was working most of the time, so I spent my teenage years left to my own devices and Cottesloe was a good place to grow up.
I finished my education, aged fourteen, at C.B.C Fremantle. I travelled by steam train to Fremantle and vandalism was alive and well in those days, with kids kicking out the wooden window shutters, peeing in the light fittings etc.
I spent twelve months as a messenger boy in Perth trying for a cadetship in commercial art. That didn’t eventuate, and I finished up as an apprentice carpenter at a time when you were an all rounder doing roofing, cabinet making etc, and not many power tools!

A fellow apprentice bought a Lambretta, a vast improvement on the treadly I was pedalling. So I had a Lambretta for 12 months and it was miles in front of the Bantams and Enfields at that time. With a group of mates I started going to the National Safety Council course at the Perth Markets. For 2/- per Saturday afternoon you learned to ride a big bike, loaned by various dealers, and at the end of 6 weeks had a license for over 125cc. John Rock was one of the instructors!
The Lambretta went and I bought a 500 Matchless from Chum Taylor – a salesman for James Clay at that time.
I did my 3 months National Service in the Army and swapped the Matchy for a ‘56 Speed Twin and soon after a 1938 Dodge which was more useful, as not many mothers liked their daughters to be on the back of a motorcycle. Safer in the back seat?

Somewhere around this time I joined the Harley Club, eventually being honoured with Life Membership. I had a ‘51 Alloy Matchless by now and although not a regular competitor I did manage the last two Harley Scrambles at the famous old ropeworks course in Mosman Park. We also spent many hours in the bottomless sand at Brooklands (Shenton Park) as the Harley Club had a lease on the ground.

We moved to Claremont about 1959 where I met my future wife Carol, who lived across the road. The Dodge was exchanged for a 1954 Morgan which was my pride and joy for the next 5 years. Carol and I married in 1962, and in the next few years I built the house we still live in and had a son and daughter, Ross & Gail.

Around 76-77 the VMCC had a display in the old North Beach bus shed in Tuart Hill. Nostalgia kicked in and I joined the Club and tried to buy back the Alloy Matchy which I had sold to a fellow in Carnarvon some years before. Unfortunately he had died and the bike disappeared. I bought back some parts I had sold to Peter Groucott and scratched up some left overs in my shed, spending the next few years building the 52 Comp model I now have.

In 1983 the Club had a tour in New Zealand. Carol and I shared accommodation with John & Noreen Boyd – good friends from 1960 in the Harley Club. I took a 350 Ajay I had bought and which now belongs to Don Fawell. This Ajay has been in fairly constant use since than and must be one of the most used bikes in our Club. I drew a sketch book/diary and due to popular demand, had it printed so that all the West Australian entrants received a copy.

Returning home, Jim Wallace pressured me into being Editor of the Chatter. The Makins took on the production side and we produced the Chatter for around the next 18 years. We developed a good friendship and from there on the Clarks, Boyds and Makins travelled together to many interstate rallies.

In 1990 the Boyds and the Clarks took part in the Don Bowden Overland Tour riding a 1944 Indian Chief outfit generously loaned to us by the late George Nunn. I could have bought the Indian, and have since regretted not doing so. Again I did a pictorial diary of which all of the entrants received a copy.

Ray Oakes loaned me at various times his Sloper sidecar and Grindley. The Sloper ignited my interest in sidecars and the Grindley an interest in old V twins. I was building a sidecar for a ‘37 Matchless when a 1954 Gold Flash came along. The sidecar went on the Flash and I have been all over Australia with it. I also bought the rusted remains of a 1930 V twin Matchy which would never have turned a wheel without the generosity and genius of our Patron Ron Morrison.

Getting away from bikes, I worked as a carpenter, building supervisor and eventually a registered A Class Builder.
Later I got fed up with the sun, flies and argumentative tradesmen and took a job at the Quadriplegic Centre doing all manner of art, craft and hobby activities with disabled people. I had been drawing all my life and dabbled in oil painting, sculpture (won a few awards for sculpture) and model making, in particular model ships, so this was right up my alley. I got squeezed out of there with fund cut-backs and my last years before retirement were spent as a bus driver/activity assistant at a Senior’s day care centre. Neither of these jobs were financially rewarding however you meet many interesting people at a very unpretentious level and you are working in comfortable surroundings.

I have often considered doing a comprehensive sketch book from the start of my days in the VMCC. It’s hard to find the spare time when you are retired though!

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