My connection to DOC goes back nearly 40 years - bloody hell, it’s hard to realise it’s so long!!! - but I’m not a club member now, just a member of this forum.
I live in Thailand these days, far away from the tourist spots. I have a lovely wife who’s very recently retired from teaching and who’s visited UK with me 3 times, two fantastic stepsons - both married and away from us now - and the best little grandson I could ever wish for.
I joined DOC in about 1977 when I bought a new red & white Darmah when they first appeared on the scene. Since then, I’ve owned (in no particular order) '78 900SS bevel, '78 Darmah Sport, '79 Hailwood Rep., '89 851, '74 239 Desmo and a '64 250 Daytona, probably my favourite bike of all that I’ve ever owned. There were also Hondas, a Suzuki, a Morini, a Sunbeam, a BMW (terrible machine!) and my last UK bike, a Triumph 675 Daytona.
I think I finally quit DOC membership in about 2007(?) & came to Thailand in 2009.
I’ve been Membership Sec. and Tool Hire Sec. at some time. I was the instigator of a Herts. & Essex Branch in about '78 and helped to resurrect it quite a few years later - maybe in '89 but not sure.
I knew a lot of DOC people but contact has now been lost with all of them and I doubt that many of them are still club members, although I’m trying to re-establish contact with one who was a special friend - I’m 100% certain he’s still a member. Since he’s a bit of a Luddite, computers and forums aren’t his thing so he won’t read this (unless someone helps him)!! I’ll stick to snail mail in my attempts to contact him 
.
Still ride a bike here but not a Ducati. The type of roads I like to ride here and the few km. I ride (among other things) don’t warrant a bike such a current Ducati. I’d absolutely LOVE to have my little Daytona or Desmo here, though. Despite having had ‘big bikes’, small bikes have always been my preference.
Just thought I’d say “Hello” and maybe I’ll post a some ‘Tales from Thailand’ in the future.
So “Hello” to any out there whose memory might be jogged so that they remember me from the description - not that I was ever particularly memorable!!
