The 49-ers showing their support at the Tsunami relief ride out.

Sunday 30th January 2005

We all met up at the harbour car park in Carrickfergus, for a ride up to the Ramada Hotel at Shaws Bridge, where the ride out was to begin.

Just the usual selection of mediocre machines , Blades, R1's Zx10r's...

and a few new faces riding with the 49-ers... you see .. you don't have to be 49 to be a 49-er.....

Can you guess what Santa got Bruce for Christmas

Getting ready for the off, Tommy just hates to have his photo taken,,, can you see Santa was good to Tommy also this Christmas.

A convenient parking space at Newcastle

Some great bikes about even for this early stage of 2005

After the ride out there was a prize draw in the Slieve Donard Hotel.

The Legendary 49-ers did themselves proud by winning two of the many prizes on offer...

So that was that and we all headed off home. The day only being marred when we came upon an accident on the Newcastle to Ballynahinch road.  some poor guy had thrown his Busa up the road, he and the bike were in a very sorry state.  No other vehicle appeared to have been involved . We all hope he is making a good recovery.

The accident alone was enough to put a damper on the day, but it was made much worse when a certain group of Carrickfergus motorcyclists   arrived on the scene, and their self appointed leader in a fit of pique threw his dummy out of his pram, and in a scene reminiscent of the great John Cleese, jumped up and down shouting abuse at the 49-ers who had already stopped to offer assistance.

As if it wasn't bad enough for the poor guy laying there, I'm quite sure it was made much worse by having to listen to a manic motorcyclist repeatedly shouting " look what you lot have done now" at the very bunch of lads who had stopped to help!

All we can say to this would be protagonist is.... learn to relax more, try to see the good in people and don't go looking for the bad.. try to stop prattling long enough to hear the other side of the story!!!

It can be all to easy to jump to conclusions, usually when you are not in possession of the full facts, and especially when you don't think before you speak.

But until the cord that connects your mouth to your brain gets repaired ... please bite your tongue. or at the very least keep your caustic and damaging remarks to yourself.