A brief mention of Alan Dunn in the current Bulletin has prompted me to post this note. It was March 1969 when Allan Dunn founded the section, Gordon Bruce (because he had a nice loud voice) was elected Chairman and Alan Secretary and Main Organizer of Brooklands Section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club. Venue was the Brooklands room of the Hand a Spear.
Alan’s records for the first year of the section show an average meeting attendance of 70, Talks by Bod Dicker, Charles Mortimer, Gordon Bruce a his film of the new bike maker in Japan - Honda! more talks included Miss Shilling (Naylor), Stan Greenway, H.R. Nash, Frances Beart and Bert Denly,  plus a Jumble sale when you could have bought a good complete 250 JAP engine for £2.00 or HRDVincent workshop book 0.40pence. The committee were busy planning and mapping the first Little Switzerland run which took place the following year on 15.3.70 and Brooklands to Beaulieu run on 28.6.70 entries (in those days only pre 1940 bikes) for both were oversubscribed.  I/Alan have lots more in manuscript made at early talks etc. if any interest.
Alan and I keep in touch, for those of you not familiar with his name or exploits here is a tiny snapshot - Allan had a collection of big capacity Vintage a Post vintage bikes, Zenith, Brough and HRDVincent. He wont mind me saying he was an oily biker rather than a polish a pose type.
His in paddock procedure, sight smell and sounds, for warming up his methanol burning, R lubed, flame belching big Brooklands bikes with late wife Margaret, no mean rider herself, always in attendance. is a spectacle those of us present will not forget. (this was an era when intervention in such entertainment by Health a Safety was still to be invented).
Alan’s furiously quick often hairy yet fearless ‘demonstration’ runs down the runway on the former outer circuit big ZenithJAP became a regular top feature draw at early Reunions.
Alan has for many years now lived in Norfolk, these days confined to a wheel chair and as he says ‘getting on a bit’. He sold all his bikes and MG cars many many years ago taking up restoring and racing vintage sailing yachts on the Norfolk Broads instead. He retains his encyclopedic knowledge of Brooklands bikes and riders and still has quite a few notes about Section events in those formative years,  if any one has any questions I am happy to relay them to him. just get in touch thanks.  Malcolm Nash