Launceston’s first Moment of Critical Mass – Fri 18 Dec 2009 5:30
Featuring: Convenor Ana Bickel-Biker, Sam (Stunts), Chris the Comfortable Off-Roader, James & others u/k to me...
It was in the year of the Lord, (anno Domini) 2009, on the 18th day of the twelfth month, that a moment of critical mass did happen in those Godless Friday afternoon streets of Launceston, home of the Kenilworth, the 4WD and the local chapter of the “Boys Just Want to do Blockies” rust-bucket gang. There are none so blind as those who have eyes, but do not see; none so deaf who have ears, but do not hear. There are none however, so blessed as those who have bikes, and take the time to ride. Young Ana Bickel, astride her trusty wheels, escorted by a baker’s dozen stalwarts, was on that day at the centre of Launceston’s moment of critical mass... er ... Ana is somewhere in this group, I think ... there she is! At the back, to the immediate left of the girl in the centre. The empty bike belongs to the camera bloke. It’s a Malvern Star, though not from Glenferrie Road, but from China. It was bought from City Mission a few years ago when they, after the fire at the Youngtown store, were housed temporarily at the Door of Hope. Its cost was Aust$20. That’s true ReCycling!
Come on! We can’t wait all day! History’s calling!!
We assembled in Prince’s Square, by the fountain that 150 years ago we purloined from our sister city somewhere in the U.K. Henry Reynolds has spoken well about the past history[1] of Prince’s Square and will be well-pleased to learn that the Square is still at the cutting edge – our town’s first moment of pedal-powered critical mass[2].
Head em up! Move ‘em out! Listen to the ‘Rawhide’ Theme HERE
We found ourselves going down St John St. There were a bunch of drinkers outside the Metz. It was windy. We had no destination, and no leader. Whoever was in front rode and turned as the fancy took them. Would the man carrying two bike wheels acknowledge us? The wheel in his left hand is mostly obscured in the photo (Above R). He was swinging them alternately as he walked, but I think got a bit cautious when he saw us. We waited behind the bus. That’s James in the red jumper and Chris in the fawn. As we rode past the Metz, one of the drinkers yelled out ‘Where’s your motors’ and I guess his mates had a few sniggers. I think it was the girl on the bike, with the light blue top, said to me later that we should have said back: ‘We’ve got our own motors, and it looks like you’ve got tanks, and are getting them filled up now.’ We followed the bus when the lights changed.
Oh boy, there wasn’t much room: we were trying to stick to two, side by side. Notice the real trees on the right and the synthetic Christmas tree on the left? Bit like Tasmania really, isn’t it? We won’t know what we’ve got till it’s gone. Where the green light is, is the Brisbane Street Mall, home to Birchall’s Bookshop, as old as, and also home to the Myers Building, which somehow unfortunately managed to go several stories higher than present building regulations purportedly[3] allow. Behind the first tree on the right, upstairs, is the Launceston home of the Workers Compensation Tribunal. It is a testament to the Bacon-Lennon Govt’s attack on the workers in this state. Paul Lennon was instrumental in reducing workers’ access to Common Law rights, much the same as he did later in that specious piece of legislation spuriously known as the Pulp Mill Assessment Act (2007) Requiescat in pieces. Let’s get back on topic:
Road Rules 2009: tHERE ARE SPECIAL RULES THESE DAYS FOR bICYCLE RIDERS. FIND THEM HERE
But those behind cried ‘Forward !’ And those before cried ‘Wait!’ [4]
It was nice to have chats at red-lights - that’s a good imitation of Ana at the front: in purple, green & red.
Above: Our Critical Mass viewed from The Brickfields Reserve, Launceston[5]
Taking the Launceston ‘blockie’ route...a rightie into Brisbane
What would happen as we approached the cultural graveyard of the town, would history react with the past-present?
There
was a strange feeling of
‘been there before’, deja vu as I believe it’s called on the Continent,
Say! Haven’t I seen your face somewhere? We were slipping into a vortex, had reached critical mass
Something had altered. We were subdued, yet mindful that we had passed the perilous Brisbane Straits.
We approached Tasmania’s self-acclaimed No 1 Bistro with indifference, the crowd were as nothing and here it was that our party began to take its various ways home. We were the blockie-busters, history makers.
the Fellowship unravels, last words, the homegoing begins
Three souls took the Westing Road, calling farewells, giving waves. Others would continue on east then southwards.
a moment in time supplanted by others
I was dropping behind.
'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the cycling craze;
He turned away the good old horse that served him many days;
He dressed himself in cycling clothes, resplendent to be seen;
He hurried off to town and bought a shining new machine;
And as he wheeled it through the door, with air of lordly pride,
The grinning shop assistant said, "Excuse me, can you ride?"
... more HERE
[from MULGA BILL'S BICYCLE by A.B. "Banjo" Paterson, The Sydney Mail, 25 July 1896.]
The group was dwindling, further from me in the distance of St Johns Street.
I caught sight of a young man, passing his time away with friends.
His name is Sam and he had lovely dreadlocks under his mate’s helmet.
Inspired perhaps by the passing of the bicycles, he was practising his arts.
I am reminded of EagleHawk’s Mulga Bill and his last leap into Deadman’s Creek.
‘I can still catch back up’, I thought, and rode after the group, expecting to find them back in the park – but, not so!
Not a bike to be seen down Charles Street ...where could they be? Maybe over at Fresh? It seemed a plausible idea...
A bomb had obviously gone off at Fresh.
I considered my options.
Walking my bike up to the corner,
I turned westwards, faced downhill,
mounted and rolled down
the hill, heading home.
As you can guess, I got there - Maybe Mulga should’ve got back on & persevered.
[1] (please forgive what at first glance may appear to be ‘une tautologie terrible’)
1. [2] what do critical mass and bikes have in common? Critical Mass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[3] would ‘apparently’, ‘usually’ or ‘nowadays’ perhaps been better word choice candidates?
[4] apologies to Lord MacAulay’s ‘Horatius’ from the ‘Lays of ancient Rome’ – an magnificent read, British Imperial mythology at its best. HERE
[5] the ever-present male adolescent Launcestonian car driver can be viewed within the Brickfields Reserve HERE