Ray Gray my friend.

I think most of you will have heard of the death of Ray Gray. Hazel Gray phoned me this evening to let me know the time and date of his cremation service. It will be at Harlow crematorium on Tuesday 12th August at 2.30. That is the formal bit I wish to now tell that Ray and Hazel were my friends for many years. We lost touch for quite a few only seeing each other at auto jumbles and the like. We met in the IOM a number of years back had a great time and never lost touch again. Ray was the only man I ever met that could give me a close run in a talking match. We also had some great racing battles, one in 1978 rates in the top three I ever had. At the end no one could decide who crossed the line in first place. The time keepers said ACU rules said there could not be a dead heat and after a great of discussion it was given to Ray, (I still dispute this) and we were still talking about it the last time we met for a beer six weeks ago. Ray and Hazel had a happy marriage for close to fifty years and that something he did beat me at. I and many others will miss Ray, but he did not suffer a long decline as his good friend Roger Louis did and for that we are all thankful. RIP Ray as long as someone that knew is alive you will not be forgotten.

I am so sad to hear of the loss of these two guys, I didn't know them well, we met at Eastern Centre meetings, and I want to pass on my thoughts to their respected loved ones, notwithstanding Ted, always the backbone of the 70's eastern centre, it is a truly sad time and brings into sharp focus our own mortality, but hey, lets not be sad let us celebrate their contribution to life's experiences and the friends we met passing through it, I know I do, the bantam club was my club, and I was proud to be a part of it and the off the wall individuals that made up the BRC.

Me too... I feel sad when I hear of BRC members passing on....

They were both only names to me and in my long-term-longevity I often feel it unfair that they have gone -- like John Sawer, our committee´s Scrooge, Wobbleyman and Niffy --  long before me. It is unfair that I have  lasted longer in spite of having had a number of awful illnesses and survived falling over with various sorts of motorcycles at moderately fast speed.

Ted, you got over cancer -- well done!

Its refreshing that you speak so well of BRC which I feel privileged to have shared -- albeit of too short a time-length. Its there stored in the memory forever -- it happened and we were there ....

One of your remarks, Keith, is well remembered. You said, "How do you know how fast you can take a corner,  without falling off?"

Many a Pro racer might have difficulty answering that!

Cheers!

JayBee.