Gert Bustards Rally

11th November 1983 - Moonrakers MCC

Back to (just outside) Devizes again for the Bustard. The weather, although not brilliant, was just as one would expect for the middle of November. At least it didn't actually throw it down with rain, as it looked like it could.

The field appeared to be attached to a pub, but that may just have been a happy coincidence. The pub may not have been fully open, as there were building works going on around it and I don't recall seeing any locals that we could upset by our mere presence, as we seem to be able to do. That may have just been because we were kept in the scruffy end of the pub. The pub was only used in the afternoon, of course, as there was a more than adequate marquee, equipped with plenty of seating and tables, when it was open.

While we were waiting for opening time some of us who had the idea managed to locally source some rook-scarers and we were mucking about in the field with them. Mostly seeing if the explosion could lift buckets of increasing weight. One rallyist wasn't content with this and decided to use them to remove as many cowpats from the field as he could. When he ran out of them he amassed all the remains he managed to find (carefully) and piled them together. Stuck the bits of wood he had been using to scoop them up into the top, inserted the rookie with its one-second fuse into the base, lit it and ran. He managed to get about three feet before slipping in some remnants. He got covered. That jacket wasn't seen for the rest of the weekend! Shortly after that, the normal occupants of the field were seen being herded from their temporary accommodation to the milking sheds. I swear some of them were laughing!

Later on, Wilf from the Wayside Rats MCC decided to show us how easy it was to wreck his bike. After carrying five or six club members around the field, and dropping them occasionally, it decided it had had enough and caught fire. Surprisingly this didn't worry him in the slightest, but he didn't complain when Kev from the Borderline MCC helped put it out. I assume his breakdown cover was paid up. The evening progressed with copious amounts of beer, music and shaving foam.

I can't remember if there were any games on the Saturday, The only photos I have of that time seem to have been taken in the pub. I assume the cold & damp weather was putting people off.

The evening soon arrived, though, and we were all having fun for a few hours when a number of people from some 'outlaw' club or other turned up en masse and took exception to people enjoying themselves in their area. We put up with their nonsense for a while, but people got bored and wandered off to the fire.

We were advised not to go back to the marquee, as they were getting a bit violent so, as it was fairly late, we just did fireside things for a bit before retiring. The outlaws buggered off soon after the bar shut and I did not hear any reports of injury or damage.

It was still somewhat overcast on the Sunday, bUt I do not recall any actual rain on the trip home.

- Phil (the Spill) Drackley