Q1: In your officiating life, at what track and in what role are we most likely to find you?
TR: You’re most likely to find me working at Hervey Bay MX club, and acting as Steward, but I’ve gotten around a bit over the years.
Q2: How long have you been an official and in what other capacities and/or locations have you acted?
TR: It’s been 15 years or more now. Bundaberg, Mundubberra, Chinchilla and few others.
Mainly Scrutineering or Starter, because there’s not many Level 3 starters around here.
Q3: How did you come to find yourself officiating?
TR: I was a rider for a long time in motocross, both on 2- and 4- wheeled machines. But I was just getting a bit too old for it, and it was time to give it up. I was helping Mal Watson out for a while and later took over as President and ended up being an official to help Hervey Bay club and other clubs.
Q4: What keeps you coming back?
I just love the sport. You meet a lot of great people and make good friends. People want to talk to you every time and then a little bit later you see them at club days. Me and my two sons all competed together and there aren’t too many sports where you can do that.
Q5: Who is the most amazing rider you’ve encountered along the way?
Chad Reed. When he broke his leg at the Aussie titles at Hervey Bay I held the umbrella over him for 15 minutes. His old man came over and said “what’s wrong?” He said, “broken leg”, and his old man walked off. The whole time we helped him on the track he did not make a sound. A very tough gentleman.
After that meeting we said, “if he stays on the bike he’ll go along long way.” I still remember that day – him and Ando swapping the lead for thirty minutes with Mister Bell snapping at their heels.