Bill was born in the Netherlands, a country renowned for cycling. This is his bicycling story.
My memory of riding a bicycle for the first time was during the second World War in the Netherlands.
My father was the secretary of a prisoner rehabilitation organisation and in 1944 in our city of Groningen, the telephone system was cut off. As a seven year old boy I was required to deliver messages and letters to various members of the organisation using my mother’s bicycle. I could only manage to ride her bike by standing on the pedals.
At the age of nine my Grandfather, who owned a cordial factory and had managed to earn a lot of money during the war by inventing and selling liquid tea concentrate, bought me my own bike. It was a “Magneet” with several gears. I loved it and used to ride it everywhere.
In 1950 my parents decided to migrate to Australia, and unfortunately my bike was left behind. However, while my parent’s bikes did come to Australia, they unfortunately did not get much use and were eventually discarded when my father bought a car. I too abandoned the bicycle in favour of a motor bike which I rode for twenty years till 1976.
Cycling became part of my life again in 1994 when I married for a second time, to a lady of Dutch heritage. During our marriage we had an active life, we joined a walking group in Canberra, walking and cycling for over 15 years.
By 2001 our families had expanded and we organised bi-annual trips to Bright in Victoria where we cycled on the Rail Trails. Sometimes we had in excess of 50 participants.
In 2008 my wife and I travelled to the Netherlands for a holiday and naturally cycled whenever possible. Cyclists in the Netherlands have dedicated cycling paths and bikes have priority over cars on the roads.
During retirement, I acquired a caravan and our bikes were hooked to the back and used wherever we could.
However, in 2020, at the age of 83, my legs started to tire, and I gave my bike to my grandson and purchased an E Bike. However my wife, endowed with strong Dutch legs, still retained her normal bike.
I have cycled in The Netherlands, in Austria alongside the Danube, and many places in Australia. Many caravan parks now have direct access to cycling trails and there are great excursions like wine and cheese trails.
My wife passed away in 2021 and these days, at age 85, I cycle with my youngest daughter in places like Bright, Canberra and Wollongong.
We love the freedom of travelling almost noiselessly enjoying nature and the fresh air. The health benefits are also a big consideration. With my hip replacement, I find cycling helps to keep things moving.
We appreciate the cycling tracks in the Wollongong area and use them on a weekly basis. In Wollongong one can now safely cycle from Thirroul to the shores of Lake Illawarra.
It is pleasing to see so many country towns now encouraging cycling and providing cycle paths for safe riding.
