BOOMER CAN RUN BUT CAN’T HIDE FROM HELLS ANGELS THIS AFTERNON
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — John Gammon came “home” to get away from the Hells Angels.
And he thinks he saw a gang of them pass him by this afternoon at the Boomers Reunion at Gull Lake Rotary Park gazebo.
The Brooklin resident lives a half mile from the bikers’ clubhouse where they have a two-acre farm north of Whitby, where’s they’re gathering from across Canada as part of a memorial ride and celebration of life for the Toronto chapter’s president who died last year — of “natural causes.”
About 20 of them from Saskatchewan stopped in Gravenhurst to gas up en route yesterday.
Gammon, a biker himself — he owns a 1300 cc Yamaha — says the neighbour invasion is no big deal.
A reported gathering of 1,000 “was nowhere near that,” he says.
And while the Gravenhurst Boomers assemblage wasn’t even close to a tenth that number, they were as well behaved as their more notorious southern gatherers.
Not unlike the bikers, no doubt, there was as much talk about ailments as memories growing up in the Gateway to Muskoka.
Still everyone was smiling and glad to be back together several years after Tim “Beak” Montgomery first summoned them some seven years ago.
COVID, while on their minds, wasn’t a big topic of discussion.
Everyone was happy to put in their past — and hope for the best this fall.
Montgomery had both his knees and hips “done,” and he was still standing, saying he walk 10,000 steps a day on a track at his local gym in 1 hour, 20 minutes.
A couple of other Montgomerys — friends but not relation — Keith and Malcolm came from Bracebridge and Pembroke, respectively.
Malcolm was wearing a t-shirt supporting the Ukraine, which he got as part of an Ottawa Valley fundraiser.
His mother’s side of the family were of Ukrainian descent and the Valley raised more than $100,000.
Many of those on hand still live local, given the pandemic have seldom seen each other more than in passing, literally.
The “Beaker” had planned larger three-day celebration that included the legion, but with not enough people signing up to make it feasible the reunion shrunk to a few enjoyable hours.
And financially things worked out with many who signed up in advance donating their $30 fee along with most suppliers returning deposits.
Montgomery said they were able to raise several hundred dollars at early accounting and will be donating it to the Gravenhurst High School as part of a bursary in memory of former teacher Cyril Fry.
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