There’s a number at the top of every column I’ve submitted to the Calgary Herald newspaper.
While it doesn’t signify anything important to the editors, it does to me.
With this column, the number at the top is 482. It may not seem like a special figure, but when I add it to the 318 I had written prior to my motorcycle accident in 2004 – well, that’s 800 columns. And in my books, that’s a significant milestone.
There have been changes since I penned my first freelance column, which appeared on Friday, July 17, 1998 in what was then called the Calgary Herald Wheels section.
My first editor was Jack Spearman. He wanted coverage of Calgary’s automotive scene – information about activities and personalities in the industry – and many other events.
I began by talking about the Calgary Motor Dealers Association. The CMDA was formed in 1951, and the group has gone on to donate millions of dollars to local charities through special initiatives such as their Vehicles and Violins Gala.
The CMDA also undertakes other charitable work, for example, the group and its member dealers support the annual Mayor’s Christmas Food Bank drive. And, The CMDA believes strongly in furthering automotive education. They now sponsor several scholarships, including 16 that are funded yearly at SAIT Polytechnic, and five CMDA memorial scholarships as well.
Spearman called the column “Special Feature”, and it wasn’t until Monica Zurowski took over editorship in late-1999 that it actually got a name – Getting in Gear.
The focus, while still keeping an eye on the industry, branched out to include stories about powder coating, driving schools and readying a vehicle for seasonal changes. As well, columns were written about racers at Race City Motorsport Park, SAIT’s new automotive training centre, collectible pedal cars, motorcycles and even bicycles.
In 2000 I began writing new vehicle test drives, and started working with Lisa Monforton as editor in 2002 – she changed the name of the column to On the Road.
In late September 2004 I submitted column 318 – it ran on Friday, Oct. 1. In an eerie twist of synchronicity, it was about Calgarian Ross Keating, who built an electric motorcycle based on a Suzuki platform.
Then, on Saturday, Oct. 2, I crashed my own 1978 Suzuki GT750 on Highway 1A. No one to blame but myself – and I wasn’t speeding or doing anything reckless, either. Just ran out of road in a corner.
That left me a paraplegic, and thankfully the Herald was gracious to let me know there were plenty more columns to be written once I’d completed rehab. Eight months later, on July 8, 2005 I returned to writing the column with a story about the Reynolds-Alberta Museum and its special year-and-a-half long Life and Times of the Motorcycle exhibit.
It wasn’t as easy to get out and about and meet people and take photographs, but the Internet and digital photography have made it convenient to communicate and share images.
Since my return, columns have included the story of Calgarians Trevor and Wendy McGrath. From 1970 to 1986 they traveled the world, living in a 1970 Volkswagen Kombi van. I’ve also written about diesel power, rising fuel prices, licence plates, collector car auctions – and folks such as Fred Phillips and his eclectic car collection.
Dave Makichuk took over the section late in 2008, and I’ve also worked with Shelley Wallis. Now, my editors are Andrew McCredie and Derek McNaughton.
Over the years I’ve met and interviewed “celebrities” such as renowned car customizer George Barris, the mustachioed host of My Classic Car, Dennis Gage, and the tattooed and pierced Pixie Acia. And say what you like about him, but welder and motorcycle builder Jesse James was one of the most humble people I’ve ever spoken to.
That about brings us up to date. Many thanks to those who’ve shared their stories with me over the years, and to those who’ve read them every Friday.
I hope I can write another 800 columns – and if you’ve got something you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, contact information is at the end of every column.
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have an auto related item to share for the column or What’s Next? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca. Visit his website at gregwilliams.ca
