Life has not slowed at all for 90-year-old Narooma resident Jeff Murphy, who now has a 1200cc Harley Davidson trike to get around town and go for runs down the highway.
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His large family, also all Harley riders, threw him a surprise 90th birthday party back over the December holidays that included a big ride out to The Dromedary Hotel. The large group of 18 Harley riders escorted him out for the ride and then back into town to Club Narooma for lunch.
One of his sons David rode, with his own two sons, down from the Gold Coast to Narooma for the birthday celebrations.
“It was the best Christmas I have had in many years, and not just for dad’s birthday but the fact of getting back to the beautiful place of Narooma. This is surely God’s country. Noorooma said to be derived from the aboriginal meaning, "clear blue waters" – just love this place,” Dave said.
Jeff explained that his family talked him into getting a Harley again after his wife Pat passed away.
“I got talked into it by my family and my nine children, I was the only one who didn’t have a Harley,” he said.
His family found a barely used Sports 72 Harley up in Byron Bay on the Internet, which they quickly snapped up and brought back down for conversion at an engineering firm in Moruya, a process which took six months.
Jeff had an extensive racing career first with motorbikes and then in speedway and he was a regular at the Moruya Speedway for 43 years until his last race at age 83.
His man cave at his Narooma home is packed with memorabilia, including his huge trophy collection from his racing days.
Jeff continues to fine-tune and modify his trike with a new larger fuel tank on the way. He has fitted large side steps that make it easier to climb off and on and that also holds his shopping. He is now a well-known sight riding his trike around town and even out on the highway.
He may have claimed he was talked into building and riding the trike by his family, but his son David said it was Jeff himself who influenced his family into such things as motorbikes. They have fond memories of his racing career, including motorbike racing to swinging on a side car on the race track on several occasions.
“Dad actually first arrived in Narooma back in the day riding a Harley WLA which had a gear stick on the tank and reverse gear,” David said. “Sure we talked him into it! He is a 90 year old man with youth on his side. Congrats dad!”
