A Scooter Dream is born

For me, It all started on a hot but rainy summers day on my Grandparents farm in Shelford , country Victoria.
Rarely could I be kept inside when visiting the farm, as there were acres and acres of land to explore, and when there’s an old Honda 100 thrown in for good measure- I just had to be outside.
So as I sat inside listening the rain on the tin roof, flicking the old TV dial from left to right in the hope that something magical would appear, it suddenly did.

Right there, before my eyes, was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. As a curious 10 year old- I had just set eyes on my first Vespa Scooter- although at the time, I had no idea what I was looking at. It was amazing.

Audrey Hepburn, as a passenger to Gregory Peck, darting around the streets of the eternal city on an old motorscooter. I was hooked. For years afterwards I would scan the TV guides to look for re-runs of “Roman Holiday” just so I could catch another glimpse of that wondrous looking toy and maybe find out what is was. I remember thinking at the time it must have been made especially for the movie as a prop as it was so unusual looking.

My late uncle Steve and my Dad taught me how to ride a little 50cc mini bike in the red dry dirt of the Riverland at Loxton in South Australia, when I was about 3. According to Dad, it was called a “Honda Grass-Scrubber”. I’m still not sure if that was the actual model name or just the name he gave it after watching me learning to ride. It was more than likely an AZ50 just like this one :)....ahhhhh, the memories!

I had always loved riding. I remember when that movie was over I raced back outside and went for a ride through the puddles and mud, weaving around haybales and rocks as if they were people, as I let my imagination take me to the cobbled old streets of Rome. The seed was firmly planted and I knew, I would one day own a Vespa.