Sporting champ's awards come home

TROPHIES: Maureen Bull with some of the cups and trophies gifted to Cobblestones Museum. PHOTOS/ANDREW BONALLACK

Cups and trophies won by a champion Wairarapa sportsman of times long since past have been gifted to Cobblestones Museum, Greytown.

On Thursday, Maureen Bull, wife of the late Glen Bull, donated the trophies won by Tui Morgan of Greytown who was a dedicated motorcycle fan, and speedway and grass track champion in the 1920s and 1930s.

Born in 1900, Tui, whose proper first name was Hugh, is remembered by older townspeople as the proprietor of a service station and garage in Greytown's Main Street trading as Tui's Petrol Station which stood where the White Swan Hotel is now located.

Tui and his wife Barbara and two daughters lived in a cottage in West Street.

In his younger days, Tui was a devoted member of Wairarapa Motor Club and was to the lightweight Harley-Davidson riders of his era what champion Percy Coleman was to the heavyweight models of the time.

He won the club's Best Member trophy in 1928, which was one of the trophies gifted to Cobblestones on Thursday.

Given his passion for the lightweight Harleys, it is no wonder he took over the Harley-Davidson dealership as part of his business enterprise with a premises at the northern end of Main St.

The dealership had formerly been held by well-known Wellington firm Rodgers and Hall who were importers and suppliers of Harleys.

Tui was attracted to speedway when it came into vogue in 1929-30, but his skills on grass tracks quickly established him as a household name, riding his two-and-three-quarter horse power Harley at meets across the country.

Trophies gifted by Mrs Bull to Cobblestones were:

-1928 Wairarapa Motor Club's Best Member Trophy

-1929 Manawatu Open Championship 350cc Harley-Davidson -1931 Foxton United Sports Association, North Island Open Championship 7-9hp Harley-Davidson

-1931 NZACU Reliability Trial Challenge Cup

-1931 Wairarapa Motor Club Most Points Cup

-1931 New Zealand Heavyweight Championship

-1932 Wairarapa Motor Club Most Points Cup

-1935 NZACU Reliability Trial for Sidecars.

Archival records show Tui, aside from his motorcycle prowess, was also a keen sports rifle shooter and played rugby for Dalefield in 1918.

He died in 1978, aged 78.

Mrs Bull and her husband Glen, who was an extremely accomplished competitor in his own right, were firm friends of both Barbara and Tui Morgan with the common link being an "obsession" with motorcycles.

Mrs Bull is the author of four books on motorcycling and was gifted the cups, trophies, some medals and photographs by Tui. She said apart from her family retaining a medal or two as mementoes, the rest of the collection given to them by the old champion racer was donated to Cobblestones for the benefit of the wider community.

Cobblestones trustee John Gilberthorpe said getting a collection from a New Zealand champion who lived in Greytown was great and he felt it was coming back to where it belonged.

"To get objects for our collection and know their provenance is very valuable to us."