In a move that’s set to benefit both, the Sunshine Coast chapter of the Ulyssess SA Motorcycle Association of South Africa has made great strides in their project to set up shop at the Bathurst Agricultural Showgrounds. With a five-year contract in hand, the local club has great plans and shared some of them with Talk of the Town at their headquarters after their recent Koeksuster Run.
The club is one of 32 chapters of Ulysses in South Africa, and 130 worldwide, chair Willem Horne explained. Only over-40s are allowed to join, and the vibe is family friendly – “a bit like Round Table but for bikers”.
A popular spectacle at the annual Bathurst Agricultural Show, the club was already “at home” at the showgrounds, and what happened next was a natural progression.
A visit to the showground’s central food and stage area where live performances took place reveals a significant rethink. The children’s play area is now exactly there, where parents sitting nearby can keep an eye on them.
The bikers have taken charge of the beer garden, as well as the breakfast stand –piloted at this year’s show with the support of Guido’s. “Breakfast was never so good!”
With the showgrounds’ Bull Pen a favourite watering hole for the farmers, the pub on the bikers’ side is called the Buffalo Pen. Not only is that in keeping with the horns, hair and four legs theme, but it’s a reference to the Buffalo Rally – an annual event that in its heyday saw up to 8000 people gather at venues across the country for a few days of bonding over bikes. Started by the Nomads motorcycle club in 1969, the Bathurst Showgrounds was the venue for the Buffalo Rally in the first four years.
Beyond the showgrounds beer garden is a grassed area which will serve as a campsite for future gatherings timed to coincide with the Bathurst Agricultural Show.
“Keeping clean is always an issue at rallies, and when it rains, it’s no longer fun,” Horne said. “Here at the showgrounds there are clean ablutions, good infrastructure and sheltered areas if it rains.”
Every town had its signature event, Horne said. “Somerset-East has the Biltongfees; Kirkwood has the Wildsfees. Bathurst has the Bathurst Agricultural Show. This is where it started. We’d like to bring it back home.”
Meanwhile, last weekend, bikers from the Ulysses Gqeberha chapter joined the locals in their “Koeksuster Run” commemorating veteran biker Lionel Sawyer who died three months ago. It’s called that because koeksusters were a treat he loved and the bikers rode to Kenton to do a drive-by “salute” to his family, who were out and watching in front of their home.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, October 2, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays
