By ALESHA CAPONE
IN THE ’70s, Joe ‘Magoo’ Turner rode with the Vermin Motorcycle Club alongside his mates Doggy, Skidder, Whiskers and Flea.
Although the club has folded as its followers aged, Mr Turner still proudly bears a tattoo of the Vermin patch on his stomach.
At 70 years old, Mr Turner is a member of the Deer Park Senior Citizens Club, where he helps set up every week, plays billiards and goes on bus trips.
He also rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and sometimes mans the barbecue at events staged by Johnny’s Hog Shop in Hoppers Crossing.
“What I enjoy is just going for a ride with your mates and the freedom,” Mr Turner said.
He still sees his Vermin pal ’Doggy’ and can easily reel off the nicknames of the other club members – among them Rum, Grub, Little Grub, Animal, Drunk, Branflakes, Wyno, Disorderly, Popeye, Gunner, Sleazy and Spewy.
Mr Turner said his friends at the Deer Park Senior Citizens Club liked seeing the Harley, but all the lady members were too scared to ride pillion.
“I’m pretty popular with all of them at the club,” Mr Turner said.
“They usually know I’m not a really tough bloke.”
He first rode a motorcycle in 1958, after swapping his transistor radio for a 650 Tiger owned by a passing stranger.
“He said, ’Get on the bike and have a ride’,” Mr Turner said.
“I had never ridden before but I went down the road and I thought, ’This is grouse’.”
Both Doggy and Mr Turner said the motorcycle scene has changed since the 1970s.
“There is a lot more criminal activity now. We weren’t into drug-dealing or anything like that,” Doggy said.
Mr Turner is possibly also the only 70-year-old motorbike-riding professional clown in Melbourne – Magoo the Clown.
“On my feet, I have ’Size eight’ tattooed on one foot and ’Same here’ on the other,’ Mr Turner said.
“I have the same thing written on my clown boots.”
For his job, he performs magic tricks, does face-painting, makes balloon animals and dresses up as a pirate and the Easter Bunny.
Many senior citizens like to take life slowly, but not Mr Turner.
“I’ll still be riding until I can’t ride anymore,” he said.
