John Boswell, local motorcycle champion and curator of the Historical Motorcycle Museum in Deneysville passed away on the evening of 19 August, at his own establishment, Lake Avenue Inn.

He was partner to, quite literally, ‘side-kick’ Charmaine Munro, (she being the other half of his TT sidecar ‘Chariot’).

Dozens of bikers from clubs across the country bade him farewell during his lap of honour at the Midvaal Racetrack. And many more continue to pen into their leisure calendars over weekends a visit to his happy place, Lake Avenue Inn, which is hosting a ‘rolling wake’ to accommodate his hefty following.

A fitting extension to his long history of classic bike and sidecar racing which he dominated at the famous racetrack, Isle of Man, before immigrating to South Africa in 1982.Here he continued to make his mark on and off the racetrack. He won second place in the SA Sidecar Racing Association’s race of 1989, up-country.

Closer to home he founded the Historical Motorcycle Museum in September 2009, a collectors gallery dedicated to classical racing machinery. The first of its kind on the continent. Hallowed grounds which became the resting place of many other veteran motorcyclists.

John modified bicycles into motorbikes; motorcycles into bathing baths on wheels; mobile trikes with embedded loos, ‘The Jon’ of course; his favourite originations, ‘The Bodger’ and ‘The Rat Bike’ (with bite), its nose with a hint of an elusive tongue, its slinky, red coat finished off with black fishnet stocking paintwork and, more recently, old workhorses honed into distilleries during lockdown!

It was inevitable that many of these contraptions, relating specifically to the British Commonwealth, became vessels for the final send-off of fallen friends.

John converted the exhaust housing of an AJS Model 18S to accommodate the ashes of fellow bikers for their final send-off into the heavens!

The announcement of his passing on Facebook gathered much interest from name-sakes like the Boswell-Wilkie family. No surprise with his clowning about! But the closest he ever got to the circus was the Gypsy Jokers.

John Boswell, father to Jane and grandad to Luke – fellow to his flock.

RIP John Boswell: 28/12/1952-19/08/2021.

* The writer of this obituary, Bronwyn Adams of Deneysville, is co-founder of Venue Africa tourism promotions and close acquaintance of Ms Munro, life partner of the late John Boswell.

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