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Page 2 of 2 Race Championships over the Torturous Dundrod circuit where Robert McKinley, Shaun Doherty, Eddie McKinney and Robbie Gaston had finished ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR in a league event the previous season. During the first few years of the Club there were few serious injuries to any of the riders, the worst being broken collarbones, sustained by Wilbert Mitchell and Robert Ramsey. Then on 1st July 1970 the Club got its first fatal blow when Bushmills Veteran Billy McFetridge was killed while taking part in a Club 25 mile Time Trial on the Kilrea Road, when a car, with a drunken driver at the wheel rounded a corner on the wrong side of the road. In the years that followed, membership changed as newcomers joined and some of the former members left and the Club went through a bad patch with Coleraine lad Alan Hegarty bringing the next medal in the Northern Ireland Junior 10 mile Time Trial Championships. During these years the Club had been using Graham Calvin and Robert McKinley's garages as Clubrooms - since Aghadowey Church had sold the Collins School to the Council. Club officials had also changed with Barbara Ramsey followed by Chris Bones as Secretary and Jock Ramsey, Followed by Robert Walker and then Graham Calvin as Chairman. With membership falling, it was decided to change the name of the Club to Ballymoney and District in an attempt to encourage more of the former B. a D. members to join the Club but this had an adverse effect on the Club with some of the former members leaving and the name was soon changed back to Bann Wheelers. By this time, members, some of whom were only juniors when the Club started were getting married and had more time to take an interest in the Club again. Local Councillor Ivan Wilson was approached and the Collins School was again obtained as a Headquarters for the Club, Eddie McKinney and his wife Mary had taken over as Secretary and Race Secretary with Graham Calvin as Chairman, while Robert, McKinley looked after the money and Harold McKinney wrote the Press reports to keep the name of the Club in the Public eye. Soon Eddie McKinney was back at the top and with under the hour rides for 25 miles was being selected for the NICF teams for most of the International events in Ireland, so he had to give up his job as Secretary which was taken over by Joe McKane with Harold McKinney as Race Secretary. Barbara Ramsey took over the Treasurers job and Jock Ramsey was elected the Clubs first President. By this time, the Club members had decided it was time to try to get their own trophies rather than using the B. D. Trophies. The response was incredible with most of the former members buying cups and shields, along with those which some of the B. & D. members had officially transferred to the Coleraine Club. A new electronic stopwatch was also obtained for the Club. Graham Calvin and Robert McKinley broke the two man, three hour roller record which Calvin and Robert Walker had claimed for the Club the previous year, while on the same day Barbara Ramsey Mary McKinney and Iris Grant set up a ladies one hour Roller Record of 37 miles 70 yard! The Club had also pushed up the amount collected for the Multiple Sclerosis Society over the years to around £1,500.00. Junior rider Ivan McKane was also making a name for himself on the rollers when he won the Irish 500 meters sprint, which he was to retain the following year. The Club was again beginning to flourish with names like Andy Boyle, Hughie McConachie and Robin Nelson joining the ranks and by 1978 the club was again winning medals when Boyle, McConachie and Nelson took the Gold Team award in the Northern Ireland Team Time Trials best all rounder helped along by Nelson's 3rp place in the Irish "100" and the same three ride plus Eddie McKinney were the winners of the Irish 100 kms. team time trial After attending a course for Coaches at the Polytechnic conducted by Senior Coaches Les Jordan and Stan Turner, Harold and Mary McKinney passed the exams to qualify them as British Cycling Federation Club
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Bann Wheelers History