Duncan Ramsay was born on December 15, 1947 and was educated at Glen Dhu Primary school and then at the Kings Meadows High school.

His early sporting interest was playing hockey but he also displayed a particular interest in trade work and working out how things functioned, as evidenced by the pulling apart of a car in the no longer used laundry of the family home.

While at school Duncan was diagnosed with syringamyelia, which effects the spinal cord and ultimately becomes a debilitating condition, severely restricting mobility.

Despite surgery on two occasions the problem could not be fixed and Duncan was resigned to restricted mobility which would worsen as the years went by.

 After leaving school he was employed by Coats Patons in a clerical position and then in quality control.

As a result of his friendship with Steve Sheldrick, Duncan developed what was to become a passionate interest in motorcycle racing, becoming a member of the Tasmanian Motor Cycle Club.

He was soon involved in the running of the club holding a number of major positions.

For a number of years he was the competition secretary and is credited with a resurgence of interest in active participation in the club, which is the oldest established motor cycle club in the Commonwealth.

Duncan was president for several years and heavily involved in the promotion of motor cycle racing and safety and was a delegate to the Auto Cycle Union of Australia as well as a member of the national promoters body.

Duncan was named TMCC Clubman of the Year in 1971-72 and again in 1972-73.

In July 1981 he was made a life member of the TMCC in recognition of his services to the club and in 1984 he was awarded the Commissioner of Police Trophy for services  to motor cycling safety.

Although not able to compete himself, Duncan was involved in the building of a sidecar outfit which was raced by Steve Sheldrick and Terry Powell and then commissioned the building of an Urquhart chassis which carried Ross Allison and David Lambert to a national title at Bathurst.

Sadly Duncan’s health deteriorated and he passed away in 1986, sadly at the age of only 39.

In researching this profile it was patently obvious Duncan had crammed a lot into his four decades of life and was held in the highest regard by all who knew him and there is no question that he is a worthy inductee to the Tasmanian Motor Sport Hall of Fame.

Written by Barry Oliver