I have a bit of a self-imposed rule that generally I don’t comment publicly on things going on in a government department that I was once responsible for.

It can be a bit frustrating at times, but in life change happens, things are done differently and hopefully for the best as far as those now responsible see it.

As there aren’t, at the time of writing, department members I thought I would have a look back at a few memories from my time as chair of the TT organisation between 1996 and 2006.

It was a perfect fit as far as my interests lie and I hope during my time my contributions enhanced the events.

I self-titled myself the ’Minister of Fun’, something that brought attention to the role and I hope broke down barriers in terms of what we were trying to do as a department.

I had a ’can do’ Chief Executive, Terry Toohey, who brought a great deal of experience to the role from Durban in South Africa where he had been involved in a number of high-profile events in particular the Durban tattoo. This organisational ability served us very well.

If I am going to be a little critical of those in senior roles these days both political and officer there is something of a risk averse culture.

In life not everything will go right but as long as you are honest and communicate the people generally understand.

If you don’t take any risks you may feel comfortable but progress will be limited and opportunities will be missed.

Terry had the idea of street parties in Douglas during TT.

We organised motor-based entertainment including stunt bikes, kart racing and other variations including a jet car which was very exciting.

We had music and street entertainment that was cutting edge at the time and which suited the audience.

One of the philosophies was to put on organised fun to try and encourage a carnival atmosphere that the fans would enjoy.

We had a number of locations including Douglas quayside, Strathallan at the far end of the promenade but the most successful was the Loch Promenade area from the Sea Terminal over towards Regent Street and beyond.

More recently the concentration of activities has been around the TT Grandstand area, in the pits and behind.

Sometimes this has extended into Noble’s Park for special events.

It was good to see in the grounds of the Villa Marina the Bushy’s TT village bringing live music, entertainment and various food offerings to that part of Douglas which is convenient for lots of the fans and locals.

One element which divides opinion is the siting of the fun fair on the promenade walkway.

It was held previously in Noble’s Park but has been on the promenade for some years now.

People say what has a fair got to do with bikers? Well the logic is that with the numbers attending TT it will appeal to some and the fair would not be viable at any other time with our population numbers so the local young people who enjoy it would miss out.

For me it adds colour to Douglas Promenade and like all things you can choose what you want or don’t want to do.

The old myth that the government pay the fair to come over is without foundation.

Things weren’t always easy. The then President of the FIM, Francesco Zerbi, made public statements that the TT should be limited to historic events and parades rather than racing.

This sent shock waves around the road racing world and I was despatched to the World FIM Congress to put our case forward.

The substance of which was that after the TT lost its World Championship status in the early 1970s no rider was forced to race on the Mountain Course.

They did so out of personal choice and in full knowledge of the dangers.

People around the world want to experience challenges and for a motorcycle road racer this is the ultimate experience.

I invited the president to join us at the next TT which he did and he was thrilled to witness everything about the event.

The races were not curtailed and continue to attract an audience world wide.

We also put on music acts in conjunction with promoters both inside and in the Villa gardens.

These included Van Morrison, the Fun Lovin Criminals, Cast, Reef, Republica and others some of these were at TT time and again added a further element of fun to the proceedings.

I met Van Morrison and we spoke briefly just before he went on stage, one of only a very few who did.

He is perhaps a little introverted but his personality is expressed via his music.

The concert was in honour of Joey Dunlop who was also somewhat reserved but he did his talking in style on any racing motorcycle.

The motorcycle family world wide were shocked when we heard about the loss of Joey in Estonia in 2000.

Weeks before he had famously taken three victories at the TT including on the big machine.

We had invited UK Sports Minister Kate Hoey MP to join us and she was delighted to place the Laurel wreath of victory on Joey.

A civil servant once said to me ’It’s not all fun Minister!’ and he was right.

There were two things I had to constantly battle with.

Firstly the rumour that the races would cease with the Centenary events in 2007 and secondly that the TT was not financially viable.

Tell that to the small businesses owner who, in my opinion, is sometimes over-dependent on the TT revenue.

The most difficult time for me was the loss of David Jefferies in 2003.

I knew him well and had worked alongside him. He was at the top of his game in the sport and like Joey was deemed invincible. This is never the case. There was much dispute in the aftermath of the tragedy between some riders, fans, organisers and volunteers.

One of the reasons the organisation under my chairmanship got through that time was the support of DJ’s uncle, Nick Jefferies, who like his dad Allan had close family connections with the sport over many years.

In the time that followed I had to make difficult decisions about the future.

There was extensive consultation with riders, teams, volunteers and fans in fact anyone who had a view was listened to.

The organisation was revitalised with a young team to take things forward.

The classes were reorganised and additional measures put in place to improve safety. Motorcycle road racing by its nature is never going to be ’safe’ but we must always adopt improved safety measures wherever possible.

Although that was a painful time it was work that was necessary and continues to this day.

We must never be complacent and nothing stands still. But it is without question that the quality of the competitors, the excitement of the racing, the commitment of everyone who plays a part ensures that the TT races continue to attract new generations of fans worldwide.

l If you would like to contact me, email [email protected]