The late Rowland Mulliner of Heaton Mersey joined the Manchester 17 MCC in 1952 when he was 21. He befriended Harold Dutton, now 88, who joined in 1949 when the Club was based at Wellington House, Heaton Chapel.
Harold was to become Rowland’s Best Man and Shirley Mulliner tells me that Rowland was more interested in discovering Dave Bickers at their honeymoon hotel in Shrewsbury than he was in her !
Rowland once took Shirley to an ordinary-looking field near Wincle to show her where he had competed in a grass-track, and they visited all the northern road-race circuits - Rowland eventually marshalling at Oulton Park in 1954. Shirley still has an ACU award Rowland won that year in an overnight rally which ended in Rhyl.
Sadly, Rowland died in 2003 but Shirley, Harold and Gladys Dutton remain the best of friends.
We have invited the Duttons to the Anniversary and Shirley has offered us a 1939 copy of Motor Cycle Magazine (cover price 3d) which I think we will auction for charity on the night.