“An avenue of cyclists was formed, and amid the cheers of the crowd Salomons - for it was he - rode past the winning post at 57min. The Daily News gave this account of his arrival at the finish line on the road opposite the Windsor Hotel in South Perth: He competed in the Beverley to Perth Road Race a number of times, winning the 1903 edition off a 30 minute handicap. Although unappreciated by the police, Norman’s talent for furious riding was put to good effect in the many cycle races he entered as a young man. Later that same year 11 year old Norm showed early promise behind bars he and Barber Nicholls were convicted of “furious riding”, an offence dastardly enough to attract a fine of 10 shillings (plus costs). The family emigrated to Australia from London on the SS Orizaba, arriving in Albany in early 1891. Norman Salomons was born in 1880 in New Jersey USA, the youngest of Herman and Rose Salomons’ four children. He became the third cyclist to cross the Nullarbor Plain, and the first to ride from Fremantle to Adelaide. Six months later he set off for the east coast on his Rover bicycle.
Scotchie never contestd the Beverley again. Beck, brother in law to the race promoter and manager of Armstrong’s Menzies store. On race day a large crowd gathered in front of Armstrong's in Hay Street, eagerly devouring the contents of the telegrams which were frequently posted up announcing the performances of the riders as they passed through York, Northam, and Newcastle (now Toodyay). The inaugural Beverley to Perth, arranged by Percy Armstrong, of the Rover Cycling Agency, was contested by 14 riders, Scotchie among them. After arriving in Perth in 1895 he joined the WA Cycling Club. His 1894 100 mile record for Melbourne to Tallarook and return remains unchallenged to this day. Scotchie Wright was a committed and competitive rider from a young age. Over time JHW became known as Harry or Scotchie, a nod to his heritage and accent. How many nicknames does a person need? Born in Kent to Scottish parents John Hendry Wright, aged 7, sailed to Melbourne with his family in 1883. Up with the lark on Sunday morning, after a hurried examination of machines, we went off on a wild scorch - Armstrong and Wright on a Rover tandem, Hillman on a single, and ourselves on an Acme tandem. The time was passed listening to hairbreadth escapes from dingoes and pet lambs by the versatile P.W.A. To their surprise the race promoter, Percy Armstrong, and his companions, Hillman and ‘Scotchie’ Wright were also onboard Their intention - to ride and inspect the course of Australia's newest and longest endurance cycle race. He was accompanied by a riding companion, also unnamed, and a tandem bike. On Saturday September the 18th 1897, one week before the inaugural Beverley to Perth Road Race, an unnamed journalist with Perth’s Sunday Chronicle took a train trip to Beverley in WA’s nascent inner wheatbelt.
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