Chasing Our Past - Restoring the spencer motorcycle

Join Senior Curator, Jennifer High and hear the story of David Spencer and the restoration of one of the earliest vehicles in Australia, now on display at The Workshops Rail Museum. Spencer lived in Ipswich during the early 1900s and manufactured a number of innovative motorcycles.

Motorcycle parts made by David Spencer (b.1870, d.1958) were donated to Queensland Museum in 1998. Spencer lived in Ipswich during the early 1900s and worked at the Ipswich Railway Workshops for a time. He manufactured a number of motorcycles and was a founding member of the Queensland Motor Cycle Club. The Historical Motor Cycle Club of Queensland approached Queensland Museum in 2019 hoping to restore the parts as a complete motorcycle. The resulting ‘Spencer Project’ has highlighted the significance of Spencer’s work and the innovative design of his motorcycles.

BIO: Jennifer High works as the Senior Curator of Transport and Energy for Queensland Museum Network and is based at The Workshops Rail Museum. Jennifer has experience working across a variety of transport histories and has held roles at National Museum of Australia, the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach.

Registration essential.

Image courtesy of Queensland Museum. Restored motorcycle from parts made by David Spencer, preserved in the collection of Queensland Museum, currently on display at The Workshops Rail Museum.

This event is presented by Ipswich Libraries as part of Galvanized – A Festival of Heritage.