Village Squire, 1979-01, Page 7man-made lake adds beauty to the landscape at Hully Gully.
financing. With that they had to lay down specific plans to
provide cash flow and increased revenues. Still, though the
chalet was completed for the 1972-73 season, the company. by
now incorporated under the name Hully Gully was still plagued
by the problem many small businesses face: underfinancing.
What was needed was a really good winter.
That really good winter didn't come. Who would believe after
the disastrous winter of 1971 that Huron county could go through
two successive winters with little snow. But it did. What success
the company did have was based to a large extent on Randy's
ability to sell, not only to his customers but also to suppliers.
That and.the fact that he was brimming with confidence (perhaps
too much he now thinks) led him into being the franchise dealer
for no less than three different brands of snowmobiles.
Customers would walk into the showroom and see more
snowmobiles than they'd ever seen before, he says. He shakes
his head wondering how he was ever able to get enough credit
for the machines.
It was a living case of "What Makes Sammy Run" in those
days. All kinds of dreams and schemes were used to keep money
flowing through the cash register. In the winter there were
snowmobile races. Every year the oval track was improved until
when racing was halted, they had one of the best tracks in the
province.
In the summer. when things were usually quiet in the
snowmobile business he introduced drag racing on grass with
snowmobiles. It succeeded in keeping people around. On one
Sunday afternoon more than 1500 people showed up to watch.
Usually the crowds weren't that large but it did keep traffic
around the place in the summer. It also won Hully Gully
publicity. including a feature in the Toronto Globe and Mail. The
racing continued from 1972 to 1976 when it became too
expensive to continue.
At one time the Collins decided that one of the things they had
to cb was race themselves. They travelled to various snowmobile
races in the winter. racing nearly every weekend. Audrey. Randy
recalls. won nearly everything she took part in. Randy. riding a
small machine wasn't overly successful. He jokes that it took all
her winnings to pay his entry fees. Still, he says. their activities
helped publicize Hully Gully.
Trying to get cash flow in the summer also led to branching
into other areas. Lawn and garden equipment was added and
then Randy sold himself as a dealer to Kawasaki for motor
cycles. In June of 1973 on a trip to Quebec he heard about the
exciting sport of motocross racing. motorcycle racing over rough
terrain that tries the courage and stamina of the diver and the
strength of his machine. He became interested and in August
organized a race with the London Road Runners Motorcycle club.
It was the race that wasn't sanctioned by the motorcycle
associations. something frowned on. But in September he had
another race sponsored by Molson's breweries that was
FLORIDA
MID TERM BREAK - MARCH 17-25, 1979
FEATURING
Best Western Properties Throughout
COST OF TOUR: Triple Occupancy: $336.00 per person of
Twin Occupancy: $346.00 per person
Single Occupancy: $446.00 per person
INCLUDES:
• Transportation in a modern touring coach.
• Accommodation for eight nights.
• Porterage of one reasonable sized case per person.
• Labels, ticket wallet and overnight bag.
• Tax and service charges on pre booked services.
• Services of a tour guide throughout.
THE COACH HOUSE TRAVEL SERVICE
59 HAMILTON ST.
GODERICH
524-8366 From area code 519 dial 1-800-265-4260
4 Village Squire, January 1979