Vale Bertrand 'Le Frog' Cadart

Bertrand 'Le Frog' Cadart died yesterday (Friday, April 10), just a couple of weeks shy of what would have been his 72nd birthday.

A stalwart of the Australian motorcycle scene, Bertrand was born in northern France and enlisted with the French Marines at age 19. He spent most of his time in the military stationed in the South Pacific, and when he reached Australian shores in 1972 it was with a BMW R69S he'd purchased from gendarmes in New Caledonia. Bertrand instantly warmed to the Australian lifestyle and decided to stay.

Bertrand became renowned in Australia for his custom motorcycle fairings, sold here through his La Parisienne brand and marketed with his unique 'frog' logo. In age where factory motorcycle fairings were a rarity, Bertrand's products found widespread acceptance among Australia's touring fraternity, and were produced for a wide range of motorcycles.

In fact, it was that renown that led to Bertrand helping Mad Max director George Miller, by transforming the motorcycles used in the iconic 1979 film into suitably post-apocalyptic steeds.

Bertrand even ended up with an acting role in the flick – he played Clunk, a character with a, shall we say, less than razor-sharp intellect, who was part of Toecutter's gang of highway villains.

In 1981 Bertrand went on to become the sole Australian importer and distributor of Fournales motorcycle air shock absorbers, which found their way onto countless Harley-Davidson models in particular.

At its zenith the business employed over 20 people at its Melbourne base and even after Bertrand followed a romantic interest to Bicheno, Tasmania, he continued running the enterprise, repairing and refreshing older Fournales units from his backyard tram-car workshop.

Bertrand soon became a part of the social fabric in Bicheno, going on to become Mayor of Glamorgan Spring Bay Council in 2007. His fame spread in the role when he chose to forego the usual four-wheeled forms of mayoral transport in favour of a more eco-friendly Honda Silverwing scooter. The scooter was originally loaned to Bertrand by Honda Australia, but he liked it so much he decided to buy it.

Bertrand was both pivotal and a pioneer in marketing the region as a motorcycle-friendly destination, an ethos which continues to this day. In fact, he was awarded with the insignia of a Knight of the National Order of Merit for his community work by the French government – one of just 18 French citizens living outside of France to receive such recognition.

On retiring Bertrand moved to Queensland's Sunshine Coast in 2018 and then became more involved with the Liberal Democrats, but he left an indelible impression on the Bicheno community he'd served so well. His Honda Silverwing is still displayed by the local East Coast Heritage Museum in Swansea, along with the boots he wore as Clunk in Mad Max.

Following a terminal cancer diagnosis, Bertrand commissioned the building of a Ferrari-red cardboard coffin, which he kept in Sunshine Coast hinterland home.

"Sometimes I watch TV and I walk by my coffin and I tap it on my way to the dunny and I say, 'Not quite yet, mate, not quite yet!'" he told ABC News late last year.

Bertrand finally lost his fight with cancer on Friday, April 10, leaving the motorcycle community and indeed the wider world all the poorer for his passing.

Bikesales extends its sympathies to Bertrand's family and many friends.