Hampton run - American Day - Concours
Croatian crawl
The Vintage Car Club of Queensland Inc.Queensland’s original and oldest historic motoring club. Founded 1955
see what's to come under
events:
Preserving Queensland's Motoring Heritage
Issue no. 354 May 2014
President'sRally
10-15 April
“Presidential”edition
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THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF QUEENSLAND Inc.MeetingsMeetings are held at 8pm on the third Friday of each month at the VCCAQ Clubrooms,1376 Old Cleveland Rd., Carindale QLD 4152. The Club’s well-stocked Library is openbefore and after the meeting and a pre-meeting BYO everything BBQ is usually enjoyedby a number of our members.
OFFICE BEARERS 2013-2014
PRESIDENTDoug Young 0418 719 430 [email protected] Corbett 3511 0818 [email protected] TREASURERDavid Fletcher 3376 1361 [email protected] Greg Berkman 3378 5030Ronnie Brown 0419 702 329 [email protected] Jak Guyomar 3390 3354 [email protected] Hawthorne 3358 4367 [email protected] McMillan 0412 303 477 [email protected] Monckton 3366 7743 [email protected] Chris Pike 3821 1631 [email protected] EVENTSRonnie Brown 0419 702 329 [email protected]
QUEENSLAND HISTORIC MOTORING COUNCILChris Pike 3821 1631 [email protected]
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTChris Pike 3821 1631 [email protected]
EDITORBrian McMillan 0412 303 477 [email protected]
LIBRARYDuncan McPhee 3374 1404
REGISTRARRob Gabb 3286 4417 [email protected]
VEHICLE DATINGContact the Secretary
CORRESPONDENCEUnless otherwise requested, please address all written correspondence to:
The SecretaryThe Vintage Car Club of Queensland Inc. 1376 Old Cleveland Road Carindale QLD 4152
You can also email the club:
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SENDING MONEY TO THE CLUB
Cheques should be made out to The Vintage Car Club of Queensland Inc., and posted tothe Treasurer at the Club’s postal address (above), unless otherwise requested.
Direct Deposit: Payments are easier and faster using Internet direct deposit. Our details are:Account Name: Vintage Car Club of Queensland Inc.BSB: 484-799 Account No: 001424831
It is MOST important that you include your surname and a brief description of the natureof the payment (e.g. Smith subscription, or Jones Xmas lunch).
VCCQ ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Here’s an update on things you should know about the Club. We now have:
A Website - Access via http://carclubs.shannons.com.au/vccq or Shannons/CarClubs/VCCQ/more info. See under “Club News” for latest updates.
An email address - [email protected] All committee members have accessto the mailbox.
A Gmail Calendar - The Calendar lists all interesting motoring events not just VCCQevents. Full access can be given to anyone with a gmail address and a gmail calendar.For a quick link to view the Calendar see: https://www.google.com/calendar/b/1/render?tab=mc
A list of all books in the Club Library - Send the Club an email requesting a copy ofthis list. - Members only.
A Member's Directory - Listing all financial Members as of August 31 2013. See Secretaryfor a copy. A Member's Register is also maintained detailing members vehicles. A copy iskept for viewing in the Club Library. Lapel Name Badges - These are given free to all newmembers. Existing members can get new ones from the Secretary at a cost of $5
Members gathered for morning tea at the Innes ruins south of Port Macquarie.
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VCCQ CALENDAR OF EVENTS – MAY 2014
DATES Club & Invitation Events ContactsMay 16 General Meeting and Spanish Dinner Jennie Ransom
May 17-18 Crows Nest, Hampton run Ronnie BrownMay 24 Boules at Dayboro Peter Ransom
Events in Italics are for other Clubs
VCCQ CALENDAR OF EVENTS – 2014January Virgin's Brekki 19th Allora 25-26th
February Brekki Mt Coot-tha 16th Memorial run 23rd All Hallows Museum 26th
March Ipswich VVCC 40th Anniversary Rally
April Presidents Rally South with Alvis Club 10-15th QHMC NQ Rally Townsville 18-21st
May Boules 24th Crows Nest, Hampton 17-18th Macleans Bridge at Mt Gravatt 18th
June Hurst Event 1st QHMC SQ Rally 7-9th Redcliffe. American Day 15th VCCQ Concours 29th
July RACQ Motorfest 13th Palmer Museum/Noosa 26-27th
August Ekka Day to Mt Alford 13th AGM 15th President's Dinner 23rd
September VSCC 70th VMC 60th All British 21st Cambooya Run 27-28th
October Dayboro 8th Alpine Rally to Stanthorpe 25-26th
November Local mid week run 19th Boonah Vue Motel 29-30th QVVA 50th Anniversary
December Christmas Dinner meeting 19th Boxing Day run 26th
Events in Italics are for other Clubs
Bruce Jorss, Janet Walker and Gaye Dixon enjoying pre dinner drinks in Armidale.
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MINUTES OF GENERAL MEETINGHeld in the Veteran Car Club’s Rooms at Carindale
Minutes of General Meeting No. 69518th April 2014
Venue: Veteran Car Club Rooms, Carindale
As 18th April was Good Friday the Committee elected not to have a formal meeting, accordingly no business was discussed and no minutes were taken. In lieu of the meeting the usual dinner was enjoyed by those who attended, followed by a delightful supper provided by Katrina and David Monckton.
Those present are as noted in the attendance book. An apology was received from Duncan McPhee who was de-stressing over the Easter break in his villa on Stradbroke Island. Doug Young welcomed visitors Roger Payne from Canberra, Sheila McMillan and Lesley Boulton.
Jan Gabb took home the raffle prize which was a bottle of Champagne and an enormous Easter egg.
Ronnie Brown, our super excellent (Vauxhall owners please note) rally director, reminded everyone that the next club events will be:
The Spanish Night, 16th May, cost $10 per head, details in April and May magazines. The Hampton Rally, 17th & 18th May, details in April magazine.Boules, 24th May, details in April and May magazine.Concours at Ormiston House, 29th June
Following supper a series of slides was shown of the recent Port Macquarie Rally courtesyof Brian McMillan.The next General Meeting; 16th May 2014 which is also the Spanish Night.
Royalty outside the Gostwick Chapel near Uralla.
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EDITOR'S REPORT - Brian McMillan
Apologies for not answering messages, emails etc.but I have been riding my chook chaser toAdelaide to see the 3 bears – Mamo bear, WangWang bear and Funi bear. It was a great rideexcept for the run home via Mildura, Dubbo andGoondiwindi when we ran into freezing rain and 40knot westerlies for most of the way home. All up5521km in 2 weeks.
ROAD SIGNS,Following my rant in the April Mag about roadsigns it seems like Victoria is not immune tostupid and unnecessary signs as well. One read“Tailgating – Keep a 3 second gap”. No mention ofminimum, just a 3 second gap. How do you overtake a car if we all keep to thisrequirement. The minute you go around the car in front you and drop back into the lineyou are all at a 1 second gap. While it is acceptable to use the min 3 sec. gap in peakhour traffic, out on an open country road it is much better to travel at at least twice thisgap. Everyone is safer and less stressed and you get from A to B in exactly the sametime.I saw a classic example of this on the Cunningham Hwy near Warrill View on my wayhome on the Sunday morning. Two Rollers and a Bentley passed me going in theopposite direction, all at a decent gap. As I crested the next hill I saw before me a longline of traffic headed by three more Rollers travelling near the speed limit and with thedreaded 3 second gap. Car number 4 would need a very long stretch to jump 3 vehiclesin one go and with the amount of traffic on this single lane stretch he would be stuck inthe procession until the next divided section. Cars behind him would have no chance.The Rolls Club are not the only offenders.
I could not resiststopping to take apic of this one onthe road up MtHotham. Thesesigns are not to befound in the“Smart State” but,judging by all thedents in theArmco they arerequired forMexicans.
Sign reads“Keep right ofpoles”
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EVENTS AND COVER PIC.April had only the one VCCQ event. But what a ONE. President Doug, in conjunction withHeather Goldsmith from the Alvis Car Club in NSW, put together a 6 day extravaganzawhich took us south to Port Macquarie. Thanks Doug and Heather for such a beaut event– we all had a ball except for the Walkers who had their beautiful Alvis badly smashedwhen a car pulled out of a servo in front of them on the highway. Fortunately no one wasseriously hurt.This month we have the Spanish night. Hampton rally and Boules. June will be full onwith Tery Hurst's Charity event, the American Day and our great Concours. More detailselsewhere.
CONCOURS.Once again David Fryer has produced a magnificent flyer, at absolutely no cost to theclub, for this event. Be sure to come along as it will be a beauty. Period costumes andTHE Jazz band playing from 10.30am. Flyer for sale at Concours. Please return trophies.
SIVS sh*t.Chris has written a precis of the latest happenings. See p10. As far as I see it we aresmothered under a huge mantle of much younger clubs all bent on getting the bestoutcome for themselves. I like to think our club is much more focused on preserving thehistory along with the cars for future generations. I think we should have laws whichencourage us in achieving this outcome. We should have much more liberal rules indetermining how we do the very few miles which most of our cars cover.
60th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF VCCQ.The committee is having a meeting later this month to work out how we are going tocelebrate our 60 glorious years. We are open to ideas from all members before then.
BIRKERS RANT.Greg's letter last month certainly caused a reaction and got quite a few membersthinking about our financial situation. As a result of it some members approached me tohave their printed mag stopped. All this helps our financial position and takes thepressure of our need to up the fees substantially. Most of you probably don't rememberthat a few years back we dropped the fees by $10 because of the savings in emailing outthe Mag. Now, because of rising other costs, the committee decided to put them back upby $10.Fees are due by the end of June for our 60th year and are $50 for email membersand $60 for snail mail members.
BUGATTI RALLY.The Big Bug rally from the deep south got as far north as Canungra. A few of ourmembers managed to join them there for lunch and reported that there were some greatcars present. Unfortunately I was away and I have not received any report or pics toverify the story.
PAUL REED'S BIKES.Brian,I thought I should correct a small error in the last issue, concerning the sale of my bikes.I did not sell all my bikes to John Lennon, just the ex-Tony Batros AJS which was modified for speedway by P&R Williams about 1928. The other bikes found new homes asfollows:The road-going version of the above machine went to John Wellings of Ipswich.
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The veteran Spencer, made in Brisbane, went to the Motorlife Museum in Kembla Grange,near Wollongong.
The ex-Eric Langton TT/DT Douglas went to Graeme Gullick in Tasmania.The ex-Bill Ewing 1928 ES2 Norton went to Dave Dettmar of Toowong.My R69S BMW and sidecar remains in Stanthorpe in the hands of local BMW enthusiast Brad Wiseman.I have retained only my 1925 TT Sunbeam, to be held in trust for my son Mark, who currently resides in Peru.I am very pleased to have found worthy homes for all these machines.Paul Reed.
AMILCAR.Joe Wilson has sold the Amilcar to Geoff Scott from Victoriawho came up last week and trailered it home. As per usual,nothing happened for a month before Joe ended up with fourkeen buyers.
OLD TIME SPEEDWAY.Tony Webb told me about a facebook site which started inFebruary and dedicated to old time speedway racing.This group is dedicated to the sport's start in Australia andthe USA circa 1923 to 1990 and its arrival in Britain in 1928.It also covers board and dirt track racing, sidecar racing,grass track racing, long-track racing, FIM Ice Racing, indoorice speedway, midget car racing and cycle speedway.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/oldtimespeedway/
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CALDWELL VALE.I found this article from the Commercial and Historic vehicle mag interesting. I did not realise that they built a car. Reg Schuster has one of the monster trucks.
AUTOVIA.I received the following note from Tom King following the article on the Autovia car.
Many thanks for that Brian....what a good publication!I won't be the only one to point out a little point about the Autovia Special, I am sure. The engine Neal had was a Riley V8 of 2.2 litres, 9 h.p. bore and stroke of 60.3 and 95.2mm) which had been bought by the Downing family.The Autovia engine was based on 12/4 Riley (but with an odd stroke of 95.2mm) bore of 69mm for a 2849cc capacity.Rileys were never straightforward....Cheers, Tom King.I also ran into Rob Rowe on the Port Mac rally. He tells me that he has the Brandt engine in his workshop ready for restoration. He will send me some pics and a story for a future mag.
FORBES CAR MUSEUM.On my recent ride I visited the Birdwood Motor Museumand the Forbes Motor Museum which is owned and runby Bill and Jan McFeeters. Bill gave us an escorted tourof this very impressive museum. I will add a few pics atthe end of the mag if there is space. Certainly wellworth a stop if you are down that way. The NationalMorris Rally had been held in Forbes the week before.
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SIVS STUFF – Chris Pike.
In the March edition of the Vintage Car, I expressed my views about our illustrious QHMC, being out of touch with the pre war motoring movement,
The special interest vehicle scheme was recently reviewed for a second time within 10 years with most of the agitation coming from those clubs which cater for post WW2 cars, Datsuns, Ford Mustangs,etc. The result was that the majority of clubs wanted to retain the “old scheme”.
On 6/3/14 there was a meeting between TMR (the gubbermin) and representatives of CAMS, Street Rod Fedn., MG Car Club, Mustang Owners Club, QHMC, and the QMSC.
The vote was overwhelmingly in favour of keeping the existing system
The option to “buy’ extra days was left open: there have to be at least 5,000 persons using the scheme for it to be viable. In my view the cost was excessive.
I suspect that many motoring enthusiasts were terrified of what the cost of a change would be…keeping in mind that the state “gubbermin” claims to be skint, and so they voted for the devil they knew.
The scheme is reasonable, and allows you to use your “S” plated car, bike or truck as follows:-
Road testing - a radius of 15 km from the normal place of garaging of the car.
Taking the car to and from a repairer when repairs are required.
Attending family events, such as weddings and funerals etc for immediate members of your family. This does not extend to uncles, nieces, nephews or your 42nd cousin, as the powers that be feel that such people are too far removed from your immediate family.
Club events, provided that they are published in your club's newsletter.This also includes invitation events run by other clubs, including Motorfest,etc
Some charity events.
Towing a trailer to events.
The average person uses their car probably once or twice a month, for club events, so why do some people want a 90 day unlimited use of their pride and joy? Drive to the shop? Wear out your car?. They will probably get sick of using it after a year or so.Or are they just being perverse, and want more than they can use?Any one really wanting more use can “bend the rules”For instance one club I know of designated every second weekend as a hub run to…….. Drive to an area , have a look around, have lunch and drive home via…?in your old car.The directions are purposely vague.
If you want a short run, road test the car. First fiddle with something under the bonnet, and of course you have to drive it to ensure the ‘repair” works.
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You can also road test a car, just to keep it running, you know, fresh petrol, keep the brakes moving, battery charged etc.It's just a case of using your common sense, and knowing how to use the parameters of the scheme.
In this way you can get quite a lot of use out of your car and still stay within the SIVS guidelines.
It would be nice to use the car to go on a non club picnic or to some similar activity, that is not a club event. But… do so at your own risk.
As I understand it, the existing use is here to stay, because it is too much trouble for the DTMR to change it.
If you want more use; put your car on ‘open rego’ or join several clubs.
In my view the SIVS cost of registration is excessive. For the limited use of ‘real’ old cars.One wonders how countries like New Zealand and the UK manage to operate at a lower cost with greater use for old cars.
Happy motoringChris PikeQHMC delegate
DINNER MEETING.There is another of our fabulous ladies fabulous dinners coming up THIS WEEK. Come along and help make it a roaring success. RESERVE A PLACE NOW.
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EVENTS REPORT – Ronnie BrownApologies to our esteemed President!!In last month’s report I failed to mention thatDoug’s 1955 Jaguar XK 140 won the Historicsection of the Ipswich Veteran & Vintage VehicleClub’s 40th Anniversary People’s Choice Award. Ifear I shall no longer be your Events Queen havingbeen seriously demoted to serfdom as a result ofmy omission!! Afterwards Doug admitted his carreceived a large ladies’ vote – what is it Brian saysabout his Aston being a “chick puller” or was it“chuck puller?!!”
WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSEDThe President's “ List To Port Rally” – A jointrally with the Alvis Car Club of NSW – April10th to 15th
Heather Goldsmith, the President of ACCNSW &Doug won huge accolades for the organisation ofsuch an action packed 6 days. Their choice of venues, research into the most interesting places to visit, whilst taking into consideration the needs of various aged vehicles, as wellas the diverse requirements of their owners, could not be faulted. From Maryborough, the Sunshine Coast to Lismore and south of Sydney, Veteran, Vintage & Classic vehicles arrived to share the comradeship which driving our old cars brings.The weather could not have been kinder, with Cyclone Ita off the coast & both Brisbane & Sydney experiencing heavy rain & showers, we basked in gorgeous sunshine and top-down motoring. It was great to have time to explore some of the beautiful headlands, coves, lighthouses and ruins of an historic area in our nation’s history. We visited the Clunes Innes mansion, outside of Port Macquarie, where a fire in 1905 had finally put thecrumbling ruins to rest, the bricks having been made & fired on the site. We were given an informative talk by a lady from Nat. Parks & Wildlife about the way of life in these colonial times, the reasons for the choice of site as well as the contribution the family made to the development of Australia in the early to mid 1800s. In sharp contrast, I was particularly struck by the ruinswe visited later of the Trial Bay Goal, on the mid northcoast. They are still standing, as solid as the day theywere hewn out of the granite rock, when the convictswere attempting to make a breakwater behind aheadland which might act as a harbour half waybetween Sydney & Brisbane. Their way of life wasportrayed by mannequins in their cells, in sharpcontrast to their colonial masters not far away in PortMacquarie.There were highs and lows on the trip, the sadspectacle of Ross & Janet Walker’s beautiful Alvis 4.3litre, trying to avoid a modern car which pulled out of agarage turning on a very straight stretch of the NewEngland Highway. Ross tried to avoid the collision butthe car driver braked & the Alvis driver’s side wasbadly smashed. As Janet joked afterwards “my side isalright!!” Fortunately no-one was killed but Janet suffered someserious bruising. We were all very shaken & send our
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best wishes to a very brave couple who continued with the Rally in a hire vehicle!! They breed them tough in Queensland or maybe that should be New Zealand!!!The highlights were a return visit to Gostwick Chapel where my favourite photo of my TC 21/100DHC was taken on our last visit. This time we took a photo with the hood up and using Brian’s GPS took off to join the others at Walcha. It was not long before we realised the dirt roadwe were taking was leading us back to Armidale, in the opposite direction to the requiredroute!! Turning round to retrace our path, we saw a man playing the bagpipes by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere!! We stopped to bid him “Gu’d Day” and Brian asked him to play us a tune!! To our sheer amazement he played ”Amazing Grace”, Grace being the name given to my car by the wife of the garage owner who fitted the exhaust system!! She saw the Alvis on the hoist in their garage & told John that the car was pure GRACE. The Alvis motto being ” Speed with Grace” - the name stuck !!! A memory to treasure for sure!! On arriving back in Brisbane, after 6 days of great motoring, Brian exclaimed as he drove Grace into my garage “Now I know why you call her Amazing Grace!!”The drive down the Oxley Highway to Port Macquarie was exhilarating, particularly in an Alvis 3 litre with NO power steering & large turning circle – some of the corners were very tight. A welcome stop at the Kindee Suspension Bridge ( the Oldest in Australia ) and on to the pub at Long Flat for lunch. One of the local gentleman leapt to his feet to open my passenger door as we parked right outside- Brian was driving – felt like my Royal status had been restored!!!Sails Resort at Port Macquarie was our home for the next 3 days and we met with friends
from the Alvis Car Club of NSW. Thecentral location, right on the water made it an ideal place from which toexplore the surrounding area – Douglas Vale Homestead & Vineyard put on lunch & a tour of the old house – excellent wine & Port to be tasted & purchased on site. A visit tothe Maritime Museum showed the history of the Port, exporting timber in the early days of sailing ships & the tragic consequences of a lee shore. The sunset cruise turned out to be an outing in the dark, as due to unforeseen circumstances we were late in leaving the Marina, a disappointment for all, including the organisers. However we made up for
it by enjoying each other’s company over a bottle or two, on the balcony overlooking the harbour lights. The following morning it was my turn to drive, my co-driver feeling somewhat fragile and with the top down & company all day in the back seat, we enjoyed classic car motoring at its best. One could almost imagine we were in Queensland, the weather being so perfect!! All the cars had been invited to take part in the Kendall Heritage Week, marking the 90th anniversary celebrations of the first train journey to Kendall, south of Port Macquarie. The scenic drive organised by Doug & Heather suited motoring for all our vehicles, Lake Innes and the Ruins, Tacking Point Light House, Camden Point Pilot Station being some of the vantage points en route back to Sails . Dinner at night was a fun & yet sad affair as we knew we were saying good-bye to our ACCNSW friends – until the next time.
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Full marks to Heather Goldsmith & Doug Young for Rally Organisation, there was much research & work went into this Rally and all of it was well appreciated by those who took part!The journey back to Brisbane was far from an anti-climax as we visited wonderful places en route to Opal Cove Resort. My favourite was the Smoky Cape Lighthouse SW Rocks, where the old lighthouse keepers’ cottages are to rent for holidays, spectacular views north & south but the Trial Bay Gaol, mentioned earlier was well worth a visit. The following morning, there were more farewells to the Sunshine Coast participants, who made an early start, Doug, Roger, Brian and I took a more leisurely route through Nana Glen and up Summerland Way, beautiful green countryside & again perfect motoring, stopping for the best burger & chips in Casino.I really hope the VCCQ 60th Anniversary Rally is as successful but then it is up to ALL of us to make it so!!Coming Up!!MAYMay 16th Special Spanish Food Night.The team which brought you Curry & Italian Nights last year is catering for a social evening, starting at 6.30pm and prior to the ordinary Club meeting on May 16th. Cost is $10.00 each with prior booking essential. BYO plates, cutlery, wine and glasses. Sangria will be served with the meal.Please see flyer for more details as well as Menu.May 17th & 18th Crows Nest via Hampton This is the weekend of the Hampton Festival www.hamptonfestival.com/news-mediaWe plan to leave from Mt. Crosby – Colleges Crossing at 8 am, on Saturday morning, passing Blacksoil Gas Station where some may prefer to join us. Rally packs will be given out there. Major road works are at the Esk turnoff so there will be a short drive on the Warrego Highway before leaving for quiet back roads, hopefully arriving in Hampton about 10 am if not before. In Hampton, the Queensland Auto Museum is open from 10amuntil 3 pm with entry cost of $10.00. www.queenslandautomuseum.com.au There is a café on the premises, where morning tea is available. A pleasant country drive to Crows Nest 5 km up the road. There are many options for lunch, the Crows Nest National Park has a lovely picnic spot off 3 Mile Road (6 km from the main road); for those who prefer, there are many cafes & take aways in Crows Nest itself. Several participants have been accommodated at the Crows Nest Tourist Park. Due to an influx of people for the Festival,I have booked cabins for our group, all of which have been taken. Some members have booked into the Motel opposite & some into the pub, the Grand Old Crow Pub, in Crows Nest itself. Saturday night dinner is at the Grand Old Crow new dining room, where I have reserved 20 places. As I already have 18 takers, please contact Ronnie asap for one of these bookings as they are very limited!!! USE MY CORRECT NUMBER 07 3202 7462 or 0419 702 329 DO NOT USE THE NUMBER ON THE PURPLE SHEET AS IT IS INCORRECT!!The Hampton Festival is on the Sunday with lots of market stalls and people!! You may prefer a quiet walk around points of interest in Crows Nest itself – these include BullockysRest, the Waterbird Habitat and Hartmann Park. Applegum Walk and Hartmann Park comprise a relatively bushland area exhibiting a range of geological, vegetative and historical features within the town area. Applegum walk is a track that follows the creek, passing the Pump Hole, the confluence of Bald Hills Creek and on into Hartmanns Park, a total distance of 1.5km. We have chosen a delightful country run back through Esk, bypassing Hampton for those who wish to avoid the crowds. However, the Hampton Festival draws over 4,000 people so it may be something you would wish to explore on Sunday.
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May 24th Saturday Boules at Dayboro’Meet in the park at the bottom of the lane between 85 and 91 McKenzie St., Dayboro, on your right just a few hundred metres west of the pub. There’s a kindergarten sign, too. We’ll have a quick few games of Boules and then trundle back for lunch at the Dayboro Pub – famous for its meat pies! We have rescheduled this event so Jennie and Peter will be on hand to assist with the organisation. Will you be able to meet the Club’s Boules Champion for three last 2 years, our esteemed Loretta Mutton? It is lots of fun so do come and try!!Time: 11am in the park for 12 noon lunch at the pub. Plenty of parking in front, at the side and at the back of the pub.
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Douglas and Winifred (nee Davies) Young (grandparents DY) on their honeymoon to Jenolan Caves. Married September 1 1915 Clayfield. X marks the spot near second door.
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1925 Cadillac in the Birdwood Museum, Adelaide.
1910 Daimler in Birdwood with wonderful body by Vivian Lewis of Adelaide.
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PALMER COOLUM RESORT MOTOR MUSEUM - PROPOSED RALLY The club is proposing a rally to Palmer Coolum Resort Motor Museum for 26 and 27 July 2014. There are various options which include visits to other venues in the area but the main issues to resolve are:
(1) Stay at PCR over night with free access to museum - probably more than one visit permitted
(2) Stay locally and pay $37.50 entry to museum
(3) Visit one day and pay entry to museum
Depending on which/if any of the above options are of interest to club members, other activities could be planned. To help in decision making please note from the attached Coolum Resort site the cheapest o'nite accommodation is $230 for a twin which can take 3. Because this also includes the Motor Museum which would cost $37.50 per adult assuming two adults that is a saving of $75.00 on the room. The cheapest local hotel is around $150 o'nite plus $75 takes the total to $225 therefore there is no saving but this is for individuals to decide. I may be able to get a slight discount for a bulk booking at PCR but do not count on it although there is a $10 reduction for entry per person to the motor museum for club members so you can probably count on the total being about $200 per couple if you stay at PCR.
The other site below describes a bit about the cars which are mostly "our type." The museum manager has told me he will give us a guided tour and will make the restorationmechanic available for questions - this is not generally provided to the public.
Please let me know your intentions by email ([email protected]) or at the next club meeting. In particular, I would appreciate it if you could advise me if you would be interested generally in such a rally, and also which of the above options you would prefer to take up. http://palmercoolumresort.com.au/
http://palmercoolumresort.com.au/palmer-motorama-beholds-a-mix-of-world-class-motoring-beauty/
Regards David. Email: [email protected]
AMERICAN DAY WITH VVTE CLUB.
Hi Brian,
Please find below the VVTE plan for the VCCQ American Day.
We have no objection to your guys coming along, I would just need numbers.
Regards, Graham.
Itinerary for June 14 & 15, Vintage run to Brisbane for Tramway museum and VCCQ American day.
From the west; meet at north side of Ipswich, Colleges Crossing, (because of road works at Blacksoil).
Travel via Mt Crosby to a park near the Gap To Be Advised, (guided by Peter for a
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suitable place), for a lunch stop.
Those coming from the north side meet at the Gap.
Arrive at The Tramway Museum at 1.30, view exhibits and partake of afternoon tea, leavearound 4 PM.
Cost of entry is $17.50 per adult, $12.50 concession and $9.50 per child including afternoon tea.
I have booked this as a group booking and they are opening especially for us as their normal opening time is Sunday.
From Ferny Grove we travel into the city to stay at the Tower Mill Hotel, Wickham Terrace.
Rooms here are $119 for a double, $109 for a twin room (2 single beds) and $180 for a family room.
Plus $10 for secure car park on site. There is a restaurant within the motel and they serve all meals including evening and breakfast.
From here we will travel overthe river to the MaritimeMuseum for the VCCQAmerican Day with morning teaand lunch on site and foodoutlet details to follow.
This a weekend event with adifference and we will all betogether as the Tower Mill hasquite a few rooms available onthis night.
Please call the Tower Mill on38321421 to reserve your roomand mention that you are withthe Vintage Car group .
Please make your bookingASAP, as I have said we willconfirm numbers by May 12 tomake sure we have enoughrooms and please let me knowso I can advise the TramwayMuseum how many to cater for.
Contact details are Alex (0418544 184) or Graham (0403 528331) or Ebony 0423 928 877 or46976672 or [email protected]
Our room is already booked!
Graham.
Great to see the VVTE making a weekend of it. I would love to join in but I know I will bevery busy on the Saturday. I have not heard from any of the other clubs that we invited but assume we will soon. Members please mention it to members of other invited clubs.
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MIGHT BE WORTH PUTTING SOMETHING IN THE MAG IF YOU HAVE SPACE:
My local Supercheap Auto (Chermside) has a bin out front in which you can place, in suitable containers, old oil. I use old plastic milk bottles, etc. I don't know if other branches do the same but it's a great thing and much less of a drag than going to the tip.They used to do something similar for dead batteries, but since I've been using Optimas the battery mortality rate here has plumetted and I have no need for that service.
Cheers... PjR
THE FLYING SCOTSMAN RALLY FOR 2014 was run from 4-6 April. Max Stephenson went along in the 23/60 and came 16th overall out of 93 starters and third in his class behind 2 Bentleys. He was the first of the Vauxhalls to finish.
The Annual Veteran/Vintage only swap is held at the Clubrooms annually. This is on the Veteran Calendar for Saturday August 16 for 2014.
BRITISH CARS.TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
Sir, Referring to the letter which appeared in your issue of the 1st inst., above the name of "Medical Practitioner," I am of opinion that this correspondent is not a genuine British car advocate. It is time the old idea of the necessity of constant gear changing on British cars was forgotten. The present-day British car will climb hills in top gear the same as the American, and it will do it without a great big petrol eating engine. On some of the smaller English cars, gear changing may be necessary, but the gears are well fitted,
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sweet running, faster than their American competitors, and there is nothing lost. British cars are more efficient, better built, and more lasting, and also do not indulge in frequentnew models, which tend to depreciate the market value of the previous model. I have had 25 years' experience amongst cars, and driven all the well-known makes extensively.If I were purchasing a new car to-morrow I would buy British.I am, etc,GWYDIR HENRY.Grafton, March 3, 1935
Hi Brian,
Thank you for the copy of your VCCQ "The Vintage Car".It is a top quality magazine with many articles of interest.
I did note the sale of the late Ray Whyte'sMercedes at the forthcoming Bonham's Auction.I was a friend of Ray's, and gave him a hand tocomplete the Mercedes in 2011. Ray was veryunwell, and was unable to drive the finished car, soon Queen's Birthday weekend 2011, I drove Ray inhis Mercedes on a Veteran Car event in Ipswich.This was the first and last time that the Mercedeswas seen out in public, and Ray died a few monthslater.It was a very interesting car, but a beast of a thingto start, as the headlights had to be removed to beable to get a good swing on the crank handle. Weonly ever found 3 people who had enough muscleto swing the thing into life (I was one).Once it was running, it was a great performer witha 5.3 litre 4 cyl, twin cam engine with a 4 speedgearbox.
One thing that the article does not state is that it was traded in on a ModelT Ford at Blackall Motors in the 1920s. It seems that the Mercedes was too heavy to negotiate the black soil plains in the wet season, and a Model T was much better suited.The Mercedes was still at Blackall Motors when Shannons purchased the business in the late 1920s and the Mercedes was then moved to the
rubbish dump on Paradise Downs where it remained until being rescued by Peter Shannon in the 1960s and later going to Ray Whyte who worked on the Mercedes for 25 years.Kind regards, Greg Hill
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FOR SALEGood morning Brian.My name is Gavin Campbell, I'm writing to see if you would be able to place an advertisement in the VCCQ newsletter and/or on the club web site.I am selling this 30/98, OE100, on behalf of Mr. Vic Melbourne, and have placed a long adin PreWar Car web site for him.Is it possible to run the following ad in VCCQ media?I am also asking VSCC Vic and VSCC NSW. (I am a member of VSCC Vic as well as VCCQ).Regards.Gavin Campbellhttp://www.prewarcar.com/index.php?option=com_caradvert&id=94882§ion_id=1&view=ad&Itemid=29&token=16176 Ed. Could not find the car on Gavin's website but it makes interesting reading.http://classiccarbs.com.au/Classic-Veteran-Vintage-CARS/Vauxhall-30-98-OE100-1924-Velox-fast-Tourer-for-sale-OE100.30-98VAUXHALL
WANTEDBrian, Could you please put a request into the members if anyone has a spare V12 Allison aircraft WW2 engine could they let me know. It is needed for the new Eagle Farm interpretive centre at the site of the original Allison testing beds, hanger 7 and the convict female prison. Money will be paid!ThanksDean 0413435735 Ed. I will check in my shed for any spare Allison engines.
Can anyone give me a contact number or address for Janet Bronk.Doug Young 0418 719 430
Brian,Could you please place an advert in the nextnewsletter wanted section for me please.I am looking for the wiring sockets that fit into theback of CAV headlights (model E or EV) that werefitted to 30-98 and 23-60 Vauxhall cars. Most CAVlights probably had the same fitting. Have attached acouple of photos of the one I have. My phone numberis (07) 46334206.Cheers James Meara.
PRESIDENTIAL BY-PRODUCTVery gratifying when you organise an event to have lots of people turn up – and so it waswith the club’s Port Macquarie run in conjunction with the Alvis Car Club of NSW.Over 30 old cars, 52 participants, with over 30 from the VCCQ. Thankfully, everyone who had been organised to do things were there to open museums, BBQ sausages, and take us down the road to ruination at the Lake Innes Ruins all turned up on time and did their thing.
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Ross Walker had, in a weak moment, promised me a drive of his and Janet’s Alvis 4.3 litre pillarless Van den Plas saloon on this rally. The sad picture of the car after striking an errant modern car graces the cover of our magazine this month. Even Richard Hammond couldn’t get away with saying “It’ll polish out”.But it is worth reflecting on the car and just what it did when Ross realised a collision wasimminent.He hit the brakes and swerved – and locked up the wheels! Not bad stopping power for one of the heaviest and fastest pre war cars – but Alvis brakes are famous. There is a YouTube video of a Speed 25 doing repeated stops and locking the brakes up. While theymight be mechanical brakes, on the 4.3s, and the later Speed 25s, there was a vacuum servo fitted, as was found on lots of trucks, even post war. Add to that an all-synchro 4 speed box, independent front suspension, variable rate damping, and 4 wheel jacking and you have a pretty impressive specification. The steering on these fine cars is also very light, with the Marles Cam and Roller set up. Alvis had been using such a system since the 1920s – Rolls Royce finally got there in 1938.Being a “pillarless” saloon means that there is no “B” pillar where a seat belt would attach, were one to fit them. When both doors are open, the side of the car is completely open. But the lack of belts didn’t matter, as we have seen. I under the accident was a SMIDSY – Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See Ya – has accounted for so many motorcyclists. There is much to be said for travelling with lights on. Even if P100 headlight glasses are vulnerable to flying stones. I wonder if some of those daytime running lights could be slung beneath a bumper so they are invisible unless they are switched on.Speaking of bumpers, another picture of the Alvis I have seen shows the front bumper looking almost untouched, despite having been bent through around 90 degrees, and with everything behind it on the driver’sside well and truly mashed. The wondersof spring steel bumpers. It simplysprung right back again.While in Port Macquarie I looked upDavid Edwards, whom I had last seen inthe 1970s when he bought a car afterwhich I lusted for years – a pastel blueJaguar XK140 drop head coupe. I metthe fellow – David Burrows - whoimported it, and an XK150 into Australiain the mid 1970s. I bought the XK150 for$4,500, and had it for many years. The 140 was $10,000 at the time, well out of the reach of an articled clerk, who borrowed $2k from his folks and $2.5k on his BankCard toget the XK150. It was good to see the blue XK140, and my similar car, together. Particular thanks go to Heather Goldsmith, President of the ACC NSW, who helped with the organisation, and production of souvenir-quality rally book.Some good events coming up, a Spanishnight, followed by a trip to the HamptonFestival and Crows Nest for the night. Wehave a great committee (yours trulyexcepted) and lots of other willing helperswho cheerfully do all sorts of things for thisgreat club of ours. While their efforts mayoften be unsung, they are certainlyappreciated by all who enjoy the fruits of theirlabours – or should that be sangria?Until next month, yours in scatology, KBO, DY
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CROATIAN CRAWL 2013 – Doug YoungReaders of The Automobilemay, like me, have beencaptivated by theadvertisements of CountryLane Tours for organisedmotoring excursions infaraway and exotic places.Every few years theyundertake a tour of Croatia.Having fallen under the spellof this tour, my old friend BobFarrell (aka the Rodent) and Iembarked upon thisadventure in May and Junelast year. We did this in a1938 SS Jaguar Drop HeadCoupe. The route took usfrom southern Austria, downthe western coast as far asDubrovnik, before heading inland and returning over the mountains.Country Lane appealed to us because it was not a super glossy, high end commercial tourcompany, but a small operation run by Ian and Rona Glass. Ian had owned a transportcompany but was also an enthusiastic Rover Car Club member, who had been organisingtours on a voluntary basis for the club for years. His international transport businessmeant he was usefully connected in all sorts of obscure places across Europe.After collecting Bob from Heathrow in the SS, we made the most of the day before wehad to catch the ferry from Harwich to Hook in the Netherlands. Having forewarnedBletchley Park of our impending arrival (using plain English, rather than some enigmaticcode) we were ushered in past the car park and directed to park in front of the mansion.While there, we saw an Enigma machine, and the various forerunner – computers usedto crunch the German World War II messages into understandable German, beforetranslation into English. Thankfully, Alan Turing has been pardoned and his true place notonly as one of the many saviours of Britain, but also the father of modern computing, hasnow been recognised. We even met one of the Bombe operators from World War II.Then followed a rather frantic dash halfwayacross the country to the ferry, where wesaw some ancient Daimlers en route fromthe continent to a rally in England.Trouble first reared its head when wespotted an Alvis on the ferry. A verypleasant evening ensued on the ferry withfirst-class accommodation whereby you andyour car end up in Holland, for less than theprice of superior twin room in a hotel. Undeterred by the Alvis sighting, weproceeded towards Düsseldorf down themotorway. The supposedly just replaced fanbelt then let go, but luckily a fellow rallyparticipant travelling in a Mk2 Jaguar wascarrying a spare which was the same size. Nonetheless, it’s fairly scary replacing a fanbelt on the side of a European motorway with traffic barrelling past at breakneck speed.
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In Düsseldorf the full extent of the Alvis infestation confronting us became clear - Chrisand Helen Storrar (who are already well known to the Alvis authorities in this country) intheir 1938 12/70 drophead coupe, Robert and Jo Ball in a midnight blue TD21 dropheadcoupe and, Philip Singer (English but worked here for many years) and his Australian wifeTeresa, in their TF21.This was a trend we noticed – 3 wives of Englishmen on the tour were expat Australians.The good taste of old car owners extends beyond their cars.The cars were varied, with some very tasty numbers among them. A Rover Maraudercoupe, an AC Ace, a TR3, a Rover 14 DHC, Morris Minor, Morgan Aero 8, a ReliantScimitar, a TR6, an Aston Martin DB7Volante, a 1958 Plymouth Fury, with awonderful “Kennedy for President” signin the back window, a Triumph Vitesseconvertible, a 1957 Sunbeam Talbot 90saloon, an XK140 DHC and a Porsche912. Plus a number of moderns of theMercedes/Jaguar variety.In Dusseldorf, we were slowly,frustratingly, and inefficiently loadedonto the train. The passenger carriagesappeared to be Cold War relicscomprising ancient, but not charming,carriages built with all the soul andcharacter that the Stasi could muster.We alighted in Villach to a beautifulmorning in true “Sound of Music” countryside. From there we had a short drive throughmajestic scenery to the wonderful city of Ljubljana in Slovenia. By dint of good fortune,the hotel car park also serves a building in which a motoring magazine was housed. Onmaking enquiries, one of the photographers had a friend who worked in the Slovenianequivalent of Repco who very kindly drove me there to pick up a new fan belt.From Ljubljana we ventured to the Istria Peninsular, taking in the spectacular Postojnacaves on the way. A small railway took us down into the caverns, one of which is so largethey hold concerts in it. We took in lots of other sites along the way such as military andrail museums.We stayed in the historic city of Opatija on the edge of the Adriatic. Many beautifulbuildings constructed during La Belle Époque. Many still bore the bullet holes from thewar between Croatia and Serbia in the 1990s. Sadly, the effects of that war continue tothis day, with stark reminders in the form of damaged, abandoned farmhouseseverywhere.The next day we ventured to Pula, whichboasts the best preserved Romanamphitheatre in Europe. More stunningviews were to be seen driving back alongthe Adriatic coast.Another highlight was Novigrad, apicturesque small fishing port. This townonce had a population of 2000, withvineyards worked by the young men ofthe village. The war saw the death of theyoung men; the population is now 500,and there is no one to work the fields. Thelocals came out in force to welcome us,including dressing in traditional costume.
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It was then on to Split, where the cars were displayed in the ancient city square while wewent on guided tours. Some of us managed to miss part of our tour, instead sitting atone of the many bars on the waterfront and watching the passing parade.Dubrovnik was next and it certainly deserves its title of “the Pearl of the Adriatic”– it isjust beautiful. Once again though, there is evidence everywhere of the war, with theSerbs taking control of the hill behind the city and using it to lob mortars into the ancientcity for months on end.Dubrovnik is a walled coastal city and a walk around the top of the wall delivered a visualreward at every turn. While those walls kept the Serbs out for six months, they were nomatch for the Rodent who lived up to his name. Within seconds had found an openingthrough to a bar on the seaward side of the wall, where we watched the sun go downover the Adriatic with beer in hand.Dubrovnik is also very steep and as Tom Tom tell you, their maps are not reliable in thatpart of the world. So there was lots of driving around in circles from time to time which isalways relaxing, on the side of a steep hill in a car whose steering weight was solelyresponsible for the development of the power steering we know and love today. Andwhose turning circle would make the Queen Mary blush. On one occasion having gonedown a steep hill in first gear the car remained stuck in gear, part way through theintersection. Helpful advice from the Rodent to the effect that I should try and backupwhile we considered our options didn’t help – is not easy to reverse when you are stuckin first.We then headed inland, over the mountains, and then north, taking in such sites as thePlitvice national park, with its wonderful lakes and waterfalls and walks.
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When we got back to Ljubljana, it was at the time of the floods in Germany, and therailway line between Villach and Munich was cut, meaning the motor rail that was to takeus from Villach was stuck in Munich.This meant a 500 km dash in ancient cars through torrential rain which should have beena doddle - up the motorway. However, when part way up the motorway, it too becamecut by flooding and so we had to travel cross country through small villages, finallygetting in to the station in Munich in the nick of time. It would have been impossiblewithout the trusty Tom Tom.Just before we got onto the train, the food poisoning that we had picked up the nightbefore kicked in, with people throwing up on the tracks all over the place.The catering on that motor rail train was woeful, with an announcement just as we leftthat the kitchen wasn’t working and there were about four packages of sandwichesavailable to be bought for dinner. Due to the heavy demand the toilets also got blockedand it was a sleepless and regrettably memorable evening for all of us.Despite the unfortunate ending it was a magnificent trip and we could not speak highlyenough of the organisers. We made a number of new friends and would do it againtomorrow.IN APPRECIATION - EditorThanks again to all those who have sent me articles (Doug, Ronnie, Chris, Paul Reed) andpics (David McDonald, Paul Reed, Greg Hill)Proof reading courtesy of Jennie Ransom.JUNE MAGAZINE DEADLINE: Monday June 2.Please send reports to [email protected] the VCCQ website for the latest Club News.
2014 TEABAG & CLEANUP ROSTERS Anyone (girls and boys) can do this and it’s always greatly appreciated by the members at our meetings. We’re only asking you to do one or the other once a year.
Please nominate for the month that suits you best, but remember you can always swap with someone else if your plans change.
The roster is published each month in the Club magazine.
DATE TEABAG CLEANUP
January 17 Peter Baker & Jo Lord
February 21 Bev Wilson
March 21 Gaye & Derek Dixon
April 18 Katrina David
May 16 Jacqui Chris
June 20 Italian Gentlemen Italian Gentlemen
July 18 Leigh Wolf
August 15
September 19
October 17
November 21 Ian
December 19 Christmas dinner Plus helpers
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Bill and Jan McFeeters great museum in Forbes NSW
Had to get some good sorts in theresomewhere. Hi Liz and Heather.
A very nice Bentley spotted at WhitmanPark in Perth by my man there. He isattracted by heavy metal and red wine.
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Lunch in Douglas Vale Vineyard in Port Macquarie.
