8 minute read
Apathy Rules! Amazing grease
Our call for action (below) resulted in no offers of assistance to organise a run.
The result will inevitably be fewer runs in the future.
WE DESPERATELY NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER TO ORGANISE JUST ONE RUN IN 2021—THIS MAY BE EITHER A MID-WEEK RUN OR AN ENDOF-MONTH RUN, YOUR CHOICE! HELP IS AVAILABLE ON HOW TO ORGANISE A RUN. AT PRESENT THE LOAD OF ORGANISING RUNS IS FALLING ON A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF MEMBERS— QUITE UNFAIRLY!
SO, STOP LEAVING IT TO “SOMEONE ELSE” AND CONTACT OUR RUN CO-ORDINATOR, DEIDRE RENNIE, ON 021 665 875
Something to bring a smile to your face, sent in by Carole Lindsay!
Highlight Notes from the MINUTES OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE MEETING HELD AT MIRAMAR ON SATURDAY 20TH MARCH 2021
REPORTS
The Finance Report h ig h lig ht ed an ant icipat ed $36.3k proff it for t h e V CC. Th is figure does not include Vero insurance commission or interest on investments. It was noted that the operating expenditure is significantly reduced due to Covid19 halting meetings and travel around New Zealand. This has put the VCC in a very sound financial position. Long Service Awards (50/60/70 y ears) 50 Year Awards In total, Three Hundred and Eighty- 50-year badges have been applied for. Since August 2020 there have been TwentySix 50 year badges presented . 60 Year Awards In total, fifty-six - 60-year badges have been applied for. Since August 2020 there have been thirteen 60-year certificates and badges presented .
GENERAL BUSINESS
2021 AGM in Christch urch w ill be based at t h e Ry dg es Lat im er Hot el , Christ church. It is the Club’s 75th birthday. Entry Forms will be available from Branch Secretaries early in May 2021. Branding President Diane Quarrie g av e a present at ion on t h e Manag em ent Com mittee’s proposal for a new logo. Mock-ups of possible letterheads, business card, window sticker and Beaded Wheels front page were also shown. A printed copy was also given to Branches. Following feed-back from the meeting the logo will be tweaked and then sent around to Branches for final feedback before being presented to the AGM for approval. The design was received with enthusiasm by the delegates present. National Office Systems Report Murray Trounson g av e a Present at ion on t h e National Office Systems featuring the new Accredo Accounting System. Two new computers have also been installed at National Office. Changeover has gone relatively smoothly. Robyn and Jo are getting up to speed with the new system and there has been a full data transfer from the old Cash Manager and Access database. The new system went “live” mid-March. Daily backups are being run in two different ways; one set of backup discs is taken off-site each day. Online Membership Application -The Club’s Executive resolved that the provision of Online Membership Application be proceeded with. We have been assigned the task of making preparations for this to be enabled, so people of all ages, and in particular keen younger people, may be more inclined to apply for membership, enhancing the wellbeing of the Club in the future. To facilitate online membership amendments to the Club Constitution are required, and this Notice of Motion has been prepared so that the members can help manage the process.
Held 28th March – 4th April 2021
Every two years the Model A Lads and Ladies get together for a reunion and a resumption of old friendships and acquaintances. This year over 100 Model A’s were at the Rally. They came in all shapes and sizes - like their owners! They were from all over New Zealand and in pre-Covid days they would have come from overseas as well. Most of the entrants were Kiwis. They enjoyed fantastic Gisborne hospitality for a week of mostly fine weather. There was some rain on two of the runs but it did not deter people’s enjoyment of the era fashion day and the terrier racing.
There were three major runs. The first one was to Mahia Peninsula. There was a side trip on this run to view a collection of stationary engines owned by Will Coop at Mahia Beach. Many of the entrants then motored on to the end of the peninsula on one of the roughest roads that we experienced during the week. Nobody worried, Model A’s were built for roads like that! A detour through Sir Michael Fay’s sheep station (Pongaroa) was very much appreciated because it cut at least 20kms off the return journey.
The next day we went on the only competitive rally of the week which took us to the Motu School. That road was notable firstly because it was a traditional Model A road, it had water fords and quite a mud slurry for a surface. It was long winding, scenic and a very good road for Model A’s. The road was also noticeable for quirky signs positioned on boundary fences every two or three kilometres. These signs, which appeared to be professionally done, had phrases such as “Carlson’s Corner” or “Doughnut Drop”. One of the rally tasks was to count the number of signs. Afterwards one of our number commented that if someone had an accident on that long and winding road they could easily identify where they were by reference to the nearest sign. Motu School has only 10 pupils and the entire school community had a sausage sizzle going for the competitors which was very popular. One of the entrants (Bruce Miles from Christchurch) gave all the children a simultaneous ride in his tourer. All 10 of them at once! The kids really loved it. When lunch had finished there was a short ride, or walk if you were energetic, to Ian Storey’s workshop where he had a collection of trucks and machinery including a restored 1965 Kenworth and a 1942 GMC ex-army truck.
Small town of Te Karaka where school children were given rides and were absolutely delighted.
On Aprils Fool’s Day there was a “Grand Rally” to Kaikino Station at Tiniroto. This was also the Era Fashion Day and it was difficult for those who had entered that contest as the heavens really opened. Many people had put a lot of effort in and it was hard to watch such flash outfits being worn on a grassy and very wet paddock. This was also where we watched the terrier racing. No bets were placed and absolutely no harm came to the little terriers who were chasing a false hare as in greyhound racing. The straight track was several metres long. The hare was operated by a man sitting on an upside down bicycle and using it to operate an endless rope. The antics and efforts of the dogs were very competitive and energetic. In some races there were small hurdles placed for them to jump but terriers are not dumb, most of them ran round the barriers! The rationale behind the terrier racing was to raise money to support women suffering from breast cancer. One of the organisers of the racing had a friend who had breast cancer and became aware that there was not enough support for women who were going through that ordeal. She got together with a number of her friends and as a result terrier racing has been the showpiece of the fundraising. So far they have raised over $350,000 towards the cause. These days any woman in the Gisborne area who is diagnosed with breast cancer is initially given a kit worth approximately $900.00 as well as ongoing support and advice.
On Good Friday the final rally events were an assembly challenge and a Gymkhana. These were held at Rally headquarters in the Gisborne and A&P Showgrounds. The Gymkhana was very easy to get around but very hard to get right! Congratulations are due to Jim & Kaaren Smylie who came second overall in the Gymkhana. Jim also featured in another event that day, the Assembly Challenge. In this guise he was competing as a member of the Hawke’s Bay Model A Club and his team completed the task in approximately 44 minutes. The task was to drive a Model A chassis for several metres and then completely disassemble it. Immediately after that the competitors had to re -assemble the vehicle and reverse it to its original position under its own power. Jim and his team did very well but they were up against other competitors who managed to win the event in a time of 17 minutes.
The Bay of Plenty members who attended all agreed that it was a really enjoyable week and that the organising committee had gone all out to ensure that competitors had a good competition and plenty of relaxation time as well. Those folk who attended from our Branch were Chris Edwards and Vicki Casier, Owen and Margaret Goldsmith, Keith & Jane Perkins, David and Valerie Stafford (plus friends from the South Island), Jim & Kaaren Smylie and Peter Butler & Marion Carlson.
The next National Model A rally will be in the South Island at Methven in 2023. There is also initial planning being undertaken for the next North Island event in 2025. So there is still plenty of time to restore or purchase your Model A! Finally I would like to record thanks on behalf of all the Bay of Plenty attendees to all those who organised and helped run the rally. In particular the Rally committee of David Mossman, Robert Brown, Tony Bartlett and Errol McAlpine deserve a special mention. Our thanks to Peter Butler for his article, and to Keith Perkins & Brian Pratt for photos.
