VCC GORE THE WIPER-MARCH 2022 by Vintage Car Club of New Zealand

THE WIPER The monthly bulletin from the Gore Branch of the Vintage Car Club of NZ Inc.

March 2022 Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at the Clubrooms, Waimea Street, Gore, starting at 8pm (unless notified otherwise)

Next meeting: 8th March

Branch telephone number: 03 208 7424

2021-2022 Committee* and Officers Branch Patrons Chairman* Vice Chairman* Secretary* Treasurer* Club Captain*

Neil McVicar, Ray Tressler Paul Herron Rod Bell Bill Ainge Rod Bell John Parish

Assistant Club Captains

Rod Bell Matt Cook Greg Elder Starr McDougall Tim Walsh

Branch Recorder/Bulletin Editor* Assistant Editor House Convenor* Social Committee

David North Position not filled at present Des Brewster Beb Kennedy, David McDowell, Russell Newland Beaded Wheels Reporter Bill Sheddan Festival Rally Organiser* Murray Proctor Assistant Rally Organiser Keith Nunn Bar Manager Chris Scoles Assistant Bar Manager Murray Proctor Maintenance Supervisor Keith Nunn Maintenance Assistants Bill Ainge, Keith Dodds, Russell Newland, Ken Youngson Swapmeet Gerry Kennedy Parts Assistants Evan Henderson, Gerry Kennedy, Bryan Neilson Hill Climb Evan Henderson Hill Climb Assistant Terry Inder Sheriff Rod Bell Librarian Stewart Quertier Raffles Starr McDougall Branch Delegate* David North Privacy Officer Bill Ainge Health & Safety Officer Ken Youngson Hokonui Pioneer Village & Museum David McDowell Tuesday Ramble Co-ordinator Gerry Kennedy Branch Daffodil Day Co-ordinator John Tremaine Vehicle Identity Card Signatories Evan Henderson John Parish John Tremaine

027 210 4131 027 229 2191 (03) 208 9877 027 229 2191 (03) 208 5505 or 027353 3597 027 229 2191 027 379 1131 (03) 202 5710 or 027 431 8058 (03) 208 6501 (03) 208 3531 or 027 436 8663 021 172 3281 (03) 208 1960

027 434 2935 (03) 208 4768 (03) 208 5403 (03) 208 0052 (03) 208 4768 (03) 208 5403

027 233 4634

(03) 208 6479 (03) 208 7017 027 229 2191 (03) 208 7932 (03) 208 6501 021 172 3281 (03) 208 9877 027 667 4102 (03) 208 6791 027 233 4634 (03) 208 9670 (03) 208 6479 (03) 208 5505 (03) 208 9670

Front cover picture: 1916 Dennis Fire Engine on the Dunedin to Brighton Rally (Photo by Paul & Lynne Herron)

Chairman’s Message March 2022 Hullo members. Again we are plagued with disruption in our Club with this Covid plight. As the Omicron variant has now entered our town and region and while we are under this red traffic light rule it is disappointing that more of our Branch activities are forced to cancel. The RSA have for the safety of their members cancelled this year’s Diggers Run. Along with this our popular Tuesday Rambles and Swap Meet have also fallen victim. However Keith and Linda Nunn are organising a Run on the 26th of February to fill our Festival Rally void and give us a chance to motor our vehicles. There will be a pot luck tea at the Clubrooms after. Please note that a My Vaccine Pass will be required to be sighted. At our February meeting the National Office presentation regarding the proposed VCC logo change was viewed or if you are on the emailing list you would have been able to view from the link sent. At our Branch meeting in March this will be open for discussion and a vote taken along with feedback for our Branch Delegate David North to take to the National Executive meeting which he will be attending via Zoom. So if you want a say please attend this meeting or contact a Branch Committee member to be your voice. Our maintenance man Keith Nunn has been investigating relocating the diesel tank for the Clubrooms heating inside the workshop. Unfortunately due to requiring a fire permit and building permit at considerable cost this has proven to be uneconomic at this stage. Other avenues are now being investigated. Welcome to our Branch our newest member Jean Smale. Jean has a few classic English cars and we hope to see Jean out on our events enjoying our Club when possible. The family of the late Stan Katon of Mataura have kindly donated to our Branch the remainder of their Ford Model A and T parts. They are mostly mechanical and will get collected up and stored within our parts dept. in due course. 4

We are certainly living in a changing environment and hope and wish our members can stay safe and healthy. Paul Herron

March Branch Meeting Three important matters will be discussed and voted on at the March Branch meeting: 1. The Branch rules for the “Red” Covid Traffic Light setting. 2. The proposed new VCC logo. The video presentation from the National Office was shown at the February meeting. If any member has been unable to see this (link here https://vcc.org.nz/brand/) and wishes to do so then please contact one of the Branch Committee members (asterisked on the inside front cover) to make arrangements. 3. The Hawke's Bay Branch motion to change the name of the Branch to the "Hawke's Bay Vintage and Classic Car Club (Incorporated). Items 2 and 3 are to give the Branch Delegate instructions on how to vote during the National Executive Committee meeting on 12th March. The Branch Committee

Club Captain’s Report March 2022 The Vero Rally in New Plymouth was a great success, the weather was awesome, the meals and entertainment were great and the queues of cars that we worried about did not happen. The new format where all entrants went to the same location worked well. The key was that we all had a book with all the daily routes in it, both long and short, and we could depart New Plymouth at whatever time suited us. Most days cars departed the lunch stop at a trickle so there were not too many queues then either. The only problem was road works that seemed to be everywhere we went. The local roading people didn’t seem to have taken any notice of the traffic management plan provided by the VCC. Still, it was lots of fun and lots of interesting cars and people. Taranaki is a lovely area with an abundance of well-kept public facilities. We learnt that the country was going to Red on the Covid Traffic Light System on the ferry on our way home so the Rally had been held just in time. The RSA decided to cancel the Diggers Run which is a shame but understandable given the Covid situation. We will try and continue with our remaining scheduled events but will probably have to sight people’s Covid passes. This is in my view a better option than cancelling everything. On Sunday the 13th of February Katy organised a get-together for the southern members of the Southern Region of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley Club. Twenty four of us gathered for lunch at Peggydale and then visited the Balclutha Museum where we had a video and talk on the McSkimming Factory at Benhar. It was great to catch up and chat and shows we can still get out there and do things under Covid red. John Parish

Senior Moments from Gerry Kennedy I’m not deaf …. I’m ignoring you. Despite the high cost of living it remains popular. Money isn’t everything but it sure keeps the kids in touch. 6

From the Editor’s Keyboard I am pleased to say that last month’s plea for material has resulted in quite an influx of material, some of which is included in this issue The first item is from Jean Smale, a new member who some of you will have seen at the last two monthly meetings. She has written a brief story to introduce herself and, as you will see, she has led a very interesting life. She has also offered to tell us all about herself at one of our monthly meetings which, judging by this month’s “taster”, will be a fascinating talk and one not to be missed. Paul and Lynne Herron tell us about the Dunedin to Brighton Rally, which sounds like quite an experience. All four Gore “teams” who participated in the Vero Rally have sent me stories – and I am promised another from a passenger’s perspective. I don’t know what Greg Elder said to everybody but I am tempted to ask him to be my permanent “persuader”! The first story is from Katy Parish and was accompanied by many photos. I decided to include the story in full and hold over some of the photos for a future issue. The other stories will appear in the next couple of issues so you have something to look forward to! The balance of this month’s issue is made up of Murray Proctor’s report on the January Tuesday Ramble, the last for a while, a recipe sent in by Rosamund Scobie and, for the first time in a while, Letters to the Editor. As you will see from the centre pages, a lot of planned events have been cancelled. While I am very grateful to everybody who has sent me material this month, it will only last another month or two and, with very little in the way of activities to report, I will soon be desperate for material again. So, the rest of you, please get writing! Finally, my sincere apologies to Air Milford, as I omitted to give them credit for the flight maps reproduced with my story about our scenic flight in last month’s issue. Happy reading! David North 7

Letters to the Editor VCC 75th Anniversary 33 min Slide Show Re the link to the VCC Slide Show, for your information. 16 people downloaded the link during that week. Kind regards, Don. Don Muller. VCC National Archivist [This is a follow-up to Don’s email that I forwarded in early January with a link to the VCC 75th Anniversary 33 min Slide Show. The Editor]:

Air Milford Scenic Flights from Invercargill Compliments of 2022 to you. I just wanted to extend our sincere thanks for writing up your flight with us in the Gore VCC. I have shared this with many involved, including Adam Butcher who piloted the Pitt Special. He was thrilled to read and see the pictures. < < We have taken into account your feedback with the commentary, and every passenger will have a newly designed map with prominent features included. Now we just need to ensure the weather is as good as your day of travel, which will be hard to match! Then we will turn our attention to the around Stewart Island trip in April. [This flight will take place on the 9th April at 9am, 11am & 2pm. The Editor] On a side note, you will probably know Grant Finlay from Charlton Auto as we dropped our 1965 Pontiac Laurentian gearbox to him for a refurb. This was my Granddad's car, now Dad's who you met, and we hope to have this as our company drive vehicle one day soon. Small world. All the best for what is ahead in 2022. Sincerely, Antony Sproull, Chief Pilot, Air Milford 8

Message from Australia Thank you for the emailed copy of “The Wiper” just received. We as a club are looking to reduce our posting of our newsletter “The Journal” so I have been asked to contact all those I send magazines to and ask if you and your Members would be happy to receive our newsletters as an email. This will give a much faster access to our magazine and a great amount of club information. I trust this is acceptable to you and your Members. Sincere thanks for the magazine emails that you have sent me. Still be delighted to receive them. All the best for your Swap Meet which I missed by one day when I was in NZ on a tour. There were 12 of us from the Gawler Car Club and we tried to convince the tour driver that the Swap Meet was a part of our tour but he sadly did not believe us. Kind regards, Trevor Bellchambers Gawler Veteran, Vintage & Classic Vehicles Club Publicity Officer www.gawlercarclub.com

Haere mai – Welcome A very warm welcome to Jean Smale of Gore. She owns a number of VCCeligible cars, two of which I’m sure Matt Cook will be interested in comparing notes on. She introdueces herself on the next page and we look forward to seeing her at meetings and joining us on Runs and Rallies. This month we also welcome a new advertiser, Hammond & Ryder Funeral Services Ltd. I would normally urge members to take advantage of any new advertiser’s services as soon and as often as possible. However, in this instance it is probably more appropriate to urge you to keep them in mind when the inevitable eventually happens and you do need such a service! The Editor

Hello from Jean Smale I am Jean Smale. I live on the corner of Reaby Road and Domain Road. I am a trans-gender woman (there are over 50,000 of us in NZ) and if you have any questions, please just ask me, I will answer any questions. I have always had a love of cars and at the age of 51 I took up motor sport. I did Race to The Sky on my 60 th birthday and have competed in the Dunlop Targa six times. I have also done the Silver Fern Rally, all the gravel rallies in the South Island and raced on most circuits in New Zealand. I have a 1952 MM series Morris Minor which I purchased off John Henderson in Burwood. I also have a 1969 Riley Elf that was traded in to a dealer and needed a new engine. I was looking at it and the dealer asked me if I wanted it, so I said “yes” and took it home. Another of my cars is a 1972 Wolseley 1300. I saw this for sale on Hedgehope Road, so I went back and purchased it, it had been in a shed for 17 years. I have driven most types of vehicles: large tractors, heavy trucks, buses and I owned my own 12 tonne digger till last year. Jean Smale

BRAINTEASER I have keys, but no locks. I have space, but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I? Answer next month

Answer to last month’s Brainteaser A sundial has the fewest moving parts of any timepiece. Which has the most? Answer: An hourglass—it has thousands of grains of sand. 13

68th Dunedin to Brighton Rally This year’s Rally was a challenge for the organisers with of course the Covid situation and also in that the dates almost clashed with the Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring Event. The Rally was run on the 22nd of January and our entry was the only one from the Gore branch. However, there were 42 entries and a few vehicles which hadn’t done this Rally before.

1913 Overland Speedster

We had to meet at the First Church carpark to assemble in age order and proceed to the Octagon at 10am. As in past years the veterans started leaving the Octagon at 11am while Dougal Stevenson gave a commentary on each vehicle as it left. What was surprising was the amount of public that were there to see the veterans and many were spectating all the way to the Brighton Domain. Also pleasing was the weather being a bright sunny day which makes driving an open car more pleasant. 14

1911 Clement Bayard

The route to Brighton doesn’t change much, so pretty much followed the course as in past years to arrive at the Brighton Domain and straight into the field tests to challenge our ability. After lunch a few of us returned to Dunedin to get a photo of the veterans at the Railway Station then back to our digs to prepare for the dinner and prize-giving. Again, this was held at the Balmacewen Golf Club Rooms with a delicious meal and all the prizes were duly awarded. On the Sunday some veteran cars and owners casually drove or rode to the Carey’s Bay Hotel at Port Chalmers to enjoy some more veteran company and another lovely meal. It was here Paul was able to talk to Alan Familton about the 1910 Stanley Steamer which he had entered. An impressive car and the mechanics to it are next level in steam power. 15

However, it’s not Paul’s type of power as the number one tool kept with this car is a large fire extinguisher. Paul was given a ride and its quiet power is instant. However, there is no engine braking. While at idle the boiler was sitting at 451psi. Again, we enjoyed this Veteran event and well done to the Otago Branch. Paul & Lynne Herron Oh Dear! Did you hear about the convict who fell into a combine harvester? His family said he will be soon be out on bale. Did you hear about the Grandfather who went missing? He had just eaten 4 cans of baked beans, 2 cauliflowers and a jar of pickled onions. His family asked that if found, not to return him for 2 weeks. Sent in by Gerry Kennedy 16

January Tuesday Ramble Marilyn and I were in Invercargill early and stationed ourselves at the Jellicoe Sea Scouts site, where everyone was to meet and then we were to guide them out to Glenn and Brenda Cockroft’s. After the last car arrived, I suggested that we make a move and to just follow me out. Well, the theory was fine, I moved off with Jim and Dorothy McFadzien along with Bryan and Francis Neilson. We drove quietly along in complete ignorance that the rest of the cars were still in the Scouts’ drive. They were blocked in by a stream of traffic heading out of town. With only an inside mirror and Bryan behind I was still unaware that we were short of numbers when we turned off the main road. We arrived at Glenn and Brenda’s where I then realised what had happened. I headed back towards the main road and called Ken Youngson to find that they were out by the Invercargill car club along with the Kirbys. They finally arrived at our destination along with the Ainges which left Bill & Dawn Sheddan and Mary Tremaine lost in the wilderness. Turned out they were on the correct road, just a bit too far along. This chaotic situation was all my fault by thinking everyone would get out onto the main road without issues (wrong) and then (because everyone was following me) having not told them the final destination. Once we had all arrived at Glenn and Brenda’s everyone settled in for lunch. While it was overcast and a bit breezy, we were sheltered by the trees surrounding the garden, they had also put up a fairly large gazebo for a bit of overhead cover. Introductions were made and Glenn gave a short breakdown on the why and how he decided to start collecting Traffic Department memorabilia. It was after a visit to the NZ Police Museum. He was disappointed to find that there was very little regarding the Traffic Departments around NZ. So, he decided that he would start gathering what he could, and like Topsy it just grew and grew and now it’s the largest collection of Traffic Department items in the southern hemisphere. (L-R) Murray, Glenn and Brenda 18

Inside the new shed

Coralie Bewley (and new boyfriend?)

Glenn was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal at this year’s New Year’s Honours awards not only for the museum but for his work with traffic safety for kids around New Zealand and the development and building of the cycle park in Invercargill. A big thank you to Glenn and Brenda for opening their garden, home and museum for us. Other than getting some of you lost I think we all had a great day. We had 13 cars on the run of which 9 were Club-eligible. The driver of the French car “La Frog” was seen taking a more than casual look at a couple of naked mannequins. He said that the two over by the wall were male and the other, that had its back to us, was female. He was “just checking”. Murray Proctor [Photo captions by the Editor]

Jokes My wife said I was lazy but I can’t see why because I haven’t done anything. Last night I had a great date, tonight I’m going to try a fig. Sent in by Gerry Kennedy 19

Club Run Saturday 26th February

2.00pm: depart from Clubrooms Two runs, a long one and a shorter run Followed by a Pot Luck tea at the Clubrooms

Members & partners only please

Vaccine passes required Enquiries Keith Nunn: (03) 208 5403 20

Tuesday Ramble th 29 March

CANCELLED Tuesday Rambles are suspended until further notice but as soon as Covid precautions allow we will be back in business! Gerry Kennedy 21

Gore Branch Events for the 2021-22 Season All events subject to Covid-19 restrictions Event

Proposed Date

Organiser(s)

2022 Club Run

Saturday 26th February Vaccine passes required

Keith Nunn

Gore Swap Meet

Sunday 13th March CANCELLED

Gerry Kennedy

Frank Robson & Clearwater Capers

Sunday 10th April

Greg Elder

Night Trial

Saturday 7th May

John Parish

End of Season Run

Saturday 4th June

Rod Bell

Annual Dinner & Awards Night

Saturday 9th July

Des Brewster

Tuesday Ramble

Suspended until further notice

Co-ordinated by Gerry Kennedy

Editor's note to event organisers If you want to see a report in The Wiper please provide one yourselves or organise somebody to do it for you. (N.B. This usually works best if you ask them before the event!)

N.B. With so many events being cancelled, often at short notice, it would be prudent to confirm any event is still going ahead before travelling! 22

Other Events (Subject to Covid-19 restrictions) 2022 March

North Otago Swapmeet Now planned for November

5th March

Veteran Rally, Southland Branch Vaccine passes required

6th March

Balfour Backyard Beauties CANCELLED

12th March

Nelson Vintage Car Club Swapmeet Bazaar. CANCELLED

22nd March

Race4Life day, Teretonga - POSTPONED

26th March

Scenicland 15 Rivers Rally, West Coast Branch. CANCELLED

27th March

Southland Branch Open Day, 10am to 3pm Vaccine passes required

1st – 3rd April 2nd April 22nd – 24th April

Festival of Speed, Highlands Park, Cromwell Vaccine passes required Swapmeet & Bazaar Sth Canterbury Branch CANCELLED Highland Fling. Bay of Plenty Branch CANCELLED

1st May (planned)

Rotary Club of Ashburton Plains Classic Car Run. Decision to be made end of March

7th May

Swapmeet Ashburton Branch CANCELLED 2023

3 – 6 February rd

8th – 9th April

National Motorcycle Rally, Southland Branch https://www.sporty.co.nz/nationalmotorcyclerally Wheels at Wanaka: https://www.wheelsatwanaka.co.nz/

Frank Robson & Clearwater Capers Sunday 10th April

1.30pm: leave Clubrooms for an approx. 40 km cruise all on sealed roads to a country destination Bring your afternoon tea if you want Hot water provided, toilets at destination Any queries please contact Greg Elder, (03) 202 5710 or 027 431 8058 25

REMINDERS (1) Remember the Branch receives commission if you insure your vehicle(s), boat(s), house(s), contents or travel with Vero Insurance and quote the Branch number (300135). Email version of The Wiper A reminder for the computer whizz-kids out there. The Wiper is also available by email; either as a link to an online version or as an emailed pdf file. The pictures are in colour, it arrives earlier and (most of) the hyperlinks work too! Just send me your email address if you would like to try this. To Let: the Gore Vintage Car Clubrooms are available to VCC members for personal functions at very reasonable cost. Newsletters from other Branches are now posted on the VCC Website each month. Go to “Branch Newsletters” on the VCC webpage or: https://vcc.org.nz/news-from-our-branches/ The Editor 27

The 2022 Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring We left home on the 14th of January with Nellie, the 1914 Napier T68 20hp, on our trailer heading North to New Plymouth. It was the gathering of nearly 500 vintage cars, and many old friends, that had drawn us north. Our first day saw us call in on Bruce McIlroy to inspect progress on the 3 litre Bentley which was actually the car we had entered. Due to delays in machining and parts it wasn’t ready in time but it is close. The new counterbalanced crankshaft, with shell bearings, is in place, the top end of the engine is re-assembled, the cam-drive tower, with many new bearings and some replacement gears, is also assembled, the new conrods are on the pistons but still on the bench and the new sump is also machined and ready for assembly. 100 years and hundreds of thousands of miles of wear has now been addressed and, in a few short weeks, all will be on the road again. Our next stop was a night’s stay with my mother at Greendale, south west of Christchurch. This coincided with a visit from my sister from Nelson and the next morning we dropped her off at the Christchurch airport as we continued our journey. The only other car we saw, while in the South Island, heading to New Plymouth was when we refuelled at Amberley and was a 1955 Wolseley 6/90 from Dunedin. Lunch was at Kaikoura’s Beach House Café where the seafood chowder had been recommended by the Kellys who had passed through earlier and it was very good too. The night’s stop was Picton ready for an early sailing the next morning. We had a walk around the marina and then climbed the hill to the harbour lookout behind. We found a very steep, winding and one way road going up to this lookout which may need trying out in something more suitable than Nellie or the Hilux – another day. We had a good crossing despite cyclone Cody which had stirred up the seas for earlier crossings so we were grateful. We got through Wellington without issue and our next stop was with John’s sister at Waverley. We started seeing a few vintages heading the same way but we had arranged to arrive late, as 11 days away was all we could manage, so most cars were ahead of us. We arrived in New Plymouth just as the majority of cars were leaving the Opening Ceremony at the racecourse on the left as you enter the city. The Kellys, Martyns and Glenise Corcoran were all at our motel 28

as were an Armstrong Siddeley, an Alvis, an Austin Healey, Escort, Falcon and Zephyr. Plenty of spare parking spaces on Sunday night allowed us to take three parks (Hilux, Nellie and trailer) with the management’s consent. It was then off to the Irish pub around the corner for our evening meal with the other Gore folk. We registered at Rally HQ early Monday morning and were away on our first day rallying. This saw us driving towards the east of New Plymouth but the first country road we came to was a very steep winding down, which very much tested Nellie’s brakes as there was a queue of cars at the bottom, and then an even steeper climb out. There was a veteran on the roadside at the bottom having failed the ascent and another in the same predicament backing down the other side. Next a post-war car successfully achieved the top but was followed by a vintage. I waited ‘til he was nearing the brow and followed in second gear. Unfortunately, the vintage stopped before the top. Nellie was checked, we cut down to first, with a wee jump, passed the vintage and managed to make the top. We later learned the two other veterans were out of the rally with damaged engines due to that hill. Country lanes in the Taranaki seem to be all sealed, single lane, winding affairs with lots of up and down and sometimes limited visibility so I didn’t see much of the countryside but John assures me it was very pretty. We had chosen to take an alternate route which was offered to avoid a very narrow and old rickety suspension bridge however the alternative route took us straight to said bridge – a text we received at lunch offered us another alternative route but that was rather late. The said bridge had 8 large bollards restricting vehicle width – these were bright yellow except for the many other paint shades they sported on the inside surfaces. To make matters worse this bridge was down a steep cutting and very little room was available to back track. We understand they did manage to turn the Auckland branch’s 1915 Renault Charabanc around but with great difficulty. John got out and guided Nellie through with no loss of paint thankfully. Lunch was at a rugby field at Tikorangi and provided us the first opportunity to see the other cars. We were relatively early as we had got on the road without too much delay so were able to see others arrive and what a sight it was. Line after line of a great variety of VCC-eligible cars. Three Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts side by side were very impressive, Packards a29

plenty as were vintage Sunbeams, lovely Riley Kestrels and four veteran V8 Cadillacs to name a few. A local in a Yak aircraft gave us a free air display and I noted he avoided doing his loops directly above the cars but a great show that went on for some time. It was very hot this first day and I got a little burnt on shoulders and with dots on my feet where the teardrop cut-outs on my shoes were.

The three Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts

We caught up with lots of old friends and with Andrew Anderson, VCC Patron and a previous Napier owner, who had a look over Nellie and told us a few tales of early motoring days and the boy racers that started the Club back in the day. After leaving the rugby grounds we short-cutted the return route to New Plymouth after sitting in a traffic queue but met some other former Napier owners while in the queue (the 15hp Napier taxi that was at the Dunedin Vero). Evening meals were at Rally HQ and each night had great entertainment after. This was a 15-minute walk from our motel up through Pukekura Park, a lovely park of natives, small lakes and other water features which made a pleasant end for the days. Tuesday was the competitive day which we hadn’t entered and, as the motel carpark was chocker Monday night, we decided to take our trailer out to Egmont village where we had arranged parking. We got there to find a 30

check point for the veteran time trial at the gate. We waited for the cars (only 7 of the 27 veteran entrants) to go through then we were given a route sheet so raced back to our motel, grabbed some lunch etc and bypassing part of the route met the cars as they pulled into their lunch stop. This was at a private home with a lovely large park-like garden with tennis court, outdoor volleyball court, swimming pool and two large sheds. The first was British and European vehicles with a couple of late model Porsches, a Jaguar, a Rolls-Royce, a very early Range Rover and a later one to name a few. The front forks of a Trike were in front of a photo, on the wall behind, of the back of the same trike in a fireball. This was beside a new replacement Mitsubishi-engined Trike the insurance had bought. The other shed was American cars and contained a 1960s Cadillac, a Plymouth Superbird race car, a Plymouth Prowler, an early Mustang, two 1950s Buicks, a 1930s Packard, Mercedes SSK replica, a Chrysler 77, a 1930s Cord and an early Corvette. Not a bad collection and viewing was only available to the Veteran and P60 Time-triallers so we had got lucky there. My car of the day was a time-trialling veteran, a 1914 Calcott 10.5hp light car whose restoration had just been completed. We returned to New Plymouth with some of the day still to fill so decided to visit the Len Lye Art gallery taking the Kellys, Martyns and Glenise along for some culture. A magnificent building of polished stainless steel in big vertical waves. Inside proved to be a bit beyond our level of understanding but opened our eyes to another world. The Irish pub down the road then provided some balance in these things while we contemplated the minimalist art we had seen. We caught up with Alvis friends that evening at Rally HQ and were entertained by “Elvis”. Wednesday was off to Opunaki with a detour to view the Cape Egmont lighthouse. At Opunaki we parked up at the Showgrounds. My favourite car of the day was a 1928 Delage DM painted very dark blue with a burnt orange colour under the upward flared guards – it really looked smart and with a 3200cc engine should be very motorable. But there was again a lovely line up with a Talbot BG110 not far away (the last Roesch-designed Talbot). We returned to New Plymouth via the upper road as we had taken the coast road out. We detoured to the long route option to visit a wonderful 26 hectare garden called Pukeiti. Well worth a visit if you are in New Plymouth but I would advise going and returning from the New Plymouth 31

side and get a map at the Garden’s information centre. We approached from the other side which was long, winding, narrow and although a steady climb also with steep cuttings down to narrow bridges meaning lots of handbrake work in Nellie. I was somewhat jaded by the time we reached the garden and found Noel Kelly in a similar state at the information centre there – not a road for veterans but one other did do it.

Nellie at the Lighthouse

The Delage

The routes were set out with options and you could start when you liked and switch options, it seemed to work well with very few hold ups with queues of cars which is what I had been dreading. On Wednesday evening, after over 100 miles of motoring, we sat with Rolls-Royce and Bentley Club friends and the entertainment was by the Howard Morrison Quartet Take Two with a son of Howard leading them. On Thursday the short option was to Stratford which was just 30 miles out while the long route was to Whangamomona which they advised was not suitable for slow or low-powered vehicles and was a big day motoring, 64 miles there and was further coming back via Inglewood. We headed for Stratford but again found the suggested route took us to the veteran-killing hill we had encountered on Monday, so about turn and we made our own way. We all parked up at the A & P Showgrounds for lunch. My pick at the lunch stop, among lots of beautiful cars, was a 1929 Packard 640 (6.3 litres). I got talking with the owner and found he had bought it as a rusty truck chassis and engine but over 9 years had restored it, casting many parts himself like door hinges, spare wheel bracket etc and making a lovely job. It was a Granny Smith Apple green (maybe a little darker) with dark green guards and highlighting. The painted aluminium interior trim on dash and door tops was made to look like walnut veneer and had me fooled – a stunning job.

Packard 33

The afternoon route took us to Inglewood where they had organised a Street Party from 4 – 8 pm. The veterans were detoured off to lead the parade but were held up when the 1907 Silver Ghost “failed to proceed”. The rest of the cars followed all parking up three, then four, abreast in the main street of Inglewood. This was open to the public, who showed vaccine passes, and the organisers estimated there were nearly 10,000 people there. Meals were supplied by street vendors and stalls set up and by 7:30pm there was no food to be found as everyone had sold out. We thankfully had got in early. It was a wonderful display and lots of kids were running around waving flags with Terry Roycroft’s Bugatti on them. My favourite was a Renault Alpine 110 but a 1933 Wolseley Six Hornet special also caught my eye. At the lunch stops previously we would go to look around the cars and get talking to someone and find when moving on, so had a good portion of the cars so were always missing some. For this reason, we found Inglewood was good as they couldn’t get away before we could get a look, but of course a few chose not to be there. We managed to get back to New Plymouth before dark, a concern as Nellie has a daytime-only lighting endorsement. Friday was another big drive to Hawera along the busy main road for parts of the short route so I wimped out and we parked Nellie up for the day, choosing to take the Hilux instead. There were also further supplementary notes to the supplementary route notes to sort through so I became navigator for the day. It meant we could come home around the coast from Hawera to Opunaki completing a circumnavigation of Mt Egmont which is something we had never done in three rallies through this area. We started the day with a visit to the Te Rewa Rewa Bridge which we had missed earlier in the week. This is a beautiful architectural structure which frames Mount Egmont from the north end. We then followed the long route to Hawera visiting the Fun Ho Museum in Inglewood, Hollard’s Garden and a possum fur factory shop on the way – all worthwhile visits. We had already visited the Tawhiti museum on a previous rally but, if you haven’t and are around Hawera, this is a must-stop and was one of the options.

Once again, all the cars were parked up in a park out of town over lunch. My pick of the day was a 1934 Railton Terraplane, not a new shiny restoration but still an impressive performing car in its day. He had an information sheet with performance comparisons to Lagonda, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Talbot, Jaguar etc but obvious was the omission of Alvis – perhaps the comparison was not so much to his liking (the Railton could out accelerate everything in its day but ran out at the top end). Also of note was a very rare 1937 Brough Superior Drophead (car not motorbike). Oh! I forgot the gorgeous little 1954 Swallow Doretti. I know my picks are not to everyone’s tastes but the variety of cars meant everyone had something special to appeal to them. There were some rare post-war cars too that we don’t see many of in New Zealand nowadays, a 1962 Commer Cob, 1960 DKW, 1955 Hillman Californian, 1960 Hansa Coupe (in pink) and a 1955 Peugeot 203C along with a couple of Saabs. Comments from the Inglewood people were “it was more fun than the Americarna Park-ups that they host annually, because of the great variety the VCC Rally offered”. Friday night was the final dinner and we were told to get together in groups of 10 per table. We gathered outside with other Gore and Central folk only to find, once we got in the door, all tables were taken so the search was on just to find a seat. We ended up with Greg and Daphne Elder and at a table with a couple who owned pre-war MGs like the one Greg is currently restoring and also with the owner of the Delage I had admired earlier in the week so were lucky again. So, the end of a very enjoyable week and a success for the VCC and all concerned. We had great weather all week also. Saturday saw me drive Nellie out to Egmont village where we loaded her on the trailer and turned for home. Lunched at Waverly at John’s sisters and the night in Wellington ready for another early sailing. We saw a 1918 Sunbeam on the ferry which had been to the Rally but we hadn’t seen all week – 500 cars are a lot to get around. The Sunbeam had driven up from Invercargill and was also driving home – good on them. On the ferry we learnt the whole country was going into red at midnight. How lucky was that – any sooner would have ruined a great week but now we were racing for home. After a night in Christchurch with our daughter we got home to Gore on Monday 24 th and boy can the beans in the garden produce in 11 days so back to work we go! Katy Parish 35

REMINDERS (2) Just two branches still send printed copies and these are displayed on the stand in the Library. Others are sent by email as links to online versions or as pdf files and can be obtained on request from the Editor or the Secretary. VCC name badges: are available from Van De Water Jewellers at a discounted cost of $28. These badges are black with white lettering and bear your name and “Gore VCC”. N.B. If you’re not wearing one (and on the right side of your chest) at a meeting you will attract the Sheriff’s attention and are likely to be fined!

GORE BRANCH BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER The Branch bank account number is 03-0915-0246885-00 Please put your name and reason for the payment in the details boxes Thank you. The Treasurer The Editor 36

Gore VCC Supper Roster 2021/2022 The same names keep popping up here – wouldn’t it be great to have some new people giving it a go and letting the “old hands” have a rest?! March

Mary Tremaine

April

Frances Neilson

May

Katherine Welsh

June

Russell Newland

July

To be advised

August

To be advised

IF YOU ARE UNAVAILABLE ON YOUR ROSTERED NIGHT, PLEASE CONTACT ME OR SWAP WITH SOMEONE ELSE ON THE LIST. THANKS, DES

We need to cater for about 30 to 40 members each night. The cuppa and serving of the supper is to be arranged within the Social Committee.

September To be advised To be advised October November To be advised December To be advised To be advised January February

If necessary, ingredients and/or small items can be bought at Gore New World and charged to the Gore VCC account.

To be advised 38

Online Bonuses Official Covid-19 information: https://covid19.govt.nz/ Glenn Cockcroft: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/garden/102315219/trafficenforcement-is-in-the-blood-says-owner-of-shed-devoted-to-copmemorabilia https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/127398469/southlander-receives-samequeens-service-medal-as-his-father Police Cars Through the Years: https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/300173984/fords-holdens-chryslersand-mitsubishis-police-cars-through-the-years Rumour, the Southland Branch newsletter: https://www.sporty.co.nz/southlandvintagecar/Rumour-1/2020-1# The Editor

COOKERY CORNER Lemon Yoghurt Muffins Ingredients ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup oil Pinch of salt 1 large egg, beaten 2 cups self-raising flour 1 cup low fat yoghurt Grated zest of 2 lemons Glaze 2 tablespoons icing sugar 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice Method Mix together sugar, egg, oil, yoghurt, salt, lemon juice and zest Add flour, stir gently to make a soft, thick batter Put into muffin tins and bake for 10 – 12 minutes at 200ºC While muffins are cooking, prepare the glaze by stirring the icing sugar and lemon juice together (there is no need to heat) Once the muffins are cooked, remove from the oven and let stand for 4 – 5 minutes before brushing with glaze Rosamund Scobie P.S. I put more lemon juice and zest in. It worked! It was delicious. [Lifted from New Zealand Vintage News with permission]

ADVERTISEMENTS FOR SALE While I was visiting a fellow VCC member in Invercargill he mentioned he was ready to sell on a few of his project cars and concentrate on getting a couple of others finished. He has two Triumph Dolomites - NZ new, mostly rust free, registrations on hold. Becoming hard to find now. Also two others suitable for parts (will do a bulk deal).

1956 Daimler Conquest, suit parts as registration lapsed. 1959/1960 Morris Minor that belonged to his mother. Low ownership, registration on hold, has been stored for a while. If you are interested in a starting a new Covid project: Phone Brice Edington 03 214 0426 Tell him you were talking to me (Denis Knight) or that you saw this ad. 1/3

WANTED I also have a good friend who has just purchased a 1929/1930 Essex 6 to enter and take part in the Irishman’s Rally so he can tick it off the iconic VCC runs. He has asked me to enquire locally if any members may have any parts that could be handy to carry as a spare if anything was to break on the Rally, e.g. rims, axles, headlights, carby, generator, water pump or anything really that could be of use. Also a fold down boot rack to suit. Phone Frank 027 487 5914 1/3

WANTED High ratio diff for a 1959/60 Bug Eye Sprite. Denis Knight 027 351 3190 1/3

SITUATION VACANT Branch Secretary Bill Ainge has indicated his intention to stand down at the 2022 AGM Anybody interested in taking on the rôle is encouraged to contact Bill for details: Telephone: (03) 208 9877 Email: abainge@xtra.co.nz There is also information in the VCC Branch Manual, available in the branch library and online at https://vcc.org.nz/resourcesdownloads/

Tailpiece

Run reports, articles of interest, photos, technical tips, letters and feedback are always welcome. Please send all contributions to David North

before the 3rd Wednesday of each month for inclusion in the next issue of The Wiper If you don't have a computer I can type up a hand-written article or put your notes or jottings into shape for The Wiper. If you prefer I can even take notes as you talk to me and write up the story for you - I am always ready to help so just let me know how! e-mail: northd14@gmail.com physical and mail: 4 Trotter Street, Riverton 9822 telephone (mobile) 021 172 3281

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