4 minute read
Twilight Rally Article
YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE
TWILIGHT RALLY//
On Saturday 8th May it was the CHB Branch Annual Twilight/Night Rally. Entrants were requested to be at The Tavistock Memorial in Waipukurau by 3.15 pm. We were unto them this time, as the year before last we had naturally assumed that the Memorial would be up by the Tavistock Hotel, but not so it is right at the other end of Ruatanawhia Street so lesson 1 find the correct start point. We duly assembled along with approx. 25 other cars including the only other entrants from HB Kevin and Pauline McGrath, there were meant to be a few others but Steve D judiciously decided to withdraw as he had to up at some ridiculous hour of the morning to get the Swap Meet underway. We set off in rapid succession including ex HB member Gavin and Viv Harris in their early 70’s Trimuph Spitfire who when I commented on their lack of a roof assured me it was going to be a top down evening only to be seen after the first stop putting up the canvas. Our first stop for soup and a bun was a bit of a surprise, we had travelled over some scenic byways to eventually end up at the Norsewood pub, it was a surprise because on Good Friday when we were travelling down to Wellington with one of our granddaughters we had stopped at Norsewood for a picnic morning tea and being Good Friday there was hardly even a leaf blowing up the main street, we had looked across to the pub and speculated as to whether it was still operating. Well it certainly was, all lit up and welcoming us with a roaring fire and a delicious serving of pumpkin or vegetable soup. Darkness had descended while we were inside having a convivial time so it was a shorter run back to Waipukurau over pitch black country roads, we were following Mike and Eleanor Green in their mid 50’s Jag trusting hopefully that a local wouldn’t lead us astray a judicious decision I’m not sure but we did eventually arrive at our destination. Our final stop was for dinner at the Leopard Tavern, where Graham even had to pass on dessert as it was time to head home ready for an early start at the swap meet the next morning We would like to thank the CHB branch especially Bruce Poole and Ken Lyons for a great run, I know they struggle to get venues big enough for the crowd but we certainly all enjoyed the day. The next event you should have been at was the HBVCC Swap Meet Firstly I would like to thank Steve Donovan for spotting in 2019 the opportunity for the VCC to organise a swap meet, when the Hot Rod Club decided they were no longer going to run one as part of their weekend Hot Rod festival. Planning was well underway for the inaugural 2020 event when life was put on hold. So this year Steve was back into it again, he did an amazing job using his
organising skills and his connections to co-ordinate the planning with everyone from the speedway to the council and all speedbumps in between. The Speedway were supportive and good enough to offer the use of their pits and facilities which were ideal for the setup we needed and as they had an event on the previous evening, they also left out the event signage for us to make use of. On the day it was just getting light when we headed down to find a lot of willing workers already kitted out in their H-Viz vests and rearing to go. Oops we missed the safety briefing sorry Kevin !!. I was on the gate with Juliette Cadwallader, our job was to collect entry money from the sellers and buyers, and what a great job we must have done as the event made a net profit of approx. $4500.00 not bad at all for the first one, patently must have been helped by us charming ladies one seller even commented when I said please. Steve had as his vision a good old fashioned swap meet and it filled the bill. Of the 50 odd sellers, I spoke to many well satisfied that they had done a lot more that earn back their entry fee and on the other hand there were many buyers strolling out the gate well satisfied with their new found treasurers. Also in the spirit of these events it was a great opportunity to catch up with old acquaintances accompanied by hot chips and/or a hot dog with tomato sauce. So thanks to Steve and all the team of volunteers as an inaugural event it was a success, Steve is already talking about next year, in fact he has booked the park. So be prepared
Esther Smith
