SIDE CURTAINS
SIDE CURTAINS The magazine of the
ROTORUA VINTAGE AND VETERAN CAR CLUB
FEBRUARY 2022
WE ARE ON FACEBOOK ! www.rvvcc.org.nz
DECEMBER CAR IN THE ROOM
SIDE CURTAINS - February 2022 The magazine of the ROTORUA VINTAGE AND VETERAN CAR CLUB
Clubrooms: Neil Hunt Park, Tarawera Rd, Rotorua Postal: PO Box 2014, Rotorua Email: rotorua@vcc.org.nz Website: www.rotoruavintagecarclub.org.nz Vero Insurance: Phone 0800 658 411 and quote your VCC membership number Club Meetings: 2nd Wednesday of month (except January), 7.15pm for 7.30pm start OFFICERS
Chairperson - David Tomlinson Secretary - Dennis Whimp 021 731 678 Treasurer - Terry Fitzpatrick Club Captain Terry Wadsworth Asst. Club Captain Fleur Tomlinson Committee Ronald Mayes Neville Harper Lois Thompson Jenny Cole Dennis Brown Geoff Nitz
CONTENTS Chairman’s Report
2
From The Secretary
4
December Car In The Room I
5
December Car In The Room II 6 January Midweek Run
7
Vero Festival Visit
8
Coming Events
12
Mid Weekers - Jenny Cole Side Curtains Editor - David Tomlinson rvvcc.editor@gmail.com Beaded Wheels - Ronald Mayes Librarian - Dennis Kenny Librarian - Ronald Mayes Cards/Flowers - Doreen Green
Cover Photos Front - December High Tea Run Back - December High Tea Run
CLUB CAR PHOTOS
If you want your club car photo on the clubroom wall then get in touch with Doug Green, and he will organise a time and place for a photo shoot. It would be good if we could have all member’s car photos on display. Side Curtains February 2022
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Chairman’s Report
- January 2022 by David Tomlinson
I start by recording the passing away of John Kirkland in January. John had been our Club Captain only 5 years or so ago. I wish to pass on the condolences of all branch members to John’s family and friends. The last few months have been troubling times with the government rules on gatherings, which has had a major impact on our activities, not just at branch level, but nation-wide. When they brought in the new “Protection Framework” we had to postpone our Lakefront Car Show on its 10th Anniversary, as even at the green setting you cannot have more than 100 people present at an event without using vaccine passes. As a result, most uncontrolled car events have been postponed or cancelled since, including the huge Brit-Euro show in Auckland, Brits At The Beach, and now that we are all at the red level the Ellerslie Concours is cancelled for 2022. In some cases this is the first time these events have ever been cancelled. At branch level, when the new rules were introduced, because our area was deemed poorly vaccinated and we started in the red level, we had to introduce mandatory use of vaccine passes at club night and other branch activities. Under the red settings, the maximum number of people allowed at a gathering is 25. When we were put at the orange level in late December the committee chose to remove all restrictions on branch events, including club nights, but unfortunately we were plunged back to the red level before any activities took place. So unfortunately we are back to requiring vaccine passes at all branch activities until further notice (with the exception of the February midweek run, which will have an attendance limit in place). Mask wearing is your own personal choice at our activities, but we must wear them if directed to at any places we visit. As we have asked since the beginning of this tiresome pandemic, please do not attend any branch activity if you are feeling unwell, even if you are fully vaccinated. On a brighter note, the Vero Festival managed to proceed in the Taranaki in January, they had around 550 vehicles involved. The only branch car I spotted in the regular photo updates was the Philps’ Falcon. I do know at least a couple of small groups of branch members did visit various parts of the event. It looks like the event enjoyed good weather. 2
Side Curtains February 2022
In December we managed a club night and our High Tea run, albeit with vaccine passes, with a good turnout at both events. Our car in the room for December was the Skelton’s 1929 Austin 7. This car was so popular we have two reports from the night in this edition of the magazine! The High Tea run was a good day out despite poor weather, followed by an excellent afternoon tea back at the club rooms. My son Sean got his learner’s licence in November, and he drove in the wet for over 2 hours in his first drive on a run. Thanks to all those involved in the organising and making of the afternoon tea. From a personal perspective, almost all the activities I had planned over the very busy summer moving into Autumn have been hampered by the new rules. Fleur and I did manage to go to a picnic in Auckland in January with another car club that required passes, and we also took part in EBOP branch’s East Coast Rally, which Pat and Shona also took part in. Their branch debated whether to go ahead, even with passes, and put on a good day, although only 20 cars took part, well down on their usual numbers. Pretty much everything else we had planned, including a 10 day tour in April, has been cancelled. The VCC’s Highland Fling has also been put off until next year. At branch level we will continue to do what we can to keep things moving. We will continue to have club nights at the red settings, requiring vaccine passes. Our February meeting will feature the Fitzpatrick’s BMW 2002 Tii as the car in the room. Our BBQ Run is set back a week (as it clashed with another event which has since been cancelled), and will go ahead as planned, again requiring vaccine passes to take part. It is possible some assistance will be sought to run this event. The Chairman’s Run in March will also be a week after the usual time so as not to clash with Taupo’s annual rally. Let’s do our best to make what we can of the current rules we have to live under, time is one thing none of us will ever get back. I am sure I am not the only one keen to fill the void being left with all the car events being cancelled in 2022. Lets support the branch activities to the fullest in the meantime. Lastly, we are on the lookout for new co-ordinators for the midweek runs, as Dennis and Jenny are soon to re-embark on another overseas epic journey, which is a good sign things are slowly heading back towards normality. Side Curtains February 2022
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FROM THE SECRETARY by Dennis Whimp It has been wonderful vintage motoring weather over summer, but once again the branches emails are full of event cancellations. Fortunately, the Vero Rally at New Plymouth escaped the red traffic light setting. David and Jill Philps in their 1978 XC Falcon plus Andrew Thomson in his 1963 Humber Super Snipe represented our club at the event. Both said it was a most enjoyable and very well organised week. We won’t get a chance to hear from David and Jill in the near future as the weekend after the rally they moved to their new home in Matamata. It is with sadness that I report the recent death of John Kirkland. John has been an active member of the branch, been on the committee, club captain and used to have an informative chatty column in the magazine. He joined the branch 25 years ago with a mid-30’s Ford V8 and over the years, has had a number of Fords of all sorts, the last being a 1930 Ford Model A. John was also an active member of the tractor and machinery club. Up until recent years he could be seen “exercising” an old tractor around the local streets. Our sympathies go out to his family. Does anyone know who replaced the padlock on the gate to the ramp at the clubrooms? The replacement master keyed one that we recently installed has been removed and we would like it back. Please let me know if you can shed any light on this as we have the entire padlocks master keyed and this one is not. No one except me and the person who installed the padlock can get through. (A key was left in the padlock which I now have.) It is time to start thinking about how you can extend your enjoyment of the branch by lending a hand to the various tasks that keep us running so smoothly. There will be a number of vacancies on the committee to be filled at the coming AGM in May. Let me know if you would like to be a part of the team. 4
Side Curtains February 2022
December Car In The Room - I
by Ronald Mayes
Bill and Adelai entertained us with the fascinating story of their 1929 Austin 7 Chummy, telling us how they bought it in 1986 in Not Very Good condition – for a start , the back end of the body was held in place by a piece of wood. But Bill got cracking on its restoration, removing the engine for reconditioning (the crankshaft was seen to by Nick Canham), panelbeating was done by a young friend and Bill did the painting. Reg Munro overhauled the electrical system and Malcolm Pearce, a Vintage Austin Club member from Auckland, made new side curtains. The first club run for the car was in 1990, a night run to the Waikiti hot pools (no hood or side curtains at that point) but in 1992 it was taken to the Pan Pacific Rally based in Palmerston North. From 1996 travel became even more adventurous , with attendance at the VCC’s 50th anniversary rally in Christchurch. Driving via Blenheim, Molesworth Station, Lake Tennyson to Hanmer Springs, including 3 miles downhill in second gear, then the Otira Gorge (before the viaduct was built) and up to the Denniston plateau. In Westport they had their first experience of staying in a backpackers’ hostel. In 2002 off again to the South Island and the Austin 7 80 year anniversary rally based in Blenheim, with another trip through the Molesworth Station and Maruia Saddle road with its fords – a brilliant road just made for Austin 7s. On all of those trips the car’s engine never missed a beat but Bill told me that, during one of those South Island tours, the flywheel became loose on its mountings and he had to drive about a hundred miles with some pressure on the clutch pedal to hold it in place! The Chummy continues to regularly appear on club runs and the Skelton’s name seems to almost always appear on the branch’s annual trophy for the most-rallied vintage car. Side Curtains February 2022
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December Car In The Room - II
by Dennis Whimp
The December 2021 Wednesday evening car in the room was one of the best known and most photo’d vehicles of our club. Bill and Adelai’s 1929 Austin Chummy. When they joined the club over 50 years ago they had a 1934 Austin 7 Ruby saloon which was extensively rallied and which has only recently been sold. An early 20’s Chev open tourer followed and then in 1986 Bill was able to purchase the Austin 7 Chummy from Reg Ponman. Reg was quite a character and when he emigrated here, he brought in a number of Austin 7s from Australia along with a Mini Moke that I subsequently purchased (that is another story). The Austin 7 was reasonably complete, but in poor condition. The body came off so that the chassis could be welded as it had broken in half. Bill gently coaxed the aluminium door skins back into shape, rubbed it down and painted it. The engine was reconditioned by one of our club members at the time, an Auckland upholsterer made the side curtains and the car was ready to go. The fabric convertible top was the original that was on the car when it was purchased. The speedo mileage recorder only has 4 digits so every 9,999 miles if flips over to zero. It has done that many a time but Bill has no idea how many as the book with all that data in has been lost. The car has taken Bill and Adelai all over NZ to National and Austin Rallys plus almost every club run since it went back on the road. In 1992 it was at Palmerston North, Christchurch in 1996, Blenheim in 2002 just to name a few. It’s been on the Denniston Plateau and coming up Arthur’s Pass pre-viaduct, it was 9 miles uphill in low gear. It was almost the same distance in low gear going down into Hamner Springs off the Molesworth. It is a tribute to this little car with pistons smaller than most lawnmowers that since the car was restored, Bill has had to do no motor work on it. Bill’s bit of advice to us was that on this car, if you break an axle, you can push it in and still drive home. 6
Side Curtains February 2022
Midweek Run, 26 January
by Dennis Brown
We kicked off the new years activities meeting in the clubrooms at 10.30am, with a great turnout. There was a sea of masked faces and everyone was very good about showing their vaccine passes. By 11am, most of the 26 of us left the clubrooms to drive around Lake Rotorua via Mourea. Some were so engrossed in chat that they were late leaving the clubrooms and took a shortcut via the city. I think they were worried about getting lost… :) Café 171 offered a perfect place to lunch. With plenty of off road parking, and a rural aspect. Food was excellent with generous portions. Tea for two provided a massive teapot with enough for four cups each. Jen’s bowl of chowder was big enough to bathe in! Not that she offered me any. Oh! It was great to meet a new member, Tony. Tony is from ‘the old country’, but that was 40 years ago. He drives a beautiful red Austin Healy Sprite, complete with knock-on wire wheels. Luckily the shower we encountered on the far side of the lake didn’t come to much, so he didn’t get wet. We look forward to seeing more of Tony and his wife at future meetings. With three grandchildren attending, our future membership is looking sound. A little aside. When discussing various subjects relating to motoring, while at lunch, Bill (90) made reference to the poor driving practices of some older drivers with white hair…I thought that was hilarious.
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Vero Festival Visit
by Neville Harper
Dennis Whimp, Roger Nelson and myself made an executive decision to travel down to Inglewood for a day trip down to the street party on the Thursday of the Vero Rally. The rally entrants had 3 route choices on Thursday. Two routes took them to Stratford for the day and the third choice (for the ones with longer legs) took them to Whangamomona. The cars all had to be back at Inglewood for the street party before 4pm where they had closed off the main street until 8pm for the cars to park in. We arrived around 3.30pm so had the opportunity to see all of the cars assemble in the school grounds waiting to be let into the main street. There was approximately 550 entrants and what a great sight it was seeing such an amazing and diverse range of cars on the rally. All of the entrants that we spoke to had thoroughly enjoyed every part of the festival.
Well, the main street had a band playing, a huge range of food vendors, all of the shops remained open and of course had all of the cars parked in it. It was closed off to anyone without a vaccine pass. Once again it was a fantastic display of all sorts of makes and models which made checking them out really interesting. Crowds of people turned out to enjoy the street party. As you can see in the pictures there lots of people came for a look. They certainly dodged a bullet with NZ going into “red” on the following Sunday night so it was great that the event was able to go ahead. 8
Side Curtains February 2022
We left for home at around 7.30 so we would miss the traffic heading out of Inglewood. The highway was closed and a detour was taken through Waitara where we expected to be able to get dinner. It was a bit of wishful thinking and best we could manage was a pie from the second service station we called into. Every eating place was closed from then on so it was just as well we had a pie. We arrived back in Rotorua just after midnight, very pleased that we had made the effort to go for a look and we had all had a great day out.
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FOR SALE 1955 Wolseley 4/44 We have been contacted by Robin Wills, a Reporoa Dairy farmer who has owned a 1955 Wolseley 4/44 for the past 30 years. It was done up for a wedding approximately 20 years ago and it has been left in the sheds for the 20 years or so since. He would like it to be passed on to a new keeper. He will consider swapping it for a good bike or lawnmower, but is also interested in any cash offers. It apparently looks very tidy externally and was running a couple of months ago, but now needs a new coil. It is not registered so needs a full re-vin to get back on the roads. If you have any interest you can call Robin Wills on 07 333 8452.
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CLUB NIGHT - February 9th Neil Hunt Park - 7.30pm Car In The Room: 1973 BMW 2002 Tii Followed by tea and coffee.
February BBQ Run Sunday, 20th February Meet at the clubrooms at 10.00am. At the completion of the run there will be a BBQ luncheon at the clubrooms. As with the High Tea run in December there will be no charge for the refreshments, but if you want to have something other than tea, coffee or juice with your lunch then please BYO.
Midweekers Wednesday, 23rd February by Jenny Cole Meet at the Clubrooms at 10am. We will leave at 10.30am for a visit to the Timberline Racing Siberian Husky Kennels which is located at 36 Kilkenny Way, Broadlands, Taupo. Steve and Taniya, the owners of Timberline Kennels, have 11 huskies. They will tell us about unique features of the breed and how to train and run a sled dog team. This will include a demonstration of driving a team. The programme will take about an hour and a half to two hours. We will then have a picnic lunch at the kennels. (The kennels provide a cup of tea, but bring your own food.) The cost for the visit is $27pp. We will be the only guests at the property. As the kennels allow non-vaccinated guests (many of their visitors are children who are not yet vaccinated), it means numbers have to be restricted to 25. I am afraid we will have to stick to this limit and accept members on a first come first served basis. Side Curtains February 2022
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www.rvvcc.org.nz The branch website aims to meet the needs of our members, to promote our branch nationally, and to potential new members. If you have any suggestions please contact David Tomlinson. Please also make sure you “Like” our Facebook page to keep up to date.
Contributions to Side Curtains This is your magazine! Please feel free to share anything you think might be of interest to the membership by sending it to the editor, preferably by email, and a picture says a thousand words, so include photos where possible. Members taking part in club runs or events hosted by other branches are encouraged to pen a short piece about their experience to include in the next issue going to print. All items to the editor by the end of the month. 12
Side Curtains February 2022
EBOP Branch East Coast Rally
December High Tea Run