SIDE CURTAINS
SIDE CURTAINS The magazine of the
ROTORUA VINTAGE AND VETERAN CAR CLUB
MAY 2020
WE’RE NOW ON FACEBOOK ! www.rvvcc.org.nz
Above: A photo from the International Rally in Rotorua, 1980. The Austin Healey being attended to is still showing as registered in New Zealand. Only 3 of the 5 people pictured are smoking! Below: Was this John Peters heading home from Harvey Norman just before the lockdown started?
SIDE CURTAINS - May 2020 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
CONTENTS Chairman’s Report
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Treasurer - Terry Fitzpatrick
Branch AGM 2020
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Club Captain - vacant
NZTA Notice
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Secretary - Dennis Whimp Ph 021 731 678
Asst. Club Captain - vacant Committee Bob Mackay Terry Wadsworth Ronald Mayes Kevin Scott Lois Thompson Neville Harper
Club Runs
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Coming Events
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Mid Weekers - Bob Mackay Side Curtains Editor - David Tomlinson rvvcc.editor@gmail.com Beaded Wheels - Ronald Mayes Librarian - Dennis Kenny Asst Librarian - Roger Couchman Asst Librarian - John Kirkland Cards/Flowers - Doreen Green
Cover Photos Front - Remember club nights? Back - Commercial Hedge Trimmers
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 May 2020
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Chairman’s Report
- April 2020 by David Tomlinson
I hope our members are coping with the difficult times we have been through recently, there seems to be a growing light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. We are finally tracking slowly back to a sense of normality. In the 5 days before this issue went to press, there was only one “new” case of Covid19, linked to an old cluster, and considered non-infectious. After significant restrictions on our lives and activities under the government’s Covid-19 Alert Levels Four then Three, we are now at a level where socialising is allowed again on a limited scale, almost all businesses are operating again at some level, and travel is now allowed. This means we can drive our older cars, get them serviced, get warrants of fitness etc. In my last column I mentioned my 10 years was up in May for my driver’s licence, and indeed it expires only a few days after this issue goes to press. NZTA, through their website, have advised that all WoFs, CoFs and driver licences that expired on or after 1 January 2020 will automatically have extensions added. The new expiry dates will be set soon, and these could be extended up to 10 October 2020. Registration has been possible online throughout the lockdown, and NZTA even allowed vehicle registrations to be renewed if the WoF or CoF had expired. This feature normally only applied to trailers and caravans. The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown the calendars of all organisations into turmoil, not least that of our branch, and the VCC and all its other branches too. The Vero International Rally has been postponed for 12 months, and will be held in January 2
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2022 in Taranaki. Our branch postponed the Swap Meet, the Sulphur City Rally and our AGM. However, as we emerge from the shadows of the pandemic restrictions, there is a plan to have a simple “contact-less” run at the end of May (details for this at the back of this issue in Coming Events), and to hold a daytime meeting in mid-June, which will combine a short run, a BYO lunch, our branch AGM and our annual prizegiving. Members will be able to attend any or all parts of this, they can just attend the AGM if they choose. This will be on Sunday, 14 June, and a notice for the AGM is included in this issue. More details in Coming Events also. The clubrooms will be set up for the AGM in a social distancing manner, and the prize giving will be contact-less also. As long as things continue to progress safely, we may be able to start our usual club nights, weekend runs and mid-weekers from July. Lets hope things improve and we can safely return to all our normal activities in life and within the branch very soon. It is hoped we can still hold the Swap Meet before the end of the year, this will be discussed at the AGM meeting. A successful annual Swap Meet is vital to our club’s financial operation, lets hope we can work something out. The Sulphur City Rally will also be discussed, we may have to simplify the format and make travel options easier for out of town participants. In the unlikely event we have to cancel the AGM due to adverse developments nationally or regionally due to the pandemic, we will do our best to contact all members in advance. It is important that those members who do have email addresses have given them to our secretary to keep you in the loop as things change and develop. Also, if you are on Facebook, make sure you “like” the branch Facebook page so developments come up as notifications on your timeline. Side Curtains May 2020
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The biggest issue we have to navigate in the short term is the social distancing rules, and the rules surrounding gatherings. I don’t think we are likely to risk having 100 people gathered together for a club meeting or activity, but the Sulphur City Rally and the Swap Meet will have to wait until freer rules exist around social events. Lets hope in a month or so we are more or less completely free of the virus in New Zealand, and most restrictions are lifted within the country. It does appear our options to travel overseas will have restrictions for a very long time. One positive side effect of all of this may be that some things we do locally in our “own patch” may become more attractive and affordable to us. With our region relying almost exclusively on overseas tourists, we may even find events like our Lakefront Car Show receive better support from RLC and local businesses, as we bring hundreds of people into town. If any of you do have concerns about how we propose to safely meet and conduct our affairs while we are still in Level Two, please contact me or our secretary with your concerns so we can consider them, or give you the answers you were looking for if nothing is needed to be done. We are “your” branch, I hope we can soon be back doing things that interest our members and get as many of you involved as possible. Lastly, the April issue of Side Curtains was unable to be printed as our printers were shut during the Level Four Alert. They like most businesses are operating again, so we will create a very small print run of a combined April/May Side Curtains to be sent to our small number of members who receive a hard copy version. Let’s hope our AGM is well attended and we can set a good program of activities for the coming year, working within the constraints put in front of us. 4
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Notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Rotorua Vintage & Veteran Car Club Inc The Branch AGM will be held at 1.00pm on Sunday, 14th June 2020 at the Rotorua VCC Clubrooms, Neil Hunt Park, Rotorua. Agenda items will include: Apologies, Minutes of last year’s AGM, Chairman’s Report, Financial Report, Election of Officers, General Business Only financial members may vote. Nomination papers are available from the club Secretary on request, or you can copy or cut out the form below. Elections will be held for the following positions: Chairperson, Branch Captain, Assistant Branch Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, committee member (between 3 and 6 may be elected) Nomination Form for RVVCC AGM - 14th June 2020 I nominate ………………………………………………………………. for the position of ……………………………………………………… Signed ………………………………………………………………….. I second the above nomination Signed …………………………………………………………………. I agree to have my name put forward for the above nomination Signed …………………………………………………………………. Side Curtains May 2020
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Rotorua Branch AGM 2020 We usually hold our AGM as part of our May club night, but due to the Covid-19 Alert system we were not able to do so this year. It is expected the accounts will be ready to present by the re-scheduled Branch AGM, for Sunday, 14 June. This will be a day time AGM on a Sunday, starting at 1pm. The AGM will be preceded by a short club run in the morning, then a BYO lunch back at the club rooms before the AGM starts. Members can take part in any or all of the day’s events. We will set the club rooms up so that appropriate social distancing can be observed, and will run the meeting in as “contact-less” way as possible. We will also name our annual prize winners at the conclusion of the AGM, but there will be no handing out ceremony as we usually have. If you do have prize cups at home, please bring them along to the club run on 24 May if you are taking part, or to the AGM meeting. It will probably be necessary to engrave cups after that date, but we will make do the best we can. Although the date and time of our AGM is unusual, it will still be run as it should be. It is your time to have your say about the activities and running of the branch, and your opportunity to put your hand up and offer to help. We have had vacancies on the committee for each of the last 5 years, particularly the role of Club Captain, and we have a number of off-committee roles within our branch too. Please come along at take part in what is one of the most important branch meetings we hold each year. We have a lot of challenges moving forward. 6
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Above: The Duke and Duchess of York visiting Rotorua in 1927. This is the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, parents of our current monarch. They unveiled the war memorial at the Gardens on this trip. Below: Tutanekai St, date unknown. Although there is a horse and cart, there are vehicles that are from the late 1930s or possibly early 1940s.
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Above: A very early shot of a group on Hongi’s Track. The licence plate will be an old local body one, and it is not a Rotorua registered car. Below: New Years Day Parade in Rotorua, around 1970, complete with bikini clad ladies on the forklift, which holds a Ford Escort Mk1.
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FROM THE NZTA WEBSITE - MAY 2020 To help smooth the transition back to compliance, the following documents are temporarily extended: WoFs and CoFs, driver licences that expired on or after 1 January 2020. Other vehicle certifications which expired on or after 1 January 2020, including alternative fuel inspection certificates, permits authorising use of vehicles with conditions, and heavy vehicle specialist certifications of towing connections and log bolster attachments. Endorsements (including drivers of small and large passenger services and dangerous good endorsements held by some truck drivers) that expired on or after 1 March 2020. The legislative changes also allow a temporary suspension of the requirement to have a current vehicle licence if the vehicle licence expired on or after 1 January 2020. Once we start adjusting back to business as normal, the Transport Agency will set expiry dates for these documents, which could extend up until 10 October 2020. We will let you know as we set these dates and will ensure you have plenty of time to get your documents compliant. Please check that we have your correct contact details - you can do this on our website. It is still a requirement that vehicles must be safe to operate on a public road. At a minimum, vehicle owners need to self-inspect their vehicles using the TWIRL procedure (tyres, windscreen, wipers, mirrors, indicators, rust and lights) to assess their vehicle’s safety, using the guidance on our website. If your vehicle is unsafe, don’t drive it. We will provide more details on this as we know more. Side Curtains May 2020
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Advertising standards have evolved somewhat from the 1970s, but this is fairly representative of a number of ads at the time. They certainly did not do ‘subtle’ back then.... 10
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CLUB NIGHT - July 8th Neil Hunt Park - 7.30pm Car In The Room: TBA Followed by tea, coffee and biscuits.
Club Run - Sunday, May 24th - 10am start This will be a short touring run starting from the clubrooms, probably around 40-50km. We will keep social distancing protocols in place, but the clubrooms will be open for using the amenities. Be there around 10am for the first car away shortly after.
Club Run / AGM - Sunday, June 14th - 10.45am Another short run will be planned, this time with a simple competitive element, but touring for those who wish to. We will aim to get the first car away around 10.45am so that everyone is back in time to enjoy a BYO picnic lunch at the clubrooms before the AGM starts. Please bring all your food and drink requirements for the lunch.
Upcoming Midweek Runs Future midweek runs and the starting month will be discussed at this year’s AGM. Side Curtains May 2020
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www.rotoruavintagecarclub.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
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More historic photos from Hongi’s Track
Commercial hedge trimmers in NZ, 1950 Ford truck, Bren carrier, Valentine tank