January 2021
R18
Southland Branch of The Vintage Car Club of NZ Inc. PO Box 1240, Invercargill 9840.
The next Meeting is at 7:30pm On Thursday, 28 January 2021. At Ariki Lodge, 46 Ariki Ave, Otatara.
Our Defibrillator has arrived.
Office Bearers 2020/2021 Patron Chairman Secretary
Wayne Nicoll Ray McCulloch Janet McCulloch Sheryn Warren
Treasurer
215 7136 217 9667 217 9667
Executive Executive Executive
southland@vcc.org.nz
021 712 198
Executive
svccnztreasurer@gmail.com
Club Captain Grounds Buildings Bulletin Editor
We still need a Club Captain!! Olly Olsson John Burke Rae Wilson 235 8567 (027 499 8769)
Executive Executive Executive Executive
wils@southnet.co.nz
Gerry Pethick Ken Officer Trevor Wilkey Casey Lyons Librarian Roy Shanks Parts Shed John Burke Neil Kidd ID Cards etc Ferg McDowell Welfare Officer Barry Hayman Southland Branch website VCC of NZ Inc. Web site facebook
216 5496
Executive Executive Executive Executive
216 6056 217 8177 022 497 0764 235 8449 216 3639 www.sporty.co.nz/southlandvintagecar www.vcc.org.nz www.trash.co.nz/vccbb
Bar Roster The bar is open Saturdays from 4:30pm until 9:00pm. January
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Trevor Wilkey Dave Birss
February
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Brian Dunick Ron Irwin Russell Jenkins Wayne Calderwood
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From the Chair Hi Folks Happy New Year to you all and I hope this year is a bit easier to handle. First off, I hope you have put your entries in for the Southland Rally being held Waitangi Weekend and also the Combined Rally the following day. The Southland Rally is slowly coming together, however with a great lack of support from members to help, it’s becoming harder to organise these events. Please if you are interested in helping or going onto the Rally Committee please notify the Secretary or an Executive member. We don’t want to stop having these events but as mentioned before it’s becoming harder to finding people to undertake the organising. On a lighter note, Olly Olsson and Bruce Marshall are underway with the organising of the Combined Rally which will be travelling around the Western Southland area, taking in some interesting places. Another hiccup that has occurred lately is that we have been trying to contact some of our members who unfortunately have been late in paying their subs however it seems that a good portion of these members contact information is out of date. Please if you are changing either your address/phone number let the Secretary know. On the home front things have been busy with one of the latest projects being a motor from a 1917 Moon. The motor has had the bearings white metalled, with the balance of the motor reconditioned. The owner wanted it ready for 2021 Dunedin/Brighton run, which I understand it entered and went ok. It was quite fun going out of the house to “work on the moon.”
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I have also just finished overhauling the motor for the 1936 OK Supreme owned by Tim Eunson. It’s believed to be 1 of 2 engines left from the original 18 produced. I would like to thank those members who have helped with the fundraising for the Club to purchase a defibrillator. Enough funds have been raised and this has been ordered. Our next fundraising project will be the updating of the bar. Once again thank you for your support with these projects. Ray McCulloch
Condolences. This month our condolences and thoughts are with Warren family with the passing of Arthur’s sister.
New Members. This month we welcome G & L Denny to our club ranks. We look forward to seeing you both at the monthly meetings and our rallies.
This month’s contributors to the Rumour. Ray McCulloch, Rae Wilson, Barry Barnes, Janet McCulloch, Russell McIvor, Ferg McDowell. SVCC Rumour
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Editor’s comments. Happy New Year. Like everyone, I am hoping this will be a better year for us than 2020 and that COVID doesn’t bite us again, although that is looking more like it will. Plan for the worst and hope for the best as Reacher says. Make sure there are sufficient supplies to keep you busy during another lockdown and don’t be complacent. Since I have been on the Executive, questions have been asked about: 1. why the number of people attending events is dropping? 2. and since the last AGM, why no-one will take the position of Club Captain and membership of the Rally and Social Committees. We even had a special executive meeting to consider these things and really didn’t come up with any answers. It’s easy to criticise and see that things are not as they should be, but the answers are elusive. Here are my thoughts for what they are worth. It is not the job of the executive members to organise everything in the club. Club members need to adopt responsibility for the activities of the club. At the moment, the most successful part of the club is the mid-week rally, and this is limited to those who have Wednesday off work. So, it is essentially the retirees in our club. This group is self-sustaining and so does not depend on any committee for the organisation of its activities. Is this what our club has turned into (retirees)? Do we need to change our focus and events to suit them and only them? If this is the modern trend then, do we develop into self-sustaining groups with their own interests (i.e., Veteran, Vintage, etc) rather like all the other car clubs that have evolved (e.g., Holden, Ford, etc). Should our focus be solely on cars, rather than machinery? May is our AGM and our opportunity to make changes. Does the Executive need changing? We need to be making these decisions now and start talking/finding suitable and willing members for the roles of; 1. Executive. 2. Rally Committee. 3. Social Committee.
It is not fair to expect a few to do everything and that attitude cannot continue if you wish to see an active calendar of events in future. Having a SVCC Rumour
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Club Captain is important but who will do that job without the support of the Rally and Social Committees? Please contemplate your commitment to the running of Club activities. If you are not competing in an event, then we need your help. Rae Wilson. Closing date for the February Rumour is February 14, 2021.
Wedding Car inquiry We have received the following request. Please advise the Secretary if you can help. My name is Alison Yorkstone and my partner and I are currently on the hunt for some old vintage or classic cars that we could possibly hire for our wedding day. We will require 3 cars, one for the bride and groom which we are after a 4door vehicle and one for brides’ maids (4 of them) and one for the 4 groomsmen. We are after any classic cars that get offered really, no make or sort in mind to make things easy. We are getting married at Hawthorne gardens and at 2:30pm, Friday 26th February 2021 and will require a car for the bride (me) and my dad to get to the gardens from the ascot park hotel which is where our reception is and a car for the brides maids to get to gardens then a car for the bride and groom to go get photos done in Winton and back to the ascot park hotel and 2 cars brides maids and grooms men to get back to the ascot park hotel after the ceremony. Thank you so very much for your help, I look forward to hearing from you. We are happy to pay for the usage of the cars and cover any petrol costs. Kind regards Alison Yorkstone and Jordan Wiseman
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Russell’s Ramblings. Southland motorcyclists travelling to Masterton for the National Motorcycle rally in February are the Eunson’s, Tony Warren, and Malcolm Hodgkinson and his son. Good riding and show the flag for Southland. Arthur Warren has had 2 new wheels made for his 1929 Buick and is now looking for a brake drum. The Eunsons have obtained a 1928 Norton from Dunedin and are taking it to the National Motorcycle rally.
1930 Humber Pullman Limousine The car was first owned by William Fraser Edmond of Dunedin and it has had at least 9 other owners. The car was bought by a Christchurch member from a Manapouri owner in 1993. The restoration involved reframing the Thrupp and Maberly body and replacing the alloy panelling. Unfortunately, the block was cracked and porous, but a replacement was obtained from Australia. The restoration was completed in 1996. When in Invercargill for the 2006 Vero Rally, the then owner took the restored car back to Manapouri to show the previous owners. Club Members Brendan and Rebecca Sparks have recently purchased this car. It is a 7-seater with a liquor cabinet and 2 fold down seats behind the front seats. The engine is a 6-cylinder 3498 cc side valve, capable of 75 mph top speed. It is similar to the Humber Snipe but longer. It is understood that the English manufacturers thought the cars were going to NZ and Australian sheep station owners so a glass panel was installed behind the driver’s seat so the sheep dogs would not breath down the driver’s neck. ********** The Sunday school teacher was telling her 6-year-olds about how Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt when 1 boy said, “My Mum looked back once when she was driving and she turned int a lamp post.” ********** SVCC Rumour
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For Sale 1. EIP Vauxhall diff unit. EIP Velox gearbox. Has new bearings, gaskets and seals. EIX Wyvern gearbox. 2 assorted gearbox housings etc. Phone Ken Officer 03 213 0700 or 027 414 3377 2. 1927 Model T, 4-door tourer. Body restored, motor runs. Still in bits. Contact Leighton Sparks on 216 3167. 3. MGBGT – Excellent bones for a restoration project. Car is local. Sunbeam Imp – Rego on hold. 3 lady owners. Needs good cosmetic tidy up and minor mechanical repairs. 2 x Hillman Imps + various parts, enough to make 1 car. $2,000.00 Call Barry on 021949531 4. 15’ Oxford caravan, 4-berth, electric fridge, gas cooker, ¾ length awning. In very good condition. Call Brian on 03 217 4392
Wanted 1. Copies of the NZ Classic Car Magazine no 302 onward for our Library. Contact Roy Shanks on 216 6056. 2. The library needs a replacement copy of the manual for a 1949 Humber to replace the one that has gone missing. Two members now have these cars, and no doubt will need the reference. 3. I have a Cheverolet National 1928, 2 door light truck that has been involved in a light nose to tail. I need the following parts. Both front guards, radiator and radiator surround. Regards Bruce Roorda (Auckland) Ph 021 947649.
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Parts Shed The parts shed will be open the afternoon of meeting nights between 1 & 4 p.m. The following people can be contacted at any time if requiring parts or information on parts in our Parts Shed. John Burke 217 8177 Neil Kidd 022 497 0764
Important dates. Meetings and Social functions. Southland January 2021
February March
24 28 11 14
Ladies run. First Club Monthly meeting for 2021. Don’t forget your name badge. Executive meeting Garage Sale/Open Day
Rallys. Southland February
March
3 6 7 6
First Mid-week rally for 2021. Southland Rally. Entries close 26/1. Combined Rally. Entries close 26/1. Veteran Rally. Entry form in this issue.
Mid-week Rally. FEBRUARY RUN – Wednesday 3, 2021 Leaving the Racecourse at the usual time. $15.00 per person for the meal. Please advise Barry or Viv Hayman – 03 2163639 - before Sunday 31st January, if you are wishing to participate.
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December mid-week rally report. Firstly, we must thank Louisa and Alan Black for their many years of organising the Wednesday runs, and for putting their hands up in the running of many Club activities, especially the Club kitchen. We are going to find it hard to replace you guys. Thank you to Barry Ryan and Co for the December Run. The day dawned fine, and the run took us out through the back of Kennington, Mokotua, Morton Mains, Dacre, Hedgehope, Tussock Creek, Grove Bush, finishing at the Woodlands Tavern for a very good meal. For dessert we were all treated to a piece of Louisa’s special Christmas cake. A very nice day with about 54 people participating.
Historical Run report. On Sunday 6th December 6 members and their partners arrived at 9 Abbot St for the start of an educational run around the city. Once they had received their 4 pages of questions and directions and a leisurely catch up, they set off. Around ¾ to 1hr later they started arriving out at the Clubrooms. After handing in their papers there were some very deep discussions and offerings of opinions of where & what some places were. A cuppa was made and then the papers were handed back to opposite team members for marking. This again sparked some intense discussion with one person remarking that they were too young for these types of questions. Funnily enough this person actually got third!! With the papers all marked off they were then totalled with the outcome being: Winner:
Dave & Raewyn Birss
Second:
Geoff & Sharon Johnstone
Third:
Gerry & Margaret Pethick
Everyone had a good time with lots of chatter and laughter taking place. They are all waiting for next year’s one. Janet McCulloch
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VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF N.Z. (Southland Branch)
Annual Veteran Rally
Saturday - 6 March 2021 Send entries to
The Rally Organiser, P.O. Box 1240, Invercargill, 9840 To enter on our website – click on: http://www.sporty.co.nz/southlandvintagecar Or Google - Southland Vintage Car Club – Enter Online SVCC Rumour
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Veteran Rally 2021 ENTRY FORM Entries Close on 27th February 2021 To: Rally organisers, P.O Box 1240 Invercargill 9840 ENTRANTS NAME: ...........................................................................................................
ADDRESS: .......................................................................................................................... DRIVERS/RIDERS NAME:................................................................................................. If different to entrant YOUR RALLY NUMBER .................................................................................................. VCC MEMBERSHIP NUMBER.......................................................................................... MAKE & MODEL:............................................................................................................... REGISTRATION: ..................................
YEAR ................................
NOMINATED SPEED ..................... MPH NO OF CYLINDERS ...................... ENTRY FEE ........................................................................................................ $ Add $0.50 if paying by cheque. TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED
20.00
$ ..............
Please make cheques payable to: VCC of NZ Southland Branch P.O Box 1240 Invercargill 9840 Or
Internet Banking: SBS: 03-1355-0799805-02
Tick if internet banking completed.
Please note your name & Vet Rally in the reference boxes.
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KEEP THIS COPY FOR YOUR OWN RECORDS Veteran Rally 2021 ENTRY FORM th
Entries Close on 27 February 2021 To: Rally organisers, P.O Box 1240 Invercargill 9840 ENTRANTS NAME: ...........................................................................................................
ADDRESS: ........................................................................................................................... DRIVERS/RIDERS NAME: ................................................................................................. If different to entrant YOUR RALLY NUMBER .................................................................................................. VCC MEMBERSHIP NUMBER .......................................................................................... MAKE & MODEL: ............................................................................................................... REGISTRATION: ..................................
YEAR ...............................
NOMINATED SPEED ...................... MPH NO OF CYLINDERS ...................... ENTRY FEE......................................................................................................... $ Add $0.50 if paying by cheque. TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED
20.00
$ ..............
Please make cheques payable to: VCC of NZ Southland Branch P.O Box 1240 Invercargill 9840 Or
Internet Banking: SBS: 03-1355-0799805-02
Tick if internet banking completed.
Please note your name & Vet Rally in the reference boxes.
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The Southland Vintage Car Club cordially invites you to participate in our:
Veteran Rally 2021 Saturday 6 March 2021
ELIGIBILITY: This event is open to financial members of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand to enter their Class Eligible vehicles.
EVENT: Entrants will meet in the Windsor Community Church tar sealed carpark behind the playground on corner of George & Windsor Streets at 9:30am, Briefing 9:45am., 1st vehicle leaving 10:00am on Saturday 6 March 2021
GENERAL: Please bring your lunch with you; there will be a timed section with no gravel on the rally route. There will be a leisurely afternoon return run back to the clubrooms for prizegiving at 6:00pm.
“Happy Motoring� SVCC Rumour
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Defibrillator Fund Raising Project. A big thank you to all who have contributed to this project. We have achieved the target and the defibrillator has just arrived. Training is being organised.
Ladies Run 24 January 2021 The Executive agreed to reinstate the Ladies Run to our club activities, so on 24 January 2021 I have planned this year’s Ladies Run for those interested. We will be starting from 9 Abbot St at 1:30 pm, visiting a couple of places, having afternoon tea and whatever else comes along. You don’t have to bring your vintage vehicle. Any vehicle will do. Afternoon tea is approx. $9.00 which includes a small hot drink, a sandwich and a cake. If you want a large drink that will be a little bit more. So, bring along a friend and we’ll see you there. Please advise me by 15th January if you are wanting to go. See you there. Janet McCulloch ********** My daughter sat her driver’s licence yesterday and came home with 3 tickets on the written part alone. **********
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A Buick from Bygone Days
by Barry Barnes
When my brother Robin and I were just young guys we heard of an old Buick for sale, cheap. Robin already had his 1913 BSA restored and I was festering about with my 1924 Peugeot and Dad’s 1915 Humber. We thought the old Buick might be good to tow the motorbike on a trailer and also perhaps the Peugeot. Said beast was duly acquired, a 1922 4-cylinder coupe, poorly painted a lurid lime green. Closed cars were not seen as desirable vintage cars and certainly the Buick looked less than elegant. We got the thing home and, as you do, started trying to get it to run. Ray Eunson came around to have a look and we told him of our thoughts for using it as a tow car. “Well,” he said, “it would probably pull a trailer no trouble, but how will you stop it with 2-wheel external brakes?” Reality sunk in as we realized that he was quite right. No matter, we’ll get her going and have a bit of fun with it. We were partially successful in this aim and we would belt it up and down Bluff Road, where we lived, and around our favourite track of back roads behind Kew Hospital, but could never get it running on more than 3 and a half cylinders despite which the old thing could go like the clappers with its deep long stroke motor. Fitting a Studebaker Stromberg carburetor in lieu of the Marvel made some difference, but the problem was never solved. It was probably valve related, but we never had the head off. We also dispensed with the lime green paint. After some rudimentary repairs to some rust outs, I applied a brushed-on coat of green enamel paint SVCC Rumour
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out of Dad’s stock of tins suitably mixed together, along with black top and guards. We had obtained a new old stock 23” centre lock Houk wire wheel which allowed one with a dodgy locking plate to be relegated to the spare and the wheels were laboriously hand painted cream. It looked vastly improved but still hardly elegant. Other things came along, Robin bought his well-worn 1928 Chrysler 75 roadster, now restored and owned by Bruce Washington, and also acquired a girlfriend, now his wife, and I bought the 1925 Studebaker, so the Buick had to go. We had numerous inquiries, but they came to nought and I finally decided I would use the wheels and hubs on the 1915 Studebaker SD4 roadster I had acquired from John McLachlan, so we wrecked it. The rest, minus front axle wheels and rear hubs, went to Fred Collett who had purchased a 1923 tourer which incidentally later came to Timaru. Ironically, that old Buick was the first vintage car I tried to buy back in 1959 before I joined the Club. Todd’s Auction Rooms had it for sale at 27 pounds 10 shillings and all I could muster for an offer was 22 pounds 10 which was refused by the owner, Dr Orbell of Notornis/Takahe fame,
Your Ad Here Contact the Editor for details wils@southnet.co.nz SVCC Rumour
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who had briefly owned 3 Buicks in a short VCC career. One of these is the 1917 car now at the Makikihi Hotel, here in South Canterbury. The Buick wheels were not used as originally planned because I sold the Stude to John Rogers who restored it and wanted to retain the original 25� wooden wheels. Coincidentally, the Studebaker is offered for sale again at the moment. (Wish I could afford to buy it back). The wire wheels were sold to Neville Dewson who made a marvellous restoration of a 1913 Overland raceabout which looks splendid on these
wheels. Looking back now it’s a shame, the Buick did not survive but things were viewed differently over 50 years ago. If I had then had the storage to put it away for a few years, things might have been different. It is, I guess, nice to think that some parts of the old Buick live on in the 1923 tourer and on the Overland My personal reminders are some scars on my knuckles from the crank handle slipping off during cranking and making very firm contact with the front chassis rails!
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Library The lending library will issue books on the afternoon of meeting nights between 1 & 4 p.m. Other times by appointment - phone Roy on 216 6056
Drive a Dream 2021 Sunday 28th February 2021 We have again been approached to support this important fundraiser. After being a victim of COVID in 2020, Rotary Club East is pushing for a huge event on the 28 February 2021. An event of this scale is not possible without the support and enthusiasm of groups such as ours. The event will again be held at Teretonga Race Track. We will be looking for volunteers to provide our club’s support for this worthy project.
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There is a fine line between numerator and denominator. Why did the Scottish man have plumbing issues? He only had bagpipes. My printer’s name is Bob Marley because it’s always Jammin’.
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