RATTLES & sQUEAKS August 2020
Nothing like a cuppa and a chin wag with your mates after being locked up in a bubble for weeks
Chairman’s Comments I am pleased that some of us supported the club by attending the Classic Car Club RSA Fund raising run recently and it was great to have a run with a bigger attendance that we are used to having. Next month we will have our own run the weekend after the AGM so hope to see a good number of you there. By now you have received your notification of the AGM to be held at the clubrooms on Sunday August 2nd staring at 1:00pm. Although we have received some nominations for committee members we still need people for Club Captain, Librarian and Hall Custodian, so will be looking for nominations from the floor. We had good attendance at the morning tea of Wednesday 1st July and hope most of you will also attend the AGM. The new AGM date unfortunately clashed with the monthly motorcycle run, but the group who normally leave from the town basin at 1:00pm said no problem, we will come to the AGM at the clubrooms and start our run at about 3:00pm instead. How about that for co-operation and being part of the team. Planning for the Far North Tour is underway and we already have registrations of interest. Some of us have already booked our accommodation in Kerikeri and if you mention you are coming for the Vintage Car Club Far North Tour, Who knows, you may even get a better price. Just remember to let us know if you intend to come as it will make planning a whole lot easier. This will be my last Chairman’s Comments as I am standing down from the position at the AGM, but I feel sure the new Chairperson and the new committee will do a great job. A fairly small comments section this time, but if you want more, come to the AGM and listen to the reports from all sections of the club at the AGM. Regards Ron Anderson
REMINDER to key holders
NVCC Club Key Holders. Please return your keys to the Secretary at the AGM. The keys will be needed to hand over to the new Committee. Thank you.
Secretary’s scribblings Hi All, This will be the last time that I address you as the secretary. We will have our AGM very shortly and then we have the opportunity to meet the new committee candidates and listen to the reports from the outgoing committee in charge of their departments. At last year’s AGM we discussed the insurance of the building, and we as committee said we would look into this, I have been in contact with our broker and will have the paperwork sorted for the members to be able to vote on 3 options that are available to us. I will explain what each option means to us as a club and we can put it to the vote. With that we hope than to close that chapter for the next couple of years. Lou and I also are getting ready to go next month to the Executive and AGM meeting in Wanganui. We are booked in the hotel and are registered. I will get in our next newsletter a report of that. At the Executive meeting there is going to be voted on a Proposed notice of motion and a Proposed Remit to alter the By-laws. This is all part of the ONLINE membership forms, that George Kear and Murry Trounson been working on for a while. This was already on the program for the March meeting which was cancelled. NZVCC head office sent out some papers with last and this year’s data from our Branch. We had the highest Increase in members from the whole of the country. 28th Feb 2019 126 members 44 joint total 170
29th Feb 2020 137 members 53 Joint total 190 Increase 20
Total Vehicles from the club members is 499 and 60% have a current VIC. Lastly I like the remind you that If you Have changed House, Phone or e-mail please let the secretary know to make sure that all your Beaded Wheels and Club newsletters arrive in your letter box.
Your Secretary Ans Schoenmaekers. northland@vcc.org.nz
Condolences
Condolences to Rodney Dalziel and family on their recent loss of Helen. Our thoughts are with you all.
Motorcycle Reports There were a few apologies for the run; there was a car-run fund-raiser for the RSA organised for the same day, the weather forecast was not the best for the afternoon, and Lofty was suffering from a late injury, so the keen team that turned up were Cam (Indian), Graham (Triumph), Brian (BSA), Peter (Kawasaki) and myself (Yamaha). We followed Cam out of town to the west, pausing momentarily at Maunu Primary School to reform after exiting town. We headed down Kara Rd, and Kokopu Rd, then NW on Mangakahia Rd to The Old Parakao Store Café and Bar, a nice 40km/25mile run in overcast conditions and light traffic conditions. The log fire was burning as we relaxed, so it wasn’t too hard to keep the conversation flowing so that a heavy shower could pass. Then it was on the bikes for the run back to town inconstant light rain; not too unpleasant as long as you have good gear. The afternoon was another good ride and a good catchup with the guys. We are hoping to squeeze in the next one after the AGM meeting on 2nd August. Peter Lovatt
Pretty rough weather was forecast for Sunday. The general impression was that if we were to meet at Fring’s we would most likely be returning back to our abodes without delay. During the morning one or two apologies were received from members not being able to make it on the day, including one from our old mate Worzel who thought he might melt if he got wet, or something a bit like that. Five bikes plus riders arrived at Fring’s, two Peters riding a Yamaha and a Kawasaki, Cam on his faithful Indian, Graham with his Bonneville and Brian riding his recently acquired BSA Lightening, a very nice machine. The weather looked OK, so with Cam leading the way through town, up past the clubrooms to the lovely sweeping bends on Kara Road and onto Kokopu Road before turning right into Mangakahia Road terminating at the old Parakao store, not a drop of rain plus dry roads, amazing. Orders were placed with mine host Gavin and we sat at a table fairly handy to the large fireplace which was churning out the heat along with a bit of smoke, designed I believe to create atmosphere, if that was the plan it was certainly working well. Coffees and soft drinks arrived plus Brian and Peters huge burgers, this led to a quiet time while the food was devoured and others watched in awe. We had a bit of a chat about next month’s ride which is unfortunately the same day as the clubs AGM, it was decided that the ride would follow the meeting, approximately 3:00pm, and will leave from the clubrooms. While the burgers were being attended to the weather gods decided to dump a load of rain down. The skys then cleared and a dash for the bikes was made to get back home before more rain came, it didn’t work out as well as planned, we had a fairly steady shower for about 5km which then cleared enough to allow us get back home without getting too damp. All in all, a good winter ride. See you all on August the 2nd at the clubrooms. Graham
The Mini Marathon At the end of June 1989 our family transferred from Ruakaka to Christchurch. To get my Mini Cooper there we decided that the family 1600cc Holden Camira should tow it on an A-frame attached to the towing eyes on the Cooper’s front subframe. The Cooper tail-lights all worked with a trailer connection. Jennifer re-purposed a duvet to make a stone cover for the grille, bonnet and windscreen. The A-frame worked well except when I entered a gas station a little quick and an eye broke; fortunately I had spares. A tail light was broken while we were away from the car during the ferry crossing and we had a puncture to a Cooper tyre about 20 minutes north of Christchurch; otherwise it was a good trip. In Christchurch the Cooper was used for winter transport for work for the first few years, Canterbury Mini Owners Club runs and the annual British Car Day, adding 20,000 miles to the mileage counter. In 2012 we decided to return north. So once again how to shift everything was discussed. We had bought a house in Maunu in March but intended to shift towards the end of the year. At the time the Cooper was getting very little use; every time there was an organised run I was working. I decided that a classic car should be used, so it was to be a solo road-trip north. The rego and WOF expired at the end of June, so even though it was winter, the drive was happening in the last full week of June, and the Cooper would sit in the garage waiting for us. So I booked a week of annual leave, a bus ticket from Whangarei to Auckland Airport on the Friday morning and an air flight home. What could go wrong? I love a 1am ferry sailing as you can find plenty of room for your sleeping bag and have a great sleep, so I left Christchurch in the dark about 6pm Sunday night for the 4-5hr trip to Picton. I was well wrapped up as the Cooper was typically draughty and the heater largely ineffective. By 6.30/6.45pm I had driven 20 miles and was approaching the motorway bridge over the Waimakariri River, it was a lovely evening with very little traffic in sight (so different to the Auckland motorway). Coming off the bridge there was a loud crack like something hitting the toughened glass windscreen. There was just a small amount of cracking. Decision, what to do? I decided to keep driving, but slowly slowly the cracking got more extensive. The light from town street lights and the infrequent vehicles heading south glared dangerously, but it was manageable, except when I met a car on a sharp corner! The rectangles of glass kept getting smaller and smaller, until about Ward when they were so small the screen started to bow, so I knocked a smallish hole to see out of (and let the winter air stream inside); unfortunately light rain started falling to make the last ½ hour from Blenheim uncomfortable. But eventually I reached Picton, and 3rd in the queue for the ferry ticket booth to open. I put a raincoat over the windscreen and climbed into my sleeping bag to warm up. Next thing there was a tap-tap on the window, there were no cars in front of me and the ticket booth was waiting on me. I’d made the 1 st section. During the crossing I tried to find a Wellington yellow pages at the Interislander’s information counter but there was no staff. Fortunately someone came past and eventually found a computer and Mr Google located a windscreen repair shop complete with a map to find it, not too far off track. So there I was, parked in front of Sharps AutoGlass in Lower Hutt, waiting in the dark for a couple of hours till someone opened their workshop. Even then it took a bit of patience, as the new screen had to come from a warehouse somewhere, but by mid-morning, in exchange for $330 I was on the road again with a laminated windscreen in place. Woohoo. The Cooper ran well through the lower North Island. The weather was cold across the Desert Road, with rain showers and sleet flurries… Miserable! But the car was running well, and I was having a debate whether to refuel at Turangi or wait till Taupo. At the first sight of the main road Z station at Turangi, the engine started a gentle miss, as I passed the entrance it became a cough, and then it was a desperate attempt to find the next entrance and get to the service station. As I pulled into the only empty parking space under the forecourt awning, the engine died. Dead! Nothing, not a kick! There was petrol indicating on the gauge, and the electric fuel pump wasn’t ticking, so I hadn’t run out of fuel. I got out into the freezing cold, thankful at least for the awning to keep out of the rain. Toolbox out of the boot, bonnet up. Everything looked good, no loose wires on the coil or distributor. Unscrew the top of the float chambers. The float chambers were full of petrol, no water apparent in the bottom. Turn the key on, fuel pumped nicely. Take the cap off the distributor. Inside was dry, flick the points, all good. Take the spark plugs out, check spark at the plugs spinning the engine over, all good. Plenty of compression against my thumb. Compression, spark, fuel all present, but something was still not right. For an hour I checked and rechecked the carburettors, the distributor, put new plugs in. And then suddenly, with nothing different being done, the 60 minutes were up, and the engine was running and ready to go. I was too relieved to try and figure why it was now running. Northward we came, everything running smoothly. As it got dark I was having trouble seeing; only one headlight was working on low beam, and the windscreen wipers started to perform worse than those on my first car, a Ford Prefect with vacuum wipers! I even tried taking the passenger side wiper-arm off to see if there was a performance improvement. Eventually I got to my father-in-law’s West Auckland home for the night. Cont…...
The next day the electric fuel pump needed a tickle before I could get the engine going, but after a few laps of the block it seemed OK so off I set. Only to conk out on the motorway. Fortunately my brother-in-law was able to tow me back. A phone call told us a new SU pump from the MG man was an eye-watering price, so we went down the road and came back with an electronic pump. I was off again. Just past Te Hana I was on the side of the road again. Fuel pump not pumping! I walked a kilometre back to Te Hana and called in to the tractor workshop. I received a fair amount of ribbing from them, but then the boss took me out and towed the Cooper back with his ute. I was able to put the car over the pit and remove the fuel pump, then I was driven to Warkworth Repco, where I purchased another electronic fuel pump, fuel hose, cable-ties plus an in-line filter to fit in-front of the pump, and then back to Te Hana. I had the tractor mechanics looking over my shoulder as I put everything together. Fortunately the engine fired up immediately. A reluctantly accepted donation to the staff social fund was all they would accept (lovely people) and I was off. By now the day was drawing to a close, and I was reluctant to possibly have issues on the Brynderwyns in the dark, so I spent the night at a Kaiwaka motel, eventually arriving at Whangarei early Wednesday morning. So what could go wrong? I got here with the car, well within my schedule, plus we had a test run that produced a list of jobs to keep me busy for some time. Maybe just like many of our member’s cars? Peter Lovatt
Club Captain’s Report
Hi everyone, Well the rain has certainly arrived & things aren't dry anymore ' Lambs are arriving so spring must be here. The Wednesday club lunch was well attended hope everyone turns out to the AGM As ever new faces in management are always welcome.
Great to get new input & ideas.
Ron & committee have done a great job and I think the Club has moved forward with the times. A bit of a challenging future ahead and I think a move back to Grassroots will see NZ prosper again. Nothing like being positive and productive. I am not standing for any management roles as I think new people need to step forward. All the best Keith Taylor
Northland Vintage Car Club
AGM 2nd August 2020 1PM @ NVCC Clubrooms Followed by afternoon tea Please bring a plate Targa 2020 VCC Time Trial – Breaking News The Targa 2020 VCC Time Trial is now being run as two conjunctive events-: 1. The 4 day time trial starting Albany, Auckland Thursday 15th October 2020, travelling over closed tarmac road stages to overnight in Whangarei, before returning via closed road stages to overnight in Ellerslie Friday 16th October. 2. A 2 day time trial starting Ellerslie, Auckland Saturday 17th October 2020. This is a totally new event with a significantly reduced entry fee aimed at VCC members who wish to enjoy an outstanding Targa VCC event over a weekend. On Saturday 17th October, both 2 and 4 day entrants travel over closed tarmac roads on the Coromandel to overnight in Whitianga, where all VCC entrants, friends & family are invited to join for a meal together at the Mercury Bay Club, and where we’ll also be presenting some fun participation awards. Sunday 18th October will see all of us returning over closed tarmac roads on the Coromandel to event finish & prize giving dinner in Pukekohe. The Targa VCC Time Trial 4 day & all new 2 day event gives VCC members with VCC/VIC eligible cars an outstanding opportunity to test their driving & time-keeping skills over closed tarmac stages, safe in the knowledge that they’re all driving in the same direction from start intervals, with nothing coming towards them. It’s not a race, and no special car modifications (roll cage etc), are required. Entries may be limited, so please contact me asap-: Rod Corbett rod.corbett88@gmail.com 027 433 8772, For event pricing and further information please refer www.targa.nz
Calendar of Events 2020
August Sunday 2nd.
AGM. NVCC Clubrooms 1pm.
Please bring a plate for afternoon tea.
Sunday 2nd.
Motorcycle run following AGM.
Leaving from Clubrooms.
Sunday 9th. NVCC Club run. Leaving at 10 o’clock from the club rooms. Buy lunch at the end of the run or bring your own. Wednesday 12th. Wednesday 19th
Dargaville meeting at 7.30pm. NW Aero Club, Hoanga Rd. Dargaville Mid-week Run 1PM at NW Boating Club Car Park BYO afternoon tea.
Thursday 27th.
NVCC Committee meeting Clubrooms 7pm
Saturday 29th.
NVCC Parts Afternoon 2-5pm
September Wednesday 2nd. Sunday 6th.
Morning tea NVCC Clubrooms 10.30am. Please bring a plate.
Motorcycle Run.
Wednesday 9th.
Saturday 12th.
1pm at Frings.
Dargaville meeting at 7.30pm. NW Aero Club, Hoanga Rd.
Note change of day for our run (Club rooms are being in use this week)
Cars & Planes Run. Leaving from the Clubrooms front car park at 10 o’clock drive to Dargaville and watch the planes come in. Order lunch or bring your own. We need numbers for the lunch orders. Contact: Ans 4346802 or vcc.northland@gmail.com Wednesday 16th. Thursday 24th.
Dargaville Mid-week Birthday Run. Full day. Starting time & Place TBA.
NVCC Committee meeting Clubrooms 7pm.
Parts shed open every Wednesday morning 9-12 noon. Check out the Northland Branch VCC Facebook page for more photos of club events etc.
2019 -2020 Office Bearers Northland Vintage Car Club Inc. Position
Name
Phone
Mobile
Chairperson
Ron Anderson
Vice Chairperson
Lou Schoenmakers
09 4346802
louans@hotmail.com
Secretary
Ans Schoenmaekers
09 4346802
northland@vcc.org.nz
Treasurer
Steve Cornwall
09 4025006
jensteve@xtra.co.nz
Assistant Treasurer
Keith Taylor
09 9460719
0211685928
keith.taylor55@gmail.com
Club Captain
Keith Taylor
09 9460719
0211685928
keith.taylor55@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor
Donna Nobilo
09 4376097
021437601
empiretroop@actrix.co.nz
Committee
Arthur Jenkins
09 4370955
Peter Meares
09 435 2002
petermeares@gmail.com
Allan Pearson
09 4376317
agpearson39@gmail.com
Lynora Reilly
09 4356366
trelyn47@hotmail.com
Trevor Reilly
09 4356366
Adam Young
09 438 7488
Bert Parrish
09 4389492
Lawrence Hillier
09 4346457
hillierlawrence@gmail.com
Allan Pearson
09 4376317
agpearson39@gmail.com
Peter Meares
09 435 2002
petermeares@gmail.com
Rob Hughes
09 4591171
poodlepalace@xtra.co.nz
Lou Schoenmakers
09 4346802
louans@hotmail.com
Hall Custodian
Trevor Reilly
09 4356366
Librarian
Lynora Reilly
09 4356366
trelyn47@hotmail.com
Motorcycle Rep
Adam Young
09 438 7488
youngadam111@gmail.com
Museum Delegate
Ron Anderson
VIC Inspector
Allan Pearson
09 4376317
Webmaster
Martin Salter
09 4371969
Parts/Vehicles
0275318969
0210737145
vcc.northland@gmail.com
trevorreilly47@gmail.com youngadam111@gmail.com
021411601
0210737145
0275318969
jubert@xtra.co.nz
trevorreilly47@gmail.com
vcc.northland@gmail.com agpearson39@gmail.com
0212242102
martinsalter47@gmail.com