RATTLES & sQUEAKS MARCH 2019
Chairman’s Comments. Hello to all Club Members from your Chairman. The motorcycle members have been busy attending runs around the country and doing their bit for the Northland Vintage Car Club. They also have a run on the first Sunday of every month and the regulars who are not away on other runs always turn up for a ride with the team. Please see the reports on these in this newsletter. The club morning tea on the first Wednesday of the month continues to attract members along for a chat and a cuppa and it’s good to see new faces at that - although I can’t always make it on that day. Also on the Wednesdays Lawrence Hillier and his happy band of workers are at the Parts and Vehicle Shed every Wed morning so drop in and say hello. We held our regular third Friday of each month club night at the clubrooms on the 15th March where you can enjoy your own dinner or share it with others. We knew the numbers would be down a bit as some of the regulars were away at Motorcycle events and others has advised they were not able to come for other reasons but as we said we would continue to hold this event for those who can’t make the Wed Morning teas, Helen and I went up and opened the clubrooms. Got out tables and chairs and got the BBQ all set up and warmed up for anybody who may want to use it. We did receive a phone call from a member who has just re-joined the club after a few years away to say they were coming but couldn’t make it due to car issues and apologizing for that. So Helen and I ate our dinner all on our own and after being there for over an hour on our own, put away the tables and chairs and the BBQ. It was a pleasant evening and the setting for a date night was great, but it would have been more enjoyable with a little more company. It does make me wonder however, what members want from the club as it is obviously not social events. We will give it one more try on Friday 19th April but unless we get advice that members will definitely attend, it will be cancelled. Important events coming up are the Swap Meet and the Motorcycle Rally. The Swap Meet committee are a great group who know what is needed and how to do it so please volunteer to help as your committee can’t do it all on their own. If we have people prepared to help for even an hour or two it helps a lot. We will also need helpers with the Motorcycle Rally so show your support. Our club run on Sunday March 10th was put together at short notice but 7 vehicles went to a picnic lunch at a venue that a number of the participants hadn’t been to before and it seemed to be enjoyed by all. Next month promises to be a good one too and is a bit of a mystery with the person setting it making the comment that the road we will be going on will be one that we haven’t been on before. Put this in your calendar for April 14th at the clubrooms by 10:00am for a 10:30am start. If there are any changes to this we will email as soon as we know what is happening. If you want to know anything about your club feel free to contact myself or any of the committee members. Regards, Ron Anderson Chairman
Calendar of Events 2019
APRIL Wednesday 3rd.
Sunday 7th.
Morning Tea at NVCC Clubrooms.
Motorcycle Run.
Sunday 14th. Club Run.
Friday 19th.
Meet 1pm at Frings (Lower Dent Street).
Meet at the clubrooms at 10:00am for a 10:30 start.
Dinner at Clubrooms from 5-30pm.
BYO everything - bbq and
Tea/coffee available.
Sunday 28th.
Combined Swap meet at Heritage Park, Maunu.
MAY Sunday 5th.
Motorcycle Run.
Wednesday 8th.
Saturday 18th.
Meet 1pm at Frings (Lower Dent Street).
Morning Tea at NVCC Clubrooms.
Northland Motorcycle Rally.
Editorial
Early on the morning of Waitangi Day I received a phone call from a good friend who had been admitted to hospital the previous evening, following a serious fall from her horse. She had been unconscious for four hours, had a broken tail bone, fractured pelvis and a chipped vertebrae. Disorientated, confused and with no memory of the accident or getting to hospital she had no personal effects and her phone was in her vehicle, still at the Agistment property with her horse - who was unharmed - and float. Despite all this she was able to remember my phone number. Armed with a list of “to do’s” I drove to her house in Maunu to feed the cats and to arrange with the next door neighbor to continue to put food out for them. Although I had been to the house many times in the past it was somewhat strange to be looking through cupboards and drawers for underwear and pyjamas, dresses etc. But the worst moment was the next “I cant do without it” item which was on my list “face cream”. What on earth was face cream? What did it look like? What did it come in? A tube? A jar? I had no idea. Fumbling about in someone else’s bathroom trying to resist the urge to panic and run, I wished that I’d been asked to find a litre of EP90 gear oil instead - it would have been so much easier. Cosmo, the large black cat was lying on his back, stretched out on the bed in the sun. He lazily opened one eye when I walked in from the Ensuite. “Where does your Mother keep her face cream”? I asked him, hopefully. He rolled over as much to say “take what you like, just leave me the bed”! I grabbed a handful of “ladies stuff” - hoping the offending matter was included and headed off to the hospital. The clothes were much appreciated as her riding gear had been cut off by the trauma team but there was a bit of a puzzled look at the bag of lipstick and makeup I had bought to the hospital bedside. I got the feeling that the litre of EP90 might have been of more use!
Past events On Sunday 10th March, a group of club members assembled at the clubrooms for a run to an unknown destination. All they knew was to bring a picnic lunch. There were two possible runs planned for that day. Picnic at the Beach if it the weather was fine or Town and Country with a Twist for a wet day. The sky looked a little dark but we decided that a picnic at the beach was what we wanted and if we got rained on, so be it. Bruce and Claudia Jefferies turned up in their little Austin having travelled down from Haruru Falls, Waitangi that morning so with six other vehicles we sent them back north again. A very straight forward run up the bypass, with a detour through Kamo village and up to Whakapara where a right turn took us up the Russel Road until we turned off to Oakura. It wasn’t quite that straightforward however as there were a number of questions to be answered. Bruce Cosson in his Model “A” said at the beginning he would get lost as he usually does so, but with Peter Meares in the navigators seat they found the way there easy. Mind you, Bruce was running a school in the area a few years back, so that also helped. Lunch was at the park across the road from the Oakura Community Centre and the weather was fantastic. Some of the group hadn’t been to Oakura before so if you haven’t been there it is well worth a visit. Once lunch was finished, prize giving was held. Helen had been checking the answers given to the 8 questions and there was only one team that had all correct. To the surprise of Bruce and Peter they were the lucky recipients of a bag of Easter eggs which they generously shared. A bag of pineapple lumps also appeared on the table so everybody got something. A great group of people on a great day to a great destination. It wasn’t over yet though as we watched a motorcyclist with a modern bike that wouldn’t start even when his mate pushed it down the road. It had a very flat battery. Trevor sprung to the rescue by providing a pair of jumper leads with a Jaguar on the end resulting in a happy motorcyclist. What about the Town and Country with a Twist run. If you want to find out what that run is about then attend the Club runs on the second Sunday of each month and one day it will pop up. Make sure you are there and if you can’t make it in your club vehicle, your modern is OK. Regards Ron
The 26th National VCC Motorcycle Rally. On the 15th February 2019 people from all around the world starting arriving at Brayshaw Park Blenheim to pick up there rally packs and catch up with old friends. They came from the UK ,Germany, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand with 190 bikes entered. Some overseas entrances had been brought bikes with them, others had borrowed bikes and some own bikes in New Zealand. Saturday morning we all assembled at Brayshaw Park for the usual briefing and rally start with the choice of three rally routes ( Short, Medium, and Challenging), with everyone riding the same timed section from the start, then riding their chosen route. The medium route headed SH6 towards Havelock and turning off to follow Queen Charlotte Drive to Picton and on to the lunch stop at Tuamarina School not far from Blenheim. After lunch we had a short rally route back to Brayshaw Park. Dinner was at the Marlborough Convention Centre with a guest speaker Graeme Crosby a NZ super bike racer from the 1970 & 80’s. Sunday we made our way to Omaka Heritage Centre and Aircraft Museum for field tests and public display of our bikes. We were given a discount price to see the World War One and Two Aircraft Museum displays. The prize giving was at the same venue as Saturday night. Lorraine and Robert where asked to present the Northland Trophy for Post 80 bike and Lorraine presented the Young Cup for Post War with Martin Salter (Lofty) winning 3rd place and Kelvin and Jackie Mitchell winning 1st place. Good on you lofty for being the only Northland member to win place as there was 69 entries in this class. Monday was the first day of the Hub Rally after tour with 100 bikes and riders assembled at Brayshaw Park, we all were heading for Nelson where we stopped for a look in at two garages. Two wonderful collection of mostly more modern super bikes , one having about fifth bikes. There was two routes back to Blenheim, one the way we came back through Havelock and SH6 and the other heading through Wakefield ( where the fires were and the residents had been evacuated ) Golden Downs, St Arnaud, Wairua Valley to Blenheim a total of 310kms travelled for the day. Tuesday was a short Ride to Seddon to view Ron Hebberd private collection of mostly Yamaha and some other motorcycles. Lunch was at the local cafe and then a short ride to Yealands Winery covering 1200 hectares. We watched at short video about the vineyard and how they are environmentally effective, then we rode around the vineyard and back to Blenheim. Wednesday we made our way to the marina at Picton for a barge ride up the sounds to Torea Bay, then we rode over the hill to Portage. We decided to ride the winding and twisting road up the sound 22kms to a signpost indicting 28kms to the end of the road so we turned around and rode back for morning tea and then onto Ohingaroa Bay Reserve for a BBQ lunch. After Lunch we headed back toward Havelock and then SH6 back to Blenheim.
Thursday was the last day of the After Tour, with the Molesworth being closed due to fire risk there was only two routes left. The SH1 down through Kaikoura or SH63 to St Arnaud, Murchison down the Lewis Pass and on to the final stop at Hamner Springs. A get together at the Irish/Monteith bar for dinner was a chance to farewell the entrants and friends. The Northland members attending the Rally wish to THANK the Blenheim Branch for taking up the challenge of organising and running the 26th National Motorcycle Rally, we had a fabulous time. We are looking forward to attending the next one - hopefully - in two years. Robert and Lorraine Young.
MotorCycle Report
Sunday 1st March 6 motorcycles turned up at the start of the monthly ride. Ron our chairman again came to the start to see us off and catch up with the motorcycle members. We asked Ron to bring up at the executive meeting about the National motorcycle rally being moved to three year instead of the usual two years. This has happen due to the 2021 festival of motoring rally being changed to 5 years instead of 4 years taking our year and national executive saying we can’t have our rally in 2021 as it should / would have been. We decided to ride up Vinegar Hill heading north to Hikurangi. We rode the loop past Sandy bay, Matapouri and stopping at Tutukaka for a break from the heat of the sun and a natter at the local cafe. Robert and Lorraine Young lead the way on their 1980 Honda cb650 with Warwick and Dawn Dahlberg following on their 1957 BSA A10, Cameron Francis on his 1941 Indian 741b, Roger Ballard on his 1982 Honda CX 500 sport and Peter Lovatt who we haven’t seen for a while on his 1979 Yamaha RD400E , the bike at the tail end was a 1996 Moto guzz 1100 riden by Worzel. A good day for a ride as we come to the end of summer. Lofty was still away in Palmerston North where he is attending the AJS/ Matchless AGM and annual run and Brian Taylor is still in the South Island after attending his first National motorcycle rally. The entry form is available for the 26th Mooloo Meander 5/6th April 2019 held by the Waikato branch. These entries close 30th March 2019. Robert and Lorraine Young.
Photos from The 26th National VCC Motorcycle Rally.
Line up before the Rally start
Just off the barge .
Veteran Bikes at Omaka.
Office Bearers 2018 -2019 Chairman
Ron Anderson
Vice Chairman
027 531 8969
wishbone@ps.gen.nz
Cam Francis 09 434 6118 027 534 6124
Secretary
Mike McGee
Treasurer
Steve Cornwall 09 4025006
janfra@xtra.co.nz
022 087 2128
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Vice Treasurer Christine Garden 027 476 3619
geewizz@xtra.co.nz
Club Captain Newsletter Editor Donna Nobilo 09 4376097 Immediate Past Chairman Keith Taylor
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Committee Trevor Reilly
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Brian Wrack
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Gwyn Price
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Lynora Reilly 09 435 6366
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Donna Nobilo 09 4376097
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Beaded Wheels Spares & Vehicles
Trevor Reilly
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Lawrence Hillier 09 434 6457
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Allan Pearson 09 437 6317 Jim Shaw
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Bert Parish
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Rob Hughes
459 1171
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Lou Schoenmaekers 09 4346802 Hall Custodian T
Trevor Reilly 09 435 6366 021 073 7145
Librarian
Lynora Reilly 09 435 6366
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Motorcycle Rep Museum Delegate
Ron Anderson
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Rural Rep VIC Inspector
Allan Pearson
Webmaster
Martin Salter
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