RATTLES & sQUEAKS September 2020
All aboard the Overlander Express!
Chairman’s Comments I knew that the month of August would be full of VCC gatherings for Lou and I. First finishing off my Secretary job with the organisation of the AGM and the hand over to the next secretary. Then the first club run and the weekend after that going to Whanganui for the Executive/AGM. Our AGM was well timed, we did not have to deal with any restrictions. On the day we had a good representation of the club. A group from Dargaville, the Whangarei area and also like Ron had indicated the motorcycle group. The weather was not playing ball for them to go for their Monthly run, but they went home after a nice afternoon tea. We have attached the minutes of the meeting to this newsletter, for you all to see what was discussed. I hereby like to welcome all the new and previous office bearers to the branch. Some of them are fairly new to the club so you may not know them that well, but they all have happily taken on the job and together as a team we will get the club moving forward into next year. And here we are now in the middle of August 2020 with restrictions in place and Northland has become an Island on an Island. So instead of me telling you in this newsletter all about the Executive /AGM meeting held on the 14 and 15th of August I now have to inform you that we didn’t even get into the start blocks. After consulting the police station on Wednesday the 12th of August, I was informed that an Executive/ AGM meeting from the VCC is apparently not an essential business. The police lady and I had a good laugh about it and then I got busy cancelling the hotel and registration bookings for the trip. Lou and I were very disappointed because it was the second time this year the VCC meeting was cancelled or we were not able to attend. We may have to deal with these in and out of restriction levels for some time and we will have to be prepared to take quick action with a very short time to notify members. This brings me to the next item under level 2. We have to keep track of where we have been and keep a distance between people and/or wear a mask. On Wednesday the 19th we started in the parts shed a register for the guys to sign-in. We may have to keep doing this for a little while, to play it safe for all of us. So, when you arrive please put your name and contact details in there, even if you only visit for a short time. Mask wearing is a personal choice at this stage if you feel safer with one please wear it. I have been making masks myself for Lou and I, from washable materials just in case someone asks us to wear it. I will keep you updated if the run to the Dargaville Aerodrome is on next month, I wait until we hear if we stay in level 2 or not. The lunches at the Aerodrome are only on in level 1. Ans Schoenmaekers Chairman
Whangarei A&P Show We have had an invitation from the Whangarei A&P Show that will take place on 5th of December this year. As a special display they like us to show our vehicles on the day. It is their 140th Show and like us to be involved in showing the past as part of the 140th celebrations. They have room to accommodate for 50 to 100 vehicles. We have at this stage 13 vehicle signed up so if you like to participate let me know and I put you on the list. (vcc.northland@gmail.com or phone 09 434 6802) The A&P Show Society will provide 2 tickets per car to get in and donate $250 to our branch for the effort. The committee has decided that money can be donated by us to a charity.
Secretary’s scribblings Hello everyone, firstly let me introduce myself, as many of you will not have met me in the past. My wife, Gill, and I are originally from the Whangarei district but moved to Auckland in 1987 to further our careers. Having retired, we moved permanently back to live at Tutukaka about a year ago, but during the 32 years away we were frequent visitors, having retained our bach at Matapouri for 41 years. During our time in Auckland we had a pretty active engagement with the old car fraternity, Sunbeams being the weapon of choice. We also ran a Sunbeam Rapier, and later a Tiger, in the Targa Rally for many years and held various positions in the Sunbeam Car Club. I am currently the National President of the Sunbeam Car Club. I am fairly new to the VCC having joined last year as a requirement of competing in the Targa VCC time trial, an event which I highly recommend. It was brought to my attention that the Northland branch was suffering from a lack of people able to take on various committee roles and I was asked to take on this role to assist. I know that many of you have more than served your time over the years, so it was only fair that we pitched in (Gill is on the committee too) to prevent this incredible branch from falling by the wayside. When I look at the Branch and what has been achieved by so many over the years it would be a shame to see that occur. I am still learning the ropes but I have the Support of Ans and the rest of the committee and I hope we can do a good job for you going forward. Some of the things the committee are working on over the next few months include the events calendar, the constitution and hall management. There are vacant positions for Club Captain and Hall custodian if anyone would like to step up. Have a great month everyone! Ray Sanders Secretary
The Over Lander Excursion This was the first run organised by the Vintage car club after we came out of lock down and we are grateful to Meghan and Allan Pearson for organising this one. At the end of the run we learned that Meghan was actually not that well, so extra points to you! A total of 15 cars did show up on this chilly morning, but the spirits where high and the rain stayed away. 10.30 A.M. the first cars left the clubroom grounds for an unforgettable journey into the unknown. I did know some of the roads from previous travel, but I also did end up on some tracks I didn’t know they existed. What was unusual was to see club cars approaching you, while normally you only see the back of them, which did remind me of the Pink Panther movie when cars did travel left and right through the village trying to find the way out. But all in all it was part of the fun. Via Snook’s road ( shame on the person who took away the road sign ), Maungakaramea and Waipu caves road, we entered state highway 1 direction Ruakaka. Here we finished at the Port House Bar and Grill eatery.This was a pleasant and relaxed way to finish the run. The food was good and well organised.A total of 13 questions had to be answered during the run and Ray/Jill and Bruce/Claudia both managed to answer 12 correctly. Well done. After finishing the food and drinks it was time to go home and clean the cars again. Ans
Dargaville Doings Greetings from the Westside. In July, as we wont to do, we held our Night Rally on a really pleasant evening. The precursor, is to sample the three varieties of home-made soup and bread rolls; followed by the night adventure. We all rush back for the desserts and the results that tell who the lucky winner is, and so who will set next year’s rally. Congratulations to Sue and Dave Dreadon! We are very sorry to tell of the passing of our member, Ian Godfrey, who was a VCC member for over 50 years. Ian was well on the way to restoring his Clyno car and he had several motor bikes in various stages of restoration. We will miss you, Ian. Our August meeting was cancelled, due to the new Covid restrictions, but we ventured out on Beryl and Ernie’s run on the 19th. Eight cars started off in fine weather on our way to the Maunganui Bluff, via a road we have not travelled on for a long time – Monteith Road. However after our look around and the inevitable chat the foggy drizzle started, so we returned to the Dawes’ home for afternoon tea and more chat. Thank you Beryl and Ernie for a very pleasant outing. Next month will be our Midweek Birthday Run, which is usually an all-day affair, so details will be given closer to the date – Wednesday 16th Sep. Claudia
Swimming wasn't really an option….
…...but, any time is good for a chin wag!
Ian Rex Godfrey
1930-2020
Ian was a highly skilled individual, surprising in the number of skills he acquired over his lifetime. With only Primary School education, he went ahead as a contractor with a bulldozer and dragline, followed by farmer, kumara grower, boat builder, microlight pilot, motor cyclist and restorer, aluminium caster of unobtainable parts and a mechanic. His engineering skills would put many professionals to shame. His love of flying started at an early age, learning to fly a Tiger Moth and a Taylor craft. Ian built model planes in his youth. This eventually led to building a single seater microlight and then an up market two seater, in which he and his late wife, Shirley enjoyed flying. Ian was skilled at engine overhauls for microlights and he was sent engines from all over NZ. In his youth, Ian undertook to repair a rotten planked dinghy. I remember him steam bending new planks and ribs to make it sound again. Many years later he and Shirley built a cabin runabout, and they enjoyed many happy hours sailing and fishing in the Kaipara Harbour. Motor cycling started in 1949 with a new Matchless 350cc motor bike. He located this bike may years later in a deplorable condition and had recently started its restoration. His 1926 Douglas 600 was restored some 50 years ago and still looks pristine, and there were quite a number of bikes in his collection. Shirley owned a1925 Austin Clifton Tourer, and a 1927 Morris Cowley Roadster but these were sold and replaced with a 1954 Daimler, which Ian took an instant dislike of and so it never went anywhere! Ian did buy a 1926 Clyno Tourer and he was working on restoring that when he passed away. Not often you find someone with extreme skill and ability who has not had trade training; certainly not with such varied knowledge and dedication on the job. We will miss you old mate. George Tier.
Automania: Iconic New Zealand Collections RRP $49.99 Available at leading booksellers or from www.batemanbooks.co.nz
Motorcycle Report We had intended to go for a run after the AGM, but I’m guessing because of the wet weather there were riders but very few 2-wheelers in attendance. Trevor was on his motor-scooter and I was on the Yamaha and that was it, so there was no run. Hopefully we will be back to normal for 6th September. Peter Lovatt
Spares Report Covid19 has certainly affected the running of our spares and vehicle section. However the team have been kept busy while out of lockdown dealing with a large quantity of donations that have been made to the club. Ex member Ian King contacted me recently, Ian worked for many years in his basement garage doing car repairs. He has now reached an age where he no longer wishes to continue this business and had some old items he wanted to donate to the VCC. These items, consisting of mostly old starters and generators, I collected with my truck. Thanks to Ian for his donation. Earlier this year Rob Hughes and I took my truck to Dargaville to the home of the late Trevor Froggatt. His widow had car items in some of the sheds which she wanted the club to have. Among the things we picked up were eight or so mag wheels and tyres. These were a modern variety so were not really suitable for sale to our clientele and the tyres were had it. So, I took them to Shane Johnson's garage where he allowed me to use his tyre changing gear to remove the old tyres. Shane has recently taken over a workshop in town which is now called "Johnson Automotive". He is going to specialise in the repair of older vehicles and I thank him for the use of his tyre machine. He has also donated a few items to the club that were surplus to requirements when he cleaned up his workshop. Graham Dawson has given items to the spares that he retrieved from the wife of the late Kelvin Spence of Thames. Among these items was a box of new moulding rubbers for Jaguar E-type and Mk11. As you can imagine these are valuable parts but only to the right person. Luckily I was able to sell them through a friend to someone who is restoring both of these vehicles and got a very good price for them. Thanks to Graham for getting these parts and delivering them from Thames. Percy Ginders (Ngunguru Riverboat Cruises) rang me about a friend who had some parts for the club at Ngunguru. I went to his place and collected some items, one of which was an old trunk that attaches to the back of a vintage car, similar to the reproduction ones advertised in Beaded Wheels magazine. It was in reasonable shape, requiring a few repairs and has sold to one of our club members. Grant McKenzie, Tracy McKenzie's son, delivered to the spares a front end for a Mk11 Jaguar. This has a full axle beam and disc brake hubs so would be suitable for a special or hot road. There is also front seats for the same vehicle. Thanks to Grant for the parts and delivery. I have made several calls to Metalman to come and empty our scrap bin to no avail. The price of scrap metal has plummeted. Finally I suggested to them that we load my truck and deliver it to them. This was acceptable to them but they said because of the low prices for scrap at the moment there would be no payment for it. The only alternative was to pay to dump it. We did get paid for the aforementioned mag wheels though. So you can see the team has been busy sorting out all these incomings, it would be well worth while coming in to see what we have on offer in the spares shed. Don't forget we are there every Wednesday morning from 9am to 12 noon and on the last Saturday of the month from 2pm to 4.30pm. Cheers from the Spares Team.
International Rescue
by The Apprentice
(for Helen)
It was early morning on a chilly Rotorua Monday and the apprentice was putting on the kettle for a cup of tea. “Have a look and see if the paper is there” called the Boss, from the comfort of his cozy motel bed. This was in the days when you got a complimentary Herald delivered to your unit door and you could scan through the Vehicles for Sale before getting dressed. I bent down to pick up the paper and looked across at the truck, parked opposite the unit about five metres away. There was clearly something amiss but my grey matter tends to be a bit slow on cold mornings and I (absent mindedly!) mumbled “there’s something wrong with the Inter – it looks like it’s on fire”! The Boss broke the land speed record for getting out of bed and covered twenty metres without touching the floor. He stood out on the tarmac in his undies (just as well it was early or there would have been some severely traumatized folk on the top floor of the next door motel block!) and studied his trusty old truck. She was a forlorn sight, the headlights were staring up at the new dawn sky and the back end, from the fuel tank aft was nowhere to be seen. A large hole in the carpark had swallowed the rear axle and wheels, there was so much steam emanating from the hole that you couldn’t see the tray. She looked like an unfortunate dog which had gone through a frozen lake, its front paws desperately clinging to the solid ice on the edge. It was probably fortunate the fuel tank was full of diesel as a tank of hot petrol would have added an extra dimension to the situation. The Motelier appeared, running toward us like Edith Bunker and waving his arms frantically, he yelled “don’t panic, don’t panic!” (He was the only one panicking) “I’ve called a Tow truck and he will be here shortly”. Mrs Motelier then turned up with a basket of freshly made scones lavishly covered in cream and jam - this was clearly meant as some sort of peace keeping gift. Ordinarily it would have been most appreciated but our appetites seemed to have disappeared. The Boss and I retreated to the safety of our unit to put on some clothes in readiness for the arrival of the tow truck. Presently a big, hairy guy in a grubby tank top walked up past the motel reception and spoke to the Motelier, then came over and peered into the steaming, boiling and gurgling chasm that had opened up under the truck. Ignoring us, he walked round the front of the Inter and looked under the bumper. “I’ll hook on to the front axle and pull her out” he said. “No you bloody well wont” replied the boss, in his usual, charming manner when dealing with cretins. “You’ll rip the front end clean out of my truck. You’ll have to get over the other side of that fence, pick her up by the tow bar and walk her out”. What the boss neglected to say was that the International’s tray was full of Swap meet “goodies” and she was a very heavy girl indeed. Driving on the open road certainly kept you alert – she moved like a half full water tanker. The Towie pondered and had a look over the Punga fence into the neighboring Motel carpark. “I’ll have to call a crane” he said, “we’re gonna need to move the cars from that side of the fence”. The crane eventually arrived and lifted the truck out of Satan’s grip and put her back on Terra Firma. The sparkling chrome hubcaps were now black - the chrome had been completely stripped off them. Underneath the tray, the chassis and drive train were clean as a whistle. Not a bit of dirt to be seen after a night of sulphurous steam cleaning. Later that day we were coming down the north side of the Brynderwyns when there was an almighty bang from the rear end as some brake linings parted company from the shoes, the glue holding them on finally succumbing to their all night sauna.
We clattered our way home with limited braking and nibbling on fresh scones.
Library Report The library had a copy of all the Branch newsletters to date, however some copies have gone awol. If you have a hard copy of the following issues which you no longer need the Librarian would be most grateful of donations. June 2013 to April 2018 all copies missing. 2014 June, July , September and October missing. 2015 March, June and July missing. 2016 June and November missing. 2017 July, November, and December missing. 2018 March to December missing. 2019 June missing. 2020 April missing.
NB: The Library is open during the spare parts open days.
1919 Daimler Six Chassis, running gear , bonnet and radiator etc. many years ago. An opportunity to restore a rare Veteran. $4000 Ph Chris Lawrence 09 425 7446 (Warkworth area)
Tub intact but no body.
Car was in a fire
Calendar of Events 2020
August 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.
Meet at Frings at 1pm.
Dargaville meeting at 7.30pm. NW Aero Club, Hoanga Rd.
Saturday 12th. Cars & Planes Tour. Leaving from the Clubrooms car park drive to Dargaville and watch the planes come in. Please note: Covid 19 update If we are at level One you will be able to order lunch or bring your own. Lunch is $12 per person. We need numbers for the lunch orders. However if we are still at Level Two it will be BYO everything only. Contact: Ans 4346802 or vcc.northland@gmail.com Wednesday 16th.
Dargaville Mid-week Birthday Run. Full day. Starting time & Place TBA.
Thursday 24th. NVCC Committee meeting Clubrooms 7pm.
October Saturday 3rd. Sunday 4th.
Settlers Day at Matakohe Kauri Museum starting at 10 o’clock. Motorcycle Run.
Wednesday 7th.
Meet at Frings at 1pm.
Morning Tea NVCC Clubrooms 10.30am. Please bring a plate.
Wednesday 14th. Dargaville meeting at 7.30pm. NW Aero Club, Hoanga Rd. Wednesday 21st.
Dargaville Mid-week Run 1PM at NW Boating Club Car Park BYO afternoon tea
Sunday 25th. NVCC Club Run through the Kauri forest and to Waimamaku Arts and Craft event. Leaving the clubrooms at 7.15. Arriving at 9-9.30 in Waimamaku. Bring lunch/morning tea or buy local and don’t forget your chairs, sunhat, and umbrella and suntan lotion just in case. Thursday 29th. NVCC Committee meeting Clubrooms 7pm Friday 30th. NVCC BYO Dinner Club night Clubrooms 5pm Saturday 31st.
NVCC Parts Afternoon 2-5pm
Parts shed open every Wednesday morning 9-12 noon. Check out the Northland Branch VCC Facebook page for more photos of club events etc.
Far North entry forms will be emailed out shortly.
2020 -2021 Office Bearers Northland Vintage Car Club Inc. Position
Name
Phone
Mobile
Chairperson
Ans Schoenmaekers
09 4346802
vcc.northland@gmail.com
Vice Chairperson
Lou Schoenmakers
09 4346802
louans@hotmail.com
Secretary
Ray Sanders
Treasurer
Steve Cornwall
09 4025006
Newsletter Editor
Donna Nobilo
09 4376097
Committee
Roger Billing
021632563
northland@vcc.org.nz
jensteve@xtra.co.nz 021437601
empiretroop@actrix.co.nz rogerbilling@xtra.co.nz
Peter Meares
09 435 2002
petermeares@gmail.com
Allan Pearson
09 4376317
agpearson39@gmail.com
Gill Sanders
021776733
Peter Lovatt
Lou Schoenmaekers
sanders.gill@gmail.com pandjlovatt@gmail.com
09 4346802
Ron Anderson
louans@hotmail.com
027538969
wishbone@ps.gen.nz
Dennis Morgan
09 4338740
morgandennis@25gmail.com
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
Librarian
Peter Meares
09 435 2002
petermeares@gmail.com
Motorcycle Rep
Peter Lovatt
Museum Delegate
Ans Schoenmaekers
09 4346802
vcc.northland@gmail.com
VIC Inspector
Allan Pearson
09 4376317
agpearson39@gmail.com
Webmaster
Martin Salter
09 4371969
Parts/Vehicles
Hall Custodian
pandjlovatt@gmail.com
0212242102
martinsalter47@gmail.com