Far North Focus July 2022 The wheels of our Club
George Vuletich’s 1954 Mark 1 Zephyr 6 A six cylinder, 2262cc, 3-speed column change, two door convertible. Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
Who’s Who for 2022/2023 Chairman
Winston Matthews
win@matthewsvintage.com
09 4060203
Vice Chairman
Keith Lyndsell
keithlyndsell@gmail.com
09 405 5500
Secretary
Naomi Mason
vinomi88@gmail.com
09 408 1376
Treasurer
Robyn Mackay
wmackay116@gmail.com
09 4061955
Northern Club Captain
Tom Deverall
tadmadinparadise@gmail.com
0274735389
Southern Club Captain
Steve Edwards
steveedwards243@gmail.com
09 401 6239
Buildings Officer
Warren Mackay
wmackay116@gmail.com
09 4061955
Beaded Wheels Rep
Murray Cormack
m.g.cormack@xtra.co.nz
09 407 7255
Communications Officer
Margaret Ilton
4ed.focus@gmail.com
0221008119
Editor
Margaret Ilton
4ed.focus@gmail.com
09 4068565
Committee: Winston Matthews, Murray Cormack, Warren Mackay, Robyn Mackay, Mike Pooley, Vince Mason, Keith Lyndsell, Tom Deverall, Steve Edwards, Margaret Deverall, Margaret Ilton. The full list of the elected officers is circulated with the minutes of the 2022 Annual General Meeting.
Club Cleaning Roster July
C & M Ilton
August
D & B Francis
September
N & V Mason
October
Everyone
November
M & T Deverall
December
Winston & Glenis
January
C & M Ilton
February
R & W Mackay
March
P O Dell
April
M & T Deverall
May
M Pooley
June
R & W Mackay
During the month and preferably before the main calendar event, please give the clubrooms a thorough check over. This includes cleaning the toilets, hand basins, checking kitchen, table tops, window ledges, sweeping the floors etc. If your cleaning date does not suit you, please swop with someone else. Window cleaning, washing walls etc. will be done at working bees. Take note of any required maintenance and pass on to our Building Officer - Warren Mackay 09 4061955 For any further enquires please contact our club Captain. Taipa Bay Caffeine & Classics 3rd Sunday every month 10 to 12.30 Ramada Resort
The Far North Branch of the VVC does have a policy that pets are not brought to any Club events. We do ask that this policy is respected please.
Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
Next date: Sunday July 17
“Enthusiasm is power - use it!”
Club Calendar of Events 2022/23 Saturday July 9 Monthly Club Meeting 2 pm Aurere Clubrooms Saturday July 16
February 18 Northern Club Captains Run Organised by Tom & Margaret Deverall March 18 Southern Captains Run Organised by Steve & Steph Edwards April 15 Brian Parker Trophy Organised by Keith Lyndsell
Annual Prize Giving & Dinner
May 16
Organised by Tom & Warren
Mother’s Day Run Organised by Claude & Marg Ilton
July 17 Taipa Caffeine & Classics 10 -12.30
Ramada Resort Taipa
Organised by Rosco
Monthly - 2nd Saturday Club Meeting @ Aurere Clubrooms Monthly - 3rd Sunday Caffeine & Classics @ Ramada Taipa
August
27
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kohukohu Run Organised by Keith Lyndsell
Club Notices ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
September 4 Annual FNVCC meeting September 17th
Father’s Day
Organised by Vince & Naomi Mason October 15 Working Bee and Car Boot Sale at Club Rooms November 12 & 13 Dunny Run in conjunction with Far North Tour December 10 Xmas Dinner. Organised by Max Allen January This will be a picnic. Yet to be decided when and where.
Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
A very warm welcome to:
Kelly & Jocelyn Archer Trevor Kotlowski. Enjoy your memberships and we look forward to seeing you at club events. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In the Focus this month we have photos from: Marg D, Naomi, Murray & Marg I. Reports, notices & contributions from Win, Tom, Steve, Marg D, National Veteran Rally organisers & Marg I. Thank you all for taking the time to add to the interest of our Focus.
FNVCC Annual Luncheon & Prize Giving Saturday 16th July. Meet from 11.30 onwards at Mangonui Cruising Club. 5 Silver Egg Road, Mill Bay, Mangonui. Lunch will be served at 12.30. Wine will be provided by the club with your meal.
Members please… I “think” the emailing system is sorted for the changeover of communications but...? If you have problems or hear of issues re club email woes, contact me: O221008119 09 4068565
4ed.focus@gmail.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cost is $35 per person. Bookings are essential. All Members are welcome. Your payments please to the Club’s bank account…38-9001-0577961-00 Numbers attending: to Robyn by July11.
Email: robynmackay4@gmail.com 09 4061955 or 0211062275 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Editor’s Note: Last month the communication responsibilities for our club moved from Ruth’s careful and lengthy watch, to mine. Thank you Ruth for the many, many years you have given to the position, the great amount of knowledge you have so willingly shared and your unofficial training and support for several editors I suspect, along the way. The changes both locally and nationally which you have encountered will have been numerous and at times, challenging. I applaud your ability to have mastered the lot while remaining calm and positive… outwardly anyway! Thank you for the giggles, the proof reading, remaining shtum about bloopers and for being a supportive voice in one’s hour of need as I got my head around all that needed to be. Don’t heave a sigh of relief, thinking you have heard the last from me. There will be more calls for sure, when the next conundrum happens along. Enjoy your “retirement”.
From the chair…
Well, we are past the shortest day and heading toward summer? It was pleasing to have a good turnout for our first Saturday afternoon monthly meeting. All I have spoken to, were happy with. Please note that at the next meeting on July 9th afternoon tea is going to be supplied by Margaret Deverall, so I am looking forward to another successful afternoon. There was a very good turnout for the Malloy Trophy run on last Saturday. Many thanks to Steve and Stephanie for organising this event. I was looking forward to see what progress had been made on the Minerva since our last visit a few years ago and I was not disappointed. It is really looking like there is an end in sight, thanks to the tremendous input by volunteers and I guess some outside funding. Hopefully next time we see it, it will be in the water. The next stop was the train station at Kawakawa. Our train ride to the long bridge at the great speed of 5mph gave us plenty of time to reflect on the days travel. Perhaps it should be called the snail trail! ... However, it was an enjoyable trip and the progress being made is noticeable. Interesting to go through the workshop to see all the restoration progress. There with a very informative talk by Dennis Hewitt. It was also good to catch up with him as I spent 2 years in the same classroom with him 65years ago and he owned Taipa Garage for many years. A very enjoyable day. Once again thanks to Steve and Stephanie.
Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
Don’t forget to book in with Robyn for our Annual Luncheon and Prize Giving on the 16th July at the Mangonui Yacht Club venue. Look forward to seeing you there. Drive safely. Cheers. Win
Southern Club Captain’s Report I think this maybe my first report.
Northern Club Captain’s Report Our June meeting was the first to be held during the afternoon and it was well attended and very successful, with time to have afternoon tea without rushing off. We would like to suggest at our next meeting that we continue throughout the year with Saturday afternoon meetings. Summer is usually a busy time and often going out at night can still be a hassle for some of us. Perhaps even begin at 1pm to have a catch-up before the meeting as well as when the meeting finishes. Often there’s not time to get around everyone, especially if we can have more members come along from Kerikeri. Open for discussion.
I am sure that everyone enjoyed there Molloy Trophy run. A visit to TSS Minerva and then to Kawakawa for a train ride and tour of the workshops. A big thanks to Dennis and volunteers of the BOI Vintage Railway for their efforts and very informative tour. One of our new ‘to be’ members, Neville Hunt, who I think has about 3 Austin cars, was feeling a bit ill at the end of the day, last week has ended up staying in Kawakawa hospital for a week. I hope Neville has a speedy recovery. For those who don’t know, our editor has asked me to give a background of myself. I am Steve Edwards, married to Stephanie Edwards, a very practical lady, a retired qualified ambulance volunteer, come engineer, copper pipe welder, digger driver, metal polisher, the list goes on. Also a wild bird recovery person that nurses our flying friends back out into the wild. At present there are 4 wood pigeons (kereru), 2 moreporks, a hawk, plus more being fed and tucked into bed. She works with DOC, the local vets, and the Kiwi recovery in Whangarei. As for myself, I’m a not so retired engineer, specialist welder, fabricator, gasfitter, heating and ventilation engineer & mechanic. You name it, I have seemed to have done it. I have been doing it since I was at high school. The top of the list, would be my time down in Antarctica as Building Services Engineering Supervisor.
A fine day for Rosco’s Caffeine & Classics with several club members attending with their vintage cars and motor bikes, always a lovely spot to sit in the sun and watch the ocean with a good breakfast to boot! Our July meeting is Saturday 9th.Warren and I are organising our prize giving lunch on 16th July. Refer to notice in the Club Notices. Keith is organising a run in the Hokianga for August. Tom Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
At present, I’m doing the engineering work for the restoration of the 1910 TSS (Twin Screw Steamer) Minerva in Opua. This vessel will be a tourist and cycleway transport ferry, based in Opua. As well as the Minerva, there are another thousand other things. We have 2 vintage house buses, a 1967 SB3 Bedford, and a 1976 purpose built house bus, which most of you would have seen. In the shed is a 1951 Austin Sheerline, which was first owned by Sir Hugh Fletcher of Fletcher Construction. Steve
Molloy Trophy Rally The Ed. Congratulations to Ron & Beryl Shugg, who won the Molloy Trophy last Saturday. With less than enticing weather for the preceding day, I am sure Stephanie & Steve, were very happy to have the morning dawn as it did on Saturday. A group of 28 members plus guests, gathered at the car park in Waipapa for the briefing prior to departure from 9.30 onwards.
Heading south from Waipapa to Haruru, we turned left at the Falls and travelled the gravel road which weaves through rural land to the Waitangi golf course and Treaty Grounds. Along the way, there were things to be spotted and recorded. It’s amazing how you can’t/don’t see things you know you have seen numerous times before! Despite the countryside being noticeably soggy, the drive was appealing with snatches of fog hiding some of the views. Waitangi to the Opua Industrial Estate proved to be a popular stretch for walkers, runners and folk enjoying the sun and the long weekend
Driving into the Estate we were met with the bow view of the SS Minerva. The steam ferry Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
was built in1910 and has now under gone an amazing amount of reconstruction. For many years, volunteers have been painstakingly restoring the kauri hull, to which they are presently attaching copper sheathing. The vessel is nearing the installation of twin steam engines and a custom-made boiler. SS Minerva is 20m long and weighs more than 20 tonnes without its engines.
The amount of work done to date is a credit to all volunteers who are passionately putting so much effort towards getting it sea worthy, as well as hunting for finance for the restoration. I am sure donations towards the restoration would be willingly accepted. Many thanks to John Clode and Ian Faulkner for giving their time to share with us the history and restoration details of the ship. Take time to check out the Facebook page for the Kerikeri Steam Trust: https://www.facebook.com/friendsofminerva/ Leaving the estate, we drove to Kawakawa with an arrival deadline of 12.30 for the rail trip to Taumarere. A few bites of food were enjoyed before a leisurely paced rail trip aboard “Charlie” the diesel loco, was underway. Gabriel, the steam engine, is currently awaiting the finishing touches of a face lift, along with some serious steam related upgrades. At Taumarere, 2 knowledgeable railway enthusiasts shared lots of information about the rail history and its impact on the local area in years gone by. The now fully restored curved wooden bridge is fascinating to view, along with its fame in record books. It is well worth a trip to see it.
Upon our return to the station, our members were taken on a tour of the railway sheds. What a treasure trove of engines and carriages are housed within those sheds. And what a staggering amount of restoration work has already been done on some, with an unbelievable amount still needed. Here is another group of enthusiasts who clearly see the reward in salvaging things from eras gone and preserving them for future generations to experience. Full credit to every volunteer who takes part in these train restorations. The sheer size of just 1 engine is totally daunting. And there isn’t just 1 tucked away at Kawakawa! Again we have a group of dedicated people who not only do the ‘doing’ but also work very hard to raise and source money to enable the restorations to happen. Eventually the BOI Vintage railway intend to travel as it has previously, through to Opua where it will team up with the Minerva when sea worth, to give customers a total steam experience. Thanks Steve & Stephanie for organising a great Molloy Trophy Run and getting us into the places we visited.
What’s out there? The firms you know of, who supply the less readily obtained services and parts could be of help to other members. Well priced, would be good to know too. If nothing else, it may save time searching online plus sparing you the wonder of what you went online for in the first place! Contact Ed. Let’s pool our knowledge, starting with: Gaskets: Gasket Specialties Auckland Ltd 09-579 0834 Springs: Archer’s Auto Springs 09 289 4162 Basics
auck@autosprings.co.nz
03 572 8880
sales@basisnz.co.nz
Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
Pantry Perks… Thanks Margaret D. for sharing this moist recipe with us. Roll on Christmas… or an early trial run? Slow Cooker Baileys Christmas Cake 300 ml Baileys Irish Cream 250 ml coffee milk 250g self-rising flour 750g dried fruit Add fruit to a bowl. Add the Baileys and coffee milk to the bowl. Stir everything together, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 2 hrs. 24hrs or longer is best. Can be soaked for up to 7 days and stirred every few days. Most of the liquid will be absorbed by the fruit. Add an extra 100ml of milk if you need to. Double line your Slow Cooker with Baking Paper in a criss-cross manner so you can lift your cake out, once done. Sift your flour and add to fruit and stir till everything is combined then put the mix into the slow cooker. Smooth the top down with a spatula. Switch the cooker on to Low. Cover with a tea towel, place the lid on top and cook for 6-7hrs. Insert a skewer into the middle and if it comes out dry your cake is ready. If not continue to cook for a further 30 mins and test again until it comes out dry. Cool completely and decorate as you wish or serve on its own with cream/ brandy cream/ ice cream. You can store this double wrapped in baking paper and cling film and feed with a spoonful of whisky or brandy once a week till Christmas. This can be cooked in the bottom shelf of the oven at 160° for 4-4.5 hr or until skewer comes out dry.
Easy swaps:Baileys for Irish cream. Coffee milk for Chocolate milk. If adding additional nuts and/or extra fruit, increase the amount of liquid and therefore cooking time.