Monthly Newsletter of the Wairarapa Branch of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand August 2019 Your New Committee Chairperson: Secretary: Treasurer: Club Captain: Committee:
Tina Goodin Beth Taylor Graham Hodder Kevin Ball John Clark Chris Giles Simon O’Hara Carolyn Colquhoun Hugh Hunter Frank Lipinski Social Convenor: Val Ball Custodian: Earl Goodin Beaded Wheels Scribe Kevin Ball Librarian: Pat Dutton Spare Parts: Frank Lipinski Tom Mitchelmore Barry Wells Jeff Percy Vehicle Inspectors: Francis Pointon Graham Reidy Hugh Hunter
tina.goodin@hotmail.com bethpk@xtra.co.nz g_jhodder@xtra.co.nz wtakevin@xtra.co.nz john@clark.net.nz chris.giles64@gmail.com simonsandieohara@gmail.com cacolquhoun@xtra.co.nz j.h.hunter@xtra.co.nz wtakevin@xtra.co.nz tina.goodin@hotmail.com wtakevin@xtra.co.nz betyjo29@gmail.com tomjean@xtra.co.nz ljandbjwells@gmail.com j.percy@xtra.co.nz pointonmotors@xtra.co.nz g-a.reidy@xtra.co.nz j.h.hunter@xtra.co.nz
02041099552 063796040/021732832 063089087 063771236/0279577426 063780380 063796559/021433995 0211412332 063780306/0210721308 063069847/0276659911 063797167 063771236/0279577426 02040624986 063771236/0279577426 063797918/0277112735 063797167 063797573 063771152 063774622 063786710 063727855 063069847
Notes from the Chair : Greetings to all VCC members. Thanks to Beth Taylor, our Secretary, for yet again co-ordinating a newsletter to keep us all updated on what is happening with the Club. We had a meeting of the Committee last night where we were joined by Graham Hodder, a member from Featherston, who has volunteered to take on the job of Treasurer. I am very pleased to be handing over to him. WillieJames and I will be attending the National AGM in August on behalf of the Club. This is being held in Greymouth, not the easiest of places to get to! At that meeting we will be presenting our progress report on the National Motorcycle Rally that we are hosting in March 2021. The sub-committee to organise that is setting up now and about to swing into action. Our next ‘big’ thing is the Daffodil Rally on the 25th August. As this is a fund-raiser for the Cancer Society, we want as many folks to come as possible. We are also inviting other car clubs to join us. Please invite your friends to come and view the cars (and donate) or to join in if they have a special car. As last year, we will drive from Martinborough to Masterton, stopping in Greytown and Carterton to display the cars. This was my first contribution to the newsletter. If there is anything that you would like me to mention, or any matter that you would like me to take to the AGM, please don’t hesitate to give me a ring or drop me an email. Happy motoring, Tina We acknowledge the passing of Joy and Ivan Feast in the last month. Ivan and Joy had been members of our club since1989 and received their 25 year membership badges in 2014.
Upcoming Rallies and Events Sunday August 25th: Daffodil Rally This rally is held annually by most of the VCC clubs around NZ to raise funds for the Cancer Society. The cost to enter is $10 and all the money raised goes to the Cancer Society. Meet at the Square in Martinborough at 10am. From there you will be given instructions to Greytown, Carterton and Masterton with stops along the way for the public to admire the cars. Everyone is welcome no matter what kind of vehicle you drive so make it a fun day out for all the family. Contact Beth Taylor for more details. Sunday September 8th: Peter Smith Memorial Rally organised by the Austin Register Details to follow. Sunday 13th October: New Member’s Rally. A big welcome to our many new members. Chris Giles will be organising this event with assistance from Kevin Ball, our Club Captain. Club Nights Monday August 5th: “Rallying and its Rules.” A refresher for old members and an education for new members in preparation for the” New Members Rally” being held in October. Expert rallying members of the club will outline the rules and regulations of rallying and the various types of rallies available. Monday September 2nd: Hugh Neal will share his Jet Boating experiences. Hugh is a sheep farmer from the Wangaehu Valley and his hobby is Jet boating. He has been lucky enough to have travelled with other like minded jet boaters from NZ to some far flung places in the world namely Australia, Africa, Bhutan, Mongolia and Russia, Alaska and Argentina and Chile. These trips have been filmed and made into DVD’s. Come along and enjoy the experiences. th Monday October 7 : NZ Road Memories 1920’s – 1960’s. This DVD looks at the cars, trucks and buses that have
been used in New Zealand from the 1920’s to the mid 1960’s – and the roads they have been driven over – as recorded on newsreels and publicity films of the era. Come and enjoy the memories and perhaps spot your parents or grandparents car in the line-up! Mark these dates in your calendar now. Gravel Challenge – July 2019 Looking out on Saturday at the cold wind and rain, the thought of going out into it for a country drive was not all that appealing. But Sunday came crisp and clear with only a bit of snow on the Tararuas to show what had been before. So 17 cars and crews assembled in the morning sun at Farriers car park, Masterton, to take up the challenge. There was a wide range of vehicles, with four from the 1920’s – in fact two from 1924, Neil Algie’s Buick and Peter & Nola Groves Austin 20, along with Ian Lambess’s 1025 Morris Cowley and the Pointons 1929 Chev special. The remainder of the cars covered every decade from the 30’s to the 70’s with a couple of moderns to round out the fleet. Club Captain Kevin was efficiently completing the attendance register, so much so that he managed to sign up a couple of women waiting to board a Tranzit tour bus. The briefing from Francis was short and to the point – the navigation instructions were handed out, it was to be a follow-the-leader rally, he would be leading and didn’t want to see anyone else in front of him. The winner would be whoever completed the rally (without overtaking Francis) and calculated the correct distance on gravel as referenced against that recorded by the Chev. At 10.00 am we were off, making our way through Masterton via Bentley St and Lincoln Road, out to Paierau Road, across Loop Line to SH2 and towards Mauriceville on Opaki Kaiparoro Road. Turning into Jacksons Line, about 1.5 miles brought us on to the gravel. Despite the weather of the previous days, the roads were in good condition, not too wet and muddy. With not much traffic about other than an occasional farm ute, it was very pleasant driving. We progressed on to West Road and Mt Munro Road, turning at the end to retrace back out to West Road. Then onto North Road, Hall Road and into Smiths Line. By this time the rally was well strung out and Francis called a halt to allow everyone to regroup.
The route then followed up Bowen Road and into Mangaoranga Road. The road started to climb, became steeper, more winding and a bit rougher – the gravel challenge! However all cars continued without mishap – the vintages looking particularly at home in those conditions. And the views were magnificent. Eventually coming back out onto the seal on the Mauriceville Road, we stopped in Mauriceville to regroup. Then it was south to turn off the main road at Tununui Loop. Here the rally was split into two groups to complete the hillclimb up Dorsets Road. All vehicles completed the climb successfully, including the tight turn around at the top on damp slippery ground. Finally we all gathered at the bottom of the hill and our distance calculations were collected. Francis announced the winner, Ian Lambess, who correctly calculated the exact distance on gravel, 25 miles – clearly his odometer had the same calibration as Francis’s Chev. All up, an excellent day, great weather and some very interesting roads. Thanks to Francis and Gaye for planning, organising and running the event. STOP PRESS: New Opening Hours for the Spare Parts Department From August, the Spare Parts Department will be open on the 3rd Sunday of the month from 9.30am to 12 noon. This will enable those members who are unable to get to the spare parts during the week. The first date for this will be Sunday August 18th. Don’t forget our spare parts department is open the first Tuesday in the month from 9am to 12 noon, or you can contact Frank Lipinski for a private appointment. Other Notices and Events Taranaki Branch 42nd Annual “Rubber Duckie” Motor Cycle Rally. 21st September, 2019. See their website for entry forms and details. Canterbury Branch VCC McLeans Island Swap meet: 11th, 12th 13th October. More information at www.theswapmeet.org.nz National Veteran Rally 18-20 October in Timaru. Register your interest with Rally Director Alistair Day, Phone (03)6886108 Manawatu Classic Motorcycle Club SWAP MEET – Sunday 10th November at the clubrooms, The Grove, Kelvin Grove Road, Palmerston North. 8am to 1.30pm. Contact Dave (021715201) or Clive (063555953) for more details or email manawatuclassics@gmail.com. The Great Journeys of New Zealand – Scenic Train Offer- use the Promo Code WH5465 to get 10% off the best possible fare when travelling on the Northern Explorer, Interislander, Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine. Reservations can be made direct with Scenic Journeys online at: www. greatjourneysofnz.co.nz. Current NZVCC membership card must be shown at check-in or full retail fares will be charged. Membership card must be in the name of the person travelling. Welcome to new members – a big welcome to all new members, we look forward to you joining us in the various activities of the club. If you have not received a name badge please contact Beth Taylor to arrange this. The cost of the badge is $15.50 each. Library Book Sale – There is still a great selection of books available to purchase. These books are either duplicate copies or are not required by the club. These books will again be on display at the next club night on August 5th.
Wairarapa Branch of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand Clubrooms: Postal Address: Branch Website: Club Night: Spare Parts: Committee meet:
A&P Showgrounds, Chester Road, Clareville PO Box 7, Masterton 5840 www.sporty.co.nz/wairarapavcc First Monday of the month (except January ) and June (second Monday) at 7.30pm. Open each Tuesday morning following club night Second Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm