May 2026
JUNE
Note
Coming Events
All events are held at our clubrooms unless otherwise specified.
to
clubrooms are
the
Chairman’s Report
It has been great listening to the stories and experiences of those who attended the Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring in Nelson. Alan and I had entered our Vauxhall VX490 in the rally, but it had a mind of its own and did not want to go to Nelson. Instead, we went in the 1951 Jowett Javelin, that we are custodians of. This vehicle motored very well and got us there and back safely. We were among the few lucky ones who did not have any trouble with ferry crossings.
The Charabanc was a real eyecatcher and motored well throughout the event. We were presented with a Spirit of the Rally Award at the final dinner and prizegiving.
Well done crew members John Stokes, Kevin Butler, Richard Green, Jane and Owen Hayward. Special thanks to Rob Webster for the transport of the Charabanc to and from the event.
At the committee meeting last Tuesday, as promised, the committee reviewed the postponement of the club runs. It was unanimous that the runs be reinstated for now and will continue to be monitored until the fuel situation is resolved. Verbal and written abuse cannot and will not be tolerated within our club. As a reminder, the committee, elected by you at the AGM, are all volunteers who do their best to run the club, arrange events that suit our members, and postpone if appropriate. If you are not happy, voice your opinion at a club afternoon and consider joining the committee yourself at the next AGM. I feel that the leaders of the “Sections” (Vintage, Veteran, Motorcycles, Spares, and Library) should all be represented on the committee so everyone can understand exactly what is happening in our branch.
Our Anzac afternoon was a great success. Members brought War Memorabilia to ‘Show and Tell’. Many wartime stories kept us entertained. Twenty-eight members sat down for a very enjoyable shared potluck dinner. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and memorabilia and, of course, scrumptious food.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Autumn Tour on the 24th of this month. Shaaran.
Club Captain’s Log
While slowly improving, consistency and clarity around fuel supply are better than last month so the committee have made the call to return motoring events to the calendar. Therefore I look forward to seeing your entries roll in for the Autumn Tour this month. Rodger and Val have planned a wonderful day out for all vehicles so come along. The entry form is in this bulletin, Sunday, 24 May.
In June we will have a club run then July will be the Expert’s Rally, a chance to practice your navigation and time keeping skills.
This month we will also be running a Scattergories evening, come along for some laughs and a load of fun!
Don’t forget the Northern Region are still looking for people interested in standing for the Upper North Island Regional Rep on the Management Committee. If you want to know more or think you know a suitable candidate please chat with Jodi or myself.
Looking forward to seeing you out and about motoring!
Tracey
A note from the VIFHM Secretary
Hi Richard
We were so rapt to have the Charabanc and troops here in Nelson. Was such a highlight.
Hope it doesn't need too much work done on it after the Teams Relay Challenge and racing around the track. Lots of people said what a highlight it was doing the TRC.
Thanks again for persevering with the ferry, luckily you didn't have too much issue with the weather. Your team coming was especially impressive.
Kind regards
Karen Thompson
Library Notes
This month we received several books form Jim McCutcheon and a non-member. We also received from Jodi, our Secretary, the VHS tape collection all digitally transferred to USB sticks making it easier to access this material. Further details on how to search and view this material in next month’s Library Notes.
Recently a member came into the library with a list of references which he wanted to look up for a project he is researching. The subject material involved a connection with Rolls-Royce and General Motors, fortunately we had many of the publications he was looking for. Notes taken, and books returned to the shelves, the discussion amongst those present turned to the Merlin engine and how Packard manufactured such a vast quantity of these engines, and which aircraft they were installed into, and the topic of the P51 Mustang was mentioned.
We recently received a copy of The Engines were Rolls-Royce – an informal history of that famous company, by Ronald Harker OBE, AE. This book is a fascinating semi-autobiography of the “Man who put the Merlin in the Mustang”.
Ronnie Harker has his place in the history of aviation for the role he played in the evolution of the Mustang fighter into one of the great warplanes of its era. The P51 Mustang had originally been designed and built by North American Aviation in 1940 in answer to a request by the British Purchasing Commission to produce a fighter for the RAF which would be an advance on the Spitfire. The result, produced in the incredibly short time of 117 days, had many excellent qualities, but its Allison V1710 engine resulted in poor performance at high altitude, and its range was short.
Ronald Ward Harker was born at Tynemouth and educated at Shrewsbury School. He joined Rolls-Royce in 1925 as an engineering apprentice. In 1927 a visit to the Hendon Air Display gave him the impulse to fly. He joined Newcastle flying club in 1927. He finished his apprenticeship in 1929, but by that time the Depression was taking its toll and there was no job for him at Rolls-Royce.
However he kept up his flying at the Lympne flying club in Kent, and in 1934 was invited back to Rolls-Royce on the aero-engine side. When Rolls-Royce formed its first test flight he became its first test pilot and was soon evaluating various types of RAF aircraft. He also joined No. 504 City of Nottingham Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based at Hucknall.
When war came in 1939 he joined his squadron on a full-time basis, and was ordered back to Rolls-Royce to resume test flying at Hucknall, liaising closely with the RAF, where in April 1942, he received a telephone call from the CO of the RAF's Air Fighting Development Unit at Duxford, to tell him that they had acquired an Allison -engined Mustang and would he like to evaluate it? Having spent 30 minutes throwing the aircraft round the sky he reported that it closely resembled the Messerschmitt 109F, but with a Merlin 61 engine ought to prove much faster than that aircraft and the Spitfire V. The Air Ministry, however, wanted to put all the available Merlin 61s into the new Spitfire IX to combat the threat of the latest German fighter, the Focke Wulf 190, which was proving vastly superior to the Spitfire V in combat. There was therefore a good deal of concerted scepticism about Harker's observations. But he persisted and the first Merlin-engined Mustang flew in October 1942, giving the radical improvements in performance that he had predicted. The result was a top speed jump from 390mph to 440mph and the range from 450 miles to as much as 2,000 with various configurations of drop tanks. News of the Merlin Mustang's performance spread like wildfire and was greeted as a god-send in Washington. Indeed, the Americans were the chief beneficiaries of Harker's initiative, since the new escort fighter enabled the USAAF to resume daylight bombing raids which had been discontinued, since the "invulnerable" B17 Flying Fortress had proved incapable of defending itself against the Luftwaffe's fighters.
Throughout the war Harker was involved in a variety of other projects for improving the performance of RAF aircraft, but the Mustang remains his supreme achievement. By the end of the war 15,582 of the aircraft had been built. Harker was appointed OBE and given the Air Efficiency Award (AE) for his wartime work. Over the years he had spent an increasing amount of time in New Zealand pursuing his passion for fishing - and flying - and he finally settled here with his second wife in 1993. He had his last flight in a Mustang in New Zealand in 1997 at the age of 88. He died in Taupo in 1999 aged 90.
The book is loosely described as a History of Rolls-Royce and covers a large time period and is really an insiders story on the Aero engine business and touches on many controversial issues. Definitely worth a read.
The Library Team
Vintage Section Notes
Around the table this month were several who had attended the Vero Festival of Historic Motoring in Nelson. By all accounts it was a very enjoyable and well-run event, marred for a few by our unreliable Cook Straight ferries.
Don Johnston has had some fuel problems with his Chev, traced to old fuel hoses (possibly vacuum tube?) perishing on the inside. Once identified the problem was soon rectified.
Neil Bieleski trailered his Triumph Herald to Nelson behind his newly acquired Nissan Navara which performed well and made the drive down much more enjoyable. Apart from a problem with the gearchange which was soon fixed, the Triumph ran well. The ferry debacle delayed his return to the North Island by several days. Neil then demonstrated a technique for transferring or fitting or reproducing a complex shape onto a flat surface such as a metal sheet, plywood or even glass. It proved to be very difficult to demonstrate to a long table of people and I think Neil was disappointed that he had been unable to fully convey the principle. The little device is called a Tick Stick or Ticking Stick and there are a couple of very good videos on YouTube demonstrating the technique. If you are at all curious I would encourage you to have a look as I can see it has many applications.
Norm Dewhurst had been keen to drive his 1925 Essex down to the Vero, but his family convinced him that it would be more practical to take the Triumph Dolomite instead. He was impressed with the organisation and the routes chosen and thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with old friends.
Ross Bellamy ordered a piece of special brass sheet for his musical horn project, but unfortunately it was badly packaged and when it arrived it was so badly damaged as to be completely unusable.
John Morrisson has been busy, firstly driving his 2002 Chrysler Prowler down to New Plymouth’s Americana festival and on getting back home immediately picking up the Talbot Largo from the panel beaters (a little cosmetic surgery) for the Vero rally in Nelson. The Wilson pre select gearbox still needs a little fine tuning, but otherwise the car ran well.
David Goryl has been fettling his Mini Cooper. Only small problems – a small oil leak and the engine stabiliser rod was on back-to-front causing a harsh vibration, but he is now happy with it.
Next, John Stokes, with a little help from Richard Green, gave us an entertaining account of the Vero Rally from the Charabanc’s view. I won’t try to cover this here as I hope it will be the subject of a dedicated article in the Bulletin. Suffice it to say that Angelique proudly represented our branch
Peter Wood took his Camaro to the Americana where a road cone managed to get under the car, fortunately not doing much damage. Peter felt that his passenger, a large teddy bear, attracted more attention from the public than the car.
Chris Wood’s loverly old 1924 Austin 20 has not sold and I get the feeling that Chris is not really too disappointed as the car has been in the family for so long. It is now tucked up, warm and dry in the garage under his apartment and is started up regularly.
Richard Green made an interesting discovery while working on the Rolls-Royce. During it’s original manufacture, a screwdriver bit for use with a brace (as in brace and bit) was dropped into a very inaccessible place and never recovered. Interesting to see the tooling that was used to assemble a car that was virtually hand built. The oil pressure gauge was found to be beyond repair after the flood but a genuine second-hand one was located. All parts on a RR are numbered and the serial number on the replacement is very close to the original. A good outcome.
Murray & Penny Firth
Our
Sunday, 24th May
The Autumn Tour
plotted by Rodger & Val Ball
This event is open to ALL club eligible vehicles.
All vehicles must be entered by a financial member of the VCC of NZ. All entrants shall be classed as Touring (Non-Competitive), unless you select to be competitive in one of these speed based classes:
(1) Veteran and Slow Vintage
(2) Fast Vintage and Post Vintage
(3) All other Post Era Vehicles
For competitive participants no electronic or mechanical navigation devices are permitted.
The rally will start at: Ray Small Park Carpark Elliot St Papakura
The first vehicle will start at: 10:00 am.
The tour is approximately 50 miles long over predominantly sealed rural roads.
The lunch venue and finish is at a Golf course Café and is not BYO.
Your start time and any further information will be emailed to you prior to the event. The event will be held wet or fine.
Prizegiving: Will be held at the June Club Afternoon on Saturday, 27th June.
Entry Form
(Please Print Clearly)
(You can also complete the pre-prepared email offered, click on the link below this entry form link on the email this was received .)
Name of Entrant
Name of Driver
Name of Navigator
Phone No. VCC Mem No
Email address
Number in Crew (Incl. Driver)
Vehicle Make Model Year
If wishing to be competitive please tick the relevant class: (1) Veteran & Slow Vintage (2) Fast Vintage & Post Vintage (3) All other Post Era
I have direct-credited on _____/_____/__________
Prices incl. GST Reg. 13-827-290. Online payments only to: 12-3008-0050049-02 (Please use entrant name and “Autumn” as your reference)
Email entry form to: rvball@xtra.co.nz
Entries close Monday, 18th May, 2026
Important: If you do not receive a response to your entry by Wednesday, 20th May, please contact Rodger Ball ASAP on (09) 298 6476 or 0274 873 561.
Autumn Tour
Prizegiving in conjunction with The Auckland Trams Pt. 3
Presented by James Duncan from MOTAT
Saturday, 28th June
From 2:30 pm
Join us for what should be a fun-filled afternoon, First the Tram talk followed by a light Afternoon Tea, then the Prizegiving, drinks and a Potluck Dinner.
Veteran Section Notes
Phil Henley had his 1906 Cadillac at both the Art Deco Festival and the Vero International event in Nelson, he used the car on the medium routes in Nelson. Each day was about 100km of motoring and the car went fine.
Mike Courtney is sorting the timing on the 1909 Sizaire et Naudin, his Maxwell is making progress with new pistons being made by Bu-Mac Engineering and Dave Graham doing some boring work and strengthening the gearbox housing.
Gavin Welch assisted in rebuilding a Studebaker carburettor by video. Kelvin Healey took his 1912 Sunbeam to Nelson, the car is going well. He also collected tools for Manawatu Austin owner Dennis Milne who had distributed some of them over the roadways in the Tahuna Motor Camp.
Barry Birchall is still working on the distributor for his 1912 Cadillac, with assistance from Murray Firth and Richard Green. North Shore’s Tim Edney ran a 1905 Darracq in Nelson.
A minutes silence was held for the late Roy Sharman.
Steve Keys hopes to have his 1908 Maxwell ready soon, the car was owned by his late father, Les Keys.
Short and sweet for this month.
John
Left: Phil & Caroline Henley leaving Willowbank Historic Village. Right: The Charabanc a popular choice as always!
Motorcycle Section Notes
On arrival at the clubrooms this month, Shaaran and Alan Price were there with ‘Sooty the Sweep’, cleaning the log burner’s flue. Surprisingly, ‘Sooty’ was an old work colleague of mine from 25 years ago, it was great to see him.
We had 10 bikes parked out the back, and around 50 members attend the meeting. We welcomed back member Ian Bell, who has been recovering from illness, and we welcomed new member Grant Sutton, who is restoring a James 150 Cadet.
REPORTS
• Peter Alderdice told us about the Ariel Rally held in Waipukarau in the Hawkes Bay.
• Jeremy Lambert told us about the recent Velocette Rally held up around Kerikeri, which he won by the way.
• Peter Alderdice also reported on the recent VCC International Rally held in the Nelson area.
GENERAL BUSINESS
Peter Alderdice told us he had booked a motel in Timaru in the South Island for the 2027 National motorcycle rally, he has 22 members signed up so far. Please let Peter know if you want join them peter.alderdice@me.com
Next month’s guest speaker will be Ray Ferner latest owner and racer of the 1931 Ralph Watson BSA FW32.
GUEST SPEAKER
Todays speaker was John Pendreigh. John has been a long-time member of the NZ Classic Motorcycle Racing Register. He used to race his classic 1938 500 Gilera, but at 89, he now lets his son race it. John has also been President of the Register.
John joined the RNZAF in November 1955, and retired as a Squadron Leader on the 4th January 1977.
John served in the Vietnam War, or as the Vietnamese call it the American war, he flew the Bell UH-1 Iroquois ‘’Huey’’ helicopter as a Squadron Leader, flying in support of the Australian and New Zealand Task Force which included Australian and New Zealand SAS.
John’s squadron had 16 Hueys, comprising 12 Slicks (troop carriers) and 4 Gunships.
He told us about sorties into the jungle, they would drop off troops, and then days later pick them up. On some missions the soldiers were trapped in the forest and couldn't get to a pick-up clearing, so the Hueys would drop down 6 long lines
Motorcycle Section Notes
continued
trough the trees, the men would tie themselves on and were pulled up, while under fire. They were then flown to a safe clearing, where they could land and get the soldiers onboard, and then flown back to their base. John was from the Number 9 Squadron, they lost 7 out of the 16 Hueys.
They had 5 days R&R during the year. There was a law that would not permit them to take leave in New Zealand, a carry over from WW2, as the government thought troops might not return to the war. John believes it was the right thing as it would have been very hard to come home during your posting and have to return to battle.
John told us that out of all the various nations troops that were fighting in Vietnam the Kiwis were the only ones who were taxed on their pay, a disgraceful shame by the government.
John told us some sad stories, and some funny ones, that happened when they weren't flying.
John’s last extraction before coming home was rescuing some Australian SAS, for this he was awarded a mention in dispatches for bravery in action.
Once back in NZ, John continued flying the Hueys, these were the only heavy lift helicopters in the country. They were used for many different building projects around the country, they were also used for many mountain rescues.
After John left the RNZAF, he took up flying airliners for far eastern companies. At 89 John is still working at Air NZ’s Auckland airport complex as an Air Bus flight simulator instructor. Martin asked him why he was still working, his answer “because I cannot spell the word retired”. John told us that this was his first ever talk on his time in Vietnam.
John answered questions from the floor, which then ended one of the most interesting talks we've ever had. The meeting closed at 4pm.
Martin Spicer and Jack Clark
John Pendreigh and his BELL Huey
From the left: Stoney Burke he was head crewman at RNZAF 3 Squadron Hobsonville. The person in white is Prince Bernhardt of the Netherlands, he was a fun guy, we carried him around on his tour of the South Island. To his right is John Pendreigh, and then John Peterson, who was awarded the DFC from Vietnam.
Expert’s Rally
Plotted by Russel & Jocelyn McAlpine
Sunday, 26th July
Starting from the Massey Domain carpark Red Hills Road, Massey.
First car away: 10:30 am Your one chance each year to really test your Rallying skills!
We’d love for you to advise your intended participation if you know you’ll be joining us.
To do this, click on the advert in the email or use this address: rjmcalpine@xtra.co.nz to advise Russel & Jocelyn.
Rally Rules Tutorial
Join us…
Thursday, 23rd July
starting at 8:00 pm
With the Expert’s Rally on Sunday, 26th, here is your prime opportunity to learn, or brush up on, true rally instruction interpretation.
Then take on the Expert’s Rally with gusto. It’s a load of fun!
Mid-week Tourer’s Run
After an extended period of no motoring, we’re back into it this month.
Wednesday, 20th May
The run is planned by Normal Dewhurst and Ryan Winterbottom. it's the “Muddy Waters” run. You’ll travel about 65 kilometres, finishing for lunch at the Muddy Waters Pub where they have a good menu and we can all sit together.
There is also an opportunity for people to visit the museum while there too.
We’ll be starting from the BP Service Centre, Southern Motorway, Drury.
We’ll assemble from 10:00 am and depart at 10:30 am.
Then, looking ahead to June:
Wednesday, 17th June
Planning a visit to Chelsea Sugar Factory.
Starting from Westgate at 10:30 am.
This run will be around 70 km and will be optionally a BYO Lunch or you can visit the café. The tour is $15 per person and will need to be pre-booked for those who are interested.
See you there
Jo
Welcome to our New Members
A most sincere welcome is extended to the most recent new members. We hope to see you taking an active part in Branch activities whenever possible. Should you require any assistance or advice, please feel free to ask any Committee member?
Aaron Jackson Riki Hunton
Remuera Hibiscus Coast
1964 Norton Atlas 1955 Chevrolet 150 1981 Chevrolet Corvette 1978 Toyota Corolla
Chairman
Your Committee & Officers
Shaaran Price (Alan) Email: chairman@avvcc.org.nz
Vice Chairman/Continuous Membership Awards Steward
Glenn Morris (Marion) Email: glenn-maze@xtra.co.nz
H: 09 833 8575
M: 0204 195 2476
M: 021 136 5926
Secretary / New Members & Privacy Offcr / Bulletin & Website Editor / Branch Delegate
Jodi Tomlin (Paul) Secretary Email: secretary@avvcc.org.nz
Editor Email: editor@avvcc.org.nz
Treasurer
Ian Hubbard (Lesley) Email: treasurer@avvcc.org.nz
Club Captain / Trophy Steward
Tracey Winterbottom Email: clubcaptain@avvcc.org.nz
M: 021 678 258
M: 0274 426 748
H: 09 232 0246 (Stephen)
Committee Members
Martin Spicer (Lynda)
Motorcycle Section Rep/Entertainment
Email: motorcycle@avvcc.org.nz
Lynda Spicer (Martin) Social Convenor
M: 021 732 209
H: 09 233 6382
M: 022 102 5954
H: 09 233 6382 Email: spicerclan2017@gmail.com
Jeremy Lambert (Michelle) Clubroom Bookings/ Health & Safety Officer
Email: bookings@avvcc.org.nz
Rory King (Louann) Building Maintenance
Email: roryking53@gmail.com
Neil Stott (Christine) Spares Liaison
Email: neilxstott@gmail.com
Non-Committee Positions
Library Team Leader
Richard Green (Lois)
Spares Team Leader
Bill Hulse (Sherrill)
M: 021 189 3120
M: 027 576 7045
H: 09 579 6891
M: 021 530 302
M: 0274 949 059
VIC Officers
John Stokes Email: library@avvcc.org.nz
H: 09 489 2427
M: 021 818 334
Beaded Wheels Scribes
John Stokes
Jocelyn McAlpine
Peter Wood
Email: bill.sherrill@xtra.co.nz
H: 09 579 0494
Veteran Section Rep
John Stokes
Email: jcstokes96a@xtra.co.nz
H: 09 236 4582 or
M: 0272 772 108
Mid-week Tourers Co-ordinator Insurance
Jo Bieleski
Email: midweek@avvcc.org.nz
M: 027 943 1545
Clubrooms
Street & Postal Address:
Club Afternoon:
Alan Price
Neil Stott
Email: vic@avvcc.org.nz
Vintage Section Rep
Murray Firth (Penny)
E: pennyandmurray@xtra.co.nz
H: 09 818 6434
Vero Consumer Insurance Specialist
F: 0800 505 905
Our Agency Number: 0300126
Phone: 09 579 5625
39 Fairfax Avenue, Penrose, Auckland 1061
Last Saturday of the month 2:30 pm
Clubrooms Open: Second & fourth Thursdays of each month 7:30 to 10:00 pm, Every Saturday afternoon 4:30 to 6:30 pm
Branch Website: avvcc.org.nz
