Daffodil Day Co-ordinator (2027) Denis Knight 027 351 3190
Branch VIC Signatories
Evan Henderson
John Tremaine 027 650 8056 027 432 0197
Front cover photo: Spotted by the Editor during April’s Tuesday Ramble visit
Chairman’s Report
Another AGM has been held and with it we’ve had a few changes in position holders. I hope that everyone will show them some patience while they settle in and come to grips with their new jobs.
Lindsay Crooks is your new chairman, and I’m sure he will do a great job. He said that he is sure he will make mistakes. So what, it happens all the time and those who were at the AGM probably noticed the mistakes that I made. I forgot to ask for a report I also strayed off the agenda during both meetings. They were pointed out to me, we corrected them and carried on, no big deal. We’re human and mistakes are made by everyone (except Trump).
House Convenor is the one position that has still to be filled. If you feel that this is a position you could take on then, let Lindsay know on or before the next meeting. Paul, last year’s House Convenor, said that he will help with how everything works. Please give this position serious consideration. Without a House Convenor we may be unable to carry out some functions throughout the coming year.
I would like to take this opportunity to again thank everyone who worked last year to make our branch the friendly, well-run organization that it is. Your work during the past couple of years also made my job so much easier.
Murray Proctor
Received by the Branch Secretary on 17 May:
Good afternoon, I am reaching out to ask if you know of a member who may be interested in filling the Lower South Island Representative on the National Committee.
Please feel free to contact me should you require any further information or if a member wishes to discuss this further.
Kind regards, Mark Wilkins, South Island Club Captain
Club Captain’s Report
I am writing this report before theAnnual Meeting so I must thank all the members for their friendly helpful attitude towards the Club Captain's duties. I must say that it started off badly at last year's annual meeting by 1) Placing my name in the apology column even though I attended and 2) Failing to pay for my supper, but Denis was on the ball and he rectified the problem with a fine.
I'm writing this report with all the trophies set out on my bench ready for engraving. It has been an interestingactivityto organise.MurrayProctorhas been a great help with printing and copying all the certificates to all the branch members that have been selected to retrieve a trophy.Icongratulateyou,butIalsoappreciatetheeffort all branchmembers have done over the year to make the year such a success.
I have received an interesting call from Richard Potts, the car historian, asking for contact information. He tells me that the Gore Vintage Car Club's newsletter is the first that he is able to read (by computer) each month. He reads all the clubs' newsletters. He considers the Gore Vintage Car Club's thebestbyfar,interestingandnewsworthy.David Northmusttakefullcredit for the presentation.
The 60th year weekend celebrations would have been completed. I know that everybody would have had a good time.To this end I must congratulate Paul Herron and his team for all the organisation associated with this event.
That's year one completed for me, so I will sit back and enjoy the 60th Anniversary with my camera.
Alan Ritchie
Wanted on 19th September
The Gore Camera Club would like about six VCC cars at Mandeville Aerodrome for their members to photograph. Contact Alan Ritchie on 03 208 6790
From the Editor’s Keyboard
Welcome to the first edition of the new branch year, and another year of me pestering you all for material to fill the pages, starting now! First of all, though, a big “Thank you” to Greg Elder for his story about his experiences at theAyrburn Classic, Trish & Ken Buchanan for their report on the May Tuesday Ramble and Alan Ritchie for his photos from Jeff Henderson’s Open Day at Pukerau.
Apart from the regular contributions and the June meeting & AGM Minutes, most of the rest of this issue is made up of my photos from Ayrburn and the April Tuesday Ramble. I now have nothing on hand apart from “funnies”, jokes and fillers. That means you, the members, have a stark choice – send me something to fill the pages or you will get a diet of jokes, fillers and photos from my archives.
In the meantime, happy reading!
David North
BRAINTEASER
Q. If you are running a race and you pass the person in second place, what place are you in?
TuesdayRamblers collected orhand-delivered 604copies (versus590the previous year), representing a saving of almost $1,390 which was just over $355 more than last year. Members opting for electronic copies stopped 553 copies being printed (up from 451 last year), thus saving about $470 for printing & paper and about $1270 in postage, a total of about $1,740, about $570 more than last year. Further savings came from buying Kiwistamps before the 1 July price increase ($129) and members who generously donated $145 in stamps and several boxes of copier paper.
All up,thatmakes a grand total ofabout$3,260 in savings totheBranch for the year, compared to just over $2,200 for the previous year.
The Branch and I would like to thank everybody who helped in any way towards achieving such substantial savings for the branch. We very much hope that you will continue to do so next year.
If you don’t already receive an electronic copy instead of a printed one, please consider changing over now!
The Editor
St James Theatre $5 Film Screening
At the December meeting, the overwhelming preference was for a weekday evening screening. Paul McPhail, manager of the St James Theatre, has said it will be a Monday at 6pm and he will be in touch with a day and date sometime in the New Year. Full details will be published in The Wiper. David North
In New Zealand History This Month
Carless days introduced
30 July 1979
Carless days for motor vehicles were introduced to combat the second ‘oil shock’(petrol shortage) of the 1970s. They did little to reduce consumption and were scrapped in May 1980.
Under the legislation, all private owners of petrol-driven motor vehicles were required to select a day of the week on which they would not use their car. A coloured sticker on the windscreen indicated the chosen day. Those caught on the roads on their designated day off could be fined.
Other measures introduced to reduce petrol consumption included cutting the open-road speed limit from 100 km/hr to 80 km/hr and restricting the hours during which service stations could sell petrol.
Several factors contributed to the scheme’s ultimate failure. One centred on the issue of exemption - it was possible to apply for an ‘X sticker’exemption if the vehicle was needed for urgent business. A black market in exemption stickers emerged, as did forgeries, making enforcement difficult. Households able to afford to run two cars simply chose different carless days for each vehicle.
From: Carless days introduced, URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/carless-daysintroduced (Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 25-Jul-2017
Ayrburn Classic 20-22 February 2026
This event was held for the second time in theAyrburn complex, which has beautifully-restored buildings and landscapes just on the outskirts of Arrowtown. Once a 19th Century working farm, it is now a thoughtfullyreimagined dining and lifestyle precinct. Framed by the Remarkable mountains, it is certainly one of the best places to have an automobile show.
Cars displayed around the lake
The event started with a Tour d’Elegance on the Friday afternoon, 40 exceptional classic and collector cars cruised around the district for a couple of hours with a special passenger, each seat auctioned to the public to raise funds for three local charities. On the Friday evening, car owners and exhibitors wereinvitedto anevent with livemusic, drinksandcanapes.With approx. 600 people there it was very busy.
Last year I was invited to be one of the judges of the show cars. Daphne was also involved as a scribe in recording all the points. This year we were asked back so we met up with the other judges on Friday to go over the process as it’s very involved with many different points to mark. This year, approx. 630 vehicles were on show, of which about 250 were entered to be judged. This was broken into several categories of which we and another judge had two.
Most of Saturday was taken up by the judging and then at 5 pm the live auction of 50 vehicles, hosted by Sunday Drive, started in the Dell. The vehicles were displayed in a massive tent on site and the auction was shown on a huge TV screen.
Sunday dawned, alovely dayafteralittleovernight rain.AsIhadbeenasked to show my 1948 Ford truck and the TVR Tuscan race car in the non-judged section, Daphne and I spent some time cleaning them before going to breakfast with the other judges.
Greg’s Ford truck and the TVR Tuscan (photos by the Editor) Gates opened to the public on both days at 10am and there certainly were a lot of spectators. As we had most of the judging completed on Saturday, we were able to look at most of the displays on Sunday. There was an amazing selection of vehicles and even an aeroplane.
1908 M.A.B
At 1pm both days they had a “Crackle Off” of exhausts, described as an orchestrated mechanical symphony. I enjoyed revving up the TVR as it has a unique sound which makes people jump on start up!!
The prize-giving was at 3pm on Sunday and the big news for the Gore VCC was that Stewart Quertier won the Race Car section with his beautifullyrestored Ford V8 Special. Well done Stewart.
Some of the Ferraris I have been to several car shows around the world, and I would have to say that theAyrburn Classic is right up there amongst the best.To see 63 Ferraris in one place was amazing, especially the 1957 Ferrari Monza 750 which Southwards Car Museum found in Southland back in 1967 and restored. This vehicle won the top award, Best in Show, forAyrburn Classic 2026.
The Stuart Ford V8 Special (photos by the Editor)
On Sunday, Daphne joined a tour of the Ayrburn gardens led by their head gardener. He explained the designs that are being developed and where their future garden designs are heading, very much a work in progress.
So, after a very busy few days it was back home with the Ford on Monday and back up for the TVR on Tuesday.
Happy Motoring,
Greg Elder (all photos by Greg unless noted otherwise)
1957 Ferrari Monza 750 (photo by the Editor)
Mustang display
(21st March)
Photos from Jeff Henderson's Pukerau Open Day
Alan Ritchie
Tuesday
Ramble 28th July
10.15am: meet at Gore VCC clubrooms (Sorry for the early start)
10.30 am: depart for Pukerau
11.00am: visit the old brick works (Southern Carbon)
Bring your lunch with you, plus water and a chair
We will be going to Pukerau Nursery after Southern Carbon
They have a sheltered area, if wet, and will show us around the area for growing seedlings
Numbers to Gerry Kennedy: 027 233 4634
BEFORE 23rd July
Gore Branch Events for the 2026-27 Season
Event Date Organiser(s)
Daffodil Day Rally
Tuesday Ramble
2026
Sunday 23rd August Denis Knight
Usually the last Tuesday of the month (except December) Co-ordinated by Gerry Kennedy
Editor's note to event organisers
If you want to see a report in The Wiper, please provide one yourselves or organise somebody to do it for you. (N.B. This works best if you ask them before the event!)
Other Events 2026
10th – 11th July Matariki Motor Muster, Geraldine
15th August VCCAGM, Manawatu Branch
19th September Autospectacular, Edgar Centre, Dunedin
2nd – 4th October Dunvegan Motorcycle Rally, Otago Branch
21st November 60th Arrowtown Motorcycle Rally, Southland Branch 2027
30th – 31st January Edendale Crank Up
10th – 14th February Burt Munro Challenge, Invercargill & Bluff
14th February Classic Cover Ellerslie Car Show
19th – 21st February Ascot Park Hotel Classic Speedfest, Teretonga
19th – 21st February Ayrburn Classic
19th – 21st March George Begg Festival, Teretonga Park https://www.georgebeggfestival.nz/
26th – 28th March National South Island Easter Rally, Dunedin
Car photos for the Clubrooms
Any members wanting to update the picture(s) of their car(s) or who have a new car and want to display it in the Clubroom photo gallery, please contact Alan Ritchie for a time and place to suit you both. Phone 03 208 6790
Spotted!
On page 15 of the 27 May 2026 issue of The Ensign, Gore’s free newspaper, Paul Katon’s red Ford Mainline Ute is prominent in the lineup of classics:
On page 14 of the same issue, “Panelbeater Paul Herron“ gets a mention as one of the judges. The Editor
Tuesday Ramble – 26 May 2026
Most of us met at the Gore VCC clubrooms for a BYO lunch, which everyone seemed to enjoy. Then we sat and had a friendly natter until 1.30pm, when we set off to see Barry Scott’s boat, which after 20 years is near completion. Fifteen cars, a mixture of modern and vintage and about 20 people attended.
Barry’s boat is amazing. He has been building it for about 20 years, with the help of his brother-in-law, Mervyn Todd, and what an achievement it is. He tells us it is about two years away from being finished, but Mervyn said they were saying that about four years ago.
The underside
It weighs 25 tonnes and holds 6,000 litres of diesel, and when completed it will have taken approximately 35,000 man-hours to build. Most of the internal finishings are complete, and many of us would love to have the kitchen in our own homes. There are plenty of sleeping areas and lots of places to enjoy a drink.
The kitchen
The Captain’s seat Outside view
Artist’s impression of the finished boat
Barry Ready for the christening? It was a great afternoon and everyone was amazed at such an achievement and Barry’s project is finally coming to an end. We hope we are all around for the launch.
Trish and Ken Buchanan (photos by the Editor)
GoreVCC CarstheEditorsaw attheAyrburn Classic
Ken Muir’s 1998 Ferrari F355 Spider
and his AC Cobra and Ferrari F1 “kiddie” cars
The ex-Alec McLennan Amilcar, now owned by Ken Muir (top photo by Greg Elder)
Greg Elder’s TVR Tuscan and Falcon GT tow car
Plus Greg’s Ford truck pictured on page 18 and Stewart Quertier’s Stuart Ford V8 Special pictured on page 19.
The Editor’s Picks from the Ayrburn Classic
1974 Triumph Toledo in the public car park
1966 Ferrari 330 GTC
1974 Ferrari 365 Berlinetta Boxer
1971 Dino 246GT
1989 Ferrari F40
1973 Jensen Interceptor in the auction
Phil Mauger’s Auto Union recreation
Oh dear!
The Editor
1938 DC3 Toy Hauler
In Welsh History This Month
14 July 1577
The pirate, John Callis, was released from prison on this day. John Callis, who was born into a wealthy family in Tintern, Monmouthshire in the late 1550s, had a notorious career as a pirate. He was well-connected to the gentry through his family, with ties to the local aristocracy, the Herbert family, and to the Earl of Pembroke. He was well-educated, and his family expected him to follow a conventional career as a cloth merchant in London. This lifestyle was clearly not adventurous enough, and by 1574 he had returned to South Wales and was running a ship, "The Cost Me Noughte" and was accused by the Admiralty of being 'a notorious pyrate haunting the coasts of Wales', conducting raids and harrying coastal trade, particularly in the areas around Laugharne and Carew. He avoided prosecution, however, because of his high society connections.
Among his prizes in 1574 was an Italian cargo ship whose goods he sold in Cardiff and Bristol and a Portuguese vessel which he took in the Azores. He continued to attack ships in the Bristol Channel for the next three years, continuing to seem immune from prosecution thanks to his association with the landowners of Glamorgan and of Pembrokeshire. He created a headquarters for himself in what is now the Point House tavern in Angle near Pembroke on the Cleddau.
He was finally arrested in 1577 and taken in chains to the Tower of London. He avoided hanging, however, by turning informer, providing the authorities with incriminating information about members of the gentry throughout Britain who had profited from piracy.
There is no sound evidence as to how he met his end, although some claim that he continued his career as a pirate off the coast of North Africa before being killed in 1586.
Adapted from https://www.facebook.com/TheHistoryOfWales/posts/the-pirate-john-callis-wasreleased-from-prison-on-this-day-1577-john-callis-who/1310542310438154/
Sent in by Donna North
Online Bonuses
Mike Rodgers (April Tuesday Ramble): https://www.odt.co.nz/southland/the-ensign/holden-fanatic-still-bathurstdevotee
Video of the Ayrburn Classic 2026 (includes glimpses of Greg Elder & Stewart Quertier with their vehicles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyWfQOuY2X0
Many of you will know of the Nattering Knitter (Caroline Dore) and the team at Biddy’s Barn and/or remember hearing from her about their activities at a Tuesday Ramble quite some time ago.
The Lions-Gore River Valley Club recently honoured the group:
Caroline (L) receiving the citation
“It was an honour and a privilege for a group of us to visit Biddy’s Barn this morning to present Caroline Dore and The Nattering Knitter team with a Lloyd Morgan Lions Clubs Charitable Trust Honoured Recognition award. This amazing group has over the years made and donated 9318 hug rugs to people in need of a little warmth and kindness. But their work doesn’t stop there. They also knit or crochet garments for Plunket, neo-natal hospital units, Hospice and many other deserving organisations. They receive gifts of wool from all around the world which they then turn into rugs or clothing with love and kindness. Our club, Lions-Gore River Valley, is proud to honour this amazing group in this way.
Lions Clubs District 202F Lions Clubs New Zealand”
The Editor
REMINDERS
NOTICES and FOR SALE & WANTED ADVERTISEMENTS ARE FREE to CLUB MEMBERS.Advertisements will usually be published in three consecutive issues. Please contact the Editor.
The Branch receives commission if you insure your vehicle(s), boat(s), house(s), contents or travel with Vero Insurance and quote the Branch number (300135).
https://vcc.org.nz/vero-vcc-insurance-scheme/
Gore Branch VCC name badges: are available to order by contacting the Branch House Convenor, Paul Herron, (phone 027 210 4131). N.B. If you’re not wearing one at a meeting you will attract the Sheriff’s attention and are likely to be fined!
You are very welcome to come on Branch runs in your modern.
Join the VCC online at https://vcc.org.nz/how-to-join/
Both Bluebridge and Interislander Ferries offer discounts to VCC members: https://vcc.org.nz/membership-benefits/
To Let: the Gore Branch Clubrooms are available to VCC members for personal functions at very reasonable cost.
Newsletters from other Branches are posted on the VCC Website each month. Go to: https://vcc.org.nz/news-from-our-branches/
They are also sent to each Branch by email and can be obtained on request from the Secretary or the Editor.
GORE BRANCH BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER
The Branch bank account number is 03-0915-0246885-00
Please put your name and the reason for the payment in the details boxes. Thank you. The Treasurer
Thank you. The Treasurer
Brake pedal assembly and master cylinder for a 1960s Morris Minor. Ideally if someone has a wreck where I could cut the mounting box out of the floor. Greg Elder: 027 431 8058 or 03 202 5710; email elderlea@xtra.co.nz
Interior: walnut dashboard & leather seating original. Restored in ex condition through 1996. Good history kept over the years of service.
Many spare parts available. Located in Gore, Southland.
Tailpiece
Run reports, articles of interest, photos, technical tips, letters and feedback are always welcome.
The Wiper is usually distributed on or around the last Tuesday of each month
Please note - advertisements & urgent notices must be received before the Sunday following meeting night each month for inclusion in the next issue of The Wiper
If you don't have a computer, I can get a hand-written article typed up or put your notes or jottings into shape for The Wiper. If you prefer, I can even take notes as you talk to me and write up the story for you - I am always ready to help so just let me know how!
Please send all contributions to David North Preferably by e-mail: northd14@gmail.com
physical and mailing address: 4 Trotter Street, Riverton 9822
telephone (mobile) 021 172 3281
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The opinions and statements in The Wiper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or views of the Gore Branch or of the VCC. The Branch accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any statements.
The Wiper is printed by I-Cue 10 Wood Street, Invercargill Telephone (03) 218 3350
