Patron
Tom Hayes 06 3679445
jongdayton@gmail.com
Deputy Chair Robin Strachan
3646780
Secretary Merryl & John White 022 1601189 horowhenua@vcc.org.nz
Treasurer Jackie Job 027 2011806 jackiejob73@gmail.com Co-Treasurer
Daphne Williams
dh.dub@xtra.co.nz
Club Captains Greg Oliver
5703501 Julie Riepen
Callum Farmer
4459606
4509636
1172418 Clive Bardell
Library Archives Robin Strachan 063646780 Diane Strachan 021 468763
Branch Delegate John White 022 1601189
Spark Editor Bruce Jamieson 027 6357336 brucejamieson48@hotmail.com
Spark Distribution Murray Tinsley 021 02625971
VIC Team
Verdon Heath, Ivan Horn, Jeff Fox and Robert Cammish
Speaker for May
We have not organised a guest speaker, but come along and reminisce about all the events over the last month.
New Club Members
John and Jenny Jackson have transferred from Wellington Branch, having recently moved to Ohau. They have a selection of Rileys.
Sadly Missed
Peter Nightingale joined VCC in August 1971 in Manawatu Branch, but was instrumental in setting up the Horowhenua Branch in 1977. The branch had several homes until 2006, when construction of our current clubrooms began on land leased from Levin AP&I. He served as Chairman, Club Captain, Branch Delegate, Beaded Wheels Scribe and Spark Editor, and organised many rallies, shows and club events. He bought his Ford Model A Phaeton in 1969, and it is still in the family. We are holding a remembrance meeting at our clubroom on Friday 24th April at 2 pm.
Don McIntyre farmed in the Shannon area, and on the advice from his accountant, bought a new car which would be nicely depreciated over time. So in 1972 he got a new Chrysler Valiant, looked after it and when it became eligible for vintage car classification he joined Horowhenua VCC in November 2010. He kept the car for more than 50 years and when he sold it not long ago it fetched a price many times what he had paid for it. He and his wife, Louis, participated with it in many of our club events.
Recovering
Verdon Heath is racing about with his new hip joint.
Cover Picture
Reminder: get the leak in the roof repaired before next summer.
Chairman's Natter
Fuel crisis! What fuel crisis?
In spite of the soaring price of fuel, it was lovely to see so many turn out for our last club meeting, including prospective new members to our branch John and Jenny Jackson, who have recently moved from Wellington to Ohau. Welcome to you both. Now, with Easter just past and clocks turned back, it’s all going on. Also, welcome home to the intrepid members back safely from the Vero International Rally. Some of the cars have yet to make it back due to the ferries playing up yet again (some were lucky to even get to the South Island due to the same reasons).
The big topic of the night was our recently held Swap Meet: yet another success, even with fuel price increasing during the course of the day!! The traders were very happy with how we set it up and ran the event, especially the kitchen, sausage sizzle, and the coffee & sandwich trolley doing the rounds. Parts shed takings were down on last year and we didn’t have a raffle as in other years. This was an oversight and probably made the difference between equalling the income from last year and making a slight loss. A lesson learnt.
There were so many people from the club helping out all weekend, from the team setting up the grounds on Friday, along with bread butterers, onion choppers, work in the library and spares department, to those early risers on Saturday being in the club rooms at 5am. It would be unfair to name everyone involved as I am sure to leave someone out. I will however thank Richard Salt and his team for taking the lead in getting things organised beforehand, and laying out the field on the day, plus managing the entrances and car parking, Denise and the kitchen staff, Win and all who helped on the bar-b-que and Bill Laneys’ granddaughter Franchesca coming all the way up from Wellington after work to go around with the trolley offering drinks etc, alongside Nigel
Wheeler and Sonia Horn. Also, this year we had a Health Caravan on site. This was a huge success with help from Daphne and colleagues, and hopefully this will become a permanent fixture going forward. There were so many other things going on and you all played your part: setting up, catering, and the big clear-up at the end. Without you all lending a hand we couldn’t do it. Finally on the Swap Meet, we need someone to head it up for next year. Most of the current team will no doubt be available to help out again, so please think about it as there is lots of experience for you to tap into.
We lost another long-term member, Don McIntyre, only a short while before swap meet day and some members were able to go to the service on the family farm on the day of our Swap Meet. I’m sure Don would appreciate that we couldn’t all be there.
We have also even more recently lost one of our founding branch members, Peter Nightingale. There will be a piece in Spark to let you know what an incredible man he was together with Shona his late wife, after whom our main clubroom is named. There will be a memorial function held in the clubrooms at a date to be confirmed following a private family cremation service.
Club Captain's Report
Jane and I, along with Graeme and Lesley Smyth, Bob and Eileen Smyth, Warren and Lyn Leslie, Andrew and Wendy Heffey, Winton and Ruth Cleal, Chris and Vicky Edwards, and Bernard Scott and Ivan Horn, have just returned from the International Vero Rally held in Nelson. This was a great week of motoring through the countryside around the Nelson Tasman region, with the weather remaining kind, and some very long trips. The locals knew we were in town when we all managed to gridlock Nelson City with 560 entrants converging on the Trafalgar Centre between 8:30 and 10:00am to pick up our bagged lunches.
Short, medium, and long runs were organized daily to all corners of Tasman and Nelson region finishing back each night at the Trafalgar Centre for dinner and entertainment.
On the first day we travelled the coastal route to the golden sands of Kaiteriteri. The next day, to the picturesque Lake Rotoiti and the famous Top House Pub, scene of a murder in the late 1800s, and the valleys of the Moutere, Tapawera, Redwood and surrounding Nuedorf Valley, Dovedale, to Ngatimoti returning through Ruby Bay. Another trip was to the Wakefield and Brightwater areas to view crafts and museums and Higgins Heritage Park, Pigeon Valley to view steam museum and farm machinery. This was followed by a night on the town car show in the middle of Nelson on Wednesday evening, where the locals had the opportunity to view the cars and talk to their owners. This was very popular, and we did not get a chance to eat our fish and chips with so much talking.
Friday saw us competing, along with 120 others, in the Teams Challenge, where five teams competed against each other for the ultimate glory. With 7 laps each maintaining different speeds around the Richmond Raceway, with three pits stops thrown in for a further challenge: changing a tyre, changing sparkplugs and tipping a 10 litre bottle of water into another, emulating filling a can of petrol, without spilling a drop. While all this was happening 5 members of the team had to build a bridge over water for a car to pass over without it getting wet. The planks were of different sizes, so putting together the sections was an intelligence test as well.
I am glad to report that the team Jane and I were in, Team E [ECO] , won the event. Two teams managed to clock up 6 points and 5 points respectively against them for speeding. There were a number of speed cameras out on the course catching unsuspecting drivers, and they were pinged and lost a lap per point for exceeding the speed limits as per signs posted around the course. This was an excellent day, thoroughly enjoyable, and although Jane was apprehensive about us entering this event, saying “what the hell was I thinking about when I entered it?” she actually loved it, and would do it all over again. Saturday saw us out at Richmond raceway again for the largest car show and display I have ever seen. A lot of local groups joined in, along with members of the VCC, and I would guess there were over 650 cars and bikes present. The weather held and the crowds turned out in their hundreds. Food stalls were “slam-dunked”, and the atmosphere was electrifying. Rides were offered around the circuit with proceeds going to Cancer Society, & the kids loved it. When the show was over, everyone wanted to get back in time for the final dinner and presentations. You could imagine what happened next with us all managing to gridlock Richmond trying to get out of the park and back to the Trafalgar Centre.
We had a great time and travelled a total distance of 804 miles and spent a total of $611 on fuel. I did trailer the Model A from Picton to Nelson and return in order to try and save some fuel, and some wear and tear on the Ford. I must say, the Model A did not miss a beat, or let us down once throughout the rally, which is more that what you could say about the ferry sailings, but that’s another story.
With fuel costs nearing $3.80 as I write this article for SPARK, and the fuel crisis continuing, things appear to be slowing down. This month’s club run had to be postponed due to threatening severe weather, and will probably be our last big run for a while. We will closely monitor the fuel situation, and its effects on motoring, and try for at least for the next few months anyway, to stay in the local area, with shorter runs just enough to keep our cars running until the situation begins to improve. Garage Raids will continue, but for the next few months we will try to be in the immediate Levin area. Car-pooling is another alternative and is encouraged, especially for the Garage Raids. Talking of Garage Raids, our last one was well patronized with over 38 members treated to two Foxton locations. The first was to Colin Sewell’s “Lady’s Mile Auto Services” where he had on display for us a range of mainly English cars and bikes, some of which were his own and many in storage or waiting on repairs. Colin and his wife have run the business for over 17 years, and he tells me there is no talk of retirement yet. Our second raid was a return visit to Murray Robinson’s “The Shed Panelbeaters”. Murray has been into building car furniture, and one project on the go was the rear boot end of a
1960 Cadillac which he was making into a couch for a client. Most of his collection consisted of American Cars and repairs for clients, however he had just finished a body rebuild on a Toyota Corolla race car that had hit a tree. Murray also had on display some pedal cars that he and the late Mike Khull had restored. Our George McLean was most impressed with the Jeep, and took him back to his childhood days. He now owns his own real Jeep.
Verdon Heath attended the Wairarapa VCC Stretched Gymkhana and reported that it was an excellent event with 25 entries in total.
Neighbors’ Day Show was held on the 14th March at the Levin Adventure Park, and Richard Salt reported that it was a well-organized event with a good turnout of exhibitors, however was let down possibly by lack of advertising. The organisers thanked us for our attendance and contribution to the event.
Over 60 VCC members with 20 to 30 cars attended the Kapiti Mid-Week Run to Steam Incorporated’s repair workshops in Paekakariki. The facility has grown over the years and the location is mainly due to having a rail turntable. This trip was well worth the visit and really enlightened a lot of the members as they have never been to or seen a working railway repair shop.
The next Kapiti Mid-Week Run is going to be to Tsunami Recording Studio, Potts Road, Levin. See details later in this edition of Spark.
Coming Up
The Club run to Turakina to view Tom Clouston’s collection of cars and museum had to be postponed due to approaching stormy weather. A new date will be advised.
Taranaki’s Maunga Moana is now on Saturday 9th May. This is always a great rally, starting at New Plymouth at 0830, and covering a distance of approx. 70 miles. Entry fee $40 and closes 4th May.
Northland’s 34th motorcycle Rally is on Saturday 16th May.
Manawatu Post Era Rally is on Sunday 24th May. Details in this issue of SPARK.
5th to 8th June is Waikato’s Double 50 Rally. 50 miles in the morning starting at the clubrooms in Cambridge and 50 miles in the afternoon finishing back at the clubrooms.
VCC Daffodil Day is on 23rd August this year. The VCC has decided to go with supporting the Cancer Society for another 3 years. We will combine with Manawatu club again, like we did last year. More information will be out shortly.
Horowhenua AGM coming up on Club Night Wednesday 3rd June.
That’s it from me, until next time, don’t forget to keep that oil dripping.
Greg Oliver
Library and Archives
Sorry I missed you all last week, but will catch up at next meet.
Also, it is with sadness, we learn that a couple of our senior members have passed away. It is a sad time for the families and close friends, and also for those club members who have not been that close, but have known them through club contact.
Also, the give-away book table is changing this week. Be in, you never know what you will find.
At last, the library floor is starting to look like a floor and not a dump ground.
Robin and Diane Strachan
.
Teamwork: Colin Geange on P.A., Rex Williams and Bill Cottle, committee members and Richard Salt, this year’s team leader.
“Patients” at the health caravan
Meanwhile, out in the paddock . . .
As Treasurer, I don't really get to see much of what is going on outside our 'counting room'!!
However, what Don & I did see on a few quick forays out from the clubrooms, was a busy & full field & happy folk - really nice to see.
We were quite expecting to see a lower 'sales' due to the price of petrol, however, we were only slightly down on last year.
The 'Cafe Trolley' proved a big hit, & brought in around $500.00.
A big “Thank you” to members who gave up their time on Friday prior to the Club’s Swap Meet, to butter bread for sandwiches and slice onions for the barbeque.
Then at 6.00am Saturday, members who arrived to help prepare the kitchen, food for sale and, along with the bbq, your efforts were well rewarded. A huge success.
Yes, all due to club members donating sandwich-filling items, cakes, savouries, etc, and those cream scones!
Again, for all who gave up your day, I cannot thank you enough.
Until Swap Meet 2027
Denise
Kapiti M-W Report March 2026
Not a lot of people know this, but trains, including huge old steam locomotives, actually have tyres. And after a few hundred thousand miles they have to be replaced with new ones. But the tyres on trains are a steel band which is shrunk onto the wheel and then secured either by grub screws or a "Gibson ring".
Steam Inc. have 7 full-time employees, including an apprentice, plus a big group of volunteers who restore, maintain and operate a fleet of both steam and diesel-electric locomotives and carriages. And, when operating excursions on the main lines, if Steam Inc.'s own drivers don't have local "road knowledge", they sometimes have to hire enginedrivers from NZ Railways.
One of their oldest steam locomotives is the Passchendaele (see group photo) which was built in 1915 at the Addington workshops. It proudly carries a nameplate which reads, "In memory of those members of the New Zealand Railways who fell in the Great War". Despite its age, the Passchendaele is still in regular use and in recent weeks has carried hundreds of passengers to and from both the Vintage Weekend in Whanganui and the Napier Art Deco Festival.
Each truck-load of coal delivered to Steam Inc. costs $28,000, but at least it's clean-burning NZ coal from the Strongman Mine in the South Island. And thanks to the recent increases in diesel prices, the steam locos are actually cheaper to operate, with the diesel locos now costing $7.80 per kilometre in fuel alone.
Steam Inc.'s diesel-electric locomotives, which are also used on mainline excursions, are powered by huge General Motors 2-stroke, V12 engines. And with the help of an enormous supercharger on each bank of cylinders, these engines develop up to 1400 bhp.
It's hard to follow such a fascinating visit, so most members re-grouped for lunch at the Sunday Cantina just down the road at Raumati South.
Our group in front of the “Passchendaele”
Just one of the restoration sheds – this one with both steam and diesel locos
1939
Spares Report
March 2026
It was fantastic to see a number of Horowhenua VCC members and their vintage cars at Rod Clifton’s Open Day recently. I heard the following day that over 300 people turned up and over $2000 was raised for the Te Horo Hall ongoing restoration.
After the disappointment of our sales on the Swap Meet Day, it was just the tonic, as Spares had its worst day on record, with only $1480 taken. The next 12 months will be interesting, but on the plus side, Spares earnings for the last year are up.
The Motorcycle Swap Meet in Feilding on the day after ours, was pretty much the same, with plenty of people walking around talking but not much spending of money going on.
However, there are plenty of positive things ahead to look forward to. The Spares Department 4th Annual Mid-Winter Sale is going ahead on Saturday the 20th of June from 9 am to 1 pm, and a visit to Wairarapa Vintage Car Club Parts Shed on Sunday the 26th of July. Both dates are booked, with more details to come.
Safe Motoring Everyone
