As you may have noticed, I have displayed a photograph of our late member, Doreen Hardy, on the cover page, alongside her husband, Peter. Much has been said about Doreen and her contributions as secretary of our branch. A lovely lady at rest.
I was very focused on vehicle events last month, starting with the annual Sunbeam concours and get-together, this year in Hawera. Two VCC branch families attended with their Sunbeams: Richard Stevens and his daughter, Nicola, and myself. Richard and Nicola have a very tidy Alpine, which won the cup for the Best Alpine, while my Tiger took the award for the best in its class. The Sunbeam Club is relatively small but very friendly and sociable. There were twenty cars at the show, representing a good selection of most Sunbeam models. It was a very enjoyable weekend.
Next was the annual Americarna in New Plymouth. We always look forward to this extravaganza of American motoring. Numbers seemed to be a little down, although 650 vehicles were registered. The Taranaki Vehicle Events Trust secures funding through grants and sponsorships so that all the community activities are free to the public. Supercheap is the major sponsor, and the event owes much to the founder and Americarna spokesperson, John Rae, who announced that next year's event, the 20th, will be his final appearance. Over this time, Americarna has generated $200 million for the Taranaki region. Quite an event.
Daily runs and stops included Opunake Beach, Waitara, Inglewood, Stratford, and Hawera. A drive through the renowned Mangorei Road leading into a closed-off centre of downtown New Plymouth on Friday night was a highlight. The week finished with a Park Up, or Americarnival, in a designated section of Devon Street in the heart of the CBD. Literally thousands of people lined the roads around the driven areas, with American flags everywhere. You have to see it to believe it. We were approached by some American tourists who visited our motel and asked what on earth was happening, with all the American flags flying and noisy American cars all around! All very well organised and a credit to the organisers and sponsors.
Finally, the Military Club held its annual convoy, this year hosted by the Taranaki branch, called ‘The Wild West Convoy’. Starting from New Plymouth, the 25-vehicle convoy went to Whangamomona and then followed back-country roads to Waitomo, then Raglan, eventually arriving in Taumarunui after many stops at other places. From here, it proceeded to Whanganui. Three days later, the convoy snaked its way to Stratford and back to New Plymouth. All of this took place over two weeks. I only joined the convoy from Whanganui to Stratford, as I had many chores to undertake before the next major VCC event in Nelson.
That’s all from me this month.
Yours in cruising, Editor Ian.
Chairman's Report — March 2026
The Wanganui Branch of the VCC of NZ (Inc) has now been registered under the Incorporated Societies Act. This has been a major undertaking and congratulations and grateful thanks to your committee and delegate Rob O’Keeffe for all their hard work.
At the beginning of February the NZ Classic Motorcycle Festival was held at Manfield. I enjoyed some good racing and Wanganui was well represented in the trophies at the presentation for last years events.
At the end of January I attended the Wellington VCC’s motorcycle rally. This was a great day out on my Triumph Bonnie and despite a little light rain no-one was deterred. A couple of weeks later I attended the Ted Green Memorial motorcycle rally in Levin with the Horowhenua VCC. In the afternoon there was a visit to a very talented and interesting person who makes propeller blades for vintage planes. He is one of two people in the Southern hemisphere who makes them. He also has a collection of vintage motorbikes and a lovely Buick straight 8. Another great day out on the bike with lots of sun and no rain!
I can’t believe that in another week we will be on our way to Nelson in the MG for the International Rally. The MG is almost ready to go.
The speaker at our club night last night was James Burnside (pictured on the right) who gave a very interesting talk and demonstration of his bagpipes. This was very well received by the cub members judging by the interest shown.
Until next time,
Bill James
Club Captain’s Report— February 2026
Summer is over already, the days are getting shorter and cooler but there is still plenty of things happening in the next few months to keep us all busy.
We have been asked again this year to provide cars for the IHC Ball, this involves picking up the people with disabilities and taking them to the Racecourse on Saturday 21st March. Contact Doreen Barns 0279368633 if you can help. For a lot of the people the car ride is the highlight of the evening and all those who did it last year say how good it was to help out.
Saturday 9th May is a working bee from 9am so please come along and lend a hand. Bring any tools you think you may need. We will not be having a Sunday run in May as we have the Annual Rally in May this year.
Planning is well under way for the Annual Rally on 31st May, if you are planning on not entering the rally and are interested in helping on the day please let me know.
Looking way ahead the annual daffodil Day Rally is set for Sunday 23rd August, if anyone is interested helping organize an event for that day please let me know it is much easier to organize with a team. We normally have a fun rally that day with plenty of entries supporting a great cause.
For those who travel down south please note that the Inter-islander ferry no longer gives discounts to VCC member so if you want a discount you will have to use the Blue Bridge ferry.
Again if you want to organize a Sunday run or know of someone who would be interesting for a guest speaker for a club night please let me know.
For me this month is going to be interesting with my house is about to be lifted up and shifted over 1 metre and put down on new piles. This will make my driveway wider so I can get to my shed easier and get my house floor level as currently it has more ups and downs than the Southern Alps. I have spent the last few weekends breaking up concrete and removing the chimneys so it can be moved. I’m very interested in seeing how they do it as they talk like it is a simple everyday thing to jack up a house and slide it over
Captain Wayne.
Roger Ellison-his wife’s cancer story
Hello dear readers.... This series is starting to feel like a “tell your Aunty” story.
Our Editor has suggested I write a story about my wife and my experiences around her cancer story.
It all started soon after we moved here (to Whanganui) back in 2016. We had owned our home here since 2014 so had a very clear vision (or Sharon did) of what we wanted to do to it to make it more “ours.” I was tearing cupboards down, closing door ways and opening others and generally creating dust and havoc. Sharon developed a cough which she couldn’t shake so went up to our local doctor’s surgery. Her appointment was at 9:45am and by 11:30am of the same day, she was having chest x-rays at the hospital. The diagnosis of Lung Cancer came through before the end of the day. We were both devastated to say the least.
Soon after she received an appointment at Palmerston North Oncology unit for further tests which identified her cancer as Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer with a secondary site in her upper spine. She was told that without treatment she would survive for about 4 months and with treatment she could survive for 3-4 years but no guarantees. After some discussion she elected to undergo the recommended treatment. She wasn’t ready to give up yet! (If you do the maths you will see she survived for almost 10 years!)
The first stage of treatment was radiation to her upper spine. This was carried out at Palmerston North hospital (as was most of all treatments and consultations.)
At the same consultation for palliative radiation Sharon was started on Zoledronic Acid which nearly destroyed her with a severe reaction. Within 1 month she had been changed to Erlotinib which had a far less reaction. Erlotinib is taken as a tablet at home and has a very controlled regime.
After being on Erlotinib for several months Sharon developed a skin rash. She asked her Oncologist about it and was assured that the 2 events were unrelated, that woman should read the papers from the makers! She was referred to a skin specialist who reported that he had never encountered anything like it previously and prescribed a cream to apply to her skin. It was of little use. Eventually she was given a 1 month drug holiday from the Erlotinib and miraculously the rash cleared! Also, early on in her treatment she was put on a calcium supplement. I enquired about also supplementing magnesium at the same time as they are interdependent. This was agreed to, as well as a self prescribed Glutathione supplement (as cancer destroys it.) Glutathione is one of the main support enzymes protecting the liver from invasion by cancer cells. One very obvious side effect of this type of cancer treatment is that hair grows frizzy and wire like. We tried a variety of topical treatments for this but with little avail. Another side effect is that toe and finger nails become distorted and infected. We found the best control was early intervention. All this took place over an extended period of time before the termination of the Erlotinib treatment period as dictated by the drug makers. Sharon then went onto a different drug which was introduced by infusion, again a series of cycles with a rest period between cycles. This regime continued for months before it too was discontinued and we were notified that there was nothing else they could offer by way of treatment and we were “sent on our way.”
Roger Ellison-his wife’s cancer story
Early on the treatment regimes it was recommended Sharon enrol with Hospice Whanganui, which she did. They were very supportive but at the end of 12 months, when we were still active, they told us they were going to withdraw their support until the disease was more advanced. It was like they couldn’t believe we were coping at home! During the last weeks of Sharons story, they were invited back into the support team and were most supportive. They arranged for Home Help 3 times a day, 2 helpers each time. The problem with that arrangement was how to get 2 helpers in the same place at the same time! Problem solved, I became one helper as I was on hand at all times. I am getting ahead of myself!
Whilst receiving her medication by infusion Sharon became extremely weak and sleepy. They did blood tests and didn’t find anything unusual until I suggested they check her magnesium levels. It was so low it was almost undetectable. They immediately put her on 4000mg daily and slowly she returned from the abyss. Because of this deficiency she had several ambulance trips to the Emergency Department at Whanganui Hospital where they got to know her by sight.
As the disease progressed I would be called on to give physical support when moving to or from the toilet and shower. I would pretend we were dancing and go la-la-la as we struggled to move. It usually finished up in fits of laughter for both of us. Sharon called me one day, to go to a certain address where she had found a wheel chair online for $20. I brought it home, cleaned it and we used to go shopping with it. Sharon was the captain and I was the navigator. She would point and I would make it happen.
In the end Sharons life story reached its finality. 1:30pm, 9 January, 2025. Hospice came and dressed her before she went to the Undertakers. She had expressed a wish for a certain song by Adele be played at some stage of her farewell. It worked perfectly – Hello from the other side. What a sense of humour that woman had!
One of the last “instructions” Sharon gave me was to replace our car with another later model – anything, but red in colour, buy a caravan and go touring as we had planned. I went shopping for another car and yes I found what I wanted and it was – RED!. I also found a neat small Expander caravan (a pop top with hard sides.) I’ve been away a couple of times but time is scarce at present. Then of course there’s the Austin which never featured in our plans until I tripped over it in Napier – but that is also another story for another day.
Things I discovered or figured out for myself about caring for anyone with a terminal disease ...
* Never disagree outright with what they are thinking, sure, say it’s not how you see it, but how they see things is not for you to condemn.
* Keep a smile on your face and a light voice when you speak, even when bone tired (even at 2 o’clock in the morning when their mind is keeping them awake.) Never sound grumpy.
Roger Ellison-his wife’s cancer story
* Always research everything you can on the subject so you understand reports and options. I found a very good search engine to be Google Scholar. Any reading you do needs to be from a reputable source which is usually stated at the top of any good paper, along with the date it was completed. Doctors and specialists do not know all there is to know and you may be able to nudge them on a missed detail.
* At the end of each day stop and review it in your head, asking yourself if you could have done things in a better way. Don’t be afraid to apologise if you stuffed up.
* Lastly, with sincerity and honesty tell your partner who is suffering, that you love them, and mean it! I made a point of repeating this fact after carrying out any important task and if they try to tell you that you didn’t sign up for all this shit, remind them that you are choosing to stay and to not run away.
I could probably wax on but I think these are the salient points and I hope Sharon’ s story encourages other people to tell their stories in the future and that those people who are carers feel seen and appreciated.
Roger Ellison.
Thank you Roger for such a heart wrenching story about your wife’s cancer journey. I salute you for providing this account. Like you, I believe that we cannot or should not bury our heads in the sand and not talk about these matters. I do admire all that you did for Sharon and your words of advice over how one should approach the way in which we handle the imminent departure of a loved one.
Editor Ian
Please members, do not hesitate to send stories and articles in to me for publication in theses pages. They do not have to necessarily be car or VCC related. Also I have only one member who has offered to share their VCC journey and to talk about their club vehicle or vehicles. You can email or phone me to ‘get the ball rolling’ I would love to hear from you. Also ‘Letters to the Editor’ would be very much appreciated, where you can voice your opinions over matters pertaining to our movement. Have your say!
Editor Ian
Burma Rally 2026
Right: Tim and Lennie Price, Whanganui.
1954 Austin A40 Somerset. First Post War and Runner-Up overall.
Left: Craig and Wendy Ryland, Whanganui. 1939 Chevrolet Master 85. First Post-Vintage
Right: Ian and Frances Higgins, Whanganui. First Post 1980.
1990 Holden Commodore.
Left: Philip and Pat Pearce, Paraparaumu. 1977 Saab 96. First Post 1960 and First overall.
Burma Rally 2026
Left: First Motorcycle section was this 1980 Honda 500, ridden by Whanganui’s Dave Henwood.
Above left: Jim Bilby and Mary-Ann Van Dyk, Whanganui, in their 1955 Zephyr Mk 1
Above right: 1959 Austin A35 belonging to Frank and Liz James, Whanganui.
Below left: Graeme and Liz Taylor, Whanganui. 1930 Ford Coupe.
Below right: 1929 Ford Model A belonging to Brian and Viv Christie, Whanganui.
Burma Rally 2026
Above left: Frank and Margaret Forlong, Whanganui, in their 1930 Ford Model A.
Above right: 1946 Ford Coupe. Graeme and Karen Langridge, Whanganui.
Middle left: Leon and Chris Lawrence, Waiuku (furthest travelled) 1927 Ford Model T.
Middle right: 1929 Ford Model A. Peter and Ann Robinson, Palmerston North.
Lower left: Malcolm and Lesley Blair, Napier in their 1964 Vauxhall Victor.
Lower right: 1937 Chevrolet Master. Hans and Mercia Paaymans, Fernhill.
Burma Rally 2026
Above left: Diane and Paul Eayrs, Paekakariki, in their 1989 Mazda MX5
Middle left: Russell Cameron and Virginia Ashby, Feilding. 1960 Rover 100.
Middle right: 1985 Citroen 2CV belonging to John and Wendy Bullock, Whanganui.
Below left: Ted and Genny Matthews, Whanganui, in their 1930 Ford Model A.
Below right: 1958 Humber 80 belonging to Ken and Annette Foot, Feilding.
107 Rapanui Road Westmere
Farm shop opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday 8am to 5pm
Saturday 8am to 1-30 pm
Bates Watchmakers
130 Victoria Ave, Wanganui
Phone/Fax 06 345-2235
Email: bateswatch@gmail.com
Watch Specialists for Whanganui
Sales & Repairs
Mainstreet’s Top Shop Award Winner
WANGANUI ELECTROPLATING CO. LTD
‘NZ’s Finest Automotive Platers’ 68 Wilson Street Wanganui
Acknowledged experts on all types of Vintage and Post Vintage Nickel and Chrome Plating.
For all your METAL FINISHING REQUIREMENTS
Copper, Brass, Bronze, Antique Finishing and Metal Polishing Phone Dave on Wanganui 06 345 5042 or 021 057 6726 for prompt and efficient service.
Burma Rally 2026
Above left: Glen Loveridge and Janine Vicars, Taihape, Camper van.
Above right: Bruce and Jennifer Ardell, Whanganui, in their 1938 Dodge D8
Middle left: 1956 Vauxhall Velox. Bruce Thomas and Jacky Evans, Whanganui.
Middle right: Steve and Joy Growden, Whakatane with their 1982 Ford Cortina.
Below left: 1983 Ford Cortina Ghia with Chris and Brenda Heron, Napier.
Below right: Phil and Coral Kidd, Mangaroa Valley,1935 Railton Sports Tourer
Burma Rally 2026
Above left: 1926 Chrysler Finer with Barry and Hilary Pettengell, Waikanae.
Above right: David and Mihi McDermid, Whanganui, in their 1930 Ford Model A.
Middle left: Elvery and Ada Hunt, Palmerston North, with their 1969 Ford Zephyr.
Middle right: 1995 Rover 827 belonging to Glyn and Cathy Clements, Feilding.
Below left: Win Bishop and Daphne Williams, Levin, in a 1980 Ford Cortina.
Below right: 1965 Singer Gazelle. Sam and Irene Wilson, Whanganui.
Branch Snippets
Dear Members
FREE. Firewood.
I have two large trees that have fallen down. The one over shipping containers and shed is a large poplar. The other is a gum, I think, that has fallen down in my front paddock. If interested you will need chain saw and trailer. Property is at 713 Longacre road. Contact me for more details.
Neil Farrer 0274579634.
Hello Members
Please note that the Club currently only has discounted ferry rates for Bluebridge. These have previously been sent out to branches and are available on the Club's website.
Unfortunately, the Interislander has not renewed discounted rates with the Club, possibly due to the reduction in ferry service availability. We are keeping in touch with the Interislander and will update if circumstances change.
Kind regards,
Linda Duffell
Office Administrator
The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand Incorporated
Ph: 03 366 4461
Please note National Office hours are Monday - Friday 9.30am - 1.30pm.
A few members chanced the pending weather and attended the Shannon Car Show. A great turnout of cars of all makes and models.
The rain held off until about 11am and then set in.
As always a great park up and a chance for everyone to show their cars and mix and mingle with like minded people. Jim Bilby
Thanks for the photo and report Jim. Editor Ian
Club Calendar
Club Runs meet at the Clubrooms at 1pm unless stated
March
12th and 26th Ladies Coffee Meet at Mitre 10 at 11am.
9th and 23rd Ladies Coffee Meet at Mitre 10 at 11am.
18th Motorcycle Rally. Details to follow.
19th River City Park Up. Meet at Cooks Street at 8am.
6th Club Night at 7.30pm.
7th and 21st Ladies Coffee Meet at Mitre 10 at 11am.
9th Working Bee 9am.
17th Toy Fair Park Up.
31st Annual Rally. Details to follow.
3rd AGM at 7.30pm
Ed Boyd Parts Shed
We have an outstanding collection of engines, gearboxes, body parts, spares, new and used, from a vast range of manufacturers. These parts span from the early 1900’s to more modern production vehicles. If you are looking for anything, large or small, to keep your car on the road call us to see if we can assist. You will find our prices unbelievable. Please call or email us:
Dave 06 347 6915 027 555 4201 whanganuiriverboats@xtra.co.nz
Chris 06 348 7335 027 443 1184 cgandkrwhite@gmail.com
For Sale: 1927 Essex. (Right) Very original. Now $8000 Includes spare parts ALSO 1939 Nash 400. ( Below) Great cruiser. Now $14000. Includes spare parts. Contact Judy 027 254 7601
For Sale: 1947 Austin 8. (right) Complete rebuild engine 2024.All receipts. Includes spares. Original interior. $7000 Phone Grant 027 3278830
For Sale: 1953 Lanchester Leda (right) 4 cyl 4 speed Wilson pre-select, Rego on hold, 58574 m, new tyres, brakes relined, has been running, always garaged, sound body, fair interior. $4000 ono Barry Cleaver 06 3887871, Taihape
