December 2019/January 2020- Auckland Veteran & Vintage ...
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December 2019/January 2020 Page 1
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Page 2 December 2019/January 2020
December 2019/January 2020 Page 3
Index
In this issue… Page
January Club Night 14
Gymkhana—2020 15
Christmas Pot Luck Dinner 18
2019 Ladies Rally 17
60 Year Award—Barry Robert 20-21
2019 Annual Motorcycle Rally 22-23
Gymnic Restoration Awards 24
Charabanc on Parade 25
2020 Vintage Muster Rally 25
Volunteers Required 26
Vero International Festival of Motoring 27
VIC Information Day 28
Regular Features
Chairman’s Report 4
Club Captain’s Report 5
Veteran Notes 6
Library Notes 7
Motorcycle Notes 8-9
Secretary Notes 10
Commercial Notes 11
Mid Week Tourers 12
Vintage Notes 13
Coming Events 16-17
New Members 24
Wanted/For Sale 29
Your Committee 30
February Bulletin closing date Strictly 25 January 2020
Cover Designed by Melanie Ball
The views expressed by the correspondents in this Bulletin are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Auckland Veteran &
Vintage Car Club Inc. Any articles of interest, comments, letters to the Editor etc are welcome. All contributions are pre-
sented to and approved by the club committee prior to printing. Please forward any submissions to the Bulletin Editor.
Page 4 December 2019/January 2020 Chairman’s Report November off with the Veteran Section meeting, which had a good turnout and some interesting topics, so if you are into Veteran’s go along and join John’s group. The Auckland Motorcycle Rally was next on the calendar, which had a good turnout of riders and the day went very well. Murray Firth had his first Vin- tage Section meeting which went very well. Next up was the Motorcycle meet- ing, wow what a great and very interesting meeting. There were around 70 members in attendance to hear guest speaker Nicholas Taylor, talk about his hobbies and work. He is a Barrister and owns an E type Jaguar and 4 classic motorcycles. He is also into steam engines and has a large historical gun collec- tion. The Midweek Tourers also continue to go to interesting places. The Commercial and Charabanc section has monthly meetings so if your pas- sion is Commercial’s do go along to join them, plus they are always looking for new drivers willing to learn how to drive the 1915 Renault. November Club Night saw guest speaker Scott Bainbridge, one of NZ’s top crime writers and also presenter of the television program Missing. His books include The Basset Road Machine Gun Murders and The Great NZ Bank Robbery. This was a very interesting and entertaining night for the large number of members who turned up. Sunday 1 December was the Branch’s Annual Gymnic, but this year we didn’t have any competitions as we are going to have a much more entertaining event early next year. There was a great turn out of vehicles, with around 10 vehicles taking part in the Restoration Awards, including original and un-restored cars and motorcycles. Member Dick Langridge, allows us to use his farm pad- docks for this event and also view his fantastic classic car collection. Thank you Dick. Also in December are the Veteran Section meeting, Club Night is the Christmas Pot Luck Dinner, which is always a great night, followed by the Motorcycle Sec- tion meeting, then the Motorcycle Xmas BBQ and the final event for the year is the Vintage Section meeting. Don’t forget the New Years Day Fish ‘n Chip run to Kaiaua. I would just like to say a big thank you to the Committee which has worked so well this year running the Branch and also to the Library Team, Val Ball, our Bulle- tin Editor and those who have helped during the year with the runs and rallies, Club Night suppers and the Garden Team. Well that’s all for this year, so Lynda and I would like to wish all members and their families a very happy Christmas and great motoring New Year. Keep those 2, 3 and 4 wheels turning safely. Martin Spicer
December 2019/January 2020 Page 5
Club Captain’s Report
Where has the month gone to? I am writing this and it’s 24 days until Christmas.
John Stokes’ Veteran meetings continue to get great attendance and new
members on a regular basis. Last month saw the first of the Vintage Section
meetings, so if your passion is for either of these classes, do go along to their
respective Saturday meetings and meet up with like minded people. You nev-
er know, you may make some new friends, find that missing piece you’ve been
searching for, or simply learn something new.
November saw the Annual Auckland Motorcycle Rally which was very well at-
tended, with over 50 entries, the highest it has been for a number of years.
They had a long rally of about 120 miles over some lovely quiet roads and fin-
ishing at Thames.
The Mid Week Tourers continue to please those who take part, with ventures to
Southern, Western or Northern places of interest.
The recent Motorcycle Section monthly meeting had an excellent speaker who
is a Barrister with a passion for cars, motorcycles, steam engines and guns.
Please keep a watch on the entertainment notices, as this guest speaker has
agreed to come along to a Club Night in the New Year.
The Branch was also treated to an excellent Club Night with crime writer Scott
Bainbridge. Martin and I certainly learned a lot about early criminals of New
Zealand from the 1920’s to the early 1970’s. It was great to see 47 members at
Club Night, very encouraging.
The final event was the Gymnic held at Meadowbrook Farm, Brookby at mem-
ber Dick Langridge’s property. A lovely day was had by all, whether it was
simply chatting to other members or wandering around Dicks farm, visiting the
old homestead and the beautiful chapel or seeing his wonderful array of vehi-
cles on display. Thanks to John Stokes who drove the Branch Charabanc for
everyone to enjoy rides on. Also thanks go to Tracey who manned the sau-
sage sizzle with me and to Santa (Russel McAlpine). There was a record num-
ber of entries this year for the Restoration Awards. Thanks to Don Green and
Malcolm Brown for being this years adjudicators. Thanks also to Dick for his
wonderful generosity in opening up his farm for our use again.
Please make a note in your diary for these events:
19 December—Pot Luck Dinner. Remember if you want to get a present from
Santa, you must put a present into his sack.
21 December—Last Motorcycle Meeting for the year with usual lavish after-
noon tea.
22 December—Motorcycle Run, start Jolly Farmer and finishing at our farm for
our annual BBQ.
1 January 2020—Start Jolly Farmer, New Years Day Run to Kaiaua for Fish ’n
Chips.
As I said, Christmas is nearly upon us and so this leaves me with just a final mes-
sage to everyone. Martin and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy
Holiday season and every good wish for a wonderful 2020.
I look forward to seeing you out and about.
Lynda Spicer
Page 6 December 2019/January 2020 Veteran Notes Numbers were down due to several members attending the Waikato Veteran/ Rear Wheel Brake event, which was won by Phil Henley in the 1906 Cadillac single cylinder and one member working on his trailer to tow his veteran. I mentioned the death of my old friend Malcolm Hall. Malcolm crewed on the Charabanc on the 1972, 1980 and 1986 International Rallies and also on the 1977 Parliamentary Tour. He also accompanied the late Don White in the 1909 Sizaire et Naudin on many occasions. Fittingly Malcolm was carried in the Mor- risons 1917 Dodge hearse to his final rest. The sad death of Ron Carey and wife as a result of an accident on the London Brighton Run was also mentioned. Ron brought Bruce Madgwick’s 1918 FWD some years ago and also visited this country on several occasions. It was good to see Ross Moon in attendance again. David Lane demonstrated a new fan bearing kit that has been made for Model T Fords, where a sealed bearing replaces the brass bush. This can't be seen. He also spoke of a firm at Turua which is refining used lubricating oil and selling it along with soluble oil, popular as an anti corrosion additive for veteran radiators. Dennis Lowe pro- duced a book on early ferries in Auckland. Barry Robert mentioned that his very austere single cylinder Rover was being enhanced by the new owners, who apparently like a little more brass and "bling". Barry Birchall has been identifying a photo of a Daim- ler for the Auckland Public Library. The photo was of Sir Frank Mappins Daimler which was given to St John Ambulance and converted into an ambulance. The photo was taken during the 1956-'61 period and the vehicle subsequently owned by the Moses/Lawrence people who were prominent in the branch in the late 'fifties and early '60's. He was also congratulated for an article he wrote for the HCCNZ’s magazine. It was noted that a 30hp Stan- ley Steamer has been imported into Christchurch. There was some talk about a significant collection of veterans in Wanganui, which was broken up about 1954. This collection may have included the Zedel formerly owned by Jim Fran- cis. Tim Edney spoke of attending the Pioneer Run in Clyde. Tim went in his 1907 Alldays and Onions. He also spoke of an Etoile car in the South Island and of a SCAT which SCAT itself was in a big way. Bryan Belcher mentioned that it was time to stop driving his 1913 Overland. At the recent Book Sale I purchased, for $2, a copy of St John Nixons The An- tique Automobile published 1956. This book is well worth reading by anyone interested in veterans as Nixon started driving cars as a teenager about 1900. He gives an accurate picture of trying to drive cars at that time, with very basic tools and no Loctites or Holts Wonder this and Wonder that. Nixon also had firm thoughts on the use of veterans and on "enhancements" to improve reliability and driveability. He changed his views somewhat in old age. I persuaded Dennis Lowe to borrow the Library copy, and you will be able to borrow it after Tim Edney has had his turn. I've selected a site for the 2020 Veteran Run, which will start and finish in Waiuku. That's it for this month. John Stokes
December 2019/January 2020 Page 7
Library Notes
The Annual Book Sale held on the Saturday afternoon of Hunua 100 weekend
was again a successful and worthwhile exercise. As an adjunct to the Garden
Party, it is an ideal opportunity for members to spend time checking out the
hundreds of motoring manuals, text-books and other books of interest that our
Library makes available at ultra-realistic prices.
Measured in terms of sales it was a great success, with many more being sold
than in recent years, due no doubt to our significant reduction in prices. It was
perhaps surprising, but in the end gross takings were pretty much in line with
previous years.
Activity within the Library has been concentrated in re-organising shelving and
in particular maximising the shelf space made available by the new bookcase
immediately opposite the Library in the passageway at the rear of the club-
house.
We have been fortunate in receiving books from the collections of two well
respected members, Dudley Kitson and Ron Jacob.
Amongst those from Dudley was the most worthwhile work “The Designers” by
L.J.K. Setright, and we are most grateful to add that to our collection.
Over the years the Library has received several donations of outstanding books
from long-time retired-member Ron Jacob, but his most recent is the entire bal-
ance of his collection and has to be one of the most significant one-off dona-
tions the Branch has ever seen.
Ron joined the Branch in the mid-fifties. His first car was a Vintage Standard
which he soon sold and it was replaced with a vintage Ansaldo 4C, 2 litre 4
cylinder SOHC. Older members well remember Ron with that car on the 1965
Haast Rally and the apocryphal (but true) stories of his changing beaded-edge
tyres beside the road with his bare feet!
After a few more years he acquired a Duo Cyclecar (bobbin steering, belt-
drive) followed by a Veteran Peugeot which he bodied with a most attractive
polished alloy body. He really loved European cars and later-on still, when he
took the Ansaldo to Australia he swapped it for a 1929 Lancia Lambda which
he later drove on a rally around Europe, amongst other adventures. We be-
lieve the Lambda was Ron’s favourite car and amongst our most treasured
books in the Library is the superb book on the Lambda which he donated sev-
eral years ago. It is called Capalavoro, which translated means Masterpiece,
totally appropriate.
The motoring books we have now received from Ron total 88 in number and as
you would expect from someone who has over many years owned several old
cars of varying makes, the books he collected are universally interesting and
from a wide variety of authors. Thank you Ron, the Branch is forever grateful for
your generosity.
As a footnote, we would like to make members aware that if they are contem-
plating donating any or all of their motoring books to the Branch, then for signif-
icant numbers we can collect from anywhere across the wider Auckland area.
Please contact any member of the Library Team.
Chris Wood and the Library Team:—Owen Hayward, Colin Bott, Barry
Birchall, John Stokes & Barry Robert.
Page 8 December 2019/January 2020 Motorcycle Notes Saturday morning dawned warm and sunny. Now grandparents are it seems are always on call to look after the Grandkids, so my two, Riley and Isabela’s dad went away on a team building weekend on Friday, Mum Bea was at a school gala giving pony rides all day and Grandma Lynda was working in Thames, so it was up to me to look after them. So the kids and I went to the clubrooms for the Motorcycle meeting. We were setting up and putting all the food which Lynda had prepared for the afternoon tea in the kitchen, when our guest speaker Nicholas Taylor arrived. Nicholas set to getting his laptop ready for the meeting. Nicholas arrived in his 1965 E type Jaguar that is in great condition. By the time the meeting started we had 15 motorcycles parked around the Jaguar and 68 people in attendance. We had a few visitors turn up, Bruce Anderson, Dave Wakefield, Andrew Davis, Mike Ballantyne, David Reid and BMW rider Nicholas Wintour. Martin advised he had spoken to Ernie Williams who is still recovering from a recent illness but things are looking up for him. Martin visited Chris North who is also recovering from a stroke earlier in the year, but Chris looked good and was working on his Morgan 3 wheeler and for anyone that might be inter- ested, Chris has 2 other project Morgan 3 wheelers that he will let go. Reports: Graeme Crawley reported on a very successful Annual Auckland Motorcycle Rally that had a good number of competitors, a great rally route that started in South Auckland, Drury and finished in Thames. At the November club night we had the top NZ crime writer Scott Bainbridge talk to us and the Branch’s Annual Gymnic was held on Sunday the 1 December. 19 December: This is the Branch’s end of year Christmas Pot Luck Dinner and is always a good evening with Santa attending to give out presents to those who put one in his sack. Please bring a plate of main’s or desert. 21 December: Last Motorcycle Meeting of the year, this is the one where Lynda pulls out all the stops with her Christmas after meeting spread. Surprise guest speaker. Sunday 22 December: Christmas Motorcycle BBQ at our Pokeno farm. We shall leave the Jolly Farmer, Drury at 1:00pm. Wednesday 1 January 2020: New Years Day Fish ‘n Chip Run, leaving the Jolly Farmer, Drury at 11:00am and finishing at Kaiaua. Guest Speaker: Nicholas Taylor has been involved with the Vintage Car Club over the years through his father who owns a Bentley. Nicholas has been a crim- inal lawyer for around 20 years and specialises in gun related cases. He owns a large collection of vintage guns dating from 1762 with a Flintlock pis- tol in working order which he had on display for us to hold. Also on display was a 1860 American Civil War colt pistol, a 1873 colt single action pistol and a very heavy WW1 Lewis machine gun (made by BSA) that was used by the infantry and also attached to sidecars. They were also fitted to the early fighter planes. His first bike was a BSA Bantam, followed by a 1927 Ariel D. Other motorcycles he owns are a 1926 Indian Prince, 1926 Indian Scout, a 1939 Indian 741B and a 1965 Norton SS. He has recently sold a MK 2 Jaguar. Nicholas and his family have done a few Napier Art Deco parades. A few years ago he bought a
December 2019/January 2020 Page 9
Motorcycle Notes Contd...
crashed WW2 USA fighter, a P39 Airacobra, that was recovered from New
Guinea. It came in 30 large lumps. To say his wife wasn’t impressed was an
understatement. After a while he decided to on sell it so someone who would
finish it, so he laid the 30 lumps out on his back lawn in his Auckland home so
he could take photos. A week later there was knock on the door and standing
there was the pilot of the Police Eagle helicopter who came to confirm what
his eyes had seen (a WW2 plane) in an Auckland garden. Nicholas was Depu-
ty Chairman for 4 years at MOTAT. He left very disappointed at the way the
new corporate heads had sacked all the experienced volunteer workers who
had worked on the motorcycles, cars, trucks, steam engines and other skilled
areas and then brought in paid unskilled people. Then nearly all the cars and
bikes and steam stuff was put into so-called storage. Nicholas got his steam
ticket at MOTAT. He built a miniature steam engine that produces 2hp and
would be able to propel a 17-foot boat. Nicholas and a friend have just
picked up a very rusty and seized 1936 Velocette to restore. He talked about
the new gun laws and about how much trouble petrol heads are in regarding
the new Zero emictions that are coming. He answered questions from the floor
and at the end of his talk Martin presented him with a good bottle of wine to
ease his throat after talking till 4:15 pm.
Martin has asked Nicholas if he would come and talk at a Club night in the
New Year, to which he said he would.
Keep those 2, 3 and 4 wheels turning safely
Martin Spicer & Jack Clark
Robinson Instrument Ltd
Page 10 December 2019/January 2020 Secretary’s Notes The silly season is upon us. This is your last printed Bulletin until February so make a note on the calendar of events you want to remember. We will be sending out the odd email reminder. You will find an entry form in this copy for the Veteran Rally in February. This is an annual event organised specifically for this class and only this class (no all- comers class this time). Please think about giving this event your support. From the Committee table, we are going to run a specific gymkhana day in March next year, windows and the barn cladding are being looked into for nec- essary maintenance and some tough thinking is being done on events and at- tendance. In our open floor at November Club Night, some members expressed their disap- proval of the “A Proposal” published in the November Bulletin with the footnote “name supplied and with held”. It seems that publishing without a name has offended some members. Please note this was a Committee decision and NOT the Bulletin Editor’s. The committee discussed the letter at length and agreed that publishing the name served no purpose. The letter was part “tongue in cheek” and we felt that it may stir some reaction and strong debate, rather than an attack for not publishing the name. Attendance is an issue that not only our Branch, but many Branches are facing and is not a challenge for the Committee alone, but for the membership. From the comments voiced, there is satisfaction with the current attendance, perhaps a need for more touring events and a thought that moving to a bi monthly Bulletin has impacted negatively on attendance. The Committee looks forward to more discussion on your reflections and thoughts around the issues of attendance and how the club sustains itself over the next 50 years. Safe Holiday travels. Tracey Winterbottom
December 2019/January 2020 Page 11
Commercial Notes
The November meeting was our last for the year, just three other stalwarts and
me. Don Johnston had fetched along a couple of interesting books on the
Ferries that plied the Auckland harbour, which prompted a few stories from
Trevor Kenworthy. Trevor spent a number of years as an engineer on the Kes-
trel, among others and he was most interesting to listen to. Murray & Penny
Firth are off in mid December for a 10 day “cruise” in the 1931 British Bedford,
down as far as Masterton. It was Penny’s wish that they do it in the truck says
Murray. Trevor and Leonie Kenworthy are off on a cruise of a different kind, a
sea going one taking in our South Island Sounds. So that’s it then, Pat & I wish
everyone all the very best for Christmas and the New Year and we’ll catch up
again on the 22nd of January.
The controversy over fossil fuelled vehicles rages on, anyone who has picked
up a recent edition of New Zealand Classic Car magazine and read Greg
Price’s article on the EV revolution, cannot fail to be impressed with his re-
search. He finds, that in the U.K. alone where there are 31.5 million cars on the
road, travelling 252 billion miles a year and that if these cars were replaced
with EV’s today, with the very best batteries available, it would require 208,000
tonnes of cobalt, just under twice the global production—264,600 tonnes of
lithium carbonate, ¾ of the world’s production—7200 tonnes of neodymium
and dysprosium, nearly the entire world
production of neodymium—2,362,500
tonnes of copper, more than half the
world’s production in 2018. Greg finishes
his article wondering what the poor souls
who bought Nissan Leafs with tired batter-
ies are going to do for a replacement.
The last time he checked he says, replace-
ment batteries were prohibited imports!
Apropos the Annual BBQ at our home, please let us know if Sunday the 19th of
January would suit. By this time all those who have to go out and earn a “quid”
should be back on deck after annual leave. We believe a contribution of
$15.00 per party would suffice. Get in touch ASAP!
Keep “M” Rolling
John CampbellPage 12 December 2019/January 2020 Mid Week Tourers Last month’s run saw over thirty at the start. We had to resort to one of the shops to run off some extra instruction sheets!. I recall our last Bulletin with sev- eral not so subtle hints at event attendances, perhaps we are getting the mes- sage. It’ll be good to hear (read) other comments. Your Branch, have your say, take your part. In that regard, names of those interested in a lunch time cruise on the Manukau are trickling in, but volunteers to co-ordinate the Mid- Weekers are thin on the ground. See recent Bulletins. We have a team who do a good job of sharing the task of organising each run (there is always room for others) but someone has to look after the team and do these notes. Larry Price was a new face and he brought along a magnificent replica “D” type Jaguar, which he has spent the last 26 years building, a credit to you Lar- ry. He also has an MG Midget, and now has an application form to join the VCC. John Holmes has been attending recent runs as a passenger and this time came in his beautiful 1939 Ford Deluxe Coupe, only just finished 2 days earlier. Bruce McDonald was driving a most original Toyota Soarer (2 door sports saloon). Lindsay Whittle, better known for his love of Bedford trucks, came in a Ford car while John Gardner maintained a Commercial presence in his Ford Ten ute. George Mihaljevich was back, looking as good as ever. We spotted a very nice ’39 De Soto sedan, a first timer for me, but missed out on whose it was. Our route was basically an old one, but popular. Through the Hunua Gorge, back down to Clevedon, then out to Duder’s Beach and around to Maraetai, then to Whitford and our destination on Whitford Park Rd. Our hosts were Tom and Pam Callaghan. Tom came to NZ as a young man from Ireland and started with nothing but a shovel and wheelbarrow as a self employed contractor. Over the years he expanded but threw nothing away. In one shed he pointed out to me his original pick, minus the handle. He now has a collection of everything, starting with bottles from his drain digging days, to tools, to lamps, to automotive and lots of old machinery outside. And a very understanding wife! Thank you Tom and Pam. Coming Events: Wednesday 15 January: Starts from Drury Service Centre, Southern Motorway 10:00 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. departure. Ryan Winterbottom is plotting a run to Port Waikato. Fish ‘n chips or BYO sammies. Wednesday 19 February: Starts from the Warehouse Carpark, Westgate 10:00 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. departure. Maybe going to a garden. STOP PRESS—Wednesday 18 March (or 11?) Looking further ahead, (no Bulletin in January). If we were to change this date to a week earlier (11 March) the tide could suit for a lunch cruise from Waiuku. Cost would be about $27pp. Time; about 2 hours. Let us know if interested, including those who have al- ready been in touch and we’ll see if it can be done. Seasons Greetings to all. The Dewdrops & the Mid-Week Team Ph: (09) 232 0245 or email dewdrops@xtra.co.nz
December 2019/January 2020 Page 13
Vintage Notes
On the Saturday 16 November we had our first Vintage Section meeting. Alto-
gether, around 25 people attended, which meant the tables upstairs were full.
Everyone around the table told us about their vehicles and their history in the
club, so a couple of hours passed very quickly.
Partway through the afternoon, Wayne Roberts arrived on his way home with a
Velie chassis which he found in Ranfurly. It appears to be very early ‘20s and is
two wheel braked with expanding shoes on the inside of the drums for the
handbrake and contracting bands on the outside for the footbrake. An ambi-
tious project!
Several Senior Branch members attended the meeting to give their support to
the section. Thank you gentlemen.
The next two scheduled dates for our Vintage Section meetings fall on unfortu-
nate dates – 28 December and 25 January 2020, so I expect numbers will be
down, but we will run anyway.
If you are interested in vintage vehicles, do come along, as I think we have a lot
to offer.
I am particularly keen to encourage members who have more recently ac-
quired a vehicle.
Murray Firth
Left: 1930 Dodge belonging to Neil Lucas. Right: 1930 Model A Ford belonging
to Bill & Sherrill HulsePage 14 December 2019/January 2020
January Club Night
January Club Night
Thursday 23 January 2020
Come along and hear Mark Hall speak on his
Police and Military background
as he has served overseas in these capacities.
Mark’s special project at the moment is a
Museum in France called
Le Quesnoy, dedicated to New Zealanders
who perished there.
Mark is also a member of the BMW Owners Club
and rides a 1200 BMW motorcycle.
Robin Elliott
Entertainment OfficerDecember 2019/January 2020 Page 15
Gymkhana—2020
SAVE THE DATE
29 MARCH 2020
GYMKHANA
It was decided not to hold the gymkhana at our Annual Gymnic this year to
allow everyone to enjoy the relaxing day at this lovely location.
This means that we will be able to hold a special Gymkhana only event. It will
be held on Sunday 29th March 2020 in Waitakere.
All club vehicles eligible to compete in each class – from Veterans to P80s
and of course motorcycles.
Watch for further details in the February Bulletin.
Russel McAlpine
0274 735 451
PAUL’S MAGNETOS
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-Page 16 December 2019/January 2020
Coming Events
December
14 Sat Veteran Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
19 Thurs Club Night—Xmas Pot Luck Dinner & New Members 7:00pm
21 Sat Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
22 Sun Motorcycle Xmas BBQ—Spicer’s Farm—Jolly Farmer, Drury 1:00pm
26 Thurs Clubrooms Closed
28 Sat Vintage Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
January 2020
1 Wed New Year’s Day Run—Starts Jolly Farmer, Drury 11:00am
9 Thurs No Bulletin via Website or email
11 Sat Veteran Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
12 Sun Blue Smoke & Pedals (Waikato Branch)
15 Wed Mid Week Tourers
Starts Drury Service Centre, Southern Motorway 10:00am
18 Sat Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
18-20 Heritage Weekend and Burma Rally (19) (Wanganui Branch)
22 Wed Commercial Meeting & Charabanc Maintenance Night
Clubrooms 8:00pm
23 Thurs Club Night—Guest Speaker, Mark Hall 8:00pm
25 Sat Vintage Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
26 Sun Club Run—starts BP Drury, Southern Motorway 11:00am
February
4 Tues Committee Meeting—Clubrooms 7:30pm
8 Sat VIC Information Day—Clubrooms 2:00pm
8 Sat Veteran Rally & Veteran Section Meeting in conjunction with Rally
13 Thurs Bulletin Mailing night 7:30pm
14-16 Three Rivers Rally (Gisborne Branch)
15 Sat Motorcycle Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
19 Wed Mid Week Tourers
Starts The Warehouse Carpark, Westgate 10:00am
19-23 Art Deco Festival (Hawkes Bay Branch)
22 Sat Vintage Section Meeting—Clubrooms 2:30pm
23 Sun Club Run
26 Wed Commercial Meeting & Charabanc Maintenance Night
Clubrooms 8:00pm
27 Thurs Club Night 8:00pm
29 Sat Swapmeet (Wellsford/Warkworth Branch)
Note: The clubrooms are open on the second and fourth Thursday evenings
each month from 7:30pm till 10:00pm
and every Saturday afternoon from 4:30pm till 6:30pm.December 2019/January 2020 Page 17
Coming Events
Thursday 19 December
7:00 p.m.
Christmas Pot Luck
Dinner
New Year’s Day Run
Wednesday 1 January 2020
Starts: Jolly Farmer, Drury
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Finishes: KaiauaPage 18 December 2019/January 2020 Christmas Pot Luck Dinner
December 2019/January 2020 Page 19
2019 Ladies Rally
With a week of glorious weather, I thought our Ladies Rally may have a sunny
day, but that was not the case! It rained, but cleared by the time we reached
the finish at Maraetai Beach.
The rally commenced from Ray Small Park carpark in Papakura, travelling
around Pahurehure, Longford Park and Conifer Grove, before heading out into
the country side of Alfriston, Ardmore and Clevedon, then onto Maraetai Coast
Rd, following the shore line to Maraetai. A little tour around the houses at Ma-
raetai before the final check There were silent checks en-route and each of
the sixteen vehicles that were on the rally, chose a poker hand.
I would like to thank those members for attending this years Ladies Rally. Spe-
cial thanks to Marion Morris for checking the rally and my sincere thanks to
Jocelyn McAlpine and her sister Jennifer Campbell for being start and trail car.
Also thanks to Melanie, our daughter in law for helping me in the lead car and
to Haydon, our son, who navigated for Rodger on the day.
Results as follows—recording all the silent checks and poker hand:
1st Ken & Annette Foot Poker hand of four of a kind
2nd Wayne & Carrie Roberts Poker hand of a pair
Those that recorded all the silent checks but were unable to obtain the possibil-
ity of a poker hand were:
Russel McAlpine
Rodger Ball
Bob & Debbie Ballantyne
Gavin Welch & Sophie Zhao
Ryan & Kate Winterbottom
Stephen & Tracey Winterbottom
Congratulations to Ken & Annette Foot
Val BallPage 20 December 2019/January 2020 60 Year Award—Barry Robert During Labour Weekend 2019 Barry Robert was presented with a badge to mark his sixty years membership in the Vintage Car Club. He was the second Auck- land member to be presented with the badge, behind Jim Francis. Martin Spic- er had asked me to say something about Barry only a few minutes before the presentation. I felt afterwards there was so much more I could have said as his contribution to the Branch over the years has been huge. In 1957 Barry purchased a 1924 Lagonda that had just been taken out of regular service. He knew at that time the make of the car was important in the old car movement and he felt the name had great pedigree. The management of the Branch knew the car and probably did not feel the same way as Barry as it had been built before Lagonda started building the great sports cars that have be- come so collectable today. The whole Committee at the time was made up of people who owned vintage Sunbeams, Vauxhalls, Bentleys and a Rolls Royce. Norm Adams who knew the car, told Barry to go away and restore the vehicle and then come back to the Branch when the work had been done. In 1959 Barry approached the Branch again with the refurbished car and they let him join. His first major run in the Lagonda was to the Morrinsville rally in 1960. Not long after he joined the Branch there was move made to establish a Transport Museum at Western Springs. The public were starting to dump items on site that they thought might be suitable for the new museum. Horace Robinson who was in the chair of the Branch and brother of the Mayor asked Barry in 1961 to take ownership of site until they were able to appoint a caretaker. Barry said to me later, he spent that much time at Western Springs it almost cost him his job at Forest Products. Every Wednesday night he had a small team on site from the AVVCC doing restoration work for MOTAT. Barry went on to appoint the first full time custodian and was later appointed to the Board of Management of MO- TAT as the representative of the AVVCC. After a lot of work for MOTAT the team decided to look for a vehicle that could become a club vehicle. The Renault was found on a property in South Auckland and restored by the group in a shed at MOTAT over six years with Barry as team leader. For a few years the Branch had Clubrooms on the MOTAT site. In about 1966 Barry picked up the mechanical remains of a twin cylinder 1909 Rover that had been found on a property at Whitford. He was inspired to locate an early car when he saw the veterans on the Haast Pass Rally. In his spare time, he restored the car and it first appeared at a major run to Rotorua in 1980. Rov- er built the twin cylinder car at the time hoping to secure the contact to supply the taxis for London and this is the only example to survive. After the Rover ap- peared, he still took an interest in the Charabanc and was always there if there was work required and controlled the purse. The AVVCC looked after the 1909 International Buggy for the War Memorial Museum and before the vehicle was passed onto MOTAT, Barry fitted new tyres to the vehicle. In 1979 he was given a life membership by MOTAT. In the AVVCC at the time he was known as “The Gaffer” by all those in the Charabanc Team. When the Branch purchased the property at Fairfax Ave, Barry worked at the end of the street for Forest Products and he normally got involved in any altera- tion. After one alteration on the building, he was not happy with the weight on
December 2019/January 2020 Page 21
60 Year Award—Barry Robert Contd...
the back wall, so lead a team to fix the problem. For many years the Hunua
100 Rally stopped for lunch at Lyons Farm and with a small team, Barry looked
after the cooking and toilets. The weekend before the run they went to the
farm, met the farmer, checked the property, delivered the gear, erected the
toilets and then finished up in the Red Fox Tavern for a beer and meal.
He was Beaded Wheel scribe for about fifteen years and Bulletin Editor for al-
most as long. He published in Beaded Wheels the early history of the Auckland
Branch, the restoration of the Charabanc and some early history of motoring in
Auckland Branch. The whole Beaded Wheels at the time was devoted to the
Auckland Branch. Barry organised a run from Coast to Coast for veteran cars
every New Year for about twenty years. The early runs started from Riverhead
Hotel and later ran from Coyle Park in Point Chevalier. There was always tea
and coffee at the start. Not easy to organise when you arrive in a 1909 Rover
and you have no idea who is going to turn up.
After Barry retired, he built up a single cylinder 6 HP 1908 Rover from the remains
of two cars. The engine, clutch and gearbox were found by David Bruce in
Christchurch. David gave it to Barry after he manufactured a diff for his car,
from patterns he made of a car found in the Southwood collection. He found a
second car in Henderson that provided most of the missing parts. The car first
appeared at a motor show at Western Springs about five years ago. That car
was always driven to events and in traffic today quite a challenge when you
only have six horsepower.
As many will know, he ran the Library at the Clubrooms for about twenty years.
He established a little team around him to give him a hand and has gone onto
establish the best motoring library in NZ. He was inspired by a Library he had
seen in the Sporting Car Club in South Australia. Once a week he still goes on
the web looking for books. For years he went to swap meets to look for books
for the Branch Library. He located and installed the movable shelving we have
in the Library. With one set he found a sponsor to pay for the new shelving. He
still goes into the Clubrooms twice a week and cleans out the drains in the car
park. For almost twenty years every Thursday and Saturday night he could be
found in the library. When he discovered the Automobile Association in Auck-
land had closed their Library and had moved their stuff into a container. He
went into the AA and suggested they move it into the Auckland Council Library,
so it was not lost. He had cleared it with the Council first and this did happen.
The correspondence and magazines went back to 1905.
Barry has done a huge amount for the Auckland Branch. He’s been very gen-
erous with his time and knowledge and is often there to assist others. I remem-
ber an incident quite recently where a family came into the Clubrooms from
South America and were travelling around the world in a vintage car and a
wheel on their car was coming apart. The repairs to the wheel were carried out
in Barry’s workshop, he was almost ninety at the time. Ten years ago, Barry was
awarded the John L Godard Trophy and given life membership of the Auckland
Branch. The Lagonda and the single cylinder Rover have now been sold but I
am sure we will still see the twin cylinder 1909 Rover on the next Veteran run.
Barry BirchallPage 22 December 2019/January 2020 2019 Annual Motorcycle Rally The event started on Friday evening where 25 rallyists had a pie, mash and veg- gie dinner provided by Club Captain Lynda Spicer. The week leading up the Rally was plagued with cold, wet and windy weather, but luckily on Saturday morning the weather was fine and not as cold as the days before. Northland Branch members Simon and Sylvia Clearwater (last year’s winners) had travelled down on Friday and parked their bus in our farm paddock. We, being me on the BSA and Simon and Sylvia on their Matchless, arrived at the start in Drury where Graeme Crawley gave a briefing to all 54 rally- ists, including to remember that the straight ahead rule applies, as do the road rules. For the straight ahead I think only 2 or 3 got it right and these people found the silent check BSA. It was very pleasing to see we had 37 Auckland members taking part, 7 from the Waikato, 4 from Northland and 1 each from Rotorua and Tauranga (BOP). We travelled on some really great motorcycling roads and with very little traffic. We rode around Lake Waikare and for those who hadn’t done this before, they were amazed at the size. The plotters had put in a challenging route for those that like some metal roads and about 30 took advantage of this. We stopped for morning tea at the Kai- here School, where the PTA did this as a fundraiser. The ladies were very friendly and their savoury and jam & cream scones were very tasty. From the school we travelled on more very good motorcycling roads. We also did a 30k detour to the DOC centre at Kauaeranga, again on a great road, before making our way to the northern end of Thames to stop for lunch at the Boiler House Brewery. Our Club Captain Lynda Spicer runs this place. All the motorcycles were parked in the car park on display to the public. Some old faces from the past turned up, like: Paul Whitehead, George Haffenden and Trevor Birchall. After the excellent lunch, (thank you Lynda) the riders walked up the road to the famous Pump House Museum and had a very interesting guided tour. The rally was now over and the riders made their way back to Auckland either by SH2 and the Auck- land Motorway or along the coast road via Miranda, Kaiaua, Kawakawa Bay, Clevedon and Botany. Lynda and others helped get the tables decorated and the cutlery laid out at the Clubrooms. The diners arrived and settled down chatting about their days riding. The day had gone really well, but unfortunately this changed around 7:00pm when it was apparent the hired caterers for the evening meal were not coming. We phoned them and sent emails but no response! We did eventually get a text from the owner at 10:00pm saying they were coming to do the dinner the following night (Sunday). Now these caterers have been supplying meals for our Motorcycle Rally dinners for 10 plus years and they have always been held on the Saturday night of the rally, so we found it strange he said they were com- ing on Sunday? Anyway we explained to everyone that we didn’t have a meal for them and we would refund their meal money, luckily they were very under- standing. Prizegiving continued, along with thanks to Lynda Spicer for doing the Friday evening meal and the Saturday lunches. Also Graeme Crawley as Rally Secre- tary and co-plotter with Gavin Welch and Peter Alderdice for his sterling efforts
December 2019/January 2020 Page 23
2019 Annual Motorcycle Rally Contd...
in acquiring the large amount of rally prizes from Castrol Oil, CRC – ADOS. I also
managed to get sponsorship from Drury Motorcycles, Botany Honda, Auckland
Harley Davidson, Pukekohe Honda and British Motorcycle Parts and Graeme
got sponsorship from the BNZ and Fletcher Reinforcing.
Below are the class placings:
PV 1st Graeme Crawley 1938 600 Ariel VB
2nd Alice Leney 1930 500 Norton Model 18
3rd Ketih Ballagh 1951 350 Velocette MAC
PWV 1st Martin Spicer 1960 650 BSA A10
2nd Peter Alderdice 1954 1000 Ariel SQ4
3rd Warwick Darrow 1956 350 Velocette MAC
P60 1st Ian Hubbard 1972 650 Triumph T120
2nd David Broadhead 1975 BMW R90/6
3rd Kelvin Nottle 1972 350 Yamaha RSF
Sidecar 1st Chris Clark 1951 650 BSA A10
2nd Michael O’Kane 1952 650 BSA A10
3rd Brian King 1938 500 BSA B22
1st American Motorcycle Cameron Francis 1941 Indian 741B
1st Velocette Warwick Darrow 1956 MAC
1st Lady Jillian Hayton 1975 Honda CB 175
1st Pillion Trish Darrow
Furthest Ridden Alice Leney
Furthest Travelled Dave Mayhew (Rotorua)
Oldest Rider Brian King
Youngest Rider Corbin Anderson (19)
Overall Winner: Martin Spicer
Martin Spicer
Right—Martin Spicer, and
his 1960 650 BSA A10Page 24 December 2019/January 2020
New Members
A most sincere welcome is extended to the following new members. We hope
to see you taking an active part in Club activities whenever possible. Should
you or any member require any assistance or advice, please feel free to ask any
Committee member. (Refer back page of this Bulletin).
David Roper
Glendene
1934 Ford Coupe
Gymnic Restorations Awards
Well! We did encourage you to enter your vehicles into the Restoration Judging
this year and I believe it worked!
My packed lunch didn’t get touched and I survived on one BBQ sausage
brought to me in the middle of judging. Ably assisted on the day by Malcolm
Brown – a big thank you Malcolm and also to partner Merit for the sustenance.
Ten vehicles lined up to be judged on seven individual areas of interest and at
approximately 20 minutes per vehicle you can guess why the judges were kept
very busy. Although badges were presented on the day, we just couldn’t cope
to make certificates in time. These will be presented in due course. Awards as
follows:
Name Vehicle Award
Peter Alderdice 1917 Harley Davidson Model ‘F’ Bronze
Dianne Poole 1967 Vauxhall Victor FC101 Gold
Bruce McDonald 1972 Toyota Corona 1700 Coupe Gold
Peter Bell 1966 Ford Lotus Cortina Gold
Mike Loosemore 1928 Austin 16/6 Burnham Bronze
Geoff Stoner 1973 Fiat Bambina Silver
John Morrison 1908 Sears Gold
Rob Lauder 1958 BSA Bantam DI 125 Silver
Ben Creemers 1935 Pontiac 4Dr Touring Sedan Bronze
Robert Creemers 1941 Buick Special Convertible Gold
Thank you and congratulation to all participants
Don GreenDecember 2019/January 2020 Page 25
Charabanc on Parade
Charabanc on Parade
Your Branch’s Renault Charabanc was
amongst numerous other floats and
entertainers that gave enjoyment to
the many thousands who lined Mayor-
al Drive and Queen St at the recent
annual Farmer’s Christmas Parade.Page 26 December 2019/January 2020
Volunteers Required
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—December 2019/January 2020 Page 27
Vero International Festival of Motoring
January 17 to 22, 2021
Register your interest on the website,
check out the Facebook page.
Preparation continues for the Vero Festival of Motoring. There will be one day
where there will be the opportunity for one day rallies in classes. There will be
separate rallies on this day for Veteran, Vintage and all PV classes and per-
haps Motorcycles and Commercials. This will be the only competitive day
and the competition will be in the form of a timed section.
Catering is still being investigated, and the entry fee is still to be set but the
Committee are quite sure it will be very affordable.
Tony Haycock is still on the Committee, but due to work commitments taking
him out of the country for considerable periods, he has stepped down as Ral-
ly Director and fellow Committee member Greg Terrill will be taking on the
Director’s role. At this point there are no plans for an “overseas guest”.
Some motels are now booked out and suggest you book accommodation if
you are thinking of attending and have not yet made any bookings.Page 28 December 2019/January 2020
VIC Information Day
Saturday February 8
2:00pm at the Clubrooms
A Vehicle Identity Card is required if you wish to enter a National Rally such
as the upcoming Easter Rally in April. This valuable and important system for
registering our vehicles is recognised by NZTA and we encourage everyone
to get one. It costs you, as a member, nothing, just a little time to fill out the
paperwork and provide 3 identical photos. The card is valid for 10 years
and then renewal is a formality.
If you have a vehicle you wish to get a VIC for, then come along to the
Clubrooms and we will help you with the paperwork and get the applica-
tions in. As a Branch we are fortunate that Michael O’Kane who is our VIC
authority is also on the National Technical Committee who oversee the sys-
tem and also have a past Technical Committee member in our Branch,
Dave Allbon. Both Michael and Dave and a number of the committee will
be on hand to help you for this afternoon.
Bring along 3 identical photos, ¾ front view and there should be enough
space around the vehicle that we can trim the photos down to 9cm x 13
cm. Also bring as much detail as you have on the history of the vehicle and
any registration papers you may have.December 2019/January 2020 Page 29
Wanted/For Sale
Wanted: VW Beetle For Restoration—1302 model 1971 – 1975, 1600 engine.
Ph: Phil Smith (09) 232 1747 or 0274 389 353
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
For Sale: 1974 Vauxhall Viva HC very good condition, new WoF and registration
due to expire in Feb 2020. New battery, brakes, muffler, etc. $4000.00 Viewing
in West Auckland.
Ph: Mike Courtney (Member) 0274 945 632 or (09) 810 7415
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Use RED KOTE to repair leaking and weeping fuel tanks.
Dries firm but flexible. Works a treat.
Ph: Peter Alderdice (Member) 021 743 906 or peter.alderdice@me.com
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Expressions of Interest are invited for crewing on the Branch Charabanc
for the 2021 Vero International Festival of Motoring event in New Plymouth.
Contact John Stokes—(09) 236 4582 or 027 277 2108
or jcstokes96@xtra.co.nz
-Page 30 December 2019/January 2020
Your Committee
Chairman/Motorcycle Rep/Delegate
Martin Spicer (Lynda) Email: spicerclan2017@gmail.com Ph: (09) 233 6382
or 0274 454 593
Vice Chairman/Clubrooms Booking/Name Badges
Don Green (Brenda) Email: greend@slingshot.co.nz Ph: 266 8836
or 021 073 2642
Secretary/Privacy Officer:
Tracey Winterbottom Email: vintagesunbeam@hotmail.co.nz
(Stephen) Ph: (09) 232 0246
or 021 732 209
Treasurer:
Ian Hubbard (Lesley) Email: ian@fhp.co.nz Ph: 575 8236
or 0274 426 748
Club Captain:
Lynda Spicer (Martin) Email: spicerclan2017@gmail.com Ph: (09) 233 6382
or 021 454 593
Committee Members:
Warwick Darrow (Trisha) Building Maintenance
Email: waktrish@gmail.com Ph: 520 2882 or 021 203 4562
Robin Elliott Entertainment Officer/Spares
Email: robaleen@actrix.co.nz Ph: 0274 922 188
Alan Price (Shaaran) Building Maintenance
Email: birdwoodprices@gmail.com Ph: 833 8575
Shaaran Price (Alan) Social Convenor/New Membership Liaison Officer
Email: birdwoodprices@gmail.com Ph: 833 8575
John Stokes Veteran Rep/Spares/Trophy Steward
Email: jcstokes96a@xtra.co.nz Ph: (09) 236 4582
or 0272 772 108
Non-Committee Officers:
Librarian Bulletin Editor
Chris Wood (Diana) Val Ball (Rodger)
Ph: 524 9478 Ph: 298 6476 Email: rvball@xtra.co.nz
Beaded Wheels Reporter Commercial Rep
John Stokes John Campbell (Pat)
Continuous Membership Awards Steward Ph: 828 7850 or 0272 446 928
Glenn Morris (Marion) VIC Officer
Ph: 273 4975 or 021 136 5926 Michael O’Kane
Insurance: Ph: 813 4944
Vero Consumer Insurance Specialist 0800 505 905 or 356 4501
Agency Number: 0300126
Clubrooms Ph: 579 5625
Street Address: 39 Fairfax Ave, Penrose
Postal Address: P O Box 12 138, Penrose, Auckland 1642
Open: 2nd & 4th Thursday 7:30-10:00pm, Every Saturday 4:30-6:30 pm
Club Night: 4th Thursday of the month
Branch Email Address auckland@vcc.org.nz
Library Email Address libraryavvcc@gmail.com
Branch Website www.avvcc.org.nz
Branch Honorary Life Members: Barry Robert
Norm Dewhurst QSM
Alan RobertsDecember 2019/January 2020 Page 31
Page 32 December 2019/January 2020
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