In October last year The Riley Motor Club of S.A. lost a very dear and valued member. Geoff Wilson was a long time club member and our Club Secretary for over 20 years. He was a keen photographer with an excellent eye for the right shot. This photograph snapped during a second or two of sunshine at Second Valley, S.A. on an overcast Sunday is almost identical to the cover of the 2007 National Crank. The difference is that Geoff is in this one. It is reproduced here in his memory.
A very special edition of The Riley Crank produced for The National Rattle of Rileys
President’s Welcome
I am pleased we are not rallying with Redex or Repco and I am in awe of the folk heading to Darwin from Port Augusta. Our wish is for kind weather, reasonable roads, reliable Rileys and considerate road trains. It is my great pleasure to welcome all Riley enthusiI know our cars are vital, but let’s not forget asts, local, interstate and the people who make our clubs. Yearly events international to this, the bring to mind the sad passing of dear friends 2013 National Rattle of in the past 12 months. Vale Geoff Wilson Rileys. and Ken Hodge. As a new comer to South Australia I am Lastly, some housekeeping matters for SA looking forward to exploring a part of our members. Thank you all for making the July state that is new to me. And what a way to do meeting so enjoyable. It was great to have it! Sharing this venture with like- minded time for a good natter. The August meeting people, we are led by a team armed with lots will provide another opportunity to chat, as of local knowledge, who have covered many the plan is a DVD night. Taking place after kilometres and spent numerous hours the Rattle there will be many experiences to planning and organising to bring this event to share and a great opportunity to see photos fruition. I offer the Event Committee mem- from other ‘Rattlers’. bers, past and present a vote of thanks for their efforts on our behalf. The insert of member details will be appearing in the September Crank. Speaking of interstate connections I would like to share with you my first Riley experiLet the Rattle begin!! ence. In Sydney, in the 50’s my brother’s mate Kim and Kim’s dad, Councillor Keith Jones, from the bus depot (situated across the Cheryl Horne road from our hardware business) drove a beautiful car into our yard. The lovely long bonnet was held by a shiny leather strap and I thought only doctors and movie stars had that kind of car. We now have the pleasure of Everyone at Ford owning one and enjoying “Riley” company. Avenue Productions has been busily working on this
Editorial
special edition of The National Crank for the last 12 months. We gave ourselves plenty of time to get it together....and used every bit of it. Not literally but it seemed like it. As I get older, the days seem about the same length but the weeks and years seem shorter. So I knew I'd use all the time available to me. Typically, there’s not much of a technical nature in this edition but there are contributions from every State and Territory in Australia as well as a special contribution from New Zealand. A big thankyou to all the contributors both in writing and with photos, a special thankyou to Helen the proof reader and thankyou to the real Crank editors for letting me loose on this special edition. The theme running through the magazine is the friendships and connections that our interest in Rileys produces around Australia and overseas. Keeping with the times, there is more colour and a bit more focus on the artwork and graphics. And we're keeping up with technology too. For the first time there’s a QR code (below) If you don’t know what that is all you need to do is ask a 4 year old. And so, while I sit here and ponder the next six years have a good Riley read.
Leigh Johnson
National Event Welcome
In many ways August, for some of us will be an opportunity to revisit, but many things have changed and we should view it all in a new light. We hope you have a great time. To the entrants of the “2013 National Rattle of If you are from interstate or overseas, I sincerely hope you enjoy your Rileys” and “Rileys Through the Red Centre”, stay in South Australia. For our SA members, take time to enjoy on behalf of the Riley Motor Club of SA Inc and the event organising committee, I bid you a the company of our visitors. May warm hospitality overshadow the any inclement SA wintry weather. We can only be pleasantly warm welcome. surprised. It is six years since we organised the National Owning a Riley brings together people from all walks of life. We Rattle of Rileys at Naracoorte in 2007. Once may have different views of perfection in the condition of our cars, again, it is good to see so many familiar names on the entry listing. Likewise we look forward to meeting new faces. but the appeal of owning a Riley, a sense of adventure, a constitution of perseverance and a love of life is a common thread and It is also a sad reminder of those we are now missing. Our Presiacknowledgement of respect between us. dent, Cheryl has acknowledged above the recent loss of two Riley colleagues that were known to her. David and I joined in late 1999. It is little wonder that we are like one big happy family when we get Our RMB was in a very poor state of repair but the idea of particitogether this once a year. My wish for all the Riley “newcomers” is pating in the 2000 Alice Springs rally became a goal to aim for. Good Friday, April 2000, Alice Springs, the rain didn't stop. Bruce that you will find the same level of friendship within the Australian & Nella Chalmers were in the motel room next to us at Heavy Tree and worldwide Riley fraternity that David and I have found over the past 13 years. Gap Motel. Their beautiful 12/4 Lynx, built by Bruce, was parked outside, alongside our less than concourse RMB. His red Lynx was indeed a very smart looking car and Bruce's pride in his achievement Beverley Wilson, Chairperson 2013 Riley National Event Organising Committee was obvious. This set an early benchmark for us on what can be achieved if you put your mind to it. I heard just recently that Bruce The National Crank is published by unfortunately is also no longer with us. Ford Avenue Productions Our 2013 national rally breaks a few protocols. It is winter and not Easter (early autumn), it is a rolling rally and it is being held mid for the Riley Motor Club of SA week. Burra was the location of the 1994 national rally which was Editor in Chief: Leigh Johnson also organised by our Club. Rileys Through the Red Centre became Chief photographer : Leigh Johnson an idea after the Antil Re-enactment of Fremantle to Sydney in Chief Grump: Leigh Johnson 2009. I happened to mention that it would be nice to do a south to north crossing of Australia. The owners of the 17 Riley 9's were so If you would like to see the full colour edition of this elated at just completing the west to east “crossing” that the thought National Crank you can follow this link to the South of yet another challenge was met with great enthusiasm. To make it Australian Riley Club's website different it was decided to make it open to all Riley models and it should be a leisurely holiday as it was impossible to replicate achieve- http://users.adam.com.au/leighj/html/newsletter.html or just follow the QR code on the right which, if you have a smart ments of the adventurers of 80 years ago who faced enormous trials and tribulations due to the major highways being like cattle tracks. phone, will take you straight there. The National
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August 2013
Our First National
Riley Rally
in South Australia by Phil Soden from Sydney Phil Soden is a man of many States. In 1978 sobriety probably wasn’t one of them as often as it is now. Dressed in paisley prints, leather jackets, safari suits, body shirts and flairs while sporting much facial hair and tasteful bling by the bucketload (and that was only the girls) he and a bunch of enthusiasts somehow pulled off South Australia’s first National Rally. He tells the story like this....
Phil Soden pre
Way back in 1978 when the colours were orange and brown the South Australian committee bravely decided to run a national Riley event. It would be our first and few S.A. members had actually attended one. I worked for a winery and it seemed A Good Idea At The Time to give it a go...
sents the Conr od Trophy to Pat Moo res from S.A.
Our SA members attending the 1978 Rally were.
1933 Nine Tourer Pem Gurner RMA Mark Grindlay RMA Graham Horn 1929 Nine Roadster And we had big ideas. We’d bring our Riley Cousins to one of our Bram Jellett Valiant favourite places, the Barossa, and amaze them. Sort of like that (don’t ask) poem by John Gillespie Magee called “High Flight”. Bruce Lucas I forget “I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
We were younger then, a group of enthusiasts with a belief we owned the best, fastest, most sporting cars of all time (and of course back then Rileys were still quicker and more comfortable than most).
Phil Evans
Howard McCallum RMB Jim Manners RMB John Mooney RMB Horrie Moores RMB Brian Niesche 1936 Kestrel Graeme Pinkney 1950 RMA Stephen Sneesby RME Phil Soden Roadster
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence.”
So that was the dream. Of course, once reality and sobriety set in we realised just how much work was involved. We may have planned to “wheel and soar” but we didn’t have a runway... So we sent out some information to the Interstate Clubs. Much to the committee’s amazement and horror, there were 85 entries. These far outnumbered the small SA contingent but we had decided to base the weekend on wine and float through the days. Rally Headquarters was the Weintal Motel. All of the events were in the area and the committee thought of as many contingencies as possible. It was strange to see portable toilets towed on trailers but these became essential as some of our outings such as the paddock for the Conrod Trophy were totally lacking amenities. Of course, the committee decreed Rileys were not suitable for towing dunnies (despite many a ribald joke) and we transferred this job to “moderns”. Obviously the massive stopping power of Riley brakes could have caused problems in the case of an urgent stop. The National
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Diana and Graeme Pinkney from S.A. Starve a Saturday Night Fever Page 3
August 2013
Pat and Horrie Moores were accommodation organisers and met members as they arrived on Good Friday at the Weintal. There was a welcome smorgasbord at the Weintal and films of the previous year’s Queensland National Rally. Saturday was an observation run which finished at the Angaston Hotel, before lunch at Saltrams. The afternoon was spent wine tasting. When I say wine tasting I probably should say guzzling because a wine bottling was the afternoon’s major event. Members sucked vast amounts of “Pre-selector Port”, “Monaco Moselle”, “Riley Rhine Riesling” and “Riley Red” through rubber hoses into bottles, with much tasting in the process, before hammering in corks and loading them into Riley boots. Not a scent of Sangiovese, Merlot or Mouverdre in those days. The committee was on hand to help the entrants back into their Rileys (You’d be surprised how much assistance was required), but our visitors deserved a round of applause for their sterling work on the wine hoses and that bloody “Preselector Port” was potent. Or “took a lot of sucking”, as one member from Victoria put it. Dinner was at the Bernkastel Winery at Tanunda with a surprising amount of additional wine enjoyed. Strangely, all this led to a subdued start to Sunday, with a drive to Birdwood Museum and lunch. Several members from NSW were seriously considering converting to Lutheranism but later decided it was the port speaking. Sunday afternoon was spent at a paddock near Collingrove Homestead for the Conrod Trophy. The portable toilets were useful at the time. The usual Presentation Dinner was held at Kaiser Stuhl at Nuriootpa, in the Great Cask Hall. Naturally there were pre-dinner drinks first and as these were all free, much was enjoyed. Tables groaned with sherries, ports and muscats and then a fine meal was served with copious quantities of the company’s finest Cold Duck and other table wines. The Conrod Trophy was awarded, the Queen was toasted, the pudding was put away and much merriment prevailed. Not least within the committee who had pulled off a fairly seamless event, much enjoyed by all. I recall driving back home to Adelaide, elated with the evening. The Roadster hadn’t broken down and the long hours had paid off; the hard work was over.
Grahame Glanville looking dangerous
To give you some idea of how our members had enjoyed their evening, around 2am the phone woke me. It was one of the security team back at Kaiser Stuhl who had just discovered a young lady passed out in the ladies toilet in the winery. Apparently her parents had such a good time they had forgotten her and gone back to their motel at Tanunda, no doubt enjoying a deep sleep. (Our Kaiser Stuhl Riley Port was extremely good that year.) After going through the list of entrants I was able to work out where the young lady belonged (she had also enjoyed a great deal of Cold Duck and forgot where her parents were staying) and one of the guards dropped her back to the motel. Things were simpler then. We were younger then. It was Easter and Jesus Christ was a Superstar then.
Photographs from The Soden Collection, Sydney Australia
Above: Wine Sales Below: Toilets Towed on Trailers
A Night on the Tiles ...literally. In 1978 you took a tablet - you didn’t use one and social media wasn’t even a concept. (stock photo)
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August 2013
What is it and Where is it now? by a Ford Avenue Productions staff writer It’s quite obvious even to the uninitiated of course that this is an RMF. This photograph was taken on the day that it won the South Australian Riley Motor Club’s Concours in 1967. It is the creation of Johnny Pagnussa and based on an RMF. What happened to it after that is shrouded in mystery but we do know where it is. It’s sitting forlornly in a shed in one of Adelaide’s southern suburbs.
where he set up business in suburban Adelaide at Glynde and soon became the person of choice for restoration of high-end motor vehicles.
Sadly there are currently no thoughts of its emerging from the shed into which it was pushed some years ago when it was given to its current owner by his father who “hadn’t got around to doing anything with it”. The shed is of modest proportions and is now so full of other stuff that you can barely even see the car.
Many people in Adelaide knew him and could tell many stories about his unique accent and colourful use of his newly-acquired language.
But we do know what it looked like when it was pushed into the shed. See, it’s quite obvious that it’s a Riley. It’s got a Riley diamond on the dashboard.
He was truly a character and a very skilled artisan but sadly is with us no more.
Johnny Pagnussa purportedly worked for one of the major Italian motor body design companies in Italy before migrating to Australia
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August 2013
Barossa to Beechworth via Burra........The Quizmaster’s Gone by Grahame Glanville from Victoria Ken Hodge, my best mate, Riley man through and through, President of the Victorian Riley Club for 14 years, Committee Member for even longer and all around good guy died on 11th February this year after heart surgery led to complications which he could not overcome. I first met him some 40 years ago at the Riley club and we hit it off from the start having very similar interests. We were the same age, our kids were similar ages, our wives got on well together and we were both restoring our cars at the same time. Our biggest difference really was that I was good-looking!! But our first outing together had nothing to do with the Riley club. We decided to go to the zoo which was holding a jazz evening amongst the animals and we arranged to meet outside. Thirty four thousand three hundred and twenty seven other jazz fiends had the same idea as us, so consequently we found it very difficult to locate Maureen and Ken. We did eventually find each other about half way through the concert. From that time on, because we enjoyed each other's company, we started going to rallies and outings together, the first big one was the national rally at Parks in 1975 when Arnold Farrer came out from Tumut NSW 2008 Ken displays his restoration record and his Dick England. Barton Annual while Dick’s Monaco lurks behind the trees. (more Many national rallies followed including The Barossa Valley in 1978, Mt Beauty 1981, Echuca 1986, Rawson 1992 and Burra in 1994. We were staying in Paxton’s Cottages for the Burra event. At one point Maureen was telling Ken off for "smoking that disgusting smelly pipe inside." A few minutes later he was found sitting inside
on Dick Barton on Page 8)
Photo by Leigh Johnson
the chimney, on a chair, with only his legs and body showing. His head with a pipe in his mouth was happily puffing away and the smoke was going up the spout as it was designed to do. We did many thousands of miles together not just with the club but overseas in New Zealand a trip to Phuket and towed our caravans up to Darwin across to Broome down the west coast and home again across the Nullarbor. On one of our trips coming home from Mildura in the 2½’s I ran
Somewhere in South Australia Ken Fixes a Flat during The Antill Run watched by Jill and Grahame Glanville. Photo by Annette Kinney S.A.
Maureen, Ken and the Monaco Photo by Diana Pinkney SA The National
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August 2013
out of petrol so Ken put me in the back seat of his car and we went looking for a service station. Jill stayed with our car to deter any car thieves who may have come a long whilst Ken, Maureen and I went petrol hunting. We eventually came to a service station but had no can to put petrol in. The station owner finally agreed to sell some petrol and put it in his can but he wanted some collateral to ensure the return of the can. So Ken left Maureen. She was still there when we came back. One of Ken's foibles was that he wanted to do everything himself and wouldn't accept help. He was extremely independent and if his car broke down he would not work on it until everyone was away at a distance.
Ken in the Chimney at Burra Photo by Jill Glanville Vic.
An example of this was during the 2009 Antill run from Fremantle to Sydney (then back to Melbourne) in the Nines. He had 14 punctures all of which he fixed himself on the side of the road. He would not even let me take off or put back on a wheel.
Quiz night during which he held the floor and entertained the crowd while deftly dealing with the rowdy South Australian table who were on a losing streak.
Ken was a great clubman and he turned up to nearly every event organised by the club whether that was interstate or just a small local run.
Ken was also a great husband to Maureen on whom he doted. Over 50 years of marriage and he was still rapt in her. That says something these days.
Every February club night was Ken’s Quiz which we all tried to win because of the fantastic prizes on offer and of course the prestige that went with it. Unfortunately in the last couple of years Ken forgot to buy the prize so I missed out. I miss my Mars Bars.
During his years as President of the club she was his great helpmate as well his soulmate. We will all miss him whether it's helping out at the gymkhana, giving a talk at club night, judging at the concourse, writing articles for the newsletter or just being around.
Ken’s last rally was Beechworth in 2011. Saturday night was Ken’s
It's hard, losing your best mate.
The Riley Motor Club of S.A gratefully acknowledges the special assistance provided by Shannons to the running of The National Rattle of Rileys and Rileys Through the Red Centre.
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August 2013
Lindsay Stephens From NZ remembers The 2007 Naracoorte National Rattle...
Panorama taken by Lindsay Stephens
I have many fond memories of the SA Riley Club’s Naracoorte Rattle. Getting there and back were adventures in themselves. The organisation was superb with great food and interesting activities. Highlights for me were; 1. A visit to the Woakwine Cutting. 2. The appearance at the Robe Golf Club of June Stompe and 3. The Dick Barton theme which ran throughout the rally. The Woakwine Cutting. One of the rally routes was planned to take us via the famous Woakwine Cutting near Beachport. This is an amazing piece of agricultural engineering carried out by the sheer determination of one man, Murray Court. Nowadays the drainage of wetlands would be difficult to get past the environmentalists but in the early 1950s when most of this country was unfarmable wetland the emphasis was on draining the swamps. Murray set out to dig the cutting with his offsider Dick MacIntyre and a secondhand D7 Caterpillar and scraper which had been used for building airfields in WWII. The job was to cut a channel through the Woakwine Ranges to drain the swamp on his farmland. It took them 3 years working 5 days a week to literally move a mountain. They moved 276,000 cubic metres of material sometimes working 28metres below the surface in a cutting which is just 3 metres wide at the bottom and 3km long. Murray died in 1988 but his transformation of what was a snake-infested swamp into prime farmland was the key to the expansion and success of the Woakwine Group now run by his wife Rosemary and son Michael.
Ponder this. Is it possible that the D9 might even have been used to build the road to Darwin, the subject of the article on page 29? Ed
June Stompe with the Dancing Man, some friends and Dick Barton June Stompe. Lunch was arranged at the busy Robe Golf Club during which the guest of honour was a delightful local lady June Stompe. Quite by chance she became a celebrity when she realised she was one of the women who were walking down the street on VJ or VP Day, August 15, 1945 when the iconic news movie of the Dancing Man was filmed. As with the Dancing man there are two contenders for the identity of the women looking round but June found an old picture taken on the same day showing her with two soldiers and wearing the identical suit, hat and hairstyle. June said that she remembers looking round at the dancing man and thinking “he’s a bit odd”. June was interviewed by Leigh Johnson, still in his Dick Barton suit, and held everyone's attention with her tales of the time.
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August 2013
Jane Miller and Bridgid Turner kept Paul Baee under control. Paul was dressed to reflect that period immediately between working on a Nine and dressing for breakfast. (N.S.W.)
Barb Smith, Barb & Barry Higgins and Vern Smith (Vic.)
This photo by Annette K inney (S.A.) Others are fr om the write r, Lindsay S tephens.
Pat and Mike Osborne (Vic.)
Jim Runciman (W.A.) with Lyn and Noel Wyatt (Vic)
Dick Barton. Leigh Johnson cleverly worked a Dick Barton theme throughout the rally and was in character for most of the time: It’s 1946 in Britain and the war is just over. Come 6.45 in the evening the streets would clear of small children and large adults. An eerie silence descended over the country. Families would huddle round the wireless to listen to “Dick Barton Special Agent”. The exploits of Dick, Jock and Snowy, keeping the world safe for us mortals was the programme that kept the whole of Britain in its grip. Of course all the Riley people were delightful and on the first day many were in period costume and outshone their beautiful cars. Strangely no mention was ever made in Dick’s bio of his choice of Diana and I had a very enjoyable National Rattle. Others must have transport but we know it was a Riley Monaco. Clearly the right had an equally good time because at the next national gathering, The transport for the James Bond of the 1940s. National Roundup in Tumut, the Jim Andriesse Trophy was awarded to the SA committee whose hard work had created such a great Not until the 1970s when the ITV revived Dick Barton as a television serial did we see the car. In the still above from that series event. In memory of Jim Andriesse from NSW the man who put so much time and effort into spare parts this trophy is awarded at each Jock listens for Riley noises while Dick and Snowy look serious. national rally to the person or persons considered to have contributed most to the Riley "movement" during the preceeding year. The other picture is a Naracoorte re-shoot with Leigh Johnson as Dick, me as Jock (in my Australian-made ear warmer), David Thomson as Snowy and of course Jane Miller’s Monaco as the (See more on that subject on the next page. Ed) Monaco. The National
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August 2013
A Broom at The Top
or ... They Just don’t make them like they used to. by Helen Miller from S.A. The 2008 National Roundup in Tumut is an event we won’t forget in a hurry. It was our first National Rally away from home. As many of you may know - we don’t get out much. There was a time when it almost never happened. In the two weeks leading up to the event, Adelaide was going through its longest heatwave ever recorded. Twelve consecutive days above 38º. The day before “the heatwave” was 37.9º and the two days prior to that were above 35º, so it was reported as a 15-day heatwave. It was described as “a once in 3000 year occurrence”. We thought more than once about pulling out.
The fourth grandson has only just got his hands on it but we think it’ll last the distance.
Sadly however, late last year as I was wrenching it up off the floor one night after play time the wheel came adrift from its hub and has not been quite the same since. Did I forget to mention that it also has very powerful suction caps on the bottom? All the bells and whistles still do their thing but some glue and a swipe of silicon The day we left home was disgusting and that was at 7am. By lunch- (Leigh’s favourite fix it) ensure the wheel doesn’t turn any more. time when we reached the end of the first day’s travel we were ready Five dollars and it lasted only 5 years! They just don’t make them to drop. We persisted and reached Tumut two days later having lost like they used to. a few buckets of sweat (well, he was the one sweating; I just glowed) and a lot of litres of water spraying around the interior of the Riley You never know what we’ll bring back from a trip away. Our house is courtesy of the “cooling fan” Leigh had rigged up just for the full of all sorts of stuff collected on various trips. But we never occasion. What a man. Any woman would feel blessed to have him. expected to bring home a millet broom. At the presentation dinner the committee that had organised But despite all that when we the National Rattle in Naracoorte look back now we are very the year before was presented with pleased that we decided to go. the Jim Andriesse Trophy for its efforts. Each of the committee On one of the days we had members received a small millet some free time. Other more broom. adventurous types were probably off driving to Temora or some other “distant” place but we Leigh’s first reaction was that he wasn’t sure what he was going to do had driven enough and walking around Tumut was more our style. with it. He wasn’t brought up with millet brooms. He explained his theory that some households had millet brooms (or straw brooms as We happened upon a market where we found a child’s plastic he knew them) and others had the other ones. His family never had steering wheel completely operational and gloriously green with a straw broom. Consequently he didn’t realise how useful they were. volume adjustment, gears, music, ignition switch, indicators...... the lot. Cost $5; batteries included. Couldn’t resist it. I don’t recall ever But when he got home he found all sorts of uses for it. The ability having anything so extraordinary but Leigh recalls that he had some- to poke into tight corners and extract all sorts of rubbish was its thing similar when he was young attached to the back of the driver’s forte. Having discovered its usefulness he even went out and bought seat in the FJ. Similar yes, but this one is a few generations younger a bigger version but the crappy Chinese product from Woolies was with all the bells, whistles and sound effects. And anyway, who had not as useful. Far too flexible and not much use - a bit like me! an FJ for pete’s sakes? My dad was still driving around in a Morris Cowley. On seeing our new acquisition a friend of ours went off in search of one. She explained that there are two types of people in the world; Our first grandson was six months old at the time so it was a very sweepers and non-sweepers. She’s a sweeper, Leigh’s a sweeper and timely purchase. It’s been used by him and two other grandchildren our nice neighbour over the road is also a sweeper. They regularly since. All boys; and they’ve had hours of fun with it. sweep the gutters in Ford Avenue clear of leaves although Leigh does it less frequently than the neighbour.
“There are two types of people in the world ... sweepers and non-sweepers”
The Steering Wheel in the Ford Avenue toy cupboard. (Note the Arnott’s Truck. See page 11 Ed) and most of the Naracoorte organising committee with trophy and brooms. The National
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August 2013
Our friend finally tracked the broom down to the only source_- the millet factory at Tumut and found the people there ever so helpful. She’d been a straw broom person all her life but had never been able to get the pint sized version. She was on top of the world. Not easy when you live in Tasmania. But, late last year, almost on the same day as the steering wheel stopped turning the broom met its match. The roof on our house is tiled and on the tiles grows some sort of moss which, over the summer months, dries out and sits there loosely waiting for the rains. When the rains do come (and often the heaviest rains can be thunderstorms in summer) the rain dislodges the dry moss and it heads down the gutters and gushes toward the rainwater tanks. It backs up in the filter system as a fine, muddy mess resulting in no water going into the tanks and all water going everywhere it shouldn’t.
So last November Leigh was up on the roof sweeping away the moss with his mighty millet broom. (With two pine trees overhanging the house that are 150 years old, 150 foot high and producing pine needles with which no gutter guard can cope he’s often on the roof.) It did an exceptionally good job even though it did take a while but with every stroke and jab a little bit more millet was missing until it reached the point where it needed to be retired. You can see the difference in the two photos at the top and bottom on the opposite page. Cost nothing and lasted only 5 years with occasional misuse. They just don’t make them like they used to! And probably not before time because the days of scrambling around on top of the two-storey roof are close to over. The alternatives are to get a professional in or stop collecting rainwater. Either way the decision will cost more than $5.
Ginger Nuts aint Ginger Nuts
If you’re visiting South Australia from any State other than WA and you’re into Arnott’s Ginger Nuts then chew carefully. Ginger Nuts in South Australia and Western Australia are not the same as Ginger Nuts elsewhere. As you can see from the adjacent extracts from the Arnott’s website they advertise four different variants. Why that might be the case who knows but we suspect it’s got something to do with how the biscuits were first made and by whom and how companies were taken over by other companies. The Biscuit Man
I Have a little DPS By Anon
I have a little DPS She sits there in my car A DPS is a driver's friend She tells you where you are
She looks around from side to side And lists those to the rear And taking this into account She specifies my gear
She gives me full instructions On exactly how to drive “It's thirty miles an hour” she says “And you're doing thirty five”
I'm sure no other driver Has so helpful a device For when we leave and lock the car She still gives her advice
She tells me when to stop and start And when to use the brake And tells me that it's never ever Safe to overtake
She provides me with counselling Each journey’s pretty fraught So why don’t I exchange her And get a quieter sort?
She tells me when a light is red And when it goes to green She seems to know instinctively Just when to intervene
Ah well, you see, she cleans the house Makes sure I’m properly fed She washes all my shirts and things And - keeps me warm in bed!
The National
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I have a little DPS I've had it most my life She does more than the normal one My DPS is my wife
Page 11
Adapted only slightly from the original seen in The Riley Gazette July 2012 Ed
August 2013
My Riley Drophead Special - one of a kind by Bruce Hume in The A.C.T. Creating a Drophead Special from an RMA or B was a project I’d had in mind for a some time having seen several fine examples of drophead or roadster conversions at national rallies and other events over the years. The one that Chris Gilbert created in WA was a very nice job. I heard it got sold just after Beechworth. Margaret and Geoff Harman’s RMA “roadster” conversion that was sold to NSW a few years ago also looked good and a lot like the one I’d seen on a video advertising Mt Riley Wines in New Zealand. There was also another expensive-looking example at Beechworth (well, Bandiana to be exact) that I’d not seen before. Being keen to do all the work myself I’d often wondered whether I could match the level of workmanship evident in those projects. I was about to find out. For some time I’d had a couple of outwardly rough but sound RMA’s in storage “waiting to be restored” so I eventually decided to turn one into a Drophead Special. My aim was to emulate the WA conversion but using an RMA as the base. It’s strange how things happen but motivation to finish the project
Chris Gilbert’s conversion complete with comfortable, but un-classic caravan, at Sheffield in Tasmania on Day One of Touring Tasmania, 2005. looked close enough to an original. I’d decided long ago that my conversion would leave all four doors in place. This involved cutting down and strengthening the body but it all held together really tightly. This was surprisingly easy, mainly due to strength of the structure around the rear of the body tub. Years ago, I had fitted a non-original interior to an RMA. It had fitted well and certainly looked the part from the outside. I decided to do the same to the Droppy. Although this meant fashioning new side trims both front and back, these helped to secure and finish the interior.
The writer outside The Linaker at Beechworth - Always dreamed of sleeping in the Nurses’ Quarters came from the editor of this magazine. We were chatting at Beechworth outside the Linaker. He’d bought one of the very special Riley offerings on sale from my RM boot sale and we got to chatting. He encouraged me to not only finish the project but to write about it in time for The National Rattle of Rileys planned for 2013.
Marg and Geoff So, many months ago now, one Saturday afternoon, I had finished Harman’s “Roadster” all my chores and decided to get started. I walked around the garage conversion before it moved to N.S.W. checking on all the bits and pieces and finally selected one of the cars which had the best bodywork and chassis and no visible problems with the frame. Even on my own it did not take long to remove the body from the chassis as I had done this operation several times before. I was now on a roll and making excellent progress. With the body suitably supported, I went straight in for the kill and attacked the roof with a grinder. I worked carefully, reminding myself to work more like a Dentist and less like a Plumber. Only a couple of minor slips occurred and a fairly clean cut was achieved with patience. Getting the header rail above the windscreen right took a bit of fiddling but I worked slowly until I achieved a size and shape that The National
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I also had in my collection of “things that might be useful one day” a rather attractive timber dash and instrument cluster from a Bentley. The Bentley was slightly wider than the Riley, so I had to trim a bit off each end of the dash and taper it slightly to provide a snug fit. On close inspection, it may appear just a little big for the delicate lines of the Riley but it is such a nice dash that this is very forgivable. Many, many adjustments were required to achieve an acceptable fit but fortunately, the wiring provided no problems. The hood was always going to be the big issue. I was just about to send to England for one when I was rearranging things in the workshop and came across an old hood in good condition. I’ve had it for so long that I don’t even know what vehicle it was from! Don’t you just love swap meets?
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August 2013
It was a bit too long and a bit too high but seemed to meet the shape and size of the rear shoulder of the cabin quite well. Amazingly, I was able to cut away some of the front of the hood and reduce the height until the whole thing fitted snugly. It is probably just a wee bit big but all Droppies seem to me to have big hoods (except Chris Gilbert’s Special). But as it cost me almost nothing when I bought it and was there on hand, I was really chuffed with it.
achieve a reasonable finish and a good shine. The bright-work was renewed and the final assembly began. This is always the best part of a restoration. Getting all the interior together provided a few headaches but the careful preparation paid off and everything went together as if it all belonged.
My attention then turned to the chassis and suspension which had been set aside. A thorough clean and a new coat of paint were the main requirements, as everything else proved to be still in remarkably good order. The paint for the wheels was chosen to match the interior and a new set of tyres was fitted. That always lifts a restoration. While I was fiddling with the chassis before painting it, I decided to construct and fit a good quality towing hitch.
Since I still work full-time, it was a bit of rush to get the double project finished before the National Rattle. However having met that timeline with the pressures of building a new house and then moving and also travelling to Europe for our daughter’s wedding, we decided in the end that we could not attend the Rattle.
When I look back, the whole project really came together very quickly (Beechworth was only 2½ years ago) but it had a very long With the body stripped of paint, the interior components assembled gestation period. The bonus was that it was put together from bits I and the hood adjusted to fit, I did a trial assembly. To my shock and had gathered and kept over the years. I did all the work myself and indignation, I discovered that the driver’s seat now had a big hole now have a lovely, unique Riley Drophead and a matching classic that hadn’t been obvious earlier. Fortunately, I was able to fill-in the caravan to go with it. I think it could go head to head with the W.A. missing section and bring the seat back to the original shape. It just example and come out as a beautiful match of classic Riley and took time and patience. Caravan at any concours.
Nevertheless, we are with you all in spirit and are hoping we might make it to the next National. Gabby’s agreed that we can bring the Drophead Special together with the caravan so you can all have a Why the towbar? Well, madness runs deep in my family. It transpires that I also had stored away safely under cover (amongst many closer look. Even if I do say so myself, I reckon it looks pretty darn other old vehicles) a lovely vintage caravan that I had already stripped good. and repaired, ready for painting, a couple of years ago. I decided that while I had the paint mixed, I would paint both car and caravan in matching colours. And so, the project expanded, as so many of my projects do!
(See the photos on Page 30. Ed)
Nowadays, I am rather inclined to paint everything off-white but I decided to give this outfit some colour and opted for a soft green main colour for the car body and a darker green for the interior of the car and the wheels. The caravan has a gorgeous swathe line along the body which lends itself perfectly to a good old-fashioned two-tone paint job. So the upper half matches the car and the lower half is offset in the darker green. The wheels of the caravan then lent themselves to the lighter green.
Did you hear the one about the bloke who owned an RM Drophead Special and didn’t want to let it go?
Well his wife did. Let it go that is. Wendy Gilbert wanted to sell it and Chris didn’t so he nominated a hefty sum and told her that if she could get that price for it she could sell it thinking nobody would Having refurbished and painted the caravan chassis some time ago I pay that much for a special. A client heard Wendy talking about it only needed to fabricate the new tow-hitch to mate with the and offered Chris the money provided that Chris kept doing his Drophead’s. This required some modification and fiddling but again, work. Chris said he would think about it and let him know after the I had all the materials on hand and was able to carry out all the work Beechworth Rally. When they got back home the deal was done. myself. The client paid the princely sum but the car is still in their garage, the client has never driven or even sat in it and Chris can use it It was now time to face the painting. I had to wait for a forecast of a nice long period of warm, dry weather to be sure the painting would whenever he wants. What a deal! Ed. be successful. The primer coats went on without problems but the colour coats required a lot of patience and quite a few applications, to
The end result is not unlike this example on the far left that was used in the Mt. Riley Wines (NZ) promotional video. Seen at Bandiana, 2011
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On the right is the one seen at Bandiana.
August 2013
Looking for New Homes 1953 RME
$20,000 negotiable
The picture speaks for itself. This is one of the most well-maintained and presented Rileys available for sale in Australia. Painstakingly restored by the late Brian Royle in S.A. in the late 90's, very much enjoyed and well travelled until the end of 2008, this RME is simply immaculate inside and out. Ivory paintwork. An array of spares is included. The entire braking system was completely overhauled in 2011 including all new (reproduction) front and rear cylinders and brake lines. SA Historic registration until March 2014. Genuine sale. It’s time for someone else to love her like Dad did. Located in Adelaide. Call Peter Royle 0410 345 606 More photos are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/95488851@N05/show/
1951 RMB, $19,000
Restored by the owner, he describes it as being in “good useable condition”. It’s two-tone grey in colour. A South Australian car from new, its full history since new is known. (The owner also has a Rover P4, 1958, 105S for sale in good condition $8,000) Located in Adelaide. Call Arthur Bateman 0401 621 018 or email arthurb3@optusnet.com.au
1951 RMA, $8,000 ono One owner since 1996 when it was bought from the restorer. A good highway car. It’s been to Melbourne, Brisbane, Alice and on many club runs. Navy with beige trim and roof. Located in Adelaide. Contact Bev Hughes 08 8270 4487 or 0428 489 988
1956 Pathfinder. Best offer near $30,000 Full import with bucket seats. Lots spent: engine rebuilt, leather upholstery, new paint, tyres, etc only a few years ago. Radio works. Terrific brakes. Black with pale grey roof, red side stripe matching upholstery. Nice cruising car. Located in Adelaide. Contact Bill or Joy Watson, SA. 08 8264 6355, 0409 693 962 or 0403 035 943
Arfur the 1947 RMA
Make an offer
Well known to many South Australian members Arfur (R for Riley) has not been seen on the road for far too long.
After having a complete motor overhaul including new high compression pistons, new white metal bearings, tweaking of the cams and the addition of extractors and twin carbs, Arfur went for a big long drive and then went into the shed for work on paint and trim. He's only just emerged and he’s still in his singlet and jocks as you can see. Everything is there and was working beautifully (well maybe beautiful isn’t the word - let’s say “as it should”) when he was undressed. He stops well with refurbished master and wheel cylinders. His carers, Helen Miller and Leigh Johnson are unable to look after him any longer and need to put him in a good home. They don't expect a lot money out of the transaction (maybe just a few thousand). They just want to see him in a good home being cared for lovingly. And no, he’s not incontinent; that’s rain on the road. Located in Adelaide. Helen and Leigh can be contacted on 8271 8638 or leighj@adam.com.au The National
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Ever Wanted to be in a Movie? You can feature in The 2013 National Rattle of Rileys video. Just tell the Chief Videographer Leigh Johnson sometime during the Rattle and he’ll make sure he captures some of your spirit. In his little digital black box. The DVD will be available soon after The National Rattle. Available on request (and cheap at ten times the price) from Ford Avenue Productions (FordAvenueProductions@adam.com.au) or see Leigh Johnson during the event. There’s no extra charge for your being a feature! However, to get a mention in the credits might cost you a Coopers. (If you don’t understand the pricing system, just ask a South Australian.)
Letters to The Editor Following last month’s call for Riley readers to submit their favourite stories of stupidity we received hundreds of entries. The judges have awarded the prize to Gerald for this very entertaining story ......about himself. Our 15th wedding anniversary was coming up in June and I was taking the opportunity while I was wandering around the Ballarat Swapmeet to find a little something extra “for my wife”. I came across a 100,000 volt, purse-sized Tazer buried under a bunch of stuff on a site that coincidentally boasted “Everything Riley”. Probably not legal in Australia but then who was going to know? The advertising on the packaging said ...short lived effect, no long term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety etc... So one night my wife was out at her book club. It was time to check it out in detail. I put in two AAA batteries and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. But I found out that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time, I'd get a blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right? There I sat in my new recliner from Super Amart over in Ballarat, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh and blood moving target. Note that the unit has “Hello Kitty” on it. I’ve not worked out why. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and then thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong? So, there I sat in my jocks and singlet with my readers perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and Tazer in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; and a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries. All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5 inches long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference (loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries); pretty cute really, and thinking to myself, “no possible way!” What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best. I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on The National
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with her head cocked to one side so as to say, “Don't do it stupid,” reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for the heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and...
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. WHAT THE... !!! I'm pretty sure Hulk Hogan ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the foetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs! The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the lounge room. Note: If you ever feel compelled to “mug” yourself with a Tazer, one note of caution: There is NO such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor! A three second burst would be considered conservative! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. • My bent readers were on the mantelpiece. • The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. • My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. • My face felt like it had been shot up with local anaesthetic, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. • I had no control over the drooling. • Apparently I had dirtied my jocks but was too numb to know for sure, and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head, which I believe came from my hair. I'm still looking for my testicles and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return! PS: My wife can't stop laughing about my experience. I was still in a state of considerable disarray when she got home after “Book Club” and she’s not the stupid one in the family so she knew something was up straight away. She loved the gift and now regularly threatens me with it! Gerald.. from Glenrowan ....by email
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What
Women in South Australia are Saying Ph ot os by Leigh Johnson unless oth erwise at tributed
Here I am, out of bed and dressed, hat and all, at 10:00am on a Sunday morning! What more do you want? Julie Skully
You drink too much, swear too much and have questionable morals. You’re everything I ever wanted in a friend. Rosalie Haese
This is not quite what I had in mind when I was told that the Riley was rear wheel drive. Ann e Ba chmann
A woman’s work is never done; it’s time to put the foot down ..........but the accelerator pedal’s mssing. Liz Pike
I wish there was a rollover plan for all the childhood naps I refused.
I believe that everything happens for a reason. Usually the reason is that somebody screwed up! Photo by Elizabeth Leemann, Vic. Beverley Wilson
Annette Kinney My personal trainer says I could lose 10 pounds. The only way I’ll lose 10 pounds is if I go shopping in England.
Jeanette Kilgour
When a woman says “What?” it’s not because she didn’t hear what you said. She’s giving you the chance to change what you said. Helen Klose Photo by Bev Wilson, S.A.
Vodka is just awesome water. Carmen Friedrichs Page 16
The other day someone told me that I could make ice cubes with leftover wine. I was confused....What is leftover wine? Photo by Jeanette Kilgour, S.A. Helen Miller
He said,“Fill y’ boots..” I can certainly fill Photo by Peter Lobb , S.A. this one. Annie Lobb The National
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by Virginia Creeper A group of Queenslanders travelling south to Beechworth for Breezing around Beechworth, the National Rally in 2011, had some bad luck “somewhere near Orange”. One of the cars had decided to go no further. They were stationary in the main street of Molong, bonnets open and scratching heads when a person approached them from a shop across the road. They were in luck. This person knew a bit about Rileys. His name is Hugh Oldham. Together with wife Libby he’s owned the Rizzo Riley for 44 years. But this article isn’t really about The Rizzo Riley . It’s only incidental to the heart of the article. And the story hasn't turned out exactly as I had planned when I first started writing either. It was conceived when I saw a collection of Riley-related videos a South Australian member had put up on YouTube. It was a collation of videos from around the world that were already on YouTube. One of the them showed a young woman in Queensland by the name of Kiara who said that she’d bought an RMA from South Australia. She added that her name was Rizzo and that her father was Arthur Rizzo. She'd named the car Sally, short for South Australian lovely lady of yesteryear. That’s where the connections started. The article was going to be built around how cars move from State to State and what the car was doing now as part of the Rizzo Riley family. If Arthur was alive today he’d be called a celebrity. In an era when Jack Brabham was winning Grands Prix in a car designed and built by himself, Arthur overcame the problems of putting together “seemingly irreconcilable bits and pieces of different makes and models” into his Riley Special. For example, the speedo and tacho came from Dodge speedos. He hand painted the faces and made gearboxes for them to suit the Riley. First appearing in 1946, it was one of Australia's fastest unblown 1½ litre cars of its time and blasted the competition off the track. Kiara's (Rizzo) Riley was bought from South Australian Riley Club members Ann and Hedley Bachmann. They’re attending the National Rattle in their other RMA. With the aid of Queensland members I tracked their old car down. It had been on-sold to a new owner. But not just any owner. John Holmes is a member of the Queensland Riley Club with motor racing in his blood and a very
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Sydney Morning Heral
d April 2, 1949
strong connection with the Rizzo family. John's raced at Bathurst himself but, more importantly, his grandfather, Stan Mossiter, having bought it from Arthur, raced the Rizzo Riley with great success in 1950 to 1952 including the 1951 Australian Grand Prix. John kindly gave me the photograph on the next page which is unlikely to have been seen in any Riley publication. It's Arthur in his Special on Conrod Straight at Bathurst. The Rizzo Riley looks like this now. Over the years the body's been changed and the original motor has been separated from the body. It's said that a Rizzo motor came to South Australia for a short period and was owned by Doug McPherson as part of a collection of parts that were destined to become a ’37 Sprite Special. John believes that it was one put together by Bob Tick for the Rizzo Riley in the 60’s. We can never be sure about that connection but in 1993 Hugh brought his Rizzo Riley to South Australia for one of the Australian Grands Prix before those dammed Victorians pinched it. It's shown below in a photo provided by Hugh leading the pack as it should. The photo on the right was taken by Diana Pinkney as the car was being taken home from its overnight carpark on their front lawn.
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Photograph by Alan Heritage August 2013
Much has been written about Arthur Rizzo and his Riley Special. Below, Arthur tells a couple of stories in his own words that I think describe the times. I found them in the June 2007 Torque Tube. They were originally posted on The Nostalgia Forum of the Atlas F1 Bulletin Board by Ray Bell in December 2000 under the heading “An Oldtimer's Story”.
around the back of the pits with my goggles on, as it was dusty. Suddenly I got a call that the race was ready to start, I pulled my crash hat on and just made the starting line.
“I drove down to Victoria in 1949 to compete at Rob Roy's Hillclimb Championship, practised on Saturday and almost beat the 1.5 litre record. We went back to Lex Davison's property, where we were staying for the weekend, and removed the quarter inch decompression plate, changed the fuel and the carby needles, lapped the valves and on Sunday went out and lowered the record. We then refitted the decompression plate, changed the fuel and carbies again and drove home to Sydney.”
On lap four, comfortably in front, I undid my crash hat to get my goggles over the back of my helmet, as it had been pulling my goggles down my face. As I dropped down The Esses my hat blew off and rolled into the bush. I was blackflagged into the pits and Maclac ran out with his hat, about four sizes too small, and off I went holding it on with my hand.
In 1949 I decided to have another go at Bathurst, having failed the previous year with a broken fuel line. The car wasn't started until we reached Bathurst, and you can imagine my surprise to hear the bearings collapse down Conrod Straight on almost no throttle on the first practice lap.
On the way up the mountain I got hold of the side flaps and gave it a good pull, only to find that my rubber goggles were caught under the front of the hat and stuck out from my face like a visor. I passed Harry Mann, who had gone by while I was in the pits, and won.”
I took the rods out and they were all shot. I found that when the crank had been ground a grinding stone with the wrong radius had been used, leaving almost an eighth of the original journal surface untouched. This effectively stopped oil from flowing out.
Perhaps it was this determination that attracted a young Yvonne McKeahnie to Arthur. Together with Gayl Sach she drove a Lanock Motors works team VW 1300 in the 1964 Ampol trial and was placed 64th. Remember Kiara with whom tbis story started? Well, Kiara's mum is Yvonne and Yvonne's now 70 something young and still a Riley enthusiast.
A chap who was well under the weather came into the garage and I tried to explain to him that I'd had it both mechanically and mentally. He said that an engineer in the next street would re-metal the bearings for me (this was Easter Sunday!) and I shooed him off. He came back a few minutes later with a micrometer to measure the shaft and took back the spare rods. I later found out he'd left a 20 pounds deposit on the micrometer! Where have those sorts of people gone?
Until two weeks ago she was planning to attend the 2013 National Rattle during which we were planning to get her to tell a few tales. But sadly, circumstances prevented her from attending. A great pity because after all, we don’t often get a chance to see Riley Royalty in Adelaide.
Yvonne (left) and Gayl, 1964. Photo provided by Yvonne Rizzo
Determination, dashing good looks or both
To complete the connection, John’s bringing Sally the RMA back home to The National Rattle. Hedley says he originally bought it from someone in Alex Hargens and his wife had the rods back late on Lyndoch only a short squirt in a special from Sunday afternoon, she re-metalling, he machining. Nuriootpa the starting point of the National Rattle. I had to hand fit each bearing to the uneven shaft. We towed the car up to the track and I drove it
And it’s still a Rizzo Riley because Arthur, who died aged 91 in 2009, autographed it in the engine bay!
Conrod Straight, Bathurst 1949
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returned to Australia soon after. Jack followed in 1950 as a 10 pound pom and stayed with her family at Oxley until they were married at Oxley in 1951. They designed and built a house at Indooroopilly where they brought up two daughters, Rosemary and Lyn and where Jack still lives today. Sadly, Lorna suffered from dementia and passed away several years ago.
Jack Warr Spare Parts Guru by Ken Lonie in Queensland Jack Warr is an icon within the Riley car movement, not only within Australia, but also in the UK and New Zealand. You only have to mention his name if there are any Rileys around and everyone seems to know him but I have had the privilege of knowing him only since getting involved with Rileys about 10 years ago.
Having arrived in Australia, Jack worked at Eastgate Engineering for 12 years on general jobbing work including Ford V8 side valves and marine engines etc. He then worked for Luke Engineering for about 6 years until it was taken over by Adsteam and sections sold off. Then, at the age of 58, Jack took a job at the University of Queensland on various student research projects such as the shock tube and hybrid car until he retired 6 years later. However, most would agree that Jack has not yet retired. There are not many days when Jack is not at work in his workshop under his house repairing or modifying something to do with Rileys. Apart from sourcing spares from the UK and other clubs around Australia, Jack is also well known for the many spares he manufactures himself, or gets made to his design by his many contacts in Brisbane.
In March 2013 the Queensland Riley club paid tribute to Jack. The Club had obtained a lease from the local council over a large shed located amongst others at Samford, a northern Brisbane suburb where it now stores many second hand Riley components from engine parts to body panels. Monthly club meetings are also held in a large meeting room in the “Shed”. A selection of Jack’s
With only a medium size lathe and small milling machine, I never cease to be amazed at what he can turn out. He has personally given me confidence to try and do things I would not have otherwise attempted.
handiwork
The shed was officially opened at the March event and was named “The Jack Warr Shed”, with an appropriate plaque mounted over the entrance. Jack was also presented with Honorary Life Membership at the event which was also attended by his 2 daughters and their families. This Life Membership was given “in recognition of dedication and support to the club, providing spare parts services and enthusiastic clubmanship for over forty years of continuous membership and promoting the continued use of Riley cars in Queensland, Australia and overseas”.
Jack is well known for his replacement RMB axles. These were always a weak point on the Rileys, but Jack’s stronger design has been proven in use. While working at the university, he also made RMB steering racks and had them strength tested at the university. New steering ball joints, replacement electronic distributors and new timing gears and chains are only a few of the components Jack manufactures.
Jack is an only child and was born in Leicester, UK. He celebrated his 89th birthday in July. But despite his age, Jack’s only wish is for a new pair of knees. One knee was damaged by a swinging block and tackle while he was in the Navy and the other one in a motorcycle accident while racing at the Isle of Man. He blames the tyres explaining that rubber was scarce at the time, tyres were very brittle and large chunks of rubber would peel of the tyres if you tried to corner at any speed, sending you into the fence. In 1949, he raced at the Isle of Man and elsewhere on a 1937 KTT 350 Velocette he’d bought for 75 pound. He also had a MAC 350 Velocette. The race track was also the start of his passion for Rileys having been introduced to them as a child by the famous racing car driver, Freddie Dixon who knew his aunt well. Jack recalls that Freddie once bought him an ice cream. Jack started work as a toolmaker’s apprentice at Charnwood Engineering, Leicester where he worked for 4 years before joining the Royal Navy. After the war, he worked in the tool room at Cottons Engineering, Loughbough where they manufactured hosiery machinery. It was here that another family connection was responsible for his coming to Australia. Lorna, the cousin of one his workmates, was visiting the UK on holiday. They met but she The National
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Ken with Jack at the official opening of “The Shed” in March. Photo by Wendy Lonie, Qld
August 2013
I have learnt to check with Jack before trying to source any replacement parts that I am sure Jack will not carry. To my surprise, he has steering column wiring looms, gearbox needle roller sets, sets of head studs, water pump pulleys and stocks of hard to get BSF nuts and bolts. Jack’s modifications have also included thermostat housings with modern thermostats and water pump seals. He has also machined out the white metal main bearing housings on RMBs to take standard Mazda slipper bearings. Although Jack’s motto has been to keep Rileys on the road, he has also a keen interest in the original BMC Mini. He has a 1969 Riley Elf which Ian Henderson, another long-time club member and close friend, now uses daily and has almost completed restoring a beautiful Morris Mini Cooper from about 1965. Of course it has a few Jack Warr improvements.
Jack recently bought a new John Cooper Works Mini Coupe, but is still to tame it. His daughter has already tried to swap cars with him. The stats on his new car are impressive, but Jack says that he has yet to venture out of first gear. In addition to the Elf, Cooper and new Mini Coupe, Jack still has his trusty Pathfinder which he has owned for most of his life in Australia, although it doesn’t do many miles these days. It is probably a tough decision whether to take the new Coupe or the Pathfinder for a run. At the event in March it was noted that Jack has tirelessly helped members to keep their cars on the road for many, many years and has ensured that parts were available at very affordable prices. Without Jack’s efforts, a number of cars would not have remained on the road and would now have been scrapped. The knowledge and experience he has passed on would also have been lost forever.
Where We’ve Met Over The Years 1964 – 2013 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989
S.A. Qld. Vic. A.C.T. W.A. N.S.W. S.A. Qld. Vic. A.C.T. W.A. N.S.W. S.A. W.A. Qld. Vic. A.C.T. W.A. N.S.W S.A. Qld. Vic. W.A. N.S.W.S S.A.
Barossa to Pt Augusta
Toowoomba Beechworth Queanbeyan Porongurup Tumut Naracoorte Maryborough Tasmania Canberra Collie Cowra Hahndorf Alice Springs Brisbane Ballarat Cooma Guildford Nowra Burra Maroochydore Rawson Pemberton Muswellbrook Goolwa
1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964
A.C.T. Qld. Vic. WA N.S.W. S.A. Qld. Vic. N.S.W. A.C.T. S.A. Qld. NSW N.S.W. N.S.W. N.S.W. N.S.W. N.S.W. N.S.W. N.S.W. A.C.T. N.S.W. N.S.W. N.S.W. N.S.W.
Canberra Ipswich Echuca York Mudgee McLaren Vale Toowoomba Mt. Beauty Port Macquarie Canberra Barossa Valley Gold Coast Parkes Parkes Dubbo Cowra Merimbula Griffith Bega Albury Queanbeyan Wagga Wagga Yass Yass
Background Photo: Bev Wilson and David Thomson in their newly-acquired Lynx head towards The Riley Roundup at Tumut, 2008. Photo by Diana Pinkney, S.A.
The National
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August 2013
BEECHWORTH RESCUE with our membership that included accommodation, hire car, and tow. They even contacted our accommodation to advise them not to charge us but to bill them! (smiles all round)
by Bill Skully from S.A. The Beechworth Rescue was a collaboration of minds. Two and a half years ago the National Rally spent part of a beautiful Autumn in Beechworth, Victoria. My wife, Julie and I had travelled there in our RME (Leda) like many others, in convoy with other Rileys and their owners.
Like the head, the clouds were lifting. Meanwhile Rowland was tensioning the head. We had the car back well before dinner and it was champagne all round for the pit crew. By the way, the car hire was also a side business of Ian’s. He directed me to walk across the road, jump his back fence and use his stationwagon. The keys were in it!
If you are ever in Beechworth, then stop and say hello to Ian and Our particular little intrepid bunch included South Australians Leigh Joan Downs at the RACV garage in the main street. We were not charged a cent for the use of their garage that day and for the use of Johnson (navigator) with partner Helen Miller (antique enthusiast all tools needed. extraordinaire) in their RMB, Brian Gannon from W.A. in his speedy little Elf together with friends Roland Palmer and Georgie Bennett also from W.A. in their RME.
About Leda
The W.A. mob met the Crow Eaters in a coffee shop near the Adelaide foothills and set off to Beechworth. Little did Julie and I know how much we would come to rely on Roland’s, Brian’s and Leigh’s goodwill and mechanical abilities in the very near future. Like most Riley events of this kind the fun was had in the touring, the bakeries, the antique shops and the unexpected-as when Julie led us off the route to little Murtoa and we discovered her Greatgrandfather had started Concordia College there, and the town was very keen to share their wonderful secrets. You’ll never , never know if you never , never go certainly rang true. And if you have never seen the Flinders Ranges, in South Australia, then ditto!! SO…There we were in Beechworth and ready with polished car and wine to head off in Leda to Mount Beauty for lunch on the first run of the National Rally. We pulled in for fuel and were then enthusiastically leading the pack up the hill out of Yackandandah. That’s when disaster struck.
“Leda and the Swan” was published in William Butler Yeats’ 1928 collection “The Tower” - one of the most celebrated and important literary works of the 20th century. At least one major critic has called “Leda and the Swan” the greatest poem of the 20th Century. Yeats’ poem was inspired by a Greek myth in which Zeus, disguised as a swan, sexually assaults Leda, the daughter of a king named Thestius. In many versions of the story, Zeus merely seduces Leda. This is definitely not the case in Yeats’ graphic version. Leda gets pregnant and gives birth to Helen of Troy the most beautiful woman in the world. According to the story, Helen was hatched from an egg. Phew,..... what a story
Very little compression all of a sudden and every sign of a blown head gasket! Leigh, who was right behind us was quickly on the scene, also the Pinkneys and then Brian Gannon. We were surrounded thank God! Spark plugs out, some fingers in and pressure testing- all clever stuff from my perspective. Following sound advice we slowly crawled back down the hill to Yackandandah, where the RAA was called and we were connected to the RACV in Beechworth. Then along came Ian Downs with his car trailer and Leda was put aboard for a not-so-triumphant return to Beechworth and his RACV garage in the main street. There was a large town parade the next day, so clever Ian left his trailer complete with Leda atop as a free display opposite his workshop in the main street! Perhaps this is what sprung everyone into action because that afternoon the pack mentality leapt to the fore and the Riley folk began to gather…..a gasket or several from the Victorian club, tools from Rowland, hands on help and advice from all especially Chris Gilbert, leadership like a director from Leigh, plenty of grunt from Brian and finally the head was dislodged. The crew was set to finish in time for dinner at 7pm and they managed with minutes to spare! It is worth pointing out here that in the meantime Julie had been back to The RAA and they insisted on us taking a package available The National
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Mr.Bean the well-knitted traveller in the window of the old school house at Murtoa. The writer, Rowland Palmer, is the reflected figure next to him, a fortuitous photo with Photo by Leigh Johnson. no photoshopping. Page 22
August 2013
- TWO STORIES, ONE HAPPY ENDING by Rowland Palmer from W.A. When I was first invited to write an article for the National Crank I had a moment of hesitation wondering what would be of interest to members across the nation and indeed around the world. I then thought of the way members of Riley clubs come together when trouble strikes. What follows is my experience in helping a fellow Riley owner. On our way to the Beechworth National Rally in 2011 we had the privilege to meet up with a few of the SA club members. Our first grateful experience was the way we were met at the airport (our Riley was coming over the Nullarbor by train) and taken to our billet at Doug McPherson’s house. We had two great days at Doug’s and then we were taken to the station to pick up our Riley. Fantastic Riley spirit. On picking up “Bess” we made our way to a delightful café to meet the rest of the SA group who were travelling with us. Bill has listed them on the opposite page. Once the introductions were over, it was into the breakfast, which was fantastic and certainly set the mood for the trip to Beechworth. A route was then outlined which would take us off the beaten track and see some of rural SA and Victoria. It would also include a visit to a town that Julie Skully’s relatives had lived in. The trip was well organised ensuring morning tea stops at various bakeries which is a Riley tradition, which I love and I know others do too.
Getting there - another town, another bakery. Bill Skully captures the moment at. Murchison, near Violet Town, Vic. Photo by Leigh Johnson
I had worked for 27 years with the RACWA, so I hoped I would have a good rapport with the garage owner and that he would let us work on his premises. There was no problem there. I had a quick look at the car and found the head gasket had blown. Just as I finished looking at the car, Bill arrived and I told him the news. He was very surprised that the gasket had blown as he had just got the car back from a full engine overhaul before we left S.A. I showed him the damage - the compression was even on cylinders 3 and 4. He looked very glum. But I told him to cheer up as I had Chris Gilbert coming over to give me a hand and we would change the head gasket. I had one with me just in case for my 1½ but as I was discussing this with Bill, Brian Graham from the Victorian club came by and told us that he had all the gaskets required. So I said to Bill, “Let’s get stuck into it”. It was 1pm and I had agreed to meet Chris at 1.30pm. Bill and I pulled off the hood and stays. I quickly realized that Bill’s mechanical skills were very limited. Anyway I carried on, rocker covers, rockers and push rods out, water pump and fan off. By this time Chris had arrived. He rolled up his sleeves and got stuck into disconnecting the choke, fast idle and accelerator linkages. I pulled off the water manifold and disconnected the exhaust manifold. By this time word must have got out that there was a repair going on at the Beechworth Garage as it seemed everybody was popping in. Leigh Johnson arrived as I was about to undo the head nuts and stripped off to do something useful.
Julie had made a knitted Mr. Bean Bear which became our trip mascot. I still have fond memories of “Ted”. But I digress, as I said earlier it never ceases to amaze me how Riley folk will help each other I could not believe the head nut tension. So much so that I decided when trouble strikes. One experience I was involved in happened a to check them all before I removed them. They varied between 15 few days later but it probably started back at that café when we first and 20 ft pounds per square inch. They should have been 45. I met Julie and Bill Skully and a friendship was born. showed Bill and asked him whether the head nuts had been re-tensioned. He said that the people who did the work told him that We were on our first outing on the rally and on a trip to Yackandanda and Mt Beauty in this lovely part of Victoria. Georgie he did not have to do this as it was a mono-torque type gasket. I told him this was wrong and his car proves that point. and I were having a great time taking in the sites and never really thought of troubles that might strike us or others. On our return to Beechworth, we had free time to look around the town and to see the Anyway, all head nuts were off and then Chris and I pulled off the cylinder head. Sure enough, the head gasket was blown between carnival which was to take place that afternoon. I was told that the cylinder 3 and 4, a common enough problem!! Skullys had trouble in Yackandanda and had to be towed back to Beechworth. We had taken 1½ hrs to get this far. Pretty good for a couple of old At this time the information was rather sketchy as to what was wrong guys with a couple of first-year apprentices. Next was to clean all the old gasket material from the head, block and exhaust manifold and with the Skullys’ car but I spoke with Chris Gilbert, one of our members from W.A., and we agreed to help out if we could and that start the reassembly process. About this time Brian Graham returned with all the required gaskets. we would meet at the garage at 1.30pm. In the meantime Georgie and I had a bite to eat at the famous Beechworth Bakery, which was really good food. I told her that she’d have to see the rest of the carnival on her own because I felt the need to go to the RACV breakdown garage and see what the problem was with Bill’s 1½. She looked at me “understandingly” as she has done so many times before.
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Poor Bill was in a state of shock seeing his pride and joy pored over by what I am sure to the layman would seem like a pack of deranged men. I assured him that all was well and that Chris and I knew what we were doing and qualified to do this and were not just blindly pulling things apart even if it looked that way to him. All was cleaned up then a quick check of the head and block for straightness ready for the new head gasket, not before getting a few of
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The Lovely Leda all dressed and back safely at The Linaker after her shocking experience. Photo by Leigh Johnson.
the head studs realigned (with a hammer). Now it was time to put the cylinder head back on. Chris on one side, me on the other with Bill and Leigh holding various cables and the exhaust manifold clear, and then on it went. The hard work was done.
would occupy him for some time while we got on with more important things. He certainly looked the mechanic, shirt off down to his singlet and sweat on the brow etc. A picture I will never forget. (See photo below. Ed)
I put on the head nuts and Chris put on the water pump and exhaust manifold. Bill and Leigh watched on and were keen to get in and help. We sent them on errands while I borrowed a torque wrench from the garage owner and torqued down the head nuts to 45 pound per square inch. Brian Gannon our other W.A. traveller arrived about this time to lend another hand. It was 2.30pm and going well. We were on target for dinner at 7pm, all showered and dolled up.
On with the water manifold and we were moving along nicely. The odd cable was giving the apprentices a hard time, but apart from that they were doing a great job. On with the push rods and rocker arms, adjust the tappets, on with the rocker covers, fill with water and we were nearly there at 3.15pm. One final check of all the work, then prime the pump. I told Bill to start her up. She fired straight away, and there were cheers and photos all round.
It was at this time I let Leigh loose to do something. His job was to apply some silicon (his gap-filler of choice) to a gasket. We knew this
Chris and Leigh went off to get ready for dinner. Bill and I stayed and ran the car until it was good and hot, checking for fuel and water leaks. There were none. I removed the rocker covers and re-tensioned the head nuts. Bill was quite surprised to see that I got another 5lbs per square inch on each nut. I told him that this is quite normal and that we would do it again the following morning when she was cold. I checked and adjusted the tappets and then on with the rocker covers. After a quick road test (less the hood) I was quite happy that all was well. So we put the hood on the back seat and headed back to The Linaker to dress for dinner. Despite our first-year apprentices the entire job took 4½ hrs which is a good effort. A cylinder head remove and refit on a Riley 1½ normally takes around 6 hrs. So I think we all did very well with no workshop etc. I got up early the next day and Bill was waiting for me. We removed the rocker covers and rechecked the nuts for tension. All was well. We checked the tappets, adjusted a couple and buttoned her up. Then on with the hood and she was as good as new. I told Bill to check the head nut tension when he got home. I haven’t heard from Bill for a while so I presume all is well. However the WARRANTY period is well over now!!
Putting the pieces together - clockwise from left: Chris Gilbert, Rowland Palmer, Brian Gannon, Bill Skully and Leigh Johnson.
Photo by..................
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Sagging more on one Side New Topic
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Posted: Monday, 1 July 2013. 8.13 pm After 40 years together my Ruby is definitely not looking like she did back in the 70’s when she became part of my life. Back then she was a pretty magnificent sight and went like a rocket. Well maybe a Riley rocket. Now, things are sagging where they shouldn’t be. I’ve tried to compensate by loading her up on the other side like when we go shopping but...one side is definitely lower than the other and it’s getting more noticeable. On club runs it’s just embarrassing. What do you suggest?
Tim
Posted: Monday, 1 July 2013. 10.04 pm Does she look like this? My old girl had a bad case of the droops until I bit the bullet. First thing I would do is have a real close look to see if anythings broken.
David
Posted: Tuesday, 2 July 2013. 8.35 pm Have checked. Nothing obvious. There are a few blemishes and scars from previous encounters with overzealous types but things are still holding together as intended. Elasticity seems to be the problem.
Arthur
Posted: Wednesday, 3 July 2013. 9.26 pm Before spending money try measuring from the ground up to each mid point - middle of the arch. Sometimes looks can be deceiving if you’re on a bit of a slope. It’d pay to make sure.
David
Posted: Thursday 4 July 2013. 6.09 pm Did that. Definitely a discrepancy.
Colin
Posted: Thursday, 4 July 2013. 7.32 pm One option is a complete replacement of the offending parts. It might cost a bit but you can be sure that the problem will be fixed.
David
Posted: Thursday, 4 July 2013. 8.54 pm Not likely. Sounds expensive and there might be some opposition from the other half.
Arthur
Posted: Thursday, 4 July 2013. 9.37 pm What about adding an extra leaf or two? That’s gotta be a cheap option.
David
Posted: Thursday, 4 July 2013. 9.51 pm Sounds like a good idea. We’ve got plenty that we could use. I’ll have a go and get back to you.
David
Posted: Monday, 8 July 2013. 7.32 pm It wasn’t easy but I managed to add a couple of leaves but it doesn’t seem to have made any difference.
Arthur
Posted: Tuesday, 9 July 2013. 9.50 pm It must have. Can you post a photo and we can see exactly what the problem might be?
David
The National
Posted: Wednesday, 10 July 2013. 7.44 pm Image moved by Here’s what it looks like. As you can see no difference. Just a look of disapproval from the other half. Don’t ask about the tie. Do you Forum Administrator to Photo Gallery. See here. Go to page 28 think the leaves might be the wrong size? Crank
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Advertising Riley - Fact or Fiction by Leigh Johnson from Adelaide.
We’re not talking here about whether it really was “Magnificent Motoring” or whether it was the car you wanted to drive/ stay in/ be noticed in or whatever but “Every Inch a Riley” gives us a clue to this author’s intentions. An energetic Ford Avenue Productions staff writer has set his sights on winning a Walkley by suggesting that the Riley Advertising Department was “using” either something in the blood stream or the equivalent of Photoshop and doing it badly. Like a 1½ he takes a bit to get going but I’ll let you be the judge. Far be it from me to interfere with the quest for a Walkley. thought anything was wrong with the picture on the plasma and whether people looked a bit short and fat one replied “Nup, looks good to me. I love fat chicks.” Now if you know anything about beach volley ball you’d know that the “chicks” are anything but fat. End of discussion. Sometimes you just have to give up and wonder.
If you’re one of those people who walks into a hotel, club, or motel room and, on looking at the television, sees Tony or Kevin looking like this and isn’t troubled then you should not read on. Some people’s brains are attuned to correct aspect ratio. Some people are not. To give you an example.....I was in a pub the other day and two blokes at the front bar were focussed on the big screen behind the bar which was completely out of aspect so that players on the field looked like the sides of barns (more so than your average League player) and about the height of your average sand castle. Before I could interact with the perceptive patrons the scene changed to beach volleyball. True. On enquiring whether they
But sometimes it’s not just the patrons in the pub who can’t see through their beer goggles. People with this disability could be your closest friends. As I discovered to my great despair recently they could be a very close relative. Although to be fair, in that case, it was more a case of apathy than pathology and a desire to watch the next episode of friends rather than read the dvd player’s instruction book. Now as you know, aspect ratio is all about perspective;. Do things look like they would in real life is the question. The Egyptians never cottoned on thinking everyone should look like this. They would carve magnificent 3D portraits in stone but when it came to painting every head was in profile. You have to wonder. Some say it was a religious thing. If it was, it’s just one more thing that you can blame on religion. Now skip a few thousand years and you’re sitting around the committee table at the Oakbank Hotel in the Adelaide Hills planning the Oakbank Race Meeting. I don’t know about you but I expect that one or two of those blokes knew what a horse looked liked. Nevertheless they signed off on this poster. If the horses looked like that on race day then I reckon they had a handicap before they got anywhere near the track. Not the least of their problems would be that their undercarriage might touch the ground while in full gallop.
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What were they thinking? They were thinking exactly what other people were thinking at the time. This is how we must represent a horse even though it looks nothing like a real horse.
Peter Kesteven’s contribution to the WA newsletter
I hope that by now you can see where I’m heading. Here’s another example. In its day you would have paid a lot of money for this representation of two horses that don’t look like horses. If you think I’m wrong you really shouldn’t read on. Wait til I’ve won the Walkley. And if you still think I’m crazy, imagine yourself on the back of half a tonne of moving horseflesh and put your arm up like the fellow on the right. Does that feel like an unnatural act or what? Now move on only 30 years and you’re in the Riley Advertising Department’s Art Room. You’re either smoking something or injecting it. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter. Pharmacists said that heroin “cleared the complexion and gave buoyancy to the mind”. Sure it did. Buoyancy that resulted further away should be “smaller”) there’s something wrong with those heads. I haven’t taken measurements but I think you can find in stuff like the two Riley images on the other page. more than the heads that are mis-sized. It’s what they thought it A few years ago Peter Kesteven in W.A. submitted an article to the might look like or what W.A .Club’s newsletter examining whether the sleek and a racy lines they wanted it to look like. of Rileys were real or created. An architect by profession, he had measured the distances and found that the proportions were accurate. (See photo top right. Ed) But hey, who gives a toss; other than those who have problems I think he’s right. That’s an with aspect and image of a beautifully perspective who should proportioned vehicle. It’s the reason why many people have really get a life? These bought Rileys. I think he just days, with Photoshop chose the wrong image or part in wide use, anomalies like these are everythereof. where. If you haven’t noticed, that’s because But compare the size of a they are so prevalent Butler Lamp in the images on your senses have been page 26 to the heads and you can see there is something amiss overpowered. here. You might say that the Sometimes you have Roadster was presented that way to stop smelling the to suggest to gullible Americans roses and attend to the I’d resign too if I started to see extra legs that they could fit their ample real detail. Extra legs following me around, extra hands where they sizes into Rileys. You might be and hands and missing shouldn’t be or a cantilevered jet liner. right. On balance, however, I nose wheels are all part suggest that even taking perof the advertising person’s armoury these days. spective into account (which Just to keep pedant people like me on their toes. means that things that are
Beautiful Proportions...
..and beautiful lines, the reasons why so many people have bought Rileys, captured here by Michael Gilbert son of Wendy and Chris from W.A. www.michaelgilbertphotography.com The National
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August 2013
Photo Gallery Print
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Comments on this photo Posted by
ColinJ
: Wednesday, 10 July 2013. 8.13 pm
I think you have reached the wrong forum David. However, I note that the Forum Administrator has retained your posted image on this site so I will examine it more closely. Posted by
Bruce_the_ Brute
: Wednesday, 10 July 2013. 8.14 pm
Daaaave.......Maaate ...........I wanna know more about the tie Posted by
Handy_Andy
: Wednesday, 10 July 2013. 10.15 pm
Davyboy Grate inkwork Luv sheelas with tats and specially in unaform Dated this bus driver once You should of seen her tats She had some grate storeys like the time she said to this kid who asked her how long the next bus would be and she said about the same size as this one sonny She was a hoot and she was hot too myruby.jpg [153Kb
viewed 156,753 times]
Confused about the above item? See Page 25.
Bringing Back Memories - My Riley Story By Shane Post in Darwin I started collecting cars some years ago when I purchased a 1925 Studebaker as a promotion for my company. I loved the smell and simplicity of the old Stude.
Well the other old girl was really impressed, again I think it brought back more memories. My partner doesn't share my or my son’s appreciation for old cars. However the Riley even prompted her to help clean and polish it, much to my surprise.
Around Christmas two years ago I saw an advert for a 1953 Chev Truck and my son and I decided to go look at it. As soon as we pulled up I thought ...this looks like a lot of work. However as soon as my son, who was nearly four years old, saw it he said "Oh cool dad. The brakes need some Can we get it". I was shocked by his appreciation of old cars so had attention and the upholstery needs some work. no choice but to buy it. Unfortunately I haven't had the time to spend with it but the desire is My father has taken a liking to it also and has stripped the panels and still there. I also acquired a boat so that has diverted my attention a little. has a new profession in his retirement of panel beating and spray painting. Anyway that’s the story of my Riley. I was then hooked and saw an ad in the paper for a 1953 Riley. I thought .......what the hell, I’ll go have a look at it. It had been sitting in a warehouse for over 10 years. So I purchased this brown Riley. When I got it home I hosed it down and to my surprise under what was now mud emerged a maroon Riley. The fuel tank was full of dried fuel and rust. My 80 something year old grandmother was up visiting and absolutely loved it. I think it brought back some distant memories but I dared not ask. I was determined to get it running before she went back south so I Disclaimer spent all weekend stripping out the fuel tank and rebuilding the carby Readers are advised that the views and opinions expressed in the National Crank are solely the views and opinions of the contributors and are not etc. On the Sunday just after lunch the old girl fired back to life. necessarily the views and opinions of the management or membership of the Riley Motor Club of South Australia Inc.
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Naracoorte to Darwin by Jack Trolley The last national gathering in South Australia was at Naracoorte in 2007. Six years on, the 2013 National Rattle of Rileys finishes in Port Augusta and from there a group of Riley enthusiasts head north on the long drive to Darwin. 72 years ago a young doctor in Naracoorte made the journey to Darwin in very different circumstances. It was September 1941 and Harold Keith (Pat) Pavy had been appointed specialist surgeon at the Army General Hospital in Darwin.
Dr Pat and his “fine new Buick with self starter” in a sand-drift on the Coorong Road, 1921
We travelled for about ten miles before the track disappeared into water. The art of driving over this submerged road was to keep up Dr Pat Pavy lived in the main street of Naracoorte in what is sufficient speed to skid through the slippery parts without creating now the Art Gallery which some of those who attended the enough splash to get water on to the distributor and plugs. Suddenly my guide pulled out of the tracks and headed for a fence. National Rattle in 2007 would have visited. While in He cut the wire and we drove through, proceeding for the next mile Naracoorte recently a South Australian club member Bill or so at the foot of the sandhills between the Ninety Mile Beach Skully uncovered a typewritten story written by Dr Pat. and the road, dodging rabbit warrens and boobialla bushes as well as we could. The reason for my friend's strange manoeuvre soon Research revealed that it was part of the manuscript for his became obvious: the road disappeared into a lagoon with water autobiography which was published in 1979 entitled “Bush several feet in depth. Having avoided this impassable area, we cut Surgeon”. What follows is few extracts from the the fence again and drove back on to the road. autobiography which focus on driving conditions at the time Up to the time of the construction of the barrages at the both around Naracoorte and on the trip north to Darwin. Murray River mouth, a magnificent straight ten mile track existed at the southern end of the Coorong just before it reaches Cantara Station. This stretch, known as the Pipe Clay Track, ran along There was no all-weather road from Naracoorte to Adelaide until the beach, and consisted of a very smooth, firm bed of shell grit long after the first World War. During the 1920-30 period, the and clay. It was possible to use it when the water was low-at low overland track from Bordertown and Keith to Tailem Bend was tide there were only a few inches of water at the bottom end of the impassable in summer because of deep sand extending through the Coorong. One could drive a car across the water to the sandhills Ninety Mile Desert, and in winter because of water-logged flats. on the western side, and from there walk over the narrow strip of Occasionally an adventurous driver would get through after suffiland to the Ninety Mile ocean beach. This ten mile stretch of pipe cient rain had consolidated the sand and before the flats became clay was the only straight level track suitable for motorcar racing in too wet. The drive through the Coorong from Kingston to Menthe South-East. It was inevitable, therefore, that the owners of ingie always resulted in a battle of wits, chiefly because parts of it cars from adjacent areas should try their cars out here. Some of were covered with drift sand. The Kingston end of the track over the oldest inhabitants of the district still relate the thrill they felt the low-lying areas followed the old coach roads, which had been when they found that their particular car could reach sixty miles reduced over the years to a solid layer of shellgrit or limestone. In per hour. When my single-seater Buick managed to clock eightymany places the ancient tracks had been worn down to about a foot Continued on Page 30 below the level of the surrounding soil, and of course these trenches were filled with water in wintertime. For the driver, the general effect was that of driving one's motorcar into an irrigation ditch of unknown depth and length. The terrain was dead flat and the tracks stretched into the distance until they were out of sight. One day I had to make an emergency trip to Adelaide, this time in my fine new Buick. To make sure of getting into the right ruts, I arranged for a friend who had been born in the Kingston district to lead the way in his car as far as Salt Creek. From Salt Creek to Meningie the road was rough but reasonably safe if driven with care: miles of rough metal, stretches of natural tracks on the flats, and bumpy tracks over some of the limestone rises. To get to Kingston it was necessary to drive from Naracoorte through Penola, Millicent, Beachport, and Robe. The direct road from Naracoorte to Kingston did not exist at this time and the Old Naracoorte-Robe road was under water for miles across the Konetta Flats. After spending the night at the Kingston Hotel, we 88 years later, Antill ReRe-enactment Run, Coorong Road, 2009. had an early breakfast, put the chains on the back wheels of the two Nines belonging to Pat & Mike Osborne, Mary & Keith Harris cars, and away we went over the first reasonably good stretch. and Phil Evans.
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five miles an hour, no one appeared to believe it. Admittedly, I had had the benefit of a good stiff following wind.
high. The creek bed was usually of sand, very treacherous to drive through, or occasionally of smooth rock. The flats were mostly very good, with smooth tracks, but the hills were frequently covered with Captain Moody and I set off in his army utility (from Alice Springs) desert sandstone boulders in all sorts of sizes and shapes. for the Northern Territory railhead. Over 600 miles of back tracks The trip involved “hanging on tight” while the driver with miles of graded road which the army was making to maintain slithered the vehicle down a roughly hewn-out road on one side, transport lines to Darwin. In order to preserve the road surface, being tossed helplessly about while ploughing through the sand or speeds were limited to thirty-five miles per hour for cars and twenty over the rocks of the river bed, and then being whacked on to your miles per hour for trucks. These speed regulations were strictly back while the driver enforced, with the result that the roads built up rapidly and were scrambled up a precipitous maintained with excellent gravel surfaces until they were finally track on the other side. The sealed. By this time, the foundations had consolidated and the road driver, of course, had the surfaces were very smooth. wheel to cling to, and also When the Americans arrived and were placed under these had the advantage of speed restrictions, one C.O. was heard to remark that we would knowing what he was trying “never win the war at twenty miles per hour” This American unit, to do. The poor passenger the 808 Engineers, had been diverted from the Philippines before had only his rosary to hold Manila had fallen. The unit had travelled with their huge on to, if that, and perhaps earthmoving equipment (we had never seen the like except in the thought that his life American magazines) by rail to Alice Springs. They then set off by insurance was paid up so that road from the Alice to Birdum. Having arrived at the railhead the at least the family would not C.O. sized up the position on the spot and said, “We shall build our be left penniless. own road.” The 808 surveyors started mapping the road the same How the American army morning. engineers bulldozed that road The country between Birdum and Darwin was very hilly through in so short a time and rocky. There were quite a number of big rivers to cross, left the rest of the Territory beginning with the Roper and including the Katherine and the Ade- open-mouthed. To realise laide, which could be up to seventy feet deep and miles across in the that the 808 Engineers not Wet. Before the road was built, I had been driven from Darwin to only surveyed it but built it Katherine to attend a clinical meeting. This was the roughest track including crossings over I have ever travelled, including those of the South-East in the early many turbulent little creeks days. To me it was an amazing thing that a motorcar could made us realise what a magnificent contribution the Americans were negotiate such difficulties; but we did, and the driver thought noth- making to the war effort.” ing of it. At times it was difficult to stay in the car at all, let alone stay on the seat. Most of the dry creek beds we crossed were lined Bush Surgeon by Pat Pavy was published by Rigby Ltd. in 1979 by straight walls of black earth anything from seven to twenty feet 194 pages, hardback with photographs
Near Humeville A.C.T. A lovely “little” spot
Major painting completed.
Photos by Bruce Hume, A.C.T. See Page 12 for more information
Local wee persons inspect the detail of the interior
Trial assembly of the seats
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The finished project at the new house near Humeville Page 30
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Minutes of General Meeting held 16 July 2013 at Parkside Primary School President Cheryl Horne opened meeting at 8.00pm Present: Barry & Nancy Softley, David Retalic, Bill & Joy Watson, Rob McAllister, Doug McPherson, Helen & Trevor Praite, David Gunn, Peter Lobb, Jann & Chris Tate, Annette & Chris Kinney, Leigh Johnson, David Crack, Hedley Bachmann, Ian Noakes, Cheryl Horne, Mark Denton, John Henderson, Liz Pike, Lee Friedrichs, Bill Gallagher, Chris Catt, Lee & Guli Paltridge, Bev Wilson, David Thomson, Phil Evans, Peter Leppard, Julie Skully (As per attendance book, if your name is not listed please let the Secretary know) Apologies: Bill & Kerry Chinnick, Paul Stark, Bill Skully, Bev Hughes Minutes of previous general meeting held 18 June accepted as read. Proposed by Hedley Bachmann, Seconded by Guli Paltridge Correspondence in: Leaflet from Allstar Custom Apparel, Blue Diamond July 2013, Shannon's Sydney Auction leaflet for 21 July Correspondence out: none Treasurer's report: General account Opening balance 1/6/13 4825.35 Income - Club subscription 50.00 Income Total 4875.35 Less expenses Snap Printing 140.25, Club suppers 24.25, Crank postage 46.20 Display for Nuffield/SA History week 102.70 Deposit on car badges for August event 577.50 Less unpresented cheques: Balance on car badges for August event 616.55 (to be reimbursed) Snap Printing 129.00 Crank postage 42.80 Club suppers 16.24 Closing reconciled balance in general a/c 3179.86 Term deposit 6323.17 Total in general funds 9503.03 Bev Wilson explained that the Club general account had been used in the interim to pay for some Event expenses. This would now be reimbursed because a cheque book had been received for the Event account. Current Event account funds were approx $31,000 but expenses were now due to be paid to venues and suppliers. The Event account is budgeted to break even. It was proposed by Bev Wilson and seconded by Hedley Bachmann that the financial reports be accepted. Spare Parts report: David Thomson advised that new spare parts would not be available from August to mid Sept. Chris Kinney advised that second hand spare parts would not be available from August to approx end October. Chris Catt advised that he had some Riley spare parts to donate to the Club and other spare parts for sale. Technical Questions: Hedley Bachmann had brought a RM Fuel sender unit with float attached and he spoke about how it works, why it had failed and his experience in repairing it. Federation Report: Chris Kinney advised that the Federation only met every 2 months so there was no general information from those committee meetings. He and Cheryl Horne did speak briefly on a meeting held recently with Riley committee members. Due to the State Registrars and new Conditions on Historic Registration, our own Club Constitution needs to be amended to acknowledge historic registration, and the acceptance of Riley and nonRiley historic vehicles in our Club. Membership fees must be paid on or before 31 December each year, Log books also must be signed off on or before 31 December each year. The only two (2) months grace period applied to the lodging of our Club's historic registration report by our Club Registrar with the State Registrar, SA Government. Our Club would still include non-financial members up to 31 March each year, but would thereafter cease sending monthly newsletters. Clubs can expect to be audited and will lose their historic registration status if found to be in breach of the legislation. Our Club needs to change its Constitution by the 2014 AGM, but the new legislation applies now in all other respects. Other Business: Bill Watson advised that the Nuffield day finances had not been finalised as they were still awaiting an account on the rental of the Torrens Parade Ground. Once wound up, there should/could be some monies available for distribution back to our Club. Mark Denton advised that sponsorship monies had been received from Shannon's Insurance which now made the Pichi Richi Steam Railway trip possible for the National Rattle of Rileys. Bev Wilson provided an update on the August Events and answered questions. Chris Kinney provided details for the monthly July run. The meeting closed at 8.55pm.
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AUGUST 2 - 4 Preliminary activities in Adelaide leading into The National Rattle of Rileys and “Rileys Through the Red Centre”. 5 - 9 The National Rattle of Rileys. 9 - 31 Adelaide to Darwin Run. “Rileys Through the Red Centre” 20 Club Meeting View a video of a past National Rally or two. SEPTEMBER 1 Drive Your Historic Car Day We've been invited by the Armstrong Siddeley Club to join with them and some other clubs on a special run for this day. Starts at the Campbelltown Council and Public Library building, 172 Montacute Road, Newton. Enter the parking area via Anderson Court - bus stop 23 is opposite. 10.15 for a 10.30 start. Bring chairs and a picnic lunch. The drive will end up in the northern suburbs at a location where there will be shelter and toilets after a run through the hills. 17 Club Meeting 29 Club Run The Bay To Birdwood Classic. Volunteers are required for marshalling along the new route up the SE Freeway and on through Oakbank and Mt Torrens. Lunch afterwards. Details to come. OCTOBER 14-27 The Federation Tour to Canberra. This tour will take entrants to Canberra to take part in the Canberra Centenary Rally avoiding major highways where possible and visiting many points of interest on the way and on the return journey. 15 Club Meeting 20 Club Run Strathalbyn Swap Meet followed by Lunch. NOVEMBER 1-5 The Border Run - Craters to The Coast 2013. A weekend packed with mandolins, mansions, markets and much, much, more. Organised by Merrian and Colin Dennis from Camperdown 03 5593 2417 Details were in the July Crank.
The Riley Motor Club of South Australia Committee - April 2013 to March 2014 PRESIDENT:
Cheryl Horne (H) 8339 3404 (cho73874@bigpond.net.au) SECRETARY: Kerry Chinnick (H) 8339 8675 (M) 0417806183 kerryc@hotwire.com.au TREASURER: Peter Leppard PO Box 1123 Kensington Gardens 5068 (H) 8332 0002 (mleppard@tne.net.au) CLUB CAPTAIN: Mark Denton PO Box 99 Kensington Park 5068 (H) 8431 5464 (M) 0417 886 397 (denton@adam.com.au) SPARE PARTS (New) David Thomson (H) 8556 8547 (M) 0427 386 220 (bev.david@hotmail.com) SPARE PARTS (Old) Chris Kinney (H) 8379 1724 PUBLIC OFFICER: Kerry Chinnick (see above) HISTORIC VEHICLES Hedley Bachmann AM (H) 8261 4122 (REGISTRAR: (hedley.bachmann@adelaide.on.net) ALTERNATE Chris Kinney (see above) and REGISTRARS: Anne Bachmann OAM - (see above) EDITORS: Liz Pike (M) 0408 291 800 (hendojc@adam.com.au) and Mark Denton (M) 0417 886 397 (denton@adam.com.au) REPRESENTATIVE TO THE FEDERATION OF HISTORIC MOTORING CLUBS SA: Chris Kinney – (see above) OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Paul Stark, Ian Noakes Non-Committee LIBRARIAN/WEBSITE MANAGER: Leigh Johnson (H) 8271 8638 (leighj@adam.com.au)
CLUB MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 267 Fullarton SA 5063
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