September 2012
PO Box 655, South Perth, WA 6951
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Thank you to all those members that turned up for the Special General Meeting (SGM) in September. We ended up with 24 members and many of their partners at the meeting, which, although less than half the club, was enough to form a voting quorum. We also had 8 members submit proxy forms to cast their votes in their absence. The result of the evening was that all motions were passed except for the proposal to introduce Temporary membership. That issue received a 50/50 vote either way, therefore under our Rules of Association it did not reach the 75% acceptance needed to pass. So the club will retain a visitor policy for the time being. The committee will decide at the September committee of management meeting how that policy will be managed. Trips will continue to be run with no fees involved for members and visitors. One thing that has been found with this recent change proposal is that many members do not understand the basics of the club’s insurance cover. Last year our club’s Insurance Officer, Roger Freegard, wrote a very handy overview of the insurance policy. This overview is available for you to read in the member’s area of the club’s web site. I plan to have an information session at our member’s meeting in the coming months to also explain the insurance further. It was mentioned at the SGM this year there has been just 4 members willing to volunteer to lead day-trips. We have a club of over 60 families, so I’m sure amongst us there is someone eager to step up and volunteer to lead a trip. The process is not as hard as it appears, and many discover after their first trip-leading exploit that it is very enjoyable. There are many senior members in the club, including myself, that will be more than willing to provide advice and guidance to anyone that asks. If you have the inclination, please contact out Trip Coordinator to discuss your plans. There was a considerable lack of food supplied for the September meeting. This was surprising because we had a very good turn out of members and visitors. Thanks to Richard Nichols, who shot out during the meeting to buy additional supplies, we were able to provide a decent supper for everyone. Therefore, I need to remind everyone, whether you are on your own or with a partner, a small plate of finger food is expected if you intend staying after the meeting. The Perth 4WD Show is coming up in November. Members are asked to lend a hand for a few hours or two at the club’s stand. Entry to the show is free for volunteers and those with formal 4WD training or at least 2 years experience in the club can also volunteer to drive the new demo 4WDs around the test track. Please contact Paul Ryan or Stephen Kalyniuk if you can spare the time. By the time this is published, Karen and I will be travelling around Europe on holiday and will be away until mid-October. Our Vice President Dr Peter Belcher will be taking my seat to chair the committee meeting and the October member’s meeting. Thanks Peter, I hope the committee doesn’t give you a hard time! Happy driving, Martin Archer 4
The front cover this month is also the POTY for September. Taken on the Captain Fawcett trip earlier this year. Please email the editor if you took this photo.
And for a little balance‌... The Silent Treatment A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM " He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 7:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up." . 5
GPS I have a little Satnav I've had it all my life It's better than the normal ones My Satnav is my wife It gives me full instructions Especially how to drive "It's 60 kilometres an hour", it says "You're doing sixty five" It tells me when to stop and start And when to use the brake And tells me that it's never ever Safe to overtake It tells me when a light is red And when it goes to green It seems to know instinctively Just when to intervene It lists the vehicles just in front And all those to the rear And taking this into account It specifies my gear. I'm sure no other driver Has so helpful a device For when we leave and lock the car It still gives its advice It fills me up with counselling Each journey's pretty fraught So why don't I exchange it And get a quieter sort? Ah well, you see, it cleans the house, Makes sure I'm properly fed, It washes all my shirts and things And - keeps me warm in bed! Despite all these advantages And my tendency to scoff, I do wish that once a while I could turn the damned thing off.
Thursday 23 August 2012 We met at Harper Park in Guildford for a 12.30pm departure. Peter and Denise discovered they had a problem with their car and so they left with Richard and Helen to get a repair done with the intention of catching up at Bakers Hill where we had been told there was an excellent bakery. This turned out to be true. Once the group was all together again Trip Leader John ran through the plans for the trip, convoy order and procedures, radio use and duty of care. He also appointed Jeff (and Maxine) as Tail End Charlie, Richard (encouraged by Helen) as Incident Controller and Peter (with nurse Denise) as First Aider. These turned out to be very good appointments. Even before we left this stop John B. needed a jump start. Northam was the next stop to view the White Swans and the suspension bridge over the Avon River, that had been built in 1975 by J.O. Clough, costing $82,280, has a span of 117m and was designed to withstand winds of 150 km/h. Thankfully we had no winds whilst there to test the information given. The Avon River is home to 60 varieties of birds. Onwards to Goomalling for our accommodation for the next 3 nights. What a lovely park and we were well looked after. We all joined in for natter and drinks before tea. (Lyn and John Byworth) Friday 24th August 6
Richard K’s birthday, all gave birthday wishes and then set off in a seven vehicle convoy for a short drive on a beautiful morning to Wongan Hills, where after a visit to the bakery we met with Ian Johnson who was to be our local guide. He is a retired farmer with a fount of knowledge about local fauna and flora and an obvious love of his area. Ian lead us through the hills area and up to a lookout atop of Mount O’Brian where lunch was taken with attractive views over Lake Hinds towards Mounts Matilda and Rupert. Along the way we stopped to appreciate many of the local wildflowers that were in bloom. After lunch a short walk led us to an area with many Donkey Orchids and Ian showed us the lairs of several trap door and curtain spiders. Returning to Wongan Hills we thanked Ian for his expertise and after afternoon tea returned to Goomalling to prepare for a very good fish and chip supper at the local Farmer’s Club and to celebrate Richard’s special birthday. (Peter and Denise Belcher) Saturday 25 August We woke to a beautiful sunny day in Goomalling and everyone had a relaxing morning. At 11.30am we assembled the convoy for a drive to Dowerin and beyond. Dowerin was preparing for the big Dowerin Field Days the next week but that didn’t stop all the shops shutting up at 12.30pm. Even the tourist information centre was closed. But at least most of us managed to raid the bakery before it closed too! Along the way the convoy observed correct radio procedures which led to very interesting conversations and interpretations of the word “OVER”! We stopped for lunch in the bush at Namelcatchem Reserve and went wildflower and ‘well’ hunting. Found some flowers but not the old well which was used to water the explorer’s horses. Next stop was Wyalkatchem – not much happening there either. Alan & Jackie left the convoy here to visit some friends while the rest of us, now under the direction of Richard & Helen, headed for Koorda. We couldn’t even find an ice-cream shop open in Koorda so continued on to Cadoux for afternoon tea where Richard told the group about his earthquake experience in the town. Then it was back to Goomalling where most people refuelled. We had all booked in for a roast meal at the caravan park which turned out to be a sumptuous feast of minestrone soup and warm bread rolls followed by roast chicken, roast pumpkin, roast potatoes, cauliflower au gratin, green beans, then warm apple pie, custard and cream. Boy, were we full by the time we finished the meal - I think we all rolled out of the camp kitchen. Jeff presented John King with a (toy) chainsaw – insider joke! Coffee was around the camp fire kindly provided by Jeff & Maxine and then it was 7
bedtime. (Richard & Helen Kingston) Sunday August 26TH Our seven vehicles left Goomalling Caravan Park around 10.15am. We had an exciting start as Trip Leader John King was pulled over by the Police for a breathalyser! Naturally the six vehicles following him all pulled over as well. None of us arrested! We drove to Wongan Hills but on the way, we could see that John’s caravan pop top started to lift off on one side, but what happens on a trip, stays on a trip and I will not say which John this was as we had three of them in our 7 vehicle convoy! We stopped the convoy and three of the clips to hold the pop top down, were undone. We stopped in Dalwallinu for petrol. John King’s uncle used to farm in a little place nearby called Baledu. We then drove through Buntine and Maxine told us that they had friends who lived nearby. Wreath Plant - unique to WA north east of Perth to Shark Bay and inland from Geraldton. This one was on the road to Yalgoo.
There were quite a lot of wildflowers along the roadside with sprinklings of white and pink Everlastings. There were quite a few bobtails sunning themselves on the road and we managed to avoid them all. We were amazed and dismayed at the amount of rubbish scattered along the roadside. We then drove through Maya and Latham. We stopped in Perenjori for petrol. We then drove on to Moora and stopped for lunch at the Bakery. John’s car battery would not start after the lunch stop (editorial censorship forbids me from saying which John!) as the fridge draws on too much power when the vehicle is stationery. We arrived in Morawa and had an interesting walk around. We visited the little church, one of the many local churches all built by architect turned priest, Dean Hawes. My uncle and aunt came out to Morawa from England in 1952 to work on Marge and Bob Burton’s sheep station. We eventually arrived at the Mullewa Caravan Park. It was pretty full and we ended 8
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up on the ‘overflow’ part of the camp but the park electrics would not work, so we all fitted in as best we could a bit squashed up. We did a fair mileage for the day so tomorrow was designated a ‘slow’ day with a late start, not like the rush we had this morning! (Sue and John Bromberger) Monday 27 August This morning a visit to the Mullewa Wildflower Show in the Town Hall where, among hundreds of varieties of wildflowers, we saw the elusive Wreath Flower. Afterwards a walk to the Church, designed by Monsignor Hawes and now classified by the National Trust. The afternoon was a trip to Yuna to see the everlastings and a photo shoot among them. We stopped at a nature reserve where we could look down to the farms below with this most amazing view from what appeared to be just a gravel mound, which would be missed by most people. The evening was taken up with a Quiz Night, organised by John and Sue B. questions based on Australian history, won by Jackie, Peter and John K. A great day and evening. (John and Lyn Byworth) Tuesday 28 August A heavy fog started the day we went in search of the elusive Wreath flower. Setting off at 10.30am, there was plenty of radio banter, but everyone was well over the “overs”, and the chicken had been strangled, to be heard of no more! In Yalgoo, we visited the Convent Chapel, one of Monsignor John 10
Hawes’ masterpieces that was built for the Dominican Sisters by very dedicated parishioners who travelled by horseback 120 miles each way to the site. Next stop was Jokers Tunnel, which was a mine shaft through the hillside. Some of the braver Club members walked through; luckily it was before the “beware of the snakes” sign was spotted but Incident officer Richard was in front so we felt safe. While on the hillside, we received a call for help from someone near Noongal so Richard, Helen, Peter & Denise headed off to help. Everyone else enjoyed lunch overlooking the Yalgoo race course, under the shade of the old railway station verandah, then we headed off some 80kms down the road to find the Wreath flower. Our trip leader’s heart was in his mouth in case we could not find one, and it was not looking too good for his reputation for a while, but Geoff and Maxine saved him by finding several beautiful specimens, the best Rosalie had ever seen and John breathed a huge sigh of relief. John did even better by conjuring up a group of emus galloping down the dirt road in front of us for a couple of km. Geoff gave us a quick lesson on how to tell the difference between male and female emus. Quick stop for afternoon tea and headed off home, arriving just before Richard & company. Everyone busied themselves cooking up a storm for a shared meal, soup, casseroles and apple crumble, yummy! After a night of jokes and several interpretations of where the name “Wyalkatchem” came from, and the award of the day to Richard, Helen, Peter & Denise for bravery, everyone headed off to bed after a lovely and exciting day out. (Alan and Jackie Stanger) More in the next issue
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Following the Special General Meeting held on 5 September the special resolutions that were agreed to have been sent to the Associations Section of the Department of Commerce for their approval. When this approval has been advised the amended Rules of Association will become effective. The Committee of Management will now proceed to complete the review of the Trip Leaders Guidelines and the Policies and Procedures. As soon as all this work is completed the revised documents will be on the website. The Committee of Management will meet on Wednesday 26 September in our usual meeting place commencing at 7pm. Any member of the club is welcome to attend these meeting and will be given the opportunity to speak. Just send me a message saying what you want to speak about and you will have a spot on the agenda. You may at any time send me a message if there is any matter you would like the committee to be aware of and I will make sure your comment, request or even a complaint is taken to the meeting. Many of you ask me if I have any news of Rick Irvine. I have spoken to Sue who has told me Rick is making a slow recovery from the bout of Cryptogenic Organising Pneumonia that really knocked him. His doctors have told Sue and Rick that they believe he will make a full recovery. Rick spends a lot of time at home but would like to keep in touch with us. They are both looking forward to the warmer weather which will assist his recovery. If any of Rick’s friends in the club would like to catch up with him give Sue a call to make sure he will be at home. With all the trips and events coming up, hopefully some good warm and sunny days, from me to you its happy and safe driving. My contact details are secretary@mitsubishi4wd.org.au
Pat O. is planning a CSR trip . The trip will be from the 30 June to the 27th July 2013. Interested? Please contact him for more info.
Canning Stock Route 2013, leave Perth 30/06/13 arrive Perth > 27/07/13 12
When collecting our car recently I had a chat with John De Rosa from De Rosa Auto Repairs in Myaree. De Rosa Auto repairs have been a sponsor and supporter of the club for many years.
I have always been very happy with the servicing of our Honda by John and his team and asked “why he believed his business was successful?” John started the business in 1975 and has spent nearly 5 decades in the industry but answered in one word, “Trust.” John went on to explain that it is absolutely imperative that customers feel completely comfortable leaving their vehicles and trust him and his staff to provide care to the highest standard.
I asked John what advice he had when buying a second hand 4WD vehicle. General advice included being careful of modifications that might not be legal and may prove expensive to repair. Also having the vehicle thoroughly checked prior to purchase is very important. De Rosa Auto Repairs conducts many such checks and the service provides peace of mind with your new purchase.
De Rosa Auto Repairs have been at the same location since 1991. John said by keeping the business relatively small compared to larger franchise style repair centres he and his manager Jason have the ability to closely oversee the five mechanics on staff and provide a high level of personal service.
So if your looking for a quality servicing centre for your vehicle give DeRosa Auto Repairs a call. John or Jason will be delighted to have a chat! Paul J. 13
Attendees: Ryan (Trip Leader), Perry (Co Trip Leader), Hearn, Lazar, King, Holbrook, Marmoy, Theunissen, Stampaleja, Nicholls (Charlie) What a glorious Saturday, 27° and not a cloud in the sky. The ever eager group of ten met at the (JK sanctioned) Harvey Bakery for a light snack and a few other tasks which are unmentionable in present company (let’s just say, lucky there was a park with lots of trees across the road). Land cruisers 5, Patrols 3, Prado 1, Land Rover 1 and Mitsubishi’s 0. I guess the more adventurous Mitsubishi owners were either away or busy that day. Once we were all “pie-eyed” we ventured off towards the beckoning mud hills at Brunswick Junction. We turned off at Sandalwood Road and left the bitumen at the power line track. We aired down all the while engaging in the usual “my toys are better than your toys” type of banter that we all know so well. Our first treat was a rather wet and soggy track which allowed us to get our wheels dirty. We had finally arrived at our favourite “starter hill” known as ‘enry’s ‘ill, (ask Mr Cheetham) which usually gives us a good indication of what is to come. Now the trick with this hill is the further back in line you are the more trouble you will have getting up it, hence the reason I am leading this trip . Most of us got to the top without too much trouble however there was one long standing member who did get stuck before he even got started. I am loathe to mention his name to stave off the embarrassment he might suffer but if you must know his name rhymes with clever. If you ever guess who it is he will tell you that reversing off sloppy, slushy slippery mud onto long even wetter, slipperier and sloshier grass is not a good thing when you are trying to gain forward motion. More meandering up hills and down dales a bit of track clearing…chainsaw or winch? Once it was established the chain was on correctly we decided to go with the chain 14
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saw. Those of you that weren’t at Kadji Kadji might have missed the part about the backwards chainsaws, I am loathe to mention their names to stave off the embarrassment they might suffer but if you must know one of their names rhymes with ping and the other one shoots arrows. After a failed attempt at completing the apprentice Bob’s Hill (unanimously decided that we would all get down but not many of us would make it back up and it was still only morning we decided to head for the next creek crossing. Upon arrival at the creek crossing that is normally about 2cms deep. We found stuck right in the middle was an exasperated father trying hopelessly to One who rhymes with “polebrook” in winch land! start a mini bike that his son had managed to drown midway across (I bet he won’t do that again). Most of us got across without too much trouble but another long standing member did get stuck at about the same spot as the mini bike. I am loathe to mention his name to stave off the embarrassment he might suffer but if you must know his name rhymes with cheers and cheers there were once he was towed free. We had now all arrived at Treasure Bridge and under Craig’s guidance we were to have lunch in a clearing down by the river. I drove down to the spot to check it out and managed to flood the whole area by driving through a huge puddle to the side of the clearing. Luckily we found a dryer but less attractive spot a few metres along and we all sat down to enjoy a hearty feast. After lunch the real fun started, a wrong turn was made by a long standing member, I am loathe to mention his name to stave off the embarrassment he might suffer but if you must know his name rhymes with tall. Anyway we travelled along and came to another creek crossing which was a little deeper than the others we had found so far but it was an easy crossing. The water was flowing at a fair rate and so clear you could see the bottom, but my training and better judgement knows that I should get out and check the depth and base etc. There were several reasons I didn’t do this, 1. although the weather was nice and warm the water was not, 2. I didn’t have any kids in the car as they don’t care about the temperature of the water they are just worried about getting out alive after you throw them in, 3. Trevor’s car was too far back in the convoy to use 16
All Members are welcome to attend
A Night Out at the La Vela Restaurant With a Three course meal (incl tea and coffee) Where ? 78 Scarborough Beach Road, Scarborough (parking area north end of shops)
Saturday 3 November 2012 at 7pm $45.00 per person. (incl corkage on one bottle of wine per couple, then $5 per bottle) RSVP to Rosalie johnandrosalieking@bigpond.com by 26 October please. Payment direct to club account BSB 306 089 number 2840244 on or before that date with email to Rosalie advising you have made the payment which confirms you are coming. BYO wine only Beer, spirits, wine and soft drink available to purchase at the bar. When making payment include details, La Vela and your surname
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one of his kids, 4. The water was fast moving, in theory meaning the base would be fairly firm and 5. I have been eating too much of Mum’s cooking and my waterproof overalls don’t fit any more. So I decided to go for broke (a theory that would almost prove very costly later). We were now at the base of what has been a really challenging hill in previous times but today only the first 10 metres proved to be troublesome. We all managed to get up this hill and some even did it facing forwards. This hill looped back down to another hill which although severely rutted was quite easy to traverse. Piers had rolled a tyre off his rim and was busy putting his spare on as the tyre was so full of mud there was no easy way of getting it clean enough to reseat it. I took this opportunity to check out an interesting little track that was on the low side of the hill and very close to the creek (read very wet and muddy). The airwaves were alive with the sound of “Where are you Paul?” I assumed I would pop out onto the track that they were waiting on. I just had one more puddle to go and I would be on the track again. At this point of the story you should refer back 2 paragraphs to the water crossing theory and note that item 4. doesn’t apply to long water puddles. Off I went through this puddle that couldn’t be any deeper than the five I had just driven through and then suddenly thud and whooooossshhhhhhhh, I was now up to my door handles in the deep end….aaaargh, no problems I still have forward momentum……..at least until the diff got stuck on the rut in the middle, the exhaust was bubbling under water like a V8 ski boat and I could see the water bubbling up on the back window. Now whilst not heading the training I received had got me into this mess that very training kicked in and I was in auto mode, ease on the accelerator, turn the steering from side to side, no luck, hit the magic button and brrrr the lockers come to life, yes I am in low so the centre diff is also locked, do the steering thing again, a bit of throttle, a bit more throt18
tle….feel those Mickey’s flick out the goo and the side biters take hold……success albeit slowly forward momentum had returned and I popped out of the puddle and out onto the track where everyone else was waiting. The longest 30 seconds of my life, you’ve heard the term “pucker up” well that was one place that water wasn’t going to get in . Another creek crossing and we ended up in mudlark land, most of us got through ok but one not so long standing but very active member got stuck and needed a winch out, I am loathe to mention his name to stave off the embarrassment he might suffer but if you must know his name rhymes with polebrook. Cheers gets another honourable mention as he was so stuck it took him 10 minutes to dig through the clay to find his winch hook. More uphill and down dale and a nice play in the forestry area a nice drive down “Big Red” which was extremely dry considering the weather we had in the past few weeks. Some of the crew decided to call it a day. Clever led the first breakaway group and although he probably doesn’t realise we could hear them for some time which enables me to tell you they took a wrong turn and got lost, an error we would mimic later on. The rest of the bunch had a bit more of a play and went looking for the dreaded 4 o’clock track, fortunately all we found was more fun as anyone that was or had been stuck today had already left so we were safe. Time to head for the bitumen and air up, fish and chips in Brunswick were consumed and that concluded the trip. All in all it was a good day, some came away with minor damage, some came away with pride intact but most of all we all came away with huge grins on our faces and a penchant to do it all again soon.
4WD
Thanks guys & gals for coming along, looking forward to seeing you on the next one. 19
CLUB CALENDAR DATE
DESTINATION
DETAILS
Sept 28-Oct 1
McCLEG
Contact Tony W. for info
Oct 27-28
Overnighter at Lane Pool
See flyer in mag
Nov 3
La Vela Dinner
See flyer in mag.
Nov 9-11
4WD Show
McCallum Park
Nov 16-19
Camping at Big Valley
Contact Martin/Roger
Dec 2
Christmas Party
Details soon
Dec 9
Maintenance Day
Contact Piers
Dec-16
Day Trip
Details Soon
Dec 26-Jan 6
Fontys Pool
Contact Guy L.
CLUB MEETINGS 7.30pm. FIRST WED OF EVERY MONTH (except Jan) WE LOVE VISITORS
Our Club Proudly Supported By
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