Volume 24 Number 4
January / February 2015
A Chapter of the International Thunderbird Club Thunderbirds of Queensland Inc. PO Box 505 Mt Gravatt QLD 4122 contact@toqinc.org Membership dues are $65.00 per annum which includes a hardcopy magazine or $35 per annum for electronically distributed magazine. Fees payable on April 1 each year. Club magazine “SOUNDS OF THUNDER� is published bi-monthly. Contributions are encouraged and should be emailed to the Editor: johnny@toqinc.org or posted to address above.
Join the TOQinc Facebook Group facebook.com/groups/TOQinc The Thunderbirds of Queensland Inc. is a non profit organization dedicated to the restoration, preservation and enjoyment of Thunderbird passenger vehicles built by the Ford Motor Company.
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President’s Report
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Club Calendar
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Events Calendar
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Editor’s Report
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Club Person of the Year Award 2014
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Tropical Fruit World
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Sharing the Passion
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All American Lakeside Thanksgiving
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Thunderbird Owners Club of NZ Convention
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TOQ Christmas Party
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Yankee Doodle American Car Cruise
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Classifieds
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Parts and Service
On the cover.. The New Zealand Thunderbird Owners Club line them up outside the Tui Brewery at their recent AGM and Convention held at Wanganui on the New Zealand West Coast over Labour Weekend. Read all about it inside!
www.tbirdregistry.com
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Well its 2015 already... Happy New Year to you all. The club enjoyed a fantastic year in 2014 with club runs well supported and for most times great weather. A big welcome to all the new club members. I look forward to meeting the ones I haven’t already in the coming months. The Christmas Party had a fantastic turnout with around 60 people and 28 cars. They looked great lined up in front of the club and there were some great pictures taken I’m sure. I don’t think we found any up and coming contenders for the Australian Commonwealth Games Bowling Team but it was loads of fun and I’m sure everyone who participated had an enjoyable time. In the rush of my personal speech I forgot to mention two important items. The Christmas decorations on the tables were purchased by Helen McGregor and Libby Ralph in the proceeding weeks leading up to the party. They also set out the tables early on Sunday morning with the help of Sandrine Rhodes. They looked great and just added that little bit of a Christmas touch to a rather boring white table cloth. Also the prizes for the raffles where purchased by out-going President Kieran in the months leading up to the Christmas party. A big hand to Helen, Libby and Kieran for their time and effort to make the day the success it was. Congratulations to Bill and Lyn Flanagan being awarded our Thunderbirds of Queensland Club Person/s of the year. No one could argue that they are more than worthy recipients of this coveted award, Bill and Lyn always showing their continuous dedication to the club. I must offer a big thank you to the committee members and appointees for all their hard work throughout the year. Without them this club would not run as smooth as it does let alone exist. Thanks also to all you clubbies who have organised runs throughout the year to a number of new and interesting locations. Your time and effort is much appreciated because some of these runs include reconnaissance trips and catering organisation before the actual day. Also thanks to all the club members who open up their homes to hold monthly club committee meetings / social nights throughout the year. I hope you all had a very enjoyable Christmas with your family and friends. The New Year is already shaping up to be a ripper. Libby and I look forward to catching up with you on our traditional January evening fish n’ chip cruise night on the 17th this year heading to Fish on Flinders at Sandgate. Check the club calendar for all the details. Cheers Barry
Karen and David Varady - 1967 Thunderbird Hardtop
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January
17th CLUB RUN: Our Annual Fish n Chip Saturday night run to kick off the new year. Fish on Flinders 196 Flinders Pde Sandgate. Meet Shell Nudgee on Gateway 4.30pm for 5.00pm departure. Map: http://goo.gl/hpmDHc Run Coordinator Barry Ralph 26th CLUB RUN: BVRC Australia Day Rally, Ormiston State School. Meet Alexandra Hills Hotel car park 7.00 am to arrive at show as a group. Free breakfast on show site from 7.30am. At around 10.15am leave on one of several optional Australia Day rally runs visiting some of the Redlands tourist spots. The runs will all finish at the Alexandra Hills Hotel were entrants can enjoy the rally lunch and a drink for about $10.00. Run Coordinator Barry Ralph
February
Club Committee Meeting & Social Night: Johnny and Maria’s place Upper Mt Gravatt 7.30pm Bring a plate 15th CLUB RUN: Bill’s Breaky Bash, Darling Point Lower Esplanade Wynnum. BYO Food and drink. BBQ’s on site. Meet Cannon Hill Shopping Centre Wynnum Rd @ Super Cheap Auto Car Park 7.30am for 8.00am departure. Run Coordinator Bill McGregor
March
CLUB RUN: Logan PCYC Car Show Lot 7 Jacaranda Avenue, Logan Central. 9am - 2pm Entrants $5 Spectators $5 Meet Logan City Tavern car park 104 Wembley Rd Logan Central 7.30am to arrive at show as a group. Run Coordinator Doug McCammon 6th Club Committee Meeting & Social Night: Bill and Lyn Flanagan’s place Heritage Park 7.30pm Bring a plate. 15th CLUB RUN: Hot Rod’s Diner Gatton (McGrath’s Takeaway) 86 Railway St Gatton. Meet BP Truck Stop Boundary Rd Rocklea 9.30am for 10.00am departure. Second meeting place west bound layby on Warrego Hwy http://goo.gl/noIoQ7 Run Coordinator David Cosgrove 29th TOQ Annual General Meeting: Dennis and Merron’s Place, Belmont. 10.00am BYO BBQ lunch
April
12th CLUB RUN: Fort Lytton Tour and BBQ lunch. Meet Cannon Hill Shopping Centre carpark on Wynnum Rd outside Super Cheap Auto 10.00am for 10.30am departure. Run Coordinator Doug McCammon http://fortlytton.net.au/ 26th CLUB RUN: Woolloongabba Antique Centre 22 Wellington Rd for Coffee, cake then a look around the store. Meet Palmdale Shopping Centre Car Park Logan Rd Upper Mt Gravatt 8.15am for 8.45am Departure. Run Coordinator Johnny Carlisle.
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Get those rides out on the road and have some fun... January
10th - North Coast Street Machines 25th Annual Twilight Show. Rugby League Grounds Bentick St Ballina 2.00pm - 8.00pm for more details Phone Alan 0404 087143 http://northcoaststreetmachines.com.au/
February
7th & 8th - 43rd Toowoomba Swap Meet, Toowoomba Showgrounds, Saturday 6am-6pm, Sunday 6am-1pm, all sites must be pre-booked, admission on Friday to site holders only, for further information visit www.toowoombaswap.com 21st - Southern Downs Rodders present Rods Over The Gap, Leslie Park, Warwick, show n shine 9am to 12noon. Contact Ross 0417 782212. http://shownshine.info/csqlrogap.htm
March
1st - PCYC Logan present the Logan Car Show, hot rods, utes, muscle cars and more, Lot 7 Jacaranda Avenue, Woodridge, $5 general entry, $5 per vehicle and driver, $10 for vehicle and driver in judging, Book your club in! Ph: 07 3442 1700, marika.saliba@pcyc.org.au 6th - 8th - High Altitude Rod Run, Toowoomba Showgrounds, mystery run, rocker cover races, dinner night, show n shine, visit www.toowoombahotrodders.blogspot.com.au for details. ASRF QLD SA 104-01-2015 22nd - 17th Annual Gold Cost Super Swap Meet, Country Paradise Parklands, Nerang â Beaudesert Roads, adults $5, kids under 12 free when accompanied by an adult, swap sites $10 which includes driver, open to all vintage and classic cars and parts, antiques , collectables, model cars, motoring books etc. Ph: 0449 997 149
Friday Nights Munchies @ Elizabeth Street Shops, Acacia Ridge. Petrie Country Markets Historic Village. Village Rock Diner 1st Friday of the month 512 Warwick Rd Yamanto
Saturday Nights Kosmos Kitchen, Browns Plains Rd, Opp Grand Plaza. Ol Skool Cars n Muscle Machines First Saturday of the month Supa Centre 314-344 Morayfield Rd, Morayfield. 6
Happy New Year... and what a year we had in 2014. The fun didn’t end with our very successful Christmas Party at Norman Park Bowls Club in late November. We finished off the year in mid December with a great run out to Gavin and Karen Pocock’s at Upper Caboolture to view Gavin’s early and I mean early Ford collection and man-caves. This run attracted an enthusiastic group that enjoyed the day immensely topping off another fantastic year with the club. Look out for a report in the next issue of SOT. As a club we achieved a lot in 2014 and will continue to do so in 2015. Just some of the things included.. The holding of two club runs a month which proved very successful and always well attended. Treasurer Bill McGregor acted on some of previous Treasurer Dianne Dignam’s suggestions on how improvements could be made with the accounting system. Due to that Bill has spent many hours extensively reviewing a new online accounting system that the club now uses in conjunction with our online banking system . Bill has also improved the membership roster system which has not only simplified the Treasurer’s job but streamlined the mailing label system for the magazine. After a successful and popular trial run of a full colour magazine in July/August 2014 the decision was made that the club magazine would be produced in full colour from the 2015/16 financial year. Due to the cost increase two levels of membership will now be offered to give members the option of receiving either a hardcopy or an electronic copy at a reduced membership fee. We were very excited to be able to hand out membership cards to everyone at the end of last year. This was achieved due to the help we received from Bill and Lyn Flanagan’s friend Graeme Vear at First Impressions Printing in Melbourne and we thank them for that. Bill and Lyn’s dedication to the club has been recognised this year with them receiving the Club Person of the year Award for 2014. Our club has become more recognised internationally in the past two years helped by the club’s presence on the World Wide Web and Facebook which has seen our magazine Sounds of Thunder electronically distributed across the globe. The feedback from Thunderbird and classic auto enthusiasts around the world has been phenomenal. On top of that TOQ became a Chapter of the International Thunderbird Club. Adding another option of interest to Thunderbird ownership and further adding to the club’s international recognition. There were many other achievements which included the fine tuning of our corporate look and the acquisition and voluntary manufacture of club equipment.. The list goes on... The international theme continues in this issue with the feature story a report from across the Tasman on the Thunderbird Owners Club of New Zealand annual AGM and Convention held each year in October on the Labour Day public holiday weekend. The report and photos were supplied by TBOCNZ Liaison Officer Jason Bough from Auckland. Jason has written a very entertaining piece on the weekend that I’m sure all will enjoy. His report spanned over 4 full pages so due to space limitations I have condensed it for our printed magazine but the full version can be read online in our electronic issue. The NZ club don’t have their own magazine so a link to this issue will be distributed around the TBOCNZ membership by email so they get to read Jason’s report on their annual convention. I urge you to take the time to go online and read the whole story and see the images that go with it www.toqinc.org/sounds/Vol24No4.pdf On that note I can tell you that we are not limited with the amount of content that can be used in the online magazine so in some cases I add more content to the run reports. That is the case with our Christmas Party report. There was more material than would fit onto two pages and certainly all of it deserved publishing. As ITC Chapter Representative I can report that we have had a number of our members join up over the last few months. That has given us the numbers and more that we required to become an ITC Chapter. Growth is now the goal. If you are interested please contact ITC Treasurer and Data base Manager Gerard Bartasavich email: gebart@ameritech.com for a complimentary copy of the Thunderbird Script. Membership runs January to December so now is a great time to join this great club. See flyer further on in this magazine for all the information required to join. If you would like any help or more information please contact ITC Pacific Representative Darryl Heiner on 0410 429 421 or myself on 0412 458 434. Check it out! the club calendar is already chockers…. Don’t be strangers come along and join in the fun…. Johnny
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Presentation of the Club Person of the Year is not an award that is won, rather it is an opportunity for the club to recognise and say “ Thank you” to member’s who have not only enjoyed the club but also for the time and effort that they have contributed which included outcomes that have made a difference to the club. As you can appreciate, a lot of the things that are achieved during the year are done quietly behind the scenes. They are achievements which are not always seen by everyone. This puts the committee in a unique position in being able to recognise all of their efforts and for members to be able to appreciate their participation. Most importantly the recipients of this award are also chosen as representing all of the good will that our members bring to the Club. This year’s recipients have participated in all of the many aspects the club has to offer including the organisation of club runs, attended a great number of club runs and club meetings as well as hosting club meetings at their home. In two of our major club functions including our 21st Anniversary function and this year’s Christmas party have provided valuable assistance with their personal touch.
The club is proud to recognise Bill and Lyn Flanagan as the 2014 recipients of the Thunderbirds of Queensland Club Person of the Year Award. 8
TROPICAL FRUIT WORLD
We arrived at Yatala Pie Shop at 9.30am expecting to be in time to greet everyone. Wrong, there were 4 cars already lined up for the run. Some were enjoying pies and coffee for late breakfast or early lunch not sure which. Another club was also meeting there for a run to Tamborine. Along with us was a 69 Mustang, two lovely 63 Tbirds, a Cobra and Bill and I in our 70 Cougar convertible. We departed at 10.00am for the trip over the border. We became just along the highway. The Mustang and Cobra led the way while we waited for John and Margaret to catch up. We had a good run down with no traffic problems. Arriving at the venue we were greeted by a very welcoming breeze. It was a very hot day but Tropical Fruit World is situated high up on a hill behind the coast so it catches all the breezes. After a good look around, we all enjoyed our picnic lunch. With just 11 of us along for the run we had a very intimate gathering. It was great to see John and Margaret along in there tutone white over red 63 Hardtop. It had been a while since they had joined us on a run. Nice to see Ted and Merle along in their Cobra. Merle is often away with her job so it was great to catch up with her. Kevin, Nathan and sister Kylie were there in their 69 Mustang. The most travelled car on the day was the other red 63 belonging to Craig and Karin as always travelling from Wamuran out past Caboolture to join in on the Tbird club runs. They are always great company (fortunately no keys locked in the trunk this time though) We then made our way home after a lovely day out with great company and lovely classics... 8 Bill and Lyn
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Sharing the Passion
Bathania Care Centre contacted our club to see if a member could bring a car along to show one of their patients Stephen Hart. Stephen has MS and has been a patient there for some time. He has a great interest in all the cars of yesteryear especially Thunderbirds. He has many photos in his room at the centre. Bill Flanagan arranged the visit along with Doug McCammon. Stephen was thrilled to see the pair of Thunderbirds, Bill’s 69 Landau and Doug’s 63 M Code Landau parked in the driveway, as were all the staff and other patients. The club had donated a few items of memorabilia for him which he was delighted with. It was a very successful day that I’m sure he and the other patients will remember for a long time. It’s was a great feeling for us to bring some pleasure to these folk and I am sure a gesture of this type will be repeated again soon…. Lyn
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Lakeside Thanksgiving All American Day Another great day out at Lakeside was had by those who attended. We welcomed two new members on their first club outings. Karen and David Varady with their Lime Gold 67 Hardtop and Michael and Monique Ruddick with there 65 Landau. This wasn’t the first time Michael and Monique had attended a club get together, they were at our AGM back in April, but it was the first time with their Thunderbird. Michael has spent a good deal of this year working on his car getting it into shape and rebuilding the engine. He has promised us a report on his engine rebuild for our Technical Page in a future issue of the mag.
Karen and David had worked tirelessly the weeks leading up to the Lakeside event getting their newly acquired 67 Thunderbird prepared for the road and were able to have it ready 10 this weekend. She’s looking and sounding great guys… for 11
Others that attended on the day were Bill Flanagan with his 69 Landau, Carlos Gatica with his Emberglo 66 Town Landau, Darryl with his customised 62 Landau, Dave Bain with his 66 convertible and Kevin and Nathan with their sweet 69 Mustang Fastback. chilling out under the shades‌.
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Ford Thunderbird Owners Club of NZ Annual Convention Report By Jason Bough
Around July 2013 I purchased my red 1964 Thunderbird coupe and it was love at first drive! Having admired these cars since I was a young boy, it was only going to be a matter of time before I had to have one. Naturally, the next step was to find out if there were any other mad souls around the country that had them too! With a bit of investigation I came across the Thunderbird Owners Club of New Zealand website. I clicked the link and sure enough it led me to the part about joining as a member. I printed the forms, and duly sent my money off in an envelope. Shortly after, I received a nice letter and an email welcoming me into the group, and amongst the starter kit were a bunch of Club business cards. Well, that was like an early Xmas present, with my new found enthusiasm and great joy I started sticking them under the windscreen wipers of every TBird I came across anywhere! On one occasion, at the BP in Dairy Flat during the regular monthly Mid-West Rodders breakfast, I saw a nice creamy white Square Bird and thought – there’s a likely candidate. Just as I was poking a card under the flippers, I was amazed to see a member of ZZ Top approach me, well, from 20 paces it seemed that way…. But as I soon found out it was one of the Clubs long term members Wattsy. He guessed I had the red 64, but was surprised to see me in possession of club cards! At that point I mentioned I’d only joined that week, so all was revealed. After a little bit of banter, he realised I was the nutter who’d sent a fifty dollar bill in the post to Angela… and the rest as they say is history! That brings us up to October 2015, Labour Weekend specifically, which has always been the weekend that the club has its AGM. Up to that point I’d figured it all seemed like pretty standard club stuff, in terms of there had been 2 club events (the Champagne Breakfast and Beach Hop Pot Luck Dinner) where I had met some, but not that many, of our total club membership . The folks I met at both those events gave me an insight into what really made this club different from others. But it wasn’t until the AGM that I realised just how unique the TBOCNZ really was. I discovered, over the course of the long weekend, that our club has a diverse range of members from farmers to business people, tradespersons to restaurant owners, chicken ranchers to panel beaters, school age kids to new borns… and all points in between! One key thing I took away from that weekend was that this club is a genuine family club, with 3 generations now of members! Kids are welcomed at events, and nobody is too precious about minding their P’s and Q’s, or if their car gets rained on!! A refreshing change from some other clubs where its all about how shiny your car is or how much you spent on it. Personally, I drive the wheel nuts off mine, rain or shine, and I get a kick each time I do. May even have the odd sustained loss of traction here and there too….
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Saying that, it was also clear just how much our members love their cars, regardless of what model / how “popular” it may be, or what anyone else thinks. The Marque has 60 years of history coming up in 2015, and unlike the Ford Bellybutton (Mustang – everybody has one … hehe ) there aren’t a lot of them on NZ roads. People stop and stare whenever a Thunderbird drives by. Original advertising talks about “Some cars you drive… others you Thunderbird”! So our journey to the AGM started on Thursday, when Lesley and I left the glorious Republic Of Auckland and fired up the Bird, setting the 1964 guidance system (a mangled AA road map) to Taupo, and headed off. Half an hour later we were stopping for gas, and that became the ritual for the next 4 days.. haha… Well, maybe an hour between drinks, but as we all know, you don’t buy a classic car if you’re worried about gas prices. So after our tour of NZ petrol stations, we arrived at Taupo where we met up with Roger Campbell from Dargaville and his sweet Flair Bird. We were both staying at the same Lodge, where we shared stories and breakfast with some Dutch tourists who, like most people, were interested in our old cars. From there we had pre-arranged to catch up with some other members at “Dixie Browns”, a great venue that our local member Paul had arranged which also had a perfect grass lawn across the road for TBird only parking. After a short time many people started milling around in wonder at the 7 cars assembled under the peach blossom trees.
After a suitable rodder’s breakfast we hit the road, convoy style, to Wanganui. Paul led the charge and we enjoyed a superb cruise with great sunny weather and let the Birds stretch their legs. Now Paul has the bigger Q-Code engine in his car, so was setting a pretty good pace! Between us all we probably consumed enough gas to power a small Pacific nation for a year, but what the heck, with no Bears in sight, Smokey and the Bandits had the blacktop to ourselves...
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The route down took us along the Desert Rd with a stunning panorama of the Three Sisters, Mounts Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro to our right. We stopped in Hunterville for human and car fuel (coffee and gas) and that was also where one of our cars decided to blow a tyre. After a quick repair we were on the road again, and before too long we hit the bright lights of Wangavegas!
On arrival at the hotel we were greeted in the local custom, by a small group of individuals wearing black and red leather clothing with suitable bandanas and no shoes. Facial tattoos also seemed popular with our new friends!! After some initial trepidation, it became clear that these blokes lived across the road (in the park I think…) but like everybody else, they were just curious to see all the Birds. It crossed my mind that maybe we should take turns at sleeping then keeping lookout… but that was not required. Once the liquor store opened at 0800 a.m. the next day we didn’t see them again… So Friday afternoon rolled into night, and after hearing everyone unloading their cars with a lot of clinking sounds, it was evident the one thing we all had in common apart from TBirds! Pauline set about breaking the record for consumption (with help from Andrea who ultimately won the Good Time Cup for her efforts!) and seemed to accomplish that easily! We convened in Colin and Brenda’s room to set the agenda for the next 2 days, then it was free time where some met in the bar and others ventured out to discover the local delicacies Wanganui had to offer.
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After a hearty breakfast on Saturday morning it was time to convoy to the centre of town for our car show and public vote. There’s nothing finer than seeing over twenty Thunderbirds in a sweeping arc parked up beneath a Memorial. We had pretty much one of every model produced, from the Early Bird through to the Retro Bird and everything in between. Again the weather was great and a sunny day saw lots of curious locals turn up, along with a fellow ‘Birder ( but non club member) Ross in his Baby Bird, along with a couple from Levin ( Faye and Andy) in their Bullet Bird… so great to see that we spurred on some fellow enthusiasts to join us.
After the show we convoyed out to “Savemart” so the ladies who were sick of hearing “car speak” could indulge in some retail therapy. Again, locals turned up to admire the cars including one couple who tailed the convoy from the show just to get a closer look once we parked up. After Savemart we convoyed to a scenic spot under an iron bridge on the banks of the Wanganui River where Colin and Brenda had organised a great picnic. Our cars made for an awesome photo opportunity underneath the hulking bridge span, so much so even the local coppers turned up.. although that may have been to check out the youngsters drinking under the bridge! What they didn’t realise was that the adults in the Thunderbird picnic probably had higher octane in their glasses than what was in the cars.. ...the Feds had got the wrong guys…haha
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Anyways, time for exercise after a feed so we packed up and headed to the grasskhana but first a stop along the way at a beautiful cliff top farm where the bloke “ only “ had 3 cars… but they had a combined value of probably a million bucks ! We were impressed to see not 1 but 2 SLS Mercedes gull wings and a Porsche 996… a memorable pit stop for sure. We left the farm and headed for an open paddock back down at ground level, where a grasskhana circuit had been laid out so we could play “ Who can stop closest to the dead possum”, “Back the car into the garage then complete the slalom”, and eventually “Gumboot throwing”! I managed to tie for first with Andrea on the possum, but after failing to get a reasonable time in the slalom I decided to have a sustained loss of traction and go round and round the end cone a few times. Well about 6 times actually. Sideways. But hey… it’s a fun gig right…. Alan very kindly bought his 3-man catapult along, which should be used for water bombs but we discovered apples went far further. I think we should consider a catapult team event for next year. Saturday afternoon was free time and the hotel carpark seemed to be the central meeting place. Food highlight of the afternoon was Pauline’s gorgeous marshmallow slice which by all accounts has been a regular at every AGM ever. Who knew that Jim Beam and Cokes came in a convenient 700ml bottle nowadays too? Well they do, and the results are outstanding according to Alan! Next morning Barry mentioned how he must have had 1 Pinot too many, as it seemed to be coming out through his eyes! Saturday night saw us take a bunch of taxi vans to a very good local restaurant called the Red Lion where we enjoyed a great buffet roast meal and good company. We had the whole upstairs to ourselves pretty much to regale in stories of cars, bikes, life, and whatever else. Definitely a very sociable bunch….
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Sunday morning started with the hotel brekky again before we headed off for a really good run to the Tui Brewery in Mangatinoka. We had a factory tour then the chance to spend up in the merchy shop before enjoying a nice BBQ lunch. The drive out there through Fielding and also through the stunning gorge was great, even though the weather was inclement. A set of questionnaires to complete along the way took our minds off the weather. We were lucky enough to have a junior co-pilot for the trip – Jacob. What a cool little dude he is, loves his cars, motocross bikes, and who would have thought – Johnny Cash and Aretha Franklin! Oh, and also the theme song to the Lego movie, which Lesley and I now know off by heart. Kids are the essence of survival for Clubs like ours and it’s great to see them involved.
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Back in Wanganui we reconvened for the main event – the AGM. Everybody had made the effort to bring something “home town” for the raffle, and we enjoyed a social hour or so to imbibe before we adjourned to the function room for the official proceedings. Colin our Club President opened the meeting and Graham followed giving an outline of the Clubs plans and activities going forward. After many years of service Colin voluntarily withdrew from the role at which point the Committee decided Graham was the right guy to step up, and also Claire took over the Secretary role from Brenda. Both outgoing personnel have worked tirelessly for the benefit of the Club and warm applause was given in recognition of this. I was also honoured to be nominated to the Committee and accepted the nomination. A role of “Liason Officer” had been created for this purpose and I am excited to hopefully be able to add some value to the Club in this capacity. One of my focus areas will be to try and get more of our Auckland based members out and about in their cars, and to document any outings with a summary and some pictures, to share with the wider group. Other initiatives the Committee discussed were potentially having Regional Organisers, and also where next year’s AGM should be. As a group we also discussed alternative venues for the Champagne Breakfast, as Richard and Josie have generously hosted this event for some time now and deserve a break so they can get a chance to enjoy the event without having to host it and have all the extra work that comes with that. Official outcomes from the meeting will be distributed in due course, to include changes to the Committee and Executive positions, details of next year’s AGM and other events, trophy winners, and similar items. The evening concluded with another great dinner and free time for socialising. Julie did not belly dance this year, but did do a pretty good rendition of “Walk like an Egyptian” ! Myself and Lesley made great progress at embarrassing ourselves with a Johnny Cash tune, but fair to say beer and signing did not play well together on this occasion! Chris kindly tonked out a few tunes on the ivorys, and a good night was had by all. Monday morning bought with it a few sore heads, and it is apparent that the Thunderbird Club of NZ only drinks on days with a “Y” in them! Although it should be mentioned that booze is one thing, but having a great bunch of people around is what really makes an event special. I am pleased to say that everybody I met over the weekend all seemed to have the same friendly character, and to a person, are all folks that I am better for having met. I look forward to meeting our members that did not have a chance to attend, in due course. So that’s your Liason Officer’s AGM report, Lesley and I wish you all the best for the New year and look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible at the 2015 Champagne breakfast. And if you are based in Auckland or surrounds, keep an eye on your email and phones for updates on events that may be of interest. Keep Calm and Stay Thunderbirding.. Jason
The Thunderbirds on display at the Queen’s Park New Zealand Wars Memorial at Wanganui
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Here are just a few of the stunning Tbirds on display at the Show n Shine
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Thunderbirds of Queensland Christmas Party
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ur Christmas Party is a special event on the club's calendar. Intent this year was to have an event minimising organization and contributions from members. The chosen venue was the Norman Park Bowls Club as it provided most/all of what we were looking for. An indoor/outdoor area with air-conditioning available, ample parking for the cars, a suitable menu plus the club facilities and for those wanting to try their hand, a lawn-bowls challenge. The response was terrific. We had a great crowd of members, family and friends and a car park display of a wide range of our member's classics. Fortunately we dodged Brisbane's very damaging storms by just a couple of days and our Sunday was fine and warm. Prior to things getting underway Libby, Helen and Sandrine spent time decorating tables. Beaut work, provided a Christmas touch! Barry and Kieran both put in all-day support, from preparations in the morning, making a great success of the raffle and hosting formal proceedings. Lyn provided a beautiful Christmas cake, nearly too good to cut, but we did of course !!
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A very deserved award of our ‘Club Person Trophy’ for the year went to Bill and Lyn Flanagan. Bill and Lyn have both contributed significantly to all aspects of the club's activities and it's always a pleasure to be involved when Bill and Lyn are involved. A framed presentation was made to Johnny as a reminder that we continue to appreciate the multitude of tasks that John somehow manages. Socially, the day was enjoyed by all. Both experienced and otherwise tried their hand at lawn bowls. We may not have unearthed lawn bowls champions but there was plenty of fun in trying. A beaut day in another successful year for our Club….. Bill
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Winners are grinners.. Debbie and Shane Fernan display their raffle winnings
Dave Cosgrove took out the major prize, a 12 month subscription to Cruzin Magazine 23
We welcomed Phil and Sandrine Rhodes on their first club outing with their 1960 Thunderbird Hardtop
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YANKEE DOODLE Jim Eames Memorial
American Car Cruise
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t was HOT! Damn HOT! I was frying my bacon n eggs on tha hood while washin’ the wheels, this was at 8am and I was wondering how many people were going to show up for our Annual Yankee Doodle American Car Cruise. This year we headed out to the Royal Hotel at Harrisville for lunch. To my surprise we had some 30 odd cars meet up and make the sweltering run to the countryside. We picked up a few more cars along the way and a couple were already there, thank god the bar was air-conditioned. They are working on getting aircon for the dining room but it was bearable because the food was great... The publican and her staff looked after us really well. Thank you Monique and thank you to all those people who made the trip despite the heat, till next year. Keep on crusin... Davo.
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We welcomed new members Grant and Tanyalak Smith with daughter Kaylah on their first club run in their sweet 59 Thunderbird Hardtop
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Want to sell something that may be of interest to other members? Please email me the details johnny@toqinc.org or give me a call 0412 458434 Two 1961 Convertibles 1 x body has been completely stripped and sand blasted and etched, no rust. This body is in immaculate condition you will not find a better convertible body. The other body is a rolling shell for parts etc, have many other spare panels and mechanical for these cars. Asking $15,000 for everything. Genuine 1962 Sports Roadster only 1427 built in 1962 with papers how many are really left and are the real deal. Car sand blasted straightened etched and primed, this car is complete and rolling and is now drivable all drive line front end is done auto and engine reco new fuel tank, brakes done engine bay sprayed original rangoon red, underbody sprayed. Needs very little to complete,80% completed, Needs outside sprayed, and fit up, and electrical bolt up etc interior original and complete. The car is fitted with an original Thunderbird Tri Power carbie and manifold although not originally fitted but are well sought after and hard to get. Also have purchased brand new wire wheels and radial tyres that go with it. So much time and money has gone into this car much more than I’m asking. Please inquire. Pictured below another genuine 1962 Roadster Also with papers. This car is still as I imported it from the USA and needs restoring. It is a driver. Engine and auto is fine and have no issues. Looking for genuine offers..
All cars located on Sunshine Coast. Contact Eddie Filliponi 0418 333323 Email: fullbore69@hotmail.com 27
We have compiled a list of repair or service shops who have been found to be of great help in the restoration of our Classic Cars, this is not a commercial ad nor do the Thunderbirds of QLD Inc. take any responsibility for workmanship or service! However if you have found a good shop that has provided what you require then let us know and we shall list them for others to try out.
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BHSS TBS - Brakes & Power Steering. 38 Smith St Capalaba 3620 6555 EXHAUST INNOVATIONS - Custom Exhaust Systems. 5/33 Steel St Capalaba. 3390 3200 ANNVID Auto Upholsterers - 24 Smith St Capalaba. 3390 3444 COL ROBINSON & CO - Power Steering Box Rebuilds. 2/19 Kitchener Rd Kedron 3350 5000 GLEN HENDERSON - Parts & Advice Anything Thunderbird. Greenbank 3297 5342 KEITH 4 WHEELS - Whitewall tyres, wheels and quality wheel alignments by Kiwi Pete. 11 Smallwood St Underwood. 3841 6244 (See advertisement below) INNOVATIVE AUTO DESIGN - Specialising in compliancing of American & European Classic Cars. 3/14 Lapis St Underwood. 3290 2177 or 0411 311473 ACCESS TOWING - Tilt Tray Service. Parkridge 0418 721987 KNIGHTS OLD SCHOOL BRAKES SERVICE - Wynnum Ph 3393 3188 OZ RODS - Hot Rod and Street Machine Specialists. 3805 7155 www.oz-rods.com BRIAN ARMSTRONG AIRCONDITIONING 0447 349495 AH 3802 2994
JOIN THIS GREAT CLUB
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International Thunderbird Club
http://intl-thunderbirdclub.com/
Thunderbird Registry
http://www.tbirdregistry.com
LOVEfords
http://www.lovefords.org
Thunderbird Headquarters
http://www.tbirdhq.com
The Bird Nest
http://www.tbirdparts.com/main.htm
Thunderbird Ranch
http://www.tbirdranch.com/
Home of the Thunderbird Italien and XM400 Mercury Concept Car
http://www.tbirdsquare.com/
Squarebirds.org
http://www.squarebirds.org/
Automotive Mileposts: Thunderbird
http://automotivemileposts.com/ contentstbird.html
Jim Wulf's Tbird Garage
http://www.tbirdgarage.com/
All American Auto Parts - Ballarat VIC.
http://www.allamericanautoparts.com.au/
Jim Osbourne Reproductions
http://www.osborn-reproduction.com/
The Old Car Manual Project
http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/
Colour Codes - Tbird Cross Reference
http://goo.gl/qCrQee
Vintage Ford Publications
http://mustangtek.com/Litterature.html
Auto Colour Library
http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorlibrary/
Plan 59 - Museum of Mid Century Illustration
http://www.plan59.com/
Original Auto Interiors
http://www.originalauto.com
Ford V8 Workshop
http://www.wrljet.com/fordv8/
Permanent Painted Coatings Australia
http://ppcco.com.au/
Cruzin Magazine
http://www.cruzin.com.au/
Pinky’s Car Shows and Swap Meets
http://www.pinky.com.au/queensland.htm
QLD Historic Motoring Council
http://www.qhmc.org.au/
QLD Motorised Sports Council
http://www.qmsc.org.au/
Roadside Architecture
http://www.agilitynut.com/roadside.html
Internet Movie Cars Database
http://imcdb.org/