Offical magazine of the Volkswagen Club of WA (Inc). December 2016
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The Quadrant 1 William Street, Perth Western Australia 6000
GPO Box F338, Perth Western Australia 6841 BX 600-0156
Tel +61 8 9288 6000 Fax +61 8 9288 6001 www.lavanlegal.com.au
The Committee PRESIDENT & EDITOR
Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396 executive@vwclubwa.com viawest@vwclubwa.com
MEMBERSHIP OFFICER
Andy Macey (08) 9332 6919
SECRETARY
TREASURER
Andrew Dawson 0422 385 537
Tina Moore 0402 336 778
Justin Bayley 0402 378 864
executive2@vwclubwa.com
administration@vwclubwa.com
finance@vwclubwa.com
CONCESSION LICENCE
EVENT COORDINATOR
& COUNCIL OF MOTORING CLUBS
MERCHANDISE & PROPERTY OFFICER
SOUTH WEST
VICE -PRESIDENT
Jo Mill 0400 021 481 events@vwclubwa.com merchandise@vwclubwa.com
Kim Muste 0408 914 400
membership@vwclubwa.com
Dave Moore 0402 607 552 licence@vwclubwa.com cmc@vwclubwa.com
GENERAL COMMITTEE
GENERAL COMMITTEE
GENERAL COMMITTEE
GENERAL COMMITTEE
Gary Bull
Sharyn Negri
Thor Anson
Kim Shurman
southwest@vwclubwa.com
Margaret River Show
Editors Spot This edition features a couple of great events that the club held, picture heavy for your enjoyment. We received some new ideas that will start to filter into future copies. Thank you to all the contributors and to those that gave the lovely feedback. These mags take more time than I first Editors Note anticipated and I now look at other magazines in a different light. This month’s edition A huge thank features you goesa to my partner couple of great Jan, who without her help could not do events and Ilots of pictures. this. Putting articles together and laying them out has been lots of fun and technically challenging at times. It has been a very The usual spots rewarding experience though.
Contents
• Club Calendar I have • Presidents Spottaken the feedback onboard and incorporated • Memberswhat Profile I could it into this
edition. Thank you to all people that gave lovely Also in this the is issue feedback, and to the people that have contributed • 5th Annual Down South atrip again, it means lot and keepsofusthe motivated. • Alfreds Pics last months
• • • • •
Gidget Type3 Squareback Again big thanks to my Part 2 Valla RoadJan, tripwho without partner help I could not do this. Yan Remiher Karmann Love Karmanns - Forsale Police Archive
Jamie Barrett
Whats on the Club Calendar December 2016 Sunday 4th – Day of the Volkswagen - Wilson Park Fremantle - Contact Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396 Wednesday 7th - Alfreds Kitchen - 6:30pm til late - Cnr Meadow & James Street Guildford
January 2017 Wednesday 4th - Alfreds Kitchen - 6:30pm til late - Cnr Meadow & James Street Guildford Sunday 22nd – Coastal Cruise – Vic Park (Taylor Road) to Fish n chips - Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396
February 2017 Wednesday 1st - Alfreds Kitchen - 6:30pm til late - Cnr Meadow & James Street Guildford Saturday 26th- Estuary Hideaway Caravan Park - Jo Mill 0400 021 481
March 2017 Wednesday 1st - Alfreds Kitchen - 6:30pm til late - Cnr Meadow & James Street Guildford
President’s Spot Dear Members and Readers, What a cracking couple of months! Starting with an amazing trip to Margaret River with lots of other members. A big Thank you to Kim Muste for organizing yet another great event. There have been a couple of bumper “Alfreds” Wednesdays. I’ve included some pictures in this edition. Next is the big one....Day of the Volkswagen which I am very happy and excited about. NOTE the new venue: Wilson Reserve in South Beach, Fremantle. See Flyer for more details. New laws meant that all nonprofit organisations had to get their constitutions updated in line with the “model rules”. Ours was rewritten and submitted and has since been officially accepted by the powers to be. A massive “thank you” goes out to Tina Moore for pushing this forward and getting it over the line. Ida Holm and Paul Devine picked up the committee voted - Members of the Year award. Merits go to the happy couple for their support at Day of the Volkswagen 2015. Also their attendance to club events is high - even when the weather is bad they brave it out in their infamous tent. Organising the Day of the Volkswagen has been the main focus of late, I have to say it there is lots work in getting this show together. But the great news is the team is large and onto it. I also have to mention our many sponsors – Shannons Insurance donating $1500 and Volkswagen Australia came through at the last minute with a huge $5000. This cash gives our club a massive financial boost and puts us in a strong position to allow us to do more in the future. DAY THE VOLKSWAGEN HAS A NEW VENUE!! – WILSON PARK, SOUTH FREMANTLE We are in the “Silly Season” now, which means for some of us, lots of shopping, eating, socialising, spending time with the family, and hopefully some resting over the break and holidays. It’s also a good period to spend time on your car or kombi. For the air-cooled owners, perhaps check and replace those fuel lines and fuel filter. For the Water coolers, perhaps change your water. Whatever you get up to have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year – be safe on the roads! Jamie Barrett Club President
Ida and Paul
Margaret River
Alfreds Kitchen
 5th Vee Dubs at Margaret River Camping and Cruise “It’s hardWeekend to believe the annual Vee Dub camping
and cruise weekend in the South West has now been running for 5 years...how time flies! Like last year, this year’s event was based in Margaret River and it didn’t disappoint with great turnouts at the campsite, cruise and show n shine” Kim Muste
5th Annual Down South -
Vee Dub Camp & Cruise
Jamie Barrett & Kim Muste
Wharncliffe Mill Invation Lewis, Graham, Haz, Tom & Andrew
Gary Bull & Kim Shurman
Wharncliffe Mill Bush Retreat
M
ost people camping at Wharncliffe Mill cruised down on Friday and the partying started pretty early around a big campfire. The next morning as people were getting started for the day a film crew turned up that were working on an advertisement for the Colonial Brewery. They were keen to use a couple of kombis and some of us camping as well. The deal was sweetened by the offer of free beer (later) so of course how could we refuse.
Sharyn Negris Lowie
The cruise kicked off in town at 11am on Saturday and just before setting off the rain started and didn’t let up until the lunch stop. No one seemed to complain about the rain, even if we did get a little water cooled. Not long before a stop in Witchcliffe there was one breakdown when a lowlight kombi dropped a drive shaft. Not to worry, with some help the trusty kombi was back on the road and was able to join us for lunch. In “Witchy”. The Flying Wardrobe secondhand store was a great place to shelter from the rain and many found some choice vintage gear to buy including an esky, books and clothes. The Berry Farm was a great lunch stop and many tasted their range of wines and other produce. After lunch most of us cruised to the Colonial Brewery taking up the opportunity from earlier in the day. The brewery visit was an unplanned and welcomed highlight.
It was a great sight to see around 30 assorted Vee Dubs fill both sides of the Main Street
Logan on the ramps Paul being told
An even bigger campfire on Saturday night meant we were a little rowdy but it’s pretty hard to be quiet when you have so many vee dubbers in one place enjoying themselves. Sunday morning, before cruising into town for the show n shine, Jamie, club president and photographer extraordinaire, had us all set up our cars for a photo shoot with many clambering up anything available to get a better view of proceedings. The show n shine was again well attended with many locals and visitors coming to have a look. There was the great range of cars on display including the rare sight of four Type 3 Squarebacks that was commented on by many. Some other highlights of the weekend included catching up with old friends, meeting a good number of new people and having a couple of water cooled people participate. Events like these are supported and organised through the club and are a great opportunity for people to meet, make friends, share experiences and most of all a laugh. A big thanks to the club and everyone trekked down to Margaret River, you made it another great weekend. See you next year! Words by Kim Muste
Gary Bull in the ditch fixing CV joint
City to Surf Cruise SUnday 22nd January
CoAstal Cruise! We’re in a car club so lets get them out for a trip up the coast (or down) Meet at Taylor Road in Victoria Park AT 2pm for a 2:20pm departure
We’ll head to the coast and find a fish n chip shop !
Contact: Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396
Dave Moore WELDING AND AUTOMOTIVE RESTORATIONS
Call Dave for rust repairs or full resto’s Telephone: 0402 607 552
Email: davermoore@hotmail.com
M em VW be C r D lub isc ou nt !
AIR COOLED & PERFORMANCE VW SPECIALIST
Unit 4, 3 Barnett Court Morley, WA 6062 Ph: (08) 9272 3502 • Fax: (08) 9272 3522 • Email: gerrykay@live.com MECHANICAL REPAIRS FOR: AIR COOLED & PERFORMANCE VOLKSWAGEN ENGINES
e h t e c n e i r e p x E
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Photos by Boots & Gillie
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To find out how to get the best seat at the race track visit our website.
WWW.FVAWA.ORG.AU
Come join the fun!
AIR COOLED & PERFORMANCE VW SPECIALIST
Member Profile:
Andrew Dawson - How long have you had a passion for VWs A long time - like most people had a scoring system for ‘punch buggy’ so always spotted them as a kid. Thought they would be a good choice as a first car - A Squareback. Years later (after a detour through BMW ownership) got back into them. - What got you into VWs (or earliest memory) My Uncle had a purple beach buggy. No surprise all three of us brothers have/had VWs. That’s my brother with me in the buggy. (Oldest gets to drive) - What cars you own 1971 Notch 1984 T3(T25) Camper 2011 Mk6 GTI Adidas Edition - Best VW Experience Lots of good Kombi memories when young and stupid
- Favorite VW Club cruise to date Any cruise that I’m not stressing about the van smoking - but South West tours have been great and I look forward to many more. - Any good VW Story Just all the times that people stop you at the servo or shops and tell you about their old one. Seems everyone had one back in the day and wish they never got rid of it. Or maybe just the ones that come up to talk! - Favorite VW you have ever owned My Notch for the smiles, the Golf GTI for the speed and handling - Ultimate/dream car(s) Still would love a BMW 3.0 CSL (or a CSi) - but in VWs - a nice lowlight Camper or a Mk1 GTI or a Manx or a Type 4 or an early Caddy or an Oval or a Splitscreen SingleCab or a better T3, I have a very supportive partner - Sharmila.
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AVAILABLE AT CLUB EVENTS including ALFRED’S every month! You can also contact the Committee to arrange the purchase of the now extensive list of club merchandise! Can be post-
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
Car Badge - Club Logo (with tongue)
PRICE $25.00 ea
Blue and chrome 72mm
Car Badge - Club Logo (no tongue)
$25.00 ea
Blue and chrome 72mm
Pin Badge - Club Logo
$3.00 ea
Blue and chrome 22mm
Key Ring - Bottle Opener Club Logo
$5.00 ea
Blue and chrome
Hoodies - Club 3D logo on front with stripes
$40.00 ea
Black with white design
T-shirt #2 - Club 3D logo on front with stripes
$25.00 ea
Red, White or Grey with black design
V-neck Polo - Club Logo embroidered - ladies & girls
$30.00 ea
A name can be added for another $5.00
Polo Shirt - Club Logo embroidered - men & boys
$30.00 ea
A pocket is an extra $5.00; A name can be added for another $5.00
T-shirt #1 - large 3D logo - back & small 3D logo - front with stripes $25.00 ea Blue with white design
VW Club stickers
$2.00 ea
Official club logo; 3D club logo; or “I’M A VW CLUB MEMBER”
VW Club cloth badge
$5.00 ea
Traditional club logo
Day of the Volkswagen - various cloth badge & annual stickers $2.00 ea Collectors items (limited numbers)
VW Club peak Cap - Club Logo
$15.00 ea
Adjustable velcro band at the rear
Car Badge 2011 Toodyay Bug-In (no tongue)
$20.00 ea
Alfreds Kitchen Guildford Road, Guildford On the 1st Wednesday of every month Come and join the VW club from 6pm till late and have a tasty burger and chips or the famous Pea and Ham soup. Meet like-minded people and their vehicles.
Contact Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396
First Wednesday - Every Month
‘73 Squareback
Gidget
G
idget, as she is affectionately known, is new to Western Australia. She spent most of her life garaged in the Sydney area of NSW, with the original buyer, a Qantas mechanic, making the purchase from Parramatta Motors back in ’73. Roy and Donelle Brenkamp are the second very proud owners of this great Type 3 Squareback. Roys first car was an Artic White 1972 Squareback, which he needed to sell to buy something modern, and regretfully he bought a Gemini. Wanting to rekindle his youth, Roy patiently looked for over a year and a half, to find the right car – This Automatic 1973 was snapped up and trucked to Perth.
O
ther than a re-spray, due to being in a small rear end knock, the vehicle is very original. Minor work was carried out, which included fitting electronic ignition, painting the exhaust, white wall tyres and a newly upholstered front seat – matching it as carefully as possible to the passenger one. The car sailed through the pits inspection in order to get WA plates. The inspector said it drove like a Rolls Royce! Since then Roy and his daughter Abbey thoroughly enjoyed
the journey to and from the Margaret River Club Run and Camp last month Gidget didn’t miss a beat!.
Gidget I asked Roy if he had any plans for the car and he said “The plan is to fit a period roof rack and period plates, HDK 810, drive round listening to the Dick Smith Radio and enjoying the sounds of an aircooled motor once again.
From Valla to Perth the journey continues...
F
ollowing on from the Valla article in our previous issue, we continue the homeward journey of the four Perth bound Kombis ranging in age from1959 - 1974. Graham Tibbs in Patina, Jo and Andrew Mill in Maid Marion, Jamie Barrett and myself in Micro and Dave &Tina Moore in their green kombi. We travelled 8000km over three weeks in August, saw some amazing sights and made some wonderful memories. After saying our goodbyes to Justin Bayley, we travelled south from Valla, driving through the Myall Lakes district and along the Hawkesbury River staying at the little settlement of Spencer on our first night. The Kombis were driven onto Wiseman’s Ferry for the four minute journey across the Hawkesbury River the following morning and the journey continued towards the Blue Mountains. The weather became unfavourable, with fog and rain making it almost impossible to see the Three Sisters at Echo Point and other sights along the way. We found our
way to a much deserved warm, cosy camp kitchen at the Black Heath Caravan Park. Despite the inclement weather, we explored Katoomba with a visit to Scenic World. There, we rode on the world’s steepest railway, a cable car & the skyway along with a walk through the rainforest. Rain and thick fog prevented us from seeing the Blue Mountains in all of its glory but we enjoyed the experience nonetheless. Heading to the coast, we admired the amazing view from a lookout at Bulli, then drove north to experience the Sea Cliff Bridge. A 665 metre bridge connecting the towns of Coalcliff and Clifton, opened in 2005 at a cost of $52 million, we decided we should drive across it twice! After a long photo shoot with the friendly rainbow lorikeets at the Bulli Caravan Park the following morning, we went our separate ways heading towards Kangaroo Valley. Jamie & I took a spectacular route through Macquarie Pass. We
Photo by Tina Moore
stopped off at Fitzroy Falls where a lyrebird kept us entertained for quite some time with his song. We met up with the gang at Bendeela Reserve where we set up camp. There were plenty of wombats grazing all around us and two big male kangaroos were having a punch up, so we weren’t disappointed in the wildlife department. We had a quick drive through Canberra the following day, taking in the sights from the Australian War Memorial and Mount Ainslie, before driving up to Parliament House for a sneaky photo of the Kombis. At Jindabyne, we met up with Pete & Sonja Barber who were enjoying a holiday in the snow. We took the next day off from driving to enjoy the snow at Perisher and Thredbo where we all pursued different activities - snowboarding, tobogganing, snowball fights & snow angel making.
After an icy start the next day, we drove through the beautiful Mt Kosciuszko National Park. Spectacular views amidst the winding roads and best of all snow on the ground! We passed through Albury and camped for the night in the Mount Pilot National Park next to Reedy Creek in the heart of Ned Kelly country. We made a campfire and spent the evening soaking up the warmth. Another icy morning greeted us. Even the tea towel was frozen! Jamie and I had a close encounter with a fast moving JCB Tractor which lost control at speed coming around a corner on the dirt road heading out of the park. Jamie’s quick reaction and a tonne of luck saved the day. We drove on to Beechworth, a lovely Goldrush town with a famous bakery that just had to be visited. We made our way south along the motorway towards Torquay, spending the night at the Jan Juc caravan park.
The following morning we began exploring the Great Ocean Road. Working our way past Bells Beach, Aireys Inlet, Lorne, lunch at Wye. Sadly, we saw where 115 homes had been destroyed by bushfire last Christmas and the tremendous efforts by the community to rebuild them. The coastal drive was spectacular, with plenty of stops along the way to admire the views. We made our way into Otway National Park, setting up camp at Bimbi Park. We were lucky enough to see koalas in the trees near our camp. After exploring Melba Gully in the Otway National Park, we made our way along the rugged coastline stopping many times to admire the sights.... Twelve Apostles, a walk on the beach at Gibson Steps, Island Archway, Razorback, the Arch, London Bridge & the Grotto. All equally spectacular. The weatherw turned on us as we headed northwest. Rain, gusty winds and a dramatic drop in the temperature. Not much fun in a Kombi without any heaters! We drove through many historic towns, finally stopping at a caravan park in Dunkeld and spending the evening at the local pub. The caretaker at the Dunkeld Caravan Park mapped out an itinerary for us to take us through the Grampians the following day. It was a gorgeous scenic drive through lush farm land with the Grampians as a backdrop. There was plenty of wildlife on this stretch of road, mostly kangaroos
and emus. Dave and Tina had a near miss when an emu ran into the side of their Kombi. Thankfully both the bird and the bus escaped unharmed. We explored Mt William by walking the 1.8kms to reach the 1167m summit. We were up amongst the clouds so we didn’t get much of a view. That wasn’t the case when we stopped at the Boroka lookout. Once we hit the highway we bumped along at speed to make it into South Australia for the night. We’d made arrangements to meet Brian McGrath, aka Mushroom Man, at Tailem Bend. From there, he led us to a camping spot next to the Murray River at Mannum for the night. It was a big day, covering 560kms. The Murray Princess paddle wheeler made her way along the river the next morning, much to our delight. We loaded the Kombis on the ferry and crossed the Murray River before heading off to explore the Barossa Valley. Mushroom Man was our tour guide, taking us to Springton, Rockford Winery, Tanunda and home to his 1855 cottage in Auburn. There the boys carried out some maintenance on the Kombis. A family that we had met in Valla, Michelle, Martin & Jack Pomeroy, drove up from Adelaide to spend the evening with us. On Saturday, we drove into Adelaide to join the VW Enthusiasts Club on their 20th Anniversary cruise. They had about 30 cars in the cruise. We were made to feel welcome by the members and enjoyed meeting some fellow enthusiasts.
Great Ocean Road
Patinas broken windscreen After buying some local produce from a neighboring vineyard, we left Auburn heading towards the Clare Valley. The countryside was picturesque dotted with green paddocks and vineyards. We stopped off at a few historic towns to fossick through the collectables shops before finding a camp just north of Melrose at the base of Mt Remarkable. Back on the road, after saying our goodbyes to Mushroom Man, we noticed that the countryside changed quite dramatically as we came down through the hills towards Port Augusta. The rolling green hills made way for flat barren plains. We drove through Whyalla and down to Cowell where we rummaged through a great second hand shop. As we made our way across the Eyre Peninsula, a stone went through Patina’s windscreen not far out of Cleve. Smashed glass was everywhere. Graham copped a few cuts on his face. Luckily he was wearing sunglasses. An RAA car stopped and sent us to his work shop in Rudall. The guys there were helpful and we were able to cut out a piece of Perspex to fit in the windscreen which enabled the journey to continue.
Wombat at Bendeela Reserve playing and swimming. It was wild and windy, but not raining and there were plenty of sea birds. We travelled about 60kms on the unsealed roads. Lunch at Streaky Bay, before heading north to find somewhere to camp. Next stop was Ceduna for a quick discussion about where to camp. With some local knowledge, we followed Graham up a road towards Googs track. There we found a spot by the side of the road, collected some wood for a fire and then watched a lovely sunset over a paddock of wheat. We noticed plenty of mosquitos which made us conscious of keeping the Kombis closed. The mosquitos were a bigger problem than we anticipated. There were literally millions, making it very uncomfortable to get in and out of the Kombi. We packed up quickly and stopped at Penong for breakfast before beginning the long, straight, flat rwoad that is the Nullarbor. After almost 300kms, we stopped at the Head of Bight and visited the Whale Interpretation Centre. There were viewing platforms on top of the cliffs and dozens of whales with their calves wallowing in the water close to shore. It was a perfect day. Blue skies, calm seas and a light offshore breeze. We spent ages watching them and of course taking pictures. The cliffs were spectacular. They stretch for 800km’s along the Great Australian Bight. We stopped off at a few lookouts to admire the cliffs and beautiful views. At the South Australia/ Western Australia border we went through quarantine control and were checked for fruit, nuts & honey. Eucla was the next stop. We explored the Eucla Telegraph Station ruins. It was established in 1877 and abandoned in 1890 when a plague of rabbits
It was a gorgeous scenic drive through lush farm land with the Grampians as a backdrop.
After spending the night in the Elliston Caravan Park, we decided to explore the coast towards Streaky Bay. First stop was Venus Bay. There we drove up to the lookout to see the rugged cliffs against a stormy grey sky. Further north, we turned in to see Murphy’s Haystacks - an interesting granite rock formation. Then, along a dirt road to Point Labatt to see the only permanent mainland colony of Australian Sea Lions, along with some New Zealand fur seals. We stood 50m above them on the viewing platform and watched them
ate the vegetation causing the sand dunes to drift and overtake the settlement. We camped in the dunes not far from the old station. The moon was full giving us a lovely view of our surrounds. At around 2am a wild storm blew in forcing us get up and batten down the hatches. It was wild and wet but fortunately we weren’t buried alive and no damage was done. The wind died off by morning so we packed up and drove 272kms to Cocklebiddy where we fueled up. The next stretch was 246kms to Balladonia. That included 146.6 kms of dead straight road. The longest stretch of straight road in Australia. We carried on to Fraser Range Station, arriving at sunset after travelling almost 700kms for the day. It was minus 1 overnight at Fraser Range Station but we were cosy in the Kombis. Andrew and Jo woke to ice on Maid Marion’s windscreen along with our roofs. We had breakfast in the best camp kitchen of the whole trip (the caretaker had the fire roaring well before we got up.) After packing up, we said our goodbyes to Dave and Tina who planned to be in Perth by nightfall. As we drove out of the station, Maid Marion blew an oil filter, delaying our departure, luckily a replacement was in stock and we had just enough oil between us to replace what was lost. We said our goodbyes to Jo and Andrew at Norseman. As Micro was having trouble with the clutch, we modified our plans to include an overnight stop in Kalgoorlie, hoping to be able to source another clutch. Instead Graham, Jamie and I became tourists in the gold mining town, starting with a tour of Questa Casa, the only remaining
Nullarbor Plain truck stop
original brothel left standing after opening it’s doors in 1902. There are only 2 brothels remaining in the famous Hay Street where there were once 18. Most of the business today comes from conducting tours. From there, we went to the Exchange Hotel for a quick beer before going up to Mt Charlotte Lookout for a sunset view over the town. We continued in tourist mode the following morning with a visit to the Super Pit. It is such a huge mine. When it’s completed in 2029 it will be 3.5km long, 1.5km wide and 570m deep. It produces 700,000 ounces of gold each year. We then spent an hour or more in the museum looking at the great displays and learning about the early days in the Goldfields. As we headed out of Kalgoorlie, it started to rain which was a problem for Gra as he didn’t have any windscreen wipers. He battled on with low visibility and we decided to call it a day when we arrived in Southern Cross. It was foggy as we left for the final 375kms of our journey. Visibility was very poor, but as the fog started to lift we could see the canola crops in full bloom against the grey sky. Micro’s clutch was slipping again near Northam. We farewelled Graham at Bakers Hill and drove down the hill towards the big smoke. Despite the clutch still being tricky, the Mighty Micro made it home! What an epic journey. Travelling close to 8,000kms, we met some lovely new friends and caught up with some old ones. Gazed at incredible scenery. Camped in far out locations. Witnessed flying foxes, dolphins, kangaroos, emus, wombats, koalas, lyre birds, parrots, wrens, wallabies, sea
Leaving Point Labatt lions, seals and whales and many more, all in their natural habitat. We walked two kilometres to the highest point in the Grampians, spent a day in the snow, watched the sun rise over the ocean, drove through the snowy, winding roads of Mt Kosciuszko National Park. Walked through rain forests, drove across the Nullarbor Plain. Rode the steepest incline railway in the world. Saw the breathtaking views of the Great Ocean Road and the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight. Drove to the front door of Parliament House. Drove through 5 states. Stood at the edge of Australia’s biggest open cut mine. Went into a
brothel. Saw the Hunter, Barossa & Clare Valley wine regions. Had a beer at the Pub with No Beer. We drove through the Snowy Mountains, the Blue Mountains, the Grampians, the Flinders and the Darling Ranges and used car ferries to cross rivers. The trusty Kombis allowed us to experience all of the above without major incident. Thanks to everyone who shared the journey, those we met along the way and those who enjoyed our regular updates. We loved every minute of it.
by Jan Stewart
The Great Australian Bight
Consider it sorted Jhan the Offce Manager can help yoau oaut with all the following:
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Cristal JBE Office CChiice 11-13 Gympie Way Willetton WA 6155 www.cristaloffce.com.aau
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The real Tutan Karmann and how SHE became mine
Tutan Karmann “my Egyptian beauty”
M
y first cab and second car was a 1302 convertible. I quickly joined the Cabrio Club of GB and soon learnt what was what in the world of convertible beetles: I needed a 1303, US in spec, black (of course) and most importantly, a 79. And I needed it bad ‘cause they were so damn cool with those orange indicators on at night and that fuel injection script on the back. I was just 18 and this meant a lot to me.
cabrio variant had been commissioned, in parallel, to the coachbuilder Hebmüller, and that the early cars belonged to a group known as the pre-October 52 Karmanns, or split dash convertibles. Boy, did I want to see one of those, let alone own one. Imagine a 2 seater convertible by Hebmüller or a pre-52 Karmann with one piece windows and semaphore indicators. How cool was that! Oh my god, imagine owning one of each! And both in black!
Somehow, and I still can’t believe it today, my dream came true. I owned that very car despite being a rarity in the late 80’s and enjoyed years of good fun in my US Volkswagen, adding new roofs and green tinted windows.
That’s how I met founding member Ronan Sill, who owned the only split dash Karmann in the UK back then. We became friends and spent many an evening talking about these rare cars. Together we assisted Bob Shaill in compiling articles for the first ever volume of the IVVM, from then onwards I was truly converted to the vintage world of VWs.
Through my interest and through the club I was immediately drawn to the history of the cabrio. I learnt that the first year of manufacture was 49, that another
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s my interest grew, I became more focused on the Hebmüller with it’s unusual shape and wrote to people around the globe, collecting photos and building up a colossal album, now known as the Hebmüller Bible. Through my research I acquired a blue Hebmüller (original colour: black!) and organised the 50 year special meeting in Bad-Camberg in 1999. Following that, the Hebmüller Registry was handed down to me from California by Bob Gilmore and I became friends with Klaus Hebmüller who invited me over to his house in Germany. We visited the site of the old factory in Wülfrath and talked and talked about so many aspects of the car’s history. How fun all this was.
Karmann be rarer than the Hebmüller? That was when I came into the picture. By acquiring a wonderful car from Alexandria in Egypt, I was finally able to tip the balance in the ‘right’ direction. 145 Karmanns vs 144 Hebmüllers. How cool was that? And now I owned a 50 Karmann (also originally black in colour), and a 50 Hebmüller. When I look at the two in the garage, I pinch myself just to make sure I’m not dreaming. Amazing pair.
By Yan Rami
My Heb is my daily driver here in London so it gets used One thing always annoyed me though. Despite being as a work horse as and when required. a great fan of the early Karmanns which I have always found to be more beautiful than the Hebmüllers, I could not accept the claim that they were rarer than Hebmüllers even though having being produced in much larger numbers. That seemed unlikely to me, it was simply that they had never been tracked down and registered in the same way. But the story stuck and often came up. Finally Claus Missing in Germany started counting them accurately and compared the figures with surviving Hebmüllers. As people learnt about his count, numbers of the preOctober 52 Karmanns quickly rose. Finally the count was at 144 for each. Things were making sense. How could the
FOR SALE
1965 RHD convertible Price: ÂŁ 14999.00 Rob Amos of pre67vw.com and I are selling this 1965 VW to fund the restoration of the 1950 cab I acquired from Egypt in 2011. The restoration of this 1965 convertible was completed in 2010 and has since attended several shows in the UK. It received a full body up restoration with new paint, new interior and a new hood and has been fitted with genuine whitewall tyres. Sloping headlight convertible VWs are getting very rare and this 1965 is model is an extremely useable and easy to maintain model. If this car is of interest please to you do not hesitate to contact me by email: yanrami@yahoo.com Many thanks, Yan Rami (The Hebmuller Registry)
A blast from the Past Club member Dave Lampard looks after the Library at the Police Union. He thought we would find this article interesting. One for beetle fans! The driver became a Senior Sergeant at the Perth Traffic Branch in the early 1970’s and had a peculiar driving style that all the patrol officer used to mimic.
FOR SALE
This car drove in complete – it is a 61. After a $2500 Bead blast and Epotech primer, we started discovering the rust. This is not a job for the feint hearted – it needs someone who can weld in the new panels already supplied – it proves expensive if you have to farm it out. The Owner will consider any meaningful offer, considering the money already spent. Anyone who is interested can call me to discuss. Regards Jerry Heldt The Karmann Ghia Company of Australia U3.7 Coolibah Way, Bibra lake,Western Australia 6163 Australia Phone 61 8 94188895 Mobile 0438145674 e-mail: jcheldt@karmannghia.com.au
Membership Renewals This year we have implemented emailing renewals. to assist with the club administration and help the environment. If you havent renewed its not too late! Do it now to ensure you receive the next ViaWest. Thank you for your ongoing support. Because of the email configuration some email servers may believe the emails to be junk email. The renewals were emailed on Saturday 25th June, if you have not received your email can you please check your junk folder within your mailbox. The email will have the subject VW Club Membership renewal 2017.
If you cannot locate your renewal you can make a payment of $50 normal renewal or pay $70 for the Via West levy (you’ll recieve hard copies) by making a direct deposit to the clubs account: BSB: 066 161 AC: 10035998 Name: Volkswagen Club of Western Australia Cust Ref: Your surname & member no: by credit card please email below details to memberships@vwclubwa.com MasterCard / Visa cards accepted Card No: Expiry Date: Card holder Name: Your Name & member no: by posting a cheque made payable to ”Volkswagen Club of Western Australia” to: Volkswagen Club of Western Australia P.O. Box 175 Victoria Park, Western Australia 6979 Please ensure your name and member number are written on the back of the cheque. If you have changed your address, email or telephone no: please email memberships@vwclubwa.com including your full name & member number. If we do not have an email address on record for you a letter was sent to your address on file.
DOVWFlyer
LANG MOTORS – Bayswater Now repairing all makes of VW & AUDI Under the direction and ownership of Karl Lang, Lang Motors in Bayswater have been VW air cooled specialists in Perth for 40 years. I am pleased to announce that, in addition to air cooled VW’S, we are now offering servicing and repairs on all VW and Audi makes and models. While Karl will continue to work with us on air cooled VW’s, our new team member, with extensive VW and AUDI experience, will allow us to increase our offerings to the VW fraternity of WA. Juri has extensive experience on both air cooled and modern VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda. His work has included eight years’ experience in Europe. We have the latest diagnostic tools to allow professional servicing to all later model vehicles. In addition to servicing, we have a substantial inventory of recycled parts for air cooled VW’s. We look forward to being of service in the future.
LANG MOTORS 7 Durham Rd, Bayswater. 0417814991
(08) 92712740
For all your VW Servicing and Repairs call Neil or Irish John
9309 4445
info@killarneyautos.com.au
www.killarneyautos.com.au John has over 48 years experience working on Air Cooled and Water Cooled Volkswagons Fully Equipped Workshop New Car Servicing Vintage Vehicles Servicing European and Australasian Vehicles Fully Trained Technicians Approved Vehicle Repairer
TYRES Supplied and Fitted Laser Wheel Alignment All work fully Insured and guaranteed
Unit 5, 23 Buckingham Drive Wangara 6065
Lic No MRB5069