VCC NORTH OTAGO DISTRIBUTOR MAY 2024

Chairman's Comments.

At the AGM in June I will not be standing again for Chairman, I am getting to that age in life where "my train of thought has left the station before me" I just wish to relax a bit more than I do now.

John Miller asked me if I would like to join the VCC in 2013, I have always considered that if you are going to be part of a club you should be an active member, I have been a member of the committee most of that time, also been treasurer for two years, and organised many runs, including two All British Days.

It's a great branch to belong to, and although I will not be an official any more I will still be doing runs etc.

On the 19th of May Jen and I, with the help of Ernest, have put together a run ending up with afternoon tea somewhere great. the run will be about an hour. please be at the club rooms at 1.15 for 1.30 start.

I am still allowed on the committee as past chairman for the next twelve months, so who knows.

Thank you for all your support,

All the best,

Clive, [Chairman]

Secretary’s Corner – April

Hi Everyone

The committee has been advised that I will not be available to stand for any positions at the upcoming Annual General Meeting in June. The club, in my view, is in good heart. In the last couple of years we have had a significant number of new members join, (way more than some other clubs of our size). The financial books look healthy. The clubrooms itself is a pleasure to be in and is also bringing in hire fee income from several groups. Ernest, our Club Captain is very actively involved in programming events for the season. The regular Monday morning cuppa, mid-month run with classic or modern vehicles, and the end of month motorcycle runs continue to be well supported. The Branch is hosting a National Rally for Commercial vehicles (trucks) over Labour Weekend. We have received great support from the Oamaru Mail covering events.

The VCC itself is moving forward under the new leadership of President George Kear and several new members on the Management Team – our own current Immediate Past President Rebecca George being one of them. The much discussed compliance issues with respect to the need to re register under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 and an opportunity to review and update the management structure of the VCC has resulted in significant changes to be made to our National Body. There is more and more discussion happening over how often older vehicles should be required to re-register and the future requirements /access to fuel supplies. As time goes on, more VCC members will have computerised vehicles. The VCC will need to adjust to a less mechanical way of motoring while continuing to support all aspects of our driving history. We need a strong National Body and sound Branches to manage locally. Interesting times ahead.

Please give some thought to making yourself available for a role on your local branch committee. Many processes have been documented for referral. I will always be available to support members and to answer any queries. The Branch has its own laptop and printer, and consumables. Our Branch must continue to evolve, so new thinking is encouraged. Don’t hold back.

Tender Documents

Re page 43 of the April/May 2024 Beaded Wheels - Motorcycle, parts and a car. A copy of the tender documents and photos of all the lots is on the notice board, or I can email them to you on request.

Other Branches Events can be found in Beaded Wheels or in their club magazines. If you would like to read other branches' magazines, You can look on Google Search. The Vintage Car Club of New Zealand site. Then go to Branch Newsletters.Or contact Lee who can put your name on the email list.

Coming Events

May

1st Wednesday Club Night. Meet at 6.45pm in front of Waitaki Boys High School. Gordon Hay 0284007586.

15th Wednesday Committee Meeting 7pm

16th Thursday Mid Month Run. Start 1.30pm from Clubrooms. Ph. John Gale 0276554296

19th Sunday. Chairman's Run. Meet at Clubrooms 1.30pm start. Bring a plate for afternoon tea.

29th Wednesday Motorcycle Run. Start 1.30pm from Clubrooms. Ph. John Gale 0276554296

June

5th Wednesday No Club Meeting due to the AGM on Sunday

9th Sunday AGM at Clubrooms 1.30pm. Bring a plate for afternoon tea.

13th Thursday Mid Month Run. Clubrooms 1.30pm Start. John Gale 0276554296

19th Wednesday Committee Meeting 7pm Clubrooms

23th Sunday Lunch and Ten Pin Bowling with Waimate Branch. Meet at Midday for lunch, followed by Ten Pin bowling. If you only want to come to the meal or ten pin bowling you are welcome to come to either event. Contact Lindsay or Margaret McLeod. Ph. 021871526 Cost $30 for Meal. $13 for Ten Pin Bowling.

26th Wednesday Motorcycle Run Clubroom 1.30 pm Start John Gale 0276554296

Gerald Lynch – Blosse

Memorial Run 13th April 2024

For all the gloss and glamour of the hot rod show last Monday, Mac was so very right, our bikes look much better, along with the feeling of being as one with your bike when riding, with the wind on your face, you can’t beat a motorcycle. And what a line up it was, nearly every letter of the alphabet was represented in steel, alloy, leather and rubber.

Every country worth it’s salt was represented by it’s finest two wheeled machinery, with every engine configuration and cc rating imaginable. From Wes, who is larger than life, with his massive Triumph Rocket Three, right down to the smallest Triumph 250 and Francis Barnett.

The effort people put into getting to the run, coming from as far afield as Christchurch, Dunedin and the deep South, was very commendable. The singles with their distinctive deep thump, BSA’s that sounded so crisp and willing to rev and the Norton’s with their snarl, it was music to the ears! Nature even played her part, providing water vapour injection for our motors with the odd shower, the old Pommy bikes love a bit of water, seems to make them run stronger, must remind them of home.

The roads were a bit greasy, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that had a tyre twitch and one fellow gave the asphalt a little kiss, but this bloke is the epitome of the saying “you don’t have to look rough to be tough “, he was back on his bike in a flash, completed the run and then had an evening out planned with his Mrs, which he wasn’t going to miss come hell or high water. It was a bit of the “ Bully “ coming out in him, that’s for sure.

There were three things I learnt from the run;

1 Never miss a Gerald Lynch – Blosse Memorial run.

2 Bring a plastic bag to put the ride direction paperwork into and tape it securely to your petrol tank.

3 To have so much fun takes a lot of organising. Their is a huge debt of gratitude owed to Robert and his crew who organised everything, from checking the route was clearly signposted, running checkpoints, printing route instructions and providing meal tickets for a great feed at the Enfield Tavern, organising a back up wagon and a lot more I am sure.

It’s one thing to turn up to the V.C.C. for a fun ride, or drive for that matter and they always are a great and often informative time, had by all, but the gravity and depth of administration to make these events happen, is something I now really appreciate.

The Club Captain was his usual staunch and steady self and his wife and other ladies had gone to great effort, to provide hot drinks and food, both prior and after the run, a lot of food and a lot of drinks and a lot of cleaning up afterwards, a sterling effort.

Rebecca and Robert handed out a number of award certificates, which went to the appropriate bike of each category and class. The “peoples choice “ of bikes was number 22, a 1965 Norton N15CS. It was a stunning bike and really

deserved it’s award.

Gerald Lynch – Blosse has left an amazing legacy to the V.C.C. The camaraderie his run evokes is infectious, it leaves you wanting more. Socializing with such a high calibre of people is a privilege not to be wasted. One bloke I talked to after the run, was riding back to Dunedin on his 250cc Motor Scooter, that’s ballsy as!

Once again, a big “Shout Out “ to all the organizers, it was great to see such a variety of machinery and I am sure, like myself, everyone is looking forward to next years Gerald Lynch- Blosse Memorial Run.

Neddy Norton.

Aye To Enfield !

What a great afternoon was had by all who attended, all thanks to John and Jo, who had scouted the route the day before , to ensure good signage, contacted Enfield Tavern to let them know we were coming, provided really clear printed directions and took the initiative to get us on the road.

There was a good range of vehicles, from a highly polished Land Rover truck, which definitely was not a silver snail, more like a silver bullet , he left the clubrooms and was goneburgers , was well settled at the Enfield when hubby and I turned up, to a sleek Mercedes convertible . It was also nice to have some visitors turn up and join in the event.

You could not have wished for a better day, beautiful sunny day, with a slight breeze, perfect conditions to socialize either inside or outside at the tavern.

Everyone was engaged in interesting and informative conversations and it soon became very evident that the club is full of members with huge experience in mechanics and engineering. It was also fascinating to listen to members life experiences with work and travel. We can’t stop ourselves growing old, but we can try and stay “cool “. The gentleman driving the mint Nissan 300 ZX, had that down to a fine art ! It was good to see Murray Hayes vertical, giving the crutches a good work out and well on the way to a full recovery.

My hubby even paid me the most endearing compliment, as navigator, “ you are so much better than a sheet of instructions taped to a petrol tank “. Thanks for that dear, the twit has got the directional sense of a rock!!

A great time was had and I am certainly looking forward to next mid month car outing.

G.I. JOE.

The February club night visit to Graeme's Place.

13 members turned up at Graeme Simpsons place for a very informative master class on car computers, it seems that everything these days relies on a computer of sorts, for instance, I asked a question that I would not have asked if I had been wearing my own small computers, hearing aids, I received a few derogatory comments, but that is the advantage of old age, you have given up long ago worrying about what people think of you.

We were told that new cars rely on sensors and computers, I am sure I will be shouted down here, but is it economic progress? We were told that a six cylinder car with fuel injection had a coil for each piston, and the cost of replacing the six coils was $750, my 1936 Bedford had six cylinders and one coil costing $65 to replace. (no distributor and all that entails though. Ed)

As the evening went on I began to understand the fundamentals of what Graeme was telling us, I ended up really enjoying the evening, there were a few items I was not sure of, I noted these down so that I could look them up on Google, I now know a lot more than if I had stayed at home, but having been brought up with cars that have never seen a computer I think I will stick to the older vehicles for a project.

Thank you for a good evening Graeme.

NOVCC Gerald Lynch-Blosse Motorcycle Rally 13 April 2024

Results;

Overall Winner: Tony Travagllia ( 1960 Triumph Cub)

Vintage time trial: Gary Hawke (1929 AJS)

PV time trial: Roger Wright (1937 Ariel)

PWV time trial: Harrison Weir (1950 BSA)

P60 time trial: Tim Hutton (1970 Triumph)

P80 time trial: Murray Bain (Norton Chopper)

Riders Choice: Jim Lynch (1966 Norton)

As in previous years Rob Hutton’s route took us through those wonderful North Otago twisty country roads, through the limestone hills to a good pub lunch, and then home on some faster roads. Great riding country. The roads were clean and no gravel. It was wet under the tyres and overhead but no one seemed to care.

We had the largest turnout of bikes (49 I think) for the Lynch-Blosse ever. There was a great range of machines including some quite rare stuff. The A.C.E. in-line four was a very special bike to look at. Unfortunately it threw a tappet block down the road after the lunch stop and came home on the trailer. There was a handsome looking Norton 750 Ranger, and a strong contingent of vintage bikes. It was great to see Barry and Carla Barnes’ GS Suzuki combination in full flight. We need more sidecars next year. Also nice to see Carla and Rose Weir flying the flag for the lady riders.

The Weir family showed a strong contingent of four bikes which must be a rally record. Ralph would have been proud.

As in previous years the riders came from long distances to attend. There were bikes from Christchurch, South Canterbury, Waimate and the usual suspects from Otago. Thanks for making the effort.

All riders were fed well by the NOVCC kitchen team (thanks Mandy, Lee, Wanda, Tim) and by The Fort at Enfield which supplied a great pub meal at a sensible price. Thanks to Jerry Wing at the checkpoint and John Adamson on the back up vehicle (he had a busy day...)

If you missed this run then plan to be there in April 2025.

AGM TIME COMING!

The Annual General Meeting of our Branch will be held at 1.30pm on Sunday the 9th June 2024 at the Clubrooms. Members are asked to bring a plate for afternoon tea.

Management of our Branch

The Branch Committee consists of Chairperson, Immediate Past Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Branch Secretary, Branch Treasurer, Club Captain and a Committee of five members.

These positions are all elected. The Chairperson will have already been a committee member at some stage of their membership. However, all other positions can be filled by new members. The Secretary role requires management of the Club laptop, incoming emails and filing and could if needed be split into two sections by having a Minute Secretary to manage the meeting agendas and minute taking.

At the first Committee Meeting following the AGM the new Committee will then install officers to carry out the responsibilities of a Newsletter Editor, Assistant Newsletter Editor, Beaded Wheels Scribe, Custodian, Librarian, Archivist, Parts Co-ordinator, and ID Card Authenticator. These roles are all appointed and sit outside the management committee; however, a committee member could also be appointed.

If you are interested in understanding what any of these roles require, (whether elected or appointed), please don’t hesitate to contact Lee for further information on 027 695 66 44 or email northotago@vcc.org.nz , or speak to any of the current committee – their contact details are on the back page of Distributor.

We have a pre meeting nomination form for a committee role or committee members can be elected from the floor if no other nominations have been received.

With both the current Secretary and Chairperson not seeking reelection it will be critical to ensure each of these roles are filled as, under the Constitution, both support the Treasurer by having authority to sign off/and or manage the financial records.

The more people involved with taking on various responsibilities, large or small the better it is for the Club. So, consider taking on something or talk to members who you would like to see holding management roles.

10 pin Bowling Menu

NORTH OTAGO BRANCH

OFFICE BEARERS

Meetings 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7.00 pm.

welcome. Club Nights 1st Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm (details in The Distributor)