VCC NTH OTAGO DISTRIBUTOR MARCH 2023

Chairperson Report

All British completed for another year. What a wonderful day we had. The sun was shinning and we had an excellent turn out of around 81 cars which is the biggest All British Day we have had for many years. I always enjoy every chance I get to take my MG for a cruise on a beautiful day. Thank you to Clive and Jen for organising such a great day.

There are still many events to happen over the next few months, so make sure you check the Events Calendar for the our next Event. If you have a moped hiding in your garage, then make sure you get this out for the Wee Wheel Wanderer on the 5th of March. Unfortunately, I will be in Christchurch so will not be able to attend this year, but I am sure it will be a wonderful day.

At the start of this Month, I will be heading up to Christchurch for the weekend to attend the Executive meeting as our Branch Delegate. The focus of this weekend will be doing workshops on the upcoming changes that need to be done to our Constitution to bring it in line with the new act that the government has passed. This will change how branches will have their voices heard by national Management committee as we will not be able to have our current structure of Executive and Management Committee.

The management committee have proposed 3 options to how the Management committee will be formed in the future. As your Branch Delegate I need to know your opinions on these 3 options so I can represent our branches views at the Executive meeting. Please come along to Club night this month so we can discuss these. If you are not able to attend then please give me a call and let me know what you think.

Happy Motoring

Rebecca

1st March Club Night Programme

7.30 pm

Our National Delegate Rebecca heads to the next Executive Meeting on March 4th and 5th. In order to represent you and your ideas, she needs to hear what you have to say about the suggested new structure options being put forward by the Management Committee to meet the new requirements of the Incorporated Societies Act

It is proposed that the Board would comprise of:

A President elected by the members for a three year term

Option 1:

Six board members being North Island & South Island Club Captains elected by the members in their respective islands for a three year term, and four regional representatives elected by the members in their region for a three year term – two from each island - as an example for the North Island maybe: South Waikato north and Taupo south and for the South Island: South Canterbury North and Waimate South.

Option 2:

Five board members being National Club Captain elected by the members for a three year term and four regional representatives elected by the members in their region for three year term as in Option 1;

Option 3:

One board member being: a National Club Captain elected by the members for a three year term and four regional representatives who report to the Club Captain but are not members of the Board.

An Hon Sec/Treasurer appointed by the Board for a three year term;

A Registrar appointed by the Board for a three year term;

A Beaded Wheels Editor appointed by the Board for a three year term;

Any individual appointed by the Board as required to provide a specific skill (such as a lawyer, PR person), such appointment to be reviewed after each AGM.

The discussion document has been circulated and is again part of the email including Distributor. As Rebecca will have commented in her Report, your input is essential. Please come and ask questions and put forward your ideas as to how you see our Club running efficiently and effectively in the future. If you can’t make it, ring either Rebecca 021 293 7714 or Lee 027 695 66 44 or email northotago@vcc.org.nz to have your comments included.

Driving our History – into the future

Secretary’s Corner – March

Hi Everyone

Survey Results

I have done a summary of the 28 responses received from our Survey. This is a reasonable response considering many of our members are not actively involved for a variety of reasons - such as just wanting the Beaded Wheels, living out of town, or wanting to remain connected to their branch despite no longer being able to participate directly.

Thank you to all who responded. Your collective comments will help direct the committee to ensure members are getting the best from this Branch.

Summary

Existing rallies continue to be popular, with more visits to workshops and other motoring related sites and speakers on club nights high on the list. Email was the most preferred method of contact, with a phone call being next best.

People appreciated hearing about club night programmes, events other clubs were running and upcoming rally events. Benefits gained from Beaded Wheels were predominantly of general interest unless working on a vehicle or selling/buying one.

Though not asked for in the survey, six responders said they got nothing from the VCC website and very few visited either occasionally or not at all by 19 of 26 responses. Regarding the branch having a Face Book page, there was interest in this with 14 saying maybe, 5 saying yes and 8 saying no.

In general, the cost of fuel was not an issue most of the time. Members living on their own were interested in receiving reminders the day before an event, sharing driving and matching up drivers and navigators for rallies. There seemed a moderate response to having competitive or more complex navigation events.

More technical articles, regional news and blogs were noted as being of interest as content for Distributor, along with what is already covered.

The full survey results and comments have been distributed separately alongside this March Distributor

Advise of Newsletters

I have been working on a Secretary’s manual to streamline some of the processes and procedures within the role, and so there is a reference for whom ever is the next secretary.

One process is that in the past some members received a copy of every Branch (37?) newsletter. Great communication, however, that was before they were all being loaded onto the VCC Website. Now the team at National Office send an email out to the branches (and others) advising that XX’s newsletter is now available. I then forward this email with a link enclosed to those members of our branch who have asked to receive these notifications. If you wish to join this list, please let me know.

VCC Website

The survey has shown limited use of the VCC Website. If you have tried to use it and had problems, I would like to know about them. The website is an important function within the club and is due to receive an update, so now is the time to remind or advise the national committee of any issues being experienced by members. It certainly has plenty of room for improvement.

Financial Members

By now, members who have not paid their membership fees will be considered unfinancial and lose their continuity status. They will of course also lose the benefit of receiving Beaded Wheels. The latest issue was posted out during the week of 12th February. If you think you are a financial member but didn’t receive the latest issue, PLEASE let me know. There are some payments sitting in a bank account at National Office unable to be allocated due to lack of information. In other words, the girls don’t know who the funds have come from so can’t attached the payment to a membership.

Clubrooms Bookings – for members information

The upgrade of the clubrooms has attracted a number of organisations requesting to hire the clubrooms. The committee has discussed hiring out and agreed to a fee and a list of requirements. The Council lease asks that we make the venue available to nonprofit community based organisations when we as a club are not using it. An opportunity to generate some income.

Upcoming Census

I attended a Census Meeting recently to understand the process better. Remember to complete your Census form. All of us count. And because the census is so important, the law requires us all to do it. Often people are concerned about their privacy. I learnt that Census data is stored in the government’s private cloud. When the data is processed, individual identities are not identified. Your identity is protected. Personal information is not shared with other organisations. If you need help completing your form, let me know. I can either point you in the right direction to get assistance or am very happy to help you myself.

Lee Brehaut

From ODT Archives - 100 Years Ago

Bright Idea for Hand Signals

One of the latest novelties helping to make motoring safer is a glove in the back of which is a small re electric lamp, which can be lighted by pressing a button under the thumb. When a car is going to stop or turn a corner the driver puts out his hand as a warning to any car that may be behind him. This is by no means easy to see in the dark but the little red lamp is visible for a long distance.

Cars Become Commonplace

That motor cars are worth just twice as much as they were four years ago, regardless of what they cost then and now, is the interesting thought developed from publicity sources. A few years ago the motor car was looked upon as a summer season proposition, useful for perhaps six months of the year, and in some districts usable during a portion of another three months. In flooded districts a car might be laid up for months. One hears a few such instances nowadays. They are not only better cars now, but the user never hesitates to ask them to do whatever he wants, nor questions their ability to do it - by Accelerator.

Waimate 42nd Wallaby Rally

This year the Good Luck Fairy was in full control for the Wallaby Rally at Waimate. The sun shone which was an invitation to those who could, to go topless (cars that is!!) and no Covid to interrupt proceedings. There were a number of the North Otago VCC members present as well as participants who travelled from North and South. The short route took us through the outskirts of the township with a section round the roads surrounding the golf course before heading through the Gorge, taking the first left just at the end of it. We had missed this road on a previous rally. This had us turn into Gum Tree Road to exit onto the main road at Makikihi and immediately left towards Morven Domain for our lunch break.

It was an interesting lunch group we had the privilege of being included with. Talk of interesting car information and one member stated with all seriousness that their neighbour “Mrs Coupland” was very good at providing them with cakes for their lunch. Altogether a lot of laughter and cheeky banter.

Back at Waimate Clubrooms for afternoon tea and prize giving. Some of our members featured in the prizes.

Of general interest, one of our members was laughing about the “(stuffed) Wallaby” trophy (in the glass case) which they had won 35 years ago and the reactions of visitors to it residing on their piano for the next 12 months. Many thanks to the Waimate VCC for a very enjoyable rally. Wanda Kent.

Editor:- The long route went from the clubrooms down Browns Rd through to the Hunter area, Lower Hook, round the back of Waimate township to the gorge, then through Waikakahi Valley to Ikawai Middle Road, out to the main road, then turned off to head to Morven Domain.

North Otago members John Adamson and Brian Perkins came first in their respective classes, John with his 1916 Overland and Brian in his 1982 Ford 2.8 Capri.

Mid-Month Run

Thursday16th March

Turn up at the clubrooms about 1pm

Receive route instructions to leave at 1.30

Mystery Destination for a BYO picnic afternoon tea.

Note the change of day to a THURSDAY

A number of cafe type venues we look to in the winter are often closed by 3pm on a Wednesday but open later Thursday to Sunday, so lets be consistent all year.

February’s Picnic Run was an enjoyable trip through Weston, out to Five Forks, then left down the valley to Gemmell’s Crossing. Sunflowers were starting to dry off and crop harvesting well underway. It was great to have our less known members Bob and Heidi join us on their first midmonth run in their recently warrented 1964 Land Rover. Originally used for bringing gold bearing sand out of Skippers to Queenstown for a tourist gold panning business, this vehicle has been totally rebuilt by Bob.

50 Vintage Years North Otago Branch History

Excerpt pages 124 and 125

BoydRapson’s1924Buick4.

Boyd bought his 1924 Buick in 1938 from the McPhee family who lived on the Papakaio Plains. In it was a plaque asking if there was an accident or some other misadventure would somebody please call a Priest.

He drove it home and then made arrangements with Coker Bros., to cut it down and make it into a truck. They made a professional job and Boyd was very pleased with the deck. The sides went along the side of the car which Boyd liked better than the standard version. It had one trip to Dunedin to take something to relatives. It was used regularly to feed out hay, cart fuel and feed chaff. It had a sweep on the front of it so it was used like a tractor. Boyd used to sweep all the hay for two or three farmers. It would go all day without any problems. Once it broke an axle and that was the only time it stopped. During the war it ran on power kerosene.

John Miller remembers when he was a boy in 1948 it had only done 45,000 miles. John also remembers when the muffler fell off with a bang and they could hear Boyd coming from a mile away on a frosty morning. It wasn’t a loud noise but it was distinctive because it has a slow revving motor. This Buick truck worked hard as part of Boyd’s contracting business until well into the sixties before it was retired.

Neil Watt now has the deck on his dodge and when he put it on it “fitted like a glove”. So well in fact that even the hole for the petrol tap was in the right place.

In 1980 Boyd and John began talking about restoring it back to being a car and began to assemble the bits. Boyd pulled it down to the bare chassis and spent a lot of time restoring it. The back doors had been lost when it went to Coker Bros. Fortunately John had acquired parts for the back that all matched up. John used to inspect progress and some days he helped. He says he did more talking than helping but he was the encourager. The body was still in good order except for some rust on the bonnet, and that, and the brakes which Les McBride fixed, were the only parts of the restoration that Boyd didn’t do himself. Boyd put in all the heat parts the same as when it ran on kerosene. Then there was trouble with modern fuel – it boiled! The car wouldn’t run on gas!!

Boyd joined the North Otago Branch of VCC of NZ inc. in 1994 when the car was nearly restored.

It started out with tyres that were not as reliable as they might have been. Boyd put three inch motorbike tubes in them.

Boyd and John took the Buick on a Windsor Rally and then bravely decided they were going for a trip over the Dansey’s Pass and back again. It was a branch outing but Boyd and John weren’t told everyone else was going via the Pigroot and home over the Dansey’s. Boyd’s wife Linda didn’t wish to travel over the Dansey’s Pass at all, but John’s wife Judith

went in their truck as the back up vehicle and Boyd says that they wouldn’t have got there and back without Judith’s support. They had a picnic lunch near the Dansey’s Pass Hotel and took some photos. On the way home the Buick vaporised just near the top of the last hill. An afternoon tea break was had at the gates of Ben Ledi Station and when they were nearly back at Ngapara the Buick got a puncture. It was then the other branch members caught up on them but most didn’t know of their version of the run. This outing is one of the highlights of John’s vintage motoring.

Some years ago AMI Insurance approached Boyd with a suggestion that he enter their 75th Anniversary Rally. Boyd felt it was going to be too expensive, John didn’t have the time to accompany him and so Boyd didn’t participate in the rally.

Since the trip over Dansey’s Pass the Buick has motored to Oamaru and back and has made a couple of visits to Ngapara School to take the children for a ride.

During its time as a truck and since it has been restored it has been driven by many children (always in a paddock) and it has never suffered any damage from any of its escapades. However a cow managed to break a headlight once and how that happened is still a mystery to Boyd.

Anzac Day Field Tests for the North Otago Branch of VCC of NZ (Inc.) were held on John and Judith’s property at Bobbing Creek Road, Ngapara, in 2001. Boyd and John displayed all their vintage, post vintage, post war and P60 class vehicles for local members to see. Boyd’s grandson Peter drove the Buick and outclassed the members in the Field Test competition.

B Rapson 1924 Buick 4

Dunedin

For

Sunday, March 5th, 2023

Meet 10.00am at 184 Waitaki drive West Otematata

Cost $20 includes cuppas and lunch along the way.

Please let us know numbers & advise any food allergies.

Text or ring Gordon and Wendy 027 224 2018

Or email wendympringle@hotmail.com

Parts Shed

The parts shed is open on Monday morning 10am – 12noon. Always starts with a cuppa and a chat, all welcome and if you need parts to keep that vehicle going we can help there as well. The morning cuppa continues to be popular with a good turn out every Monday.

The crew have also been busy clearing up with the latest working bee shifting and sorting all the old car doors and panels from around the container. All the ones rusted through were sent to the scrap and the others stacked over by the south fence.

FOR SALE

Selection of Hillman Avenger-Hunter lights

Ford Falcon EA exhaust manifolds

Morris 1000, Chevy, Vauxhall parts as well as an assortment of oil filters

Good selection of body panels, mud guards and bonnets for various models.

Triumph 2000 MK11 motor and gearbox.

Wolseley/Morris 10hp Motor in excellent order. Various other motors, gear boxes and other parts.

Enquiries call - Derek Brehaut 021 390 518 or Wayne Croft 027 608 0002

Month End Motorcycle Run

Wednesday 30th March

Turn up at the clubrooms about 1pm to leave at 1.30. Route and destination will be decided on the day.

Calendar of Events

March 2023

Club Events

1st March - Wednesday Club Night

5th March 2023 - Sunday Wee Wheelie Wander starting from 184 Waitaki Drive West, Otematata

16th March- Thursday Mid-month Run

29th March - Wednesday End of Month Cycle Run

15 April 2023 - Saturday Gerald Lynch-Blosse Memorial Motorcycle Rally

23rd April – Sunday ANZAC Weekend Autumn Gold Picnic Run to Otematata

National and Regional Events

Check our Other Rallies Page for information which has been sent through from other branches about their various activities. Also Beaded Wheels is a good source to check out other rallies you may be interested in attending.

Note:-Every effort has been made to keep these dates as accurate as possible at the time of printing. However, check with the Chairperson or Secretary to confirm any particular event of interest or for entry forms.

‘Other Events’ Notice Board - March

For more information on any event listed, please contact Lee on 027 695 66 44 or email northotago@vcc.org.nz

Some branches include entry forms, while others don’t preferring people to contact them directly.

Wheels At Wanaka <info@wheelsatwanaka.co.nz>

PRACTISE DAY - FRIDAY 7 APRIL MAIN SHOW - SATURDAY 8 & SUNDAY 9 APRIL 2023

Check out their website for up to date information.

https://www.wheelsatwanaka.co.nz/

2023Highland Fling! 21st to 23rd April

Veteran and Vintage category vehicles only. Limited to 100 vehicles.

Friday 21st April – Registration Saturday 22nd - Fling Rally

Sunday 23rd Fling Rally continues and Field Tests, Prize Giving Dinner

Email northotago@vcc.org.nz or ring Lee 027 695 66 44 for an entry form.

Rotary Club of Ashburton Plains Classic Car Run 30th April 2023

The event will start from the Ashburton Showgrounds at 10.30am and finish near Peel Forest approximately 1 hour later.

Registrations from 9.am. For any further information please contact: Owen Moore – owen@moorepark.net.nz 033083442

Vintage/Veteran Tour - Wellington-Waiarapa-Wanganui 13th20th March

Email Phil and Coral Kidd at prcmk@xtra.co.nz or cell Phil Kidd 027 239 4828.

Entries close 1st March

Newsletter

Preferred formats are Open-office, Libre-office or MS Word as an attached document. Plain emails create extra work. Please, no “enter” key at the end of every line. Contact me for advice if not sure.

Thanks, Graeme

NORTH OTAGO BRANCH OFFICE BEARERS

Club email address northotago@vcc.org.nz

Committee Meetings 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7.00 pm. Members welcome. Club Nights 1st Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm (details in The Distributor)