TOPICAL
Taranaki Branch Committee
TARANAKI BRANCH
BRANCH OFFICERS, BRANCH ADDRESS, AND MEETING DETAILS 2024-2025.
CHAIRMAN:
ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE: E- MAIL:
SECRETARY/TREASURER:
COLIN JOHNSTON. 63 BROADWAY, WAITARA. 021 131 6699 / 06 754 6216. cajohnstoncollections@xtra.co.nz
ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: E- MAIL: ROB THOMSON. 7 LEATHAM AVE, STRANDON, NEW PLYMOUTH, 4312. 027 701 2485 vcc.taranaki@gmail.com
CLUB CAPTAIN:
TELEPHONE: E- MAIL: JOHN MUTER. 06 751 5554 megandjohnny@xtra.co.nz
NEWSLETTER EDITOR:
TELEPHONE: E- MAIL:
JIM LOGAN. 027 604 4821 / 06 751 0316. logandj49@gmail.com
BRANCH COMMITTEE:( ( ( ( KEVIN FABISH: 06 756 7665 kev.fabish@gmail.com
PARTS SHED:( ( (
LES BOGNUDA: 06 755 2810 021 084 82323 bognuda63@xtra.co.nz
DANNY PATTINSON: 06 756 7735 pattinson- family@farmside.co.nz
BRIAN EVANS: 027 956 0441 brian.julie@outlook.com
JOHN MUTER: 06 751 5554
CES BUDD: 06 241 0454
NEIL ROOK: 06 758 6737
COMPLIANCE / VIN’S / VIC’S: MIKE WILLIAMS: 06 765 4419 annmike21@hotmail.co.nz
LES BOGNUDA: 06 755 2810 021 084 82323 bognuda63@xtra.co.nz
MID WEEK COORDINATOR: BRYAN MORRIS: 06 272 8027
SCRIBE / BEADED WHEELS: MEMBERSHIP / ARCHIVIST: NAME BADGES: LIBRARIAN:
CLUBROOMS CUSTODIAN: GROUNDS CUSTODIANS:( (
BRANCH INFORMATION: CLUBROOMS ADDRESS: POSTAL ADDRESS: E- MAIL: MONTHLY MEETING:
COLIN JOHNSTON: 021 131 6699 cajohnstoncollections@xtra.co.nz
ROSE COX: 027 353 9968 roselcox7@gmail.com
KEVIN FABISH: 06 756 7665
JOHN MUTER: 06 751 5554
ROSE COX: 027 353 9968
LES BOGNUDA: 06 755 2810
DANNY PATTINSON: 06 756 7735
TARANAKI [19] 1040 MOUTAIN ROAD, SH3A, WAIONGANA, INGLEWOOD. C/o 7 LEATHAM AVE., STRANDON, NEW PLYMOUTH. 4312 taranaki@vcc.org.nz AT CLUBROOMS, 3RD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH, 8.00pm.
On The Cover : The Sunday group getting a
Chairmans Chatter for Topical Torque
Hello Folks
Summer is getting closer now with the spring weather here and all the spring flowers in bloom. It will now give us all a better chance to get our vehicles out with some great outings being arranged for you all from our Club Captains John Muter and Brian Evans . C heck out the coming events else where in this newsletter. I have had to contact NZTA again about our concerns about us having to drive our vehicles through large potholes fill of water at our gateway entrance off state highway 3A in to our clubrooms. It is totally unacceptable that the condition of the road reserve outside our clubrooms is in the state it is at the moment . We have asked for NZTA to again inspect this problem and determine for once and for all just whose responsibility it is for the maintenance on this road reserve and our entrance way. Contact wi th NZTA was quite positive and we are expecting an answer to our request for them to grade and maintain the area . This problem needs to be fixed as soon as possible to make it safer for our members turning into our clubrooms. September is our annual Rubber Duckie Motor Cycle Rally month and all arrangements are finalized for the weekend of 21/22 September. At time of writing we have received 40 entries so lets hope for a fine weekend for the entrants to have a an enjoyable ride around our Manuga. Thank You to the members who have put their names forward to help with marshals and check marshals. Les Bognuda has donated another Geezebo to our club for use over the summertime. Thank You Les. We had another memorable Sunday run in August when we visited John Burlings Trackgrip workshop/factory in Eltham organized by club Captains John and Brian. There was an attendance of around 100 with members from the Morris Minor Club who were also invited.
We were also able to visit Mike Coils place in Eltham that Mike has turned an old warehouse into a museum and the exhibits are of a high standard of restoration and was well worth the visit.Mike was on hand to give us a lot of information on the pieces that he has collected up over many years.
Check out our Facebook Page . We are getting a lot of hits and shares of our upcoming events and activities. Check out our upcoming guest speakers for our Noggin and Natter nights that are being arranged. Lets get out and about in our vehicles............Keep the Passion..........Take care on the roads.... Cheers
Chairman Colin MOB: 0211316699
EDITORS REPORT
Our vehicle restoration board is in need of an update, so if you have a vehicle that has been undergoing a restoration in the last three years and you think that it may qualify to be listed please give John Muter a call and he will be able to help you with this
Our Sunday visit to Carac Engineering in Eltham proved very popular with over fifty people arriving on a fine day, we were joined by members of the Early V8 and Morris Minor Clubs. John Burling has been in business in Eltham for the last thirty years and has built up his business so successfully that just this year he was voted New Zealand’s Exporter of the Year. He is a major supplier of accessories to the Caterpillar brand of tracked vehicles and examples of his TrackGrip device, which is patented to John, can be seen fitted to machines on the popular reality American T V show “GOLD RUSH”, shown here on TV 3.
John has four different sites in Eltham, including the large workshop and office complex that we visited which was previously the site for the Taranaki Electric Power B oard. The other manufacturing and assembly sites include a laser powered steel cutting operation, a zinc plating plant, a powder coating plant and the fourteen welding robots that are used across these sites is the largest assembly of these in the Southern Hemisphere.
Examples of the trailer couplings and TrackGrip devices made at Carac Engineering works in Eltham (thanks Colin for photos)
CLUB CAPTAINS REPORT
Many thanks to all who attended our last month’s club run to Eltham. It was great to have such a large number with a couple of one make clubs joining us. The Carac group owned by John Burling and his family had grown far past their expectations. John started about 30 years ago in Stratford and Arthur Da vis's old panel shop, next door to me. With his inventive mind he started manufacturing trailer couplings which he still produces in their thousands plus countless numbers of other items too numerous to mention. His latest invention as the TrackGrip that bolts onto digger tracks to stop them sliding on summary terrain. He has manufacturing and distribution plants in the USA where he supplies parts to Caterpillar along with many other large companies. The Hoffman family of "Gold Rush" fame are ambassadors for his products and are joining his company in the near future. We also visited Mike Coils Museum also in Eltham. It is amazing how many unusual items he has on display and also the knowledge he has of how they all work. I hope everyone enjoyed their visit.
COMING EVENTS
Thursday 19 September O ur club night guest speaker will be Don Allen retired police detective superintendent who served 40 years in the police force both here and overseas.
Saturday 21 September O ur Rubber Duckie motorcycle rally, we have over 40 entries at this stage for this popular event.
Thursday 26 September Meet at Brooklands Park, New Plymouth at 1 30 .We will be visiting the Gables which is the New Plymouth colonial hospital built in the 1860s. They have a selection of art and crafts for sale of anyone is interested. This will be followed by a visit to a car collection and a man cave and then afternoon tea. To reach the park follow Brookland Road and then turn into Brookland Park Drive. Parking is available for us on the grassy area next to the Gables.
Safe Motoring, John
Jim Logan
E vents Calendar
[ The following story was researched by Trevor Benton in Brisbane who is an ex New Plymouth motor enthusiast. It was put together by Max Rutherford for the Historic Speedway monthly newsletter “Pit Notes” here in New Plymouth.]
Part One
Back in 1930 and ‘32 during the worldwide depression two Australian men managed to build and transport to New Zealand two land speed record cars and run them on the so -called ninety -mile beach. Both men were ‘characters’ in the true sense of the word and probably had to use every one of their undoubted charms to raise the necessary money for the attempt in those very hard financial times.
At least two books and several shorter accounts of their lives and exploits have been printed over the years but are now hard to find unless by lucky punters on eBay. The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has on record most of the details of the life of Donald Harkness and a few old low -resolution photos exist, but the two cars have disappeared completely.
Norman “Wizard” Smith was to be the driver. He was born in 1890 at Enfield in Sydney and died in 1958. He was raised on a farm and was apprenticed as a mechanic to I. Phizackerley, motor car importer and married Harriett Ann Russ on 15 April 1911. He served in the Australian Army and sailed overseas in September 1916 but was invalided home from Cape Town and discharged in June 1917. He then worked as a salesman for the Queensland Motor Agency and later Dalgety and Co. in Sydney who were agents for Hudson and Essex cars.
To promote his employers' cars, Smith began entering races, rallies and hill climbs. Due to considerable success, he became known as 'Wizard'. His specialty became inter-city records between Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Launceston, plus cities in New Zealand. He was appointed motoring editor of the Sunday Times and also performed stunt -driving feats in American cars, often wearing his business suit and trademark H omburg hat.
Above is a replica of Wizards record setting Essex built by an enthusiast in Australia.
Below are Norman Smith and Donald Harkness before boarding the SS Maunanui for the trip to NZ in 1930
Donald James Harkness was very much a pioneer in the Australian automotive and aeronautical industries, racing driver and record breaker. He was born in Leichhardt, NSW in December 1890. On leaving school he became an apprentice in general engineering. From the age of 20 he worked at J.C. Hillier's garage at Drummoyne and in 1922 the partnership of Harkness and Hillier Pty Ltd was formed. He was to die on 11 November 1972. Harkness and Hillier moved from Drummoyne to Parramatta Road, Five Dock in 1924. In the early years the firm specialized in the rebuilding of engines; regrinding cylinders; and the replacement of pistons, rings, etc. They made crankshafts, cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, gear box cases, pistons, axle
shafts and other smaller parts. In 1924 the firm took over the manufacture of the Australia Six car between 1918 and 1925. Australian Motors Ltd had reputedly produced some 500 Australian Six cars in Sydney prior to this.
Harkness had an early interest in aviation. Harkness and Hillier serviced aero -engines such as the Anzani, Gnome, Le Rhône, Clerget, Renault, and Hispano -Suiza and became the distributor of Avro Avian and Percival Gull planes. In 1928 Harkness designed and built a hydroglider to be used on the Fly River, Papua New Guinea to which he fitted an aero engine.
He developed an interest in motor racing and in 1924 he imported an Overland chassis which he modified extensively. In this car (christened "Whitey") Harkness won about 50 events at the Penrith and Maroubra speedway tracks and at Gerringong's Seven Mi le Beach during 1925.
Harkness also participated in hill climbs and joined other early motoring pioneers in trips round Australia from east to west and from Sydney to Darwin in the 1920s and ‘30s. Harkness abandoned racing after a narrow escape in 1935 when he was almost enveloped in flames.
An offer of a £50 trophy by the Daily Guardian for the first person in Australia to break 100 mph for a measured mile prompted him to build a special car using a Minerva chassis and a Hispano Suiza aero engine. He won the trophy attaining 108 mph at Gerringong on 17 October 1925.
Harkness was then approached by racing driver Norman 'Wizard' Smith and former Lord Mayor of Sydney Jack Mostyn, to build a car for Smith's attempts to break the Australasian one mile and the World ten-mile records. (to be continued)
DID YOU KNOW –
That any members are welcome to visit our parts shed by contacting a committee member to organise a suitable time for a visit. There are a wealth of parts within and there is not always time on Club night to rummage through them all.
WANTED TO BUY
• Ford T 21-inch wheel and rim, 4 stud bolt on type, ph John 7515554(mem)
FOR SALE
• Yakima brand roof rack Excellent condition. New price $495, will sell for $200 cash.
The S16Y Aero ThruBar silver pair, fits around 1,000 makes and models. Visit www.yakima.co.nz to see if it fits your vehicle (Neil also has a list). Contact Neil Rook, 06 7586737.
• Kent driving lights, chrome, as new $40.00 pr. Electric cooling fan, as new, $25.00 Metal Velocette sign, approx 400mm x 300mm new $20.0. Sunroof, suit 80’s on. NOS Vanguard rocker panels [sills] NOS, light surface rust, $50. Mazda B1600 ute tail gate skin, NOS, $5. Luggage carrier, rusty but will clean up, $50.00. Audi 5-cylinder engine, $200.00. Contact Taranaki Branch - Parts Dept.
• Morris 1300, twin engined, unique, road legal and drives well, asking $9,000, ph Albert 0278588072)mem).
Anyone wanting one or more of these stylish decals to go on your vehicle’s windows, please see Kevin Fabish, size 5cm x 12cm
OTHER BRANCH’S EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 7 Vintage only Rally, Central Hawkes Bay – 15 Groves Memorial Rally, Wairarapa – 20 -23 Manawatu Meander, Wellington – 28 Vintage Rally, Manawatu.
OCTOBER 5 Te Aroha Cruise, E Bay of Plenty – 5 Swap Meet, Manawatu - 12/13 Motorcycle Rally , Manawatu – 13 Rex Porter Rally, Wairarapa – 14 - 18 Taranaki Tour , C Hawkes Bay – 19 - 20 Hunua Spring Tour, Auckland –26 - 28 Combined Branches Camp Out, Manawatu.
NATIONAL EVENTS 2 5 – 28 October National Commercial Rally hosted by the North Otago Branch.
25 – 27 January 2025 National Motorcycle Rally hosted by Manawatu Branch
