VCC WELLSFORD/WARKSWORTH RADIATOR CAP DEC 2023

The RadiatorCap

COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2021-2022

No. 0300159

free phone 0800 658 411

The deadline for contributions to the Newsletter is the 23rd of the month.

The views etpressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the Branch.

Wed 1 Feb 12:00 Midweek picnic at Manly Beach CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

Thur 9 Feb 17:30 Club Night. BYO BBQ with salad to share

Thur 16 Feb 15:00 Club Committee meeting

Sat 25 Feb 07:00 Our Annual Swapmeet

Wed 1 Mar 12:00 Midweek picnic at Snells Beach, Sunburst Avenue

Thur 9 Mar 17:30 Club Night BYO BBQ with salad to share

Thur 16 Mar 15:00 Club Committee meeting

Sat 18 Mar Warkworth A&P Show

Sat 25 Mar Are We There Yet? Rally competing for the Mike Brown Memorial Trophy

Wed 5 Apr 12:00 Mid-week picnic

Thur 13 Apr 17:30 Club Night BYO BBQ with salad to share

Thur 20 Apr 15:00 Club Committee meeting

3—5 May Waiheke Classics Week

Branch activities and Covid-19

Now that Covid restrictions have been lifted, mask wearing is no longer required but we continue to be vigilant with hygiene. The Clubroom will be kept clean and saniti er will be available. Feel free to contact the Chairman or Club Captain if you have any queries.

A very Happy and Healthy New Year. I hope the festive season was good to you

Ispent much of the time following our Christmas Lunch taking Jane (from Italy) around parts of the North Island she hadn’t seen before. Family Christmas at home and New Year in Taupo hot springs! Butter, pies, cakes not available in Italian shops etc. I now plan to visit Europe again later this year. Also on the plus side, the dynamo is finally back in NZ although loads of forms and duty are needed to get it from Customs.

Enough! Time to look forward to 2023. Although I still look back to our Christmas Lunch with pleasure. To be able to have the Presentations of Long Service badges was special. Paul Hicks, Robert Page and Grant Stott were the recipients of 50 year badges the first 3 in our branch; 35 year badges to Anne and Grahame Power, and 25 year badges to Lucy and Neil Cremer. Neil Beckenham represented the President to award the 50 year badges.

To follow on from that, the nett year or more will be busy with bureaucratic issues for the Club. I know many of you are not very interested in these matters, however without the Club our activities as they are now would not be possible, so I would be grateful for your interest and comments either to me or any committee member so we can represent your views about how the club should be run in the future.

There is a discussion document looking at the future of the Long Service Awards. The time and travel costs of the President or her representative attending branches to give the 50 year badges as the club membership gets older are costly, and the time for office staff to support all the badge presentations is also increasing. Seven options ranging from Continue as now, to Abandon all Long Service awards have been put forward. If you would like to see the paper let me know and I will get you a copy. Your committee is of the view that National Office should continue to support branches by holding and funding the stock of badges etc and answering any details of members histories, but that the Branches should take over the awarding and processing of all the Long Service Awards. Your comments please.

In this Newsletter is the Discussion Paper on the New Constitution of the club. This is required because of recent legislative changes leading to the new Incorporated Societies Act 2022. There are some options proposed, although I suspect more will appear, so this is your time to influence the way we go. Your committee feels that we need to retain two club captains to represent the two islands. You may have ideas about a different arrangement, particularly about the need for suitable people to fill the key roles of Sec/Treasure and Registrar. It looks as if there will be annual voting but on a rotation over the threeyear cycle. There is a lot more detail, so please read the document carefully. Your Comments Please.

Finally the summer weather seems to have set in, I look forward to seeing you all on the beach, at our Swap Meet, at the Club rooms and on future runs. All the Best for Safe Motoring in 2023. Anne

CLUB CAPTAIN’S REPORT

Just three club members entered their vehicles in the Wellsford Santa Parade, while a week later, the Warkworth Santa Parade was supported by nine club members in their vehicles and I understand that we were also awarded a community group pri e on the day.

The December mid-week picnic at the northern end of Snells Beach was relocated to Anne Richardson’s home just up the road, due to the unpleasant weather. Seven of our members attended.

Our Christmas luncheon at the clubrooms, catered by the Kowhai Coast Lions, was attended by 43 members. During the course of the dinner, VCC Registrar Neil Beckenham presented 50 year badges to Grant Stott, Paul Hicks and Robert Page. Thanks to Dennis and Anne McDonald for the work behind the scenes arranging the event. We were impressed with the meal we were served.

Our mid-week picnic at Scandretts Bay was cancelled due to the weather. For a while we considered moving it to the clubrooms but the weather combined with heavy holiday traffic decided the cancellation.

Our nett mid-week picnic was planned to be at the end of Manly Beach on 1 February but we decided to cancel it as predictions are that the weather may be worse than the deluges we have already etperienced. Even if it is not, ground conditions won’t be pleasant for a picnic.

A draft roster for the annual Swap Meet on 25 February follows in this newsletter. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are unable to fill your place on the roster . I hope to produce and email around a final version by 16 February. Quite a number of our members will be away attending other events including the National Veteran Rally, the National Motorcycle Rally and Bert Munro Trophy, and the National Model A Rally. Both these last two events will be in the South Island. I have taken this into account with the draft roster. If you’re not on the list but are willing to help out, please also let me know so that we can share the load.

The Restoration of the year trophy will be decided at the Swap Meet. This event is for those who have completed a restoration of a vehicle over the past two years (since last year’s Swap Meet was cancelled). The entry form for the Restoration of the Year, can be downloaded from the Contact page of the club’s website.

Happy motoring,

SWAPMEET ROSTER— 25 FEBRUARY 2023:

BBQ Bacon Butties:

6.00 – 7.00 Pete Sinton Graham Buchs

7.00 – 8.00 Pete Sinton Graham Buchs

8.00 – 9.00 Stuart Windross Jason Morrison

9.00 - 10.00 Jason Morrison Carrick Oliver

10.00 – Stuart Windross Carrick Oliver

Roving Assistants/Back-up:

Megaphone:

People Mover:

Club Stall: James Lawrie/Neil Cremer

Cash Float: James Flewitt

Record of Stall-Holders: Anne Richardson

Reserves:

Lee Middleton, Grahame Power, Maarten Bubbert, Brett Houston, Graeme Woodside

Ihave recently acquired an old but decent Atlas lathe, 3 and 4 jaw chuck. All my renovation vehicles need lathe work that I feel is basic as they run, while needing improvement.

I need a tutor to understand how I can use this fabulous machine. If evening classes still etisted I'd be sitting in the front row but hands on knowledge seems to be ignored in our new world. Written instructions are good but I still need a teacher to show me the ropes.

Is there a W.ellsford-Warkworth VCC member who is prepared to come to me and show how to set the machine up? I am arrogant enough to believe that I can quickly learn but am scared to try and make very bad decisions.

My first simple etperiments are to make an air-vacuum control knob for a 1928 M/C. The 2nd is a head stud for a 1939 100cc M/C. Will a local member be prepared to drop into my central Warkworth address and just give me advice? Tea/coffee/biscuits free.

Thanks.

John Downie 49-year VCC member.

geraldmouse@proton.me

On their recent trip to the South Island Doug & Anne Hamilton visited the National Transport Museum at Wanaka and here is a small fraction of what they saw. It’s a huge and diverse collection and well worth a visit, but be sure to allow plenty of time !

CHRISTMAS LUNCH—13 DECEMBER 2022

At our Christmas lunch in December Long Service badges were presented to Grant Stott Robert Page Paul Hicks - 50 years

Grahame & Anne Power - 35 years

Neil & Lucy Cremer - 25 years

CLUB CAR OF THE MONTH

GRAHAM’S 1934 AUSTIN 7

The first time I saw this Austin A7 – Mabel as she is known was at the Daffodil Rally in 2017 at the Warkworth Wharf. She was being driven by Richard Brampton from the North Shore branch, and as I talked to him I learned that the car might become available for sale in the near future – would I be interested? Growing up with ‘Brum’ a regular viewing as a child, I was immediately besotted, and eagerly went home to convince my wife of the opportunity. ’NO WAY’ was the first reaction – but I wore her down in the end! In time I went down to Browns Bay to test drive it with Richard, and then purchased the car.

In 2018 I completed the Winter Woollies in the Austin with my mother, which was a LONG but ettremely fun day. I think Anne was getting quite worried towards the end, wondering where we were, We were the last car back to Warkworth by a long margin, but she performed beautifully throughout the day’s adventure, much to the surprise and admiration of those on the rally and passers-by.

In 2021 Mabel was a part of my sister in law’s wedding, transporting the Mother of the Bride to the event, and took a few members of the Bridal party down to have their photos taken. As other cars in the procession broke down, dependable Mabel had more and more people jumping in, which ended up quite a sight and a squee e!

Mabel gets quite a bit of use on nice days out on the farm when the boys can sit in her safely and trundle around the private roads. She is always a favourite and I thoroughly enjoy owning her. Graham

WARKWORTH SANTA PARADE DECEMBER 2022

MYSTERY MOTORS

What car is this?

December’s car was a 1938 Horsch 853 Sport Cabriolet with coachwork by Voll & Ruhrbeck. It was equipped with a straight 8-cylinder engine of 4,944 cc which produced 120 hp (83 kw) and it had a 4-speed manual gearbot and RWD. Horsch started making cars in 1901 and was one of the four German car companies which amalgamated to form Auto Union Union in 1932, along with Audi, DKW and Wanderer.

Horsch had close ties to the Wehrmacht and manufactured a large range of heavy duty military vehicles as well as these elegant lutury cars. They were etpensive but cost less than the equivalent Mercedes Ben models and were much favoured by army officers. This particular car was captured by the French at the end of WWII and after many owners and a full restoration it won the top pri e at the Pebble Beach Concours de Elegance.