Club Captain’s Report

By Paul Anderson

Well, with summer on the way, I am sure we are all looking forward to some warmer weather. By time these notes surface, the club will have been on Safari to Rotorua. Hopefully we will have had perfect weather and everything will have gelled together to make for a wonderful weekend. If this is not the case, I will put a stake in the ground now, and say that it won’t have been through a lack of effort but more a lack of ability and decision making on the part of yours truly. Hope I haven’t Jinxed It! Last months run I have been assured was the shortest in the club’s history. Normally the Safari constitutes the October run and a great deal of the active club members would travel away with the club on this weekend. But due to an aging membership and Covid concerns, this is not quite the situation now. Never the less, I felt we needed to do something and create a reason to get the cars out of the shed. So, I took up the suggestion of a couple of people who thought we could meet for coffee and have a relaxed morning leaving the afternoon free. We started with coffee at East Pier and then went to David Mackersey’s shed to view his wonderful collection of cars and memorabilia. While we were there, we were joined by Gordon and Shirley Vogtherr, long-time members of the club. One of Gordon’s early cars, a 1936 MGVA, which he campaigned widely around New Zealand and overseas was in the collection. It was one of David’s early acquisitions. It was great to see Gordon and Shirley in good health despite their advancing years. David also gave us a run down on his West Quay Waterfront Development. Who would want to be a developer who had to face the increased cost and uncertainty when the Covid Pandemic struck half way through the construction process. We had lunch in the garden area next to the Crown Hotel. I did not know that such a private area existed in the centre of the Ahuriri “Café Culture” area. The run was well attended and several people mentioned to me how they enjoyed the run (all four kilometres of it). I did not take my sweetheart for a stroll along the Boardwalk after lunch, rather I took her back to East Pier for a lemonade. Doug Bixley will bring his 1931 Studebaker Sports Roadster along to our next meeting and regale us with stories about the car and his association with it. I’m told Doug tells a good story so it is something to look forward to.

Happy motoring.