wagensvillenews Volume 54 Number 7 January 2009
The Official Newsletter of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc.
www.vwclub.com.au
Evening Cruise Sunday 25th January 2009
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL No later then 18th of January for meals at the Golf Club. For bookings please call Richard on 0418527862 or email: rgraham8@bigpond.net.au
Meet at Laverton/Point Cook Shell Service Station Princes Hwy Laverton at 4:30pm for a 5pm sharp departure to Torquay. Arrive at Torquay Golf Club at 6-6:30 for a meal, after tea free time to explore Torquay beach and following a cruise home at your own accord.
The mix of Volkswagen models on show this year was also changed a lot from last year. There were a lot more Kombi’s of all models present this year.
President’s Report Dean Holden, VWCV President Hi all and welcome to the final Presidents Report for 2008. And what a year it has been. Natural disasters, financial market meltdown, weakening dollar and Geelong loosing the Grand Final has made 2008 an interesting ride, but there have been some real high spots too. The Beijing Olympics, an African American President takes office in White House, Baz Luhrman finally finishes Australia, but for us Victorian VW fans the Day of the Volkswagen 2008 was the real high spot of the 2008 calendar year.
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The Day of the VW 2008 was our biggest and most successful one yet. Bruce and Winnie Meyers certainly were a hit with all VW fans in attendance and spent a lot of time talking to us both as a group or one on one and signing caps, tee shirts, models and magazines. Lucky for me Bruce liked Porsche powered Karmann Ghia’s as I was lucky enough to be awarded Bruce’s Choice on the day.
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We also saw a much bigger turn out of VW Water-Cooled models this year, Water-Cooled Hill was packed. Our model of the show, Off Road VW’s were also high in attendance with more Beach Buggies in one place than I had ever seen before. The Rat area was also packed to the limit. It was also great to see the Stig in attendance. Very pleased to see that he drives the right make of vehicle in his private time. On the numbers side we had 280 entrants in the Show and Shine this year, well up on 2007, so the Show and Shine judging was a big, big job.
The Show and Shine pre entry was very well supported this year and certainly eased congestion thru the gates. Please consider this for next years event.
Special thanks go to:
With the larger crowd, Traders and Swappers were kept very busy during the day with much merchandise changing hands.
Looking forward into the early months of 2009 we have a very full calendar with the Australia Day Evening Cruise, VW Drags at Portland and the Picnic at Hanging Rock.
Bruce and Winnie Meyers. Matt Gardiner for tirelessly keeping the announcements going all day. Still on DOTVW 08 numbers, we had The Day of the Volkswagen 08 well over a 1000 people thru the gate as Organising Committee. general admission. This again was well All the volunteers assisting on the day. up (15%) on last year. The weather was Planning has already started for Day very kind to us this year, despite some of the VW 2009, so if you have any early drizzle so it was very pleasant way suggestions how we can make the to spend an afternoon. day even better please pass them on.
There are number of people and organizations we wish to thank for their contribution towards the success of the Day of the VW 2008.
South Yarra Volkswagen Shannons Insurance Volkswagen Magazine Australia Just Cars Magazine Mattel Salta Construction Flash Lube A list of trophy winners in included in this months Wagensville News, so if you Volkscare are a winner and left with out picking up All the Traders in attendance your trophy please drop us a line and we will arrange to get it to you. Congratulations to the trophy winners on the day. The standard of show and shine entries was very high again this year, with the results of lots of elbow grease very apparent on the day.
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In closing both myself and the committee would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and healthy 2009.
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Calendar of Events
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JANUARY
Day of the Volkswagen 2008
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January 25th Australia Day Evening Cruise. See Ad for full details. January 27th VWCV General Meeting. Bell’s Hotel at 8pm. 157 Moray St, South Melbourne.
FEBRUARY February 8th Picnic at Hanging Rock. See Ad for full details.
MARCH
What a day!
February 28th - March 1 Kennett River Weekend. See Ad for full details.
APRIL April 10th - 13th Bug-In 2009 Bendigo Victoria. See Ad for details or visit www.vwclub.com.au.
MOTORSPORT EVENTS
South Yarra Volkswagen were once again on display with all the new
Volkswagens including the new Tiguan. We were more than pleased to have Thanks to all the crew at South Yarra Bruce as our guest at the Day of the Volkswagen for your support on the day. Volkswagen 2008. We can’t forget our special guest, Bruce Meyers. Acknowledged in the US as the father and creator of off road racing and included in the hall of fame. A very friendly character and always happy to talk about his journey through life and the Manx Buggy history.
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The intelligent and knowledgeable man had many vocations during his working life, from established artist and sculptor to the early days in his career with boat building which developed his skills with fiberglass. From this boat building venture the concept for the Manx Buggy
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For information on Motorsports Events contact Michael Clark VWCV Motorsports Co ordinator on 9878 1554
Another big day for the Volkswagen Club of Victoria and the Day of the Volkswagen. The weather was kind and both general admission and Show and Shine entrants were up again this year. A healthy turnout for all Show and Shine categories for 2008 and the Kombi section just keeps on growing.
Show 'n' Shine Motorsport Easter Parade Presentation Dinner Farewell Afternoon Tea Extended Tour
vwclub.com.au
For more information on the 2009 Victorian Bug-In visit April 14th, 5 day extended tour of Eastern Victoria visiting Victoria's Murray River, High Country, Goldfields, Snow Fields and Gippsland Regions.
Supported by
Thanks to Mick Conway and the Manx group for a great effort on the day and wonderful display of Manx Buggys’.
Ramakers, Brian Reed, Chris Scane, Josh Schuster, Dean Seeley, Boris Senek, Shannon Stanger, Jan Stevens, John Stevens, Bernd Wachs, Adam Wawrowski, David Wawrowski, Dean Wheatley, Kim Whittles, Cameron Young and Troy Wass.
The Syncro group display attracted a lot of interest this year, there were 11 Syncro’s plus T5, 4motion and Neil (‘Offroad’ T2, Kombis to the Kape participant), up from about 8 last year. Finally, thanks to all of you, our Thanks go to Boris (of Volkscare) for membership, for making the Day of the the loan of the dome shelter, Les Harris Volkswagen 2008 a success. & Roger Bell for assistance with the displays and organization, Mark Kofahl and Neil Smith for travelling from Sydney specifically for the event. There are lots of people to thank, to start with, a huge thank you to our major sponsors South Yarra Volkswagen and Shannons. The contributions these two companies made to our day is very much appreciated. Thanks also to the Cranbounre Turf Club and our trophy sponsors. Big thanks also to the traders present that worked hard all day. The Day of the Volkswagen could not be possible without the help from our Volunteers, the VWCV would once again thank you all for your help on the day. If you did not receive your DOTVW Volunteer pin on the day please contact us and we will send it through, hope to see you all next year.
was born as we know it today. His first fibre glass buggy broke the motor bike record for the Baja 1000 by almost 5 hours. In the early years of Bruce’s Racing, Volkswagen did not want any involvement with the racing scene and threatened legal action if Bruce associated his buggys’ and the Baja races in any way with Volkswagen. In recent years Volkswagen has come to recognise his work and have
DOTVW 2008 VOLUNTEERS Tony Albers, Chris Antonello, Liz Armstrong, Alistair Atty, Alan Bell, Julie Clark, Michael Clark, Andrew Clifton, Mick Conway, Stephen Craven, Michael Cronin, Evan Davies, Peter Davies, acknowledged that Bruce and Buggy Lloyd Davies, Lyn Davies, Neville Dean, are a major part of Volkswagen history. Stuart Ermel, Andrew Ermel, Steve Bruce personally hand builds his Manx Ermel, Cheryl Ermel, Matthew Gardner, buggys’ today and is always working on John Goodison, Richard Graham, Kim new designs. Graham, Les Harris, Dean Holden, It was a pleasure to have Both Bruce David Holinger, Wayne Hulbert, Paul and Winnie as our guests’ at the Day Kinsey, Mathew, Kinsey, Mark Krapp, Of the Volkswagen and club members Xavier Larkin, Bill Malkoutzis, Anto host them for the week leading up drew Mengyel, Geoff Moed, Bernard to the Day whilst they stayed here in Morosow, Christine Morosow, Kingsley Melbourne and Geelong. Morrison, Ian Nell, Fran Oliver, Tracey
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT Dear Dean, Now that the dust has settled and we’re back at work, Bruce & I have had time to reflect on the wonderful, beautiful, unforgettable trip to Australia that was made possible by you and the Volkswagen Club of Victoria. It was unfortunate that we only briefly met you at the “Day of the Volkswagen” show when there wasn’t time to really visit with you personally. However, prior to the show we were shown to a week of wonderful people, parties and sites of your country, an event in our lives that will remain very dear to us forever! It is truly amazing that one little car can bring together so many people no matter their age, lifestyle, nationality or gender - it’s impressive to see! Thank you again to you and the Volkswagen Club of Victoria’s members who made it all possible! Winnie & Bruce Meyers
Day of the Volkswagen 2008 Show and Shine Winners CATEGORY STANDARD BEETLE UP TO 1957 STANDARD BEETLE UP TO 1967 STANDARD BEETLE 1967 AND ON NEW BEETLE STANDARD KOMBI 1950 TO 1967 STANDARD KOMBI 1968 TO 1982 TRANSPORTER T3, T4 & T5 KOMBI CAMPER AIR COOLED KOMBI CAMPER WATER COOLED SYNCHROS ALL MODELS STANDARD GOLF MK1 & MK 2 STANDARD GOLF MK3 & MK4 STANDARD GOLF MK5 OTHER WATER COOLED TO 2000 OTHER WATER COOLED 2000 ON STANDARD TYPE 3 & 4 COUNTRY BUGGIES STANDARD KARMANN GHIA
RUNNER UP Peter Bruty Jannett cropley Kennneth Davis N/A Stuart Ermel Matt Gardner Neil Voigt Tracey Ramaekers Brian Reed Mark Kofahl John Meaertsdorf Peter James Maris Rozleja Matt Adams Allen Boyd Frances Webb No Entrant Ursula Weidermuller
WINNER Chris Mc Donald Glenn Orriss) Lloyd Davies Katie Bodle Colin Hyett Lloyd davies Mark Russell Dee Gray Elly Sommer-Payet Mark Boys Alistair Atty Mario Gugliucello Rob Picone Bill Malkoutzis Bernie Morowsow Llloyd Davies No Entrant Colin Hyett
MODIFIED BEETLE UP TO 1957 MODIFIED BEETLE 1958 TO 1967 MODIFIED BEETLE 1968 ON BUGGY KIT CAR RAT LOOK MODIFIED KOMBI UP TO 1967 MODIFIED KOMBI 1967 ON MODIFIED GOLFS ALL YEARS MOTOR SPORTS RACE CARS MODIFIED KARMANN GHIA MODIFIED TYPE 3 & 4 BEST DISPLAY BEST PAINT BEST ENGINE BEST INTERIOR JUDGES CHOICE ORIGINAL JUDGES CHOICE MODIFIED CAR OF SHOW ORIGINAL CAR OF SHOW MODIFIED BRUCE MYERS’S CHOICE
Mitchell Lovell Charlie Humphrey Stuart Lock Tony Leone Dennis Keating Bradley Yeats Tom Portelli Ben Cadby Domanic D’Acri Bruce Woodward Dean Holden George Econamou
Dave Dickerson Bruce Argaet John Stylin Susie Ashley Andrew Hosking Eddie Storer Col Dunstan Ian Arrmstrong Pierre Thorand Barry Pritchard Mark Krapp George Econamou Ian Arrmstrong San Barbagallo John Stylin Mitchell Lovell Kenneth Davis Col Dunstan Lloyd Davies George Econamou Dean Holden
PLEASE NOTE: All additions to this section MUST be accompanied by either registration number, chassis number or VIN number. Advertisements for vehicles without these details WILL NOT be published. Advertisements will be limited to a period of two months only. If you wish to continue your advertisement beyond the initial two month period or your Ad has been SOLD in the first month of Advertising, please contact the Editor(s) so the Advertising space can be updated for NEW Ads. Send your for sales and wanted ads to the Editor: VWCV Editor GPO Box 1215 Melbourne VIC 3001 Email wagensville@hotmail.com
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VWCV will meet at the BP Service Station just pass Calder Park Thunderdome at 7.30am for an 8am sharp departure. Come along and join the fun and show the VWCV pride. This is a massive show with over 2000 cars on the day. We must arrive together in order to park together. For further information contact Richard on 0418527862
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$20 per car at Gate
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Picnic at Hanging Rock ME
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Feburary 2009
Happy Campers
Halls Gap
Camp-Outs in 2009
Melbourne Cup Long Weekend 2008
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It was a hilarious evening that was certainly assisted by a dozen bottles of fine wine donated by our generous caravan park hosts. John Goodison finished a few members off that night with generous servings of Rusty Nails.
Monday saw us at Seppelts Winery in Great Western for a tour of the 6 km of underground “drives” that used to store millions of bottles of sparkling wine. After the tour we had a counter lunch at a small but friendly hotel in Stawell, browsed the OP Shops in Stawell and drifted back to camp. We had a pleasant dinner that night at the local pub in walking distance from the caravan park. On Tuesday morning we reluctantly packed up camp and headed home via a new route that saw us stop for a quiet light ale at the historic Moonambel Hotel, sample a pie or two at Avoca and visit the now dry Lake Learmonth. Eventually we reSunday night saw the group recover joined the Western Highway at Ballarat. and then dress up for the theme of From there the group split up and made the night “What Did The 60’s Mean their own way home. It was a terrific To You”. We had many strange and jam packed 4 days of VW related fun unusual individuals turn up including a and frivolity that went off without a hitch. pregnant woman, a school girl, many We are sure that everyone had a bonza way-out substance-affected long-haired time, we had a ball. Several members types straight from San Francisco, a we met at the DOTVW said they took fish net stockinged swinging mod chick a few days to recover but that they and a smart sports jacket wearing enjoyed every minute of the trip. businessman. Other campers in the Jan and John Stevens. vicinity were absolutely flabbergasted.
The annual and ever popular Kennett River camp-out is on again in 2009.
In 2009 the club is again planning several trips commencing with the traditional Kennet River CampOut in late February and the 5 Day Eastern Victorian Tour that follows the 2009 Easter Bug-In at Bendigo. Details of the route of the Eastern Victorian Tour can be found on the club’s website at www.vwclub.com.au/bugin_ tour.php If you intend going on these adventures it is very important that to avoid disappointment you book your accomodation as soon as possible. Details of all VWCV Camp-Outs will be in future editions of the club’s monthly newsletter and on the website. For long weekend trips we will be advertising details well in advance as group bookings for 10 to 15 sites at caravan parks are difficult to arrange unless people are prepared to commit themselves 4 or 5 months in advance. If you want to discuss any matters concerning these future campouts please call me on 9890 2548 AH or email john.stevens@justice. vis.gov.au Thanks, John Stevens
Experience the picturesque Great Ocean Road and the Surf Coast to Kennett River with the VWCV this coming February.
Saturday 28th Feb to Sunday 1 March
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We eventually arrived in Dunkeld at the foot of the Grampians for lunch (not that we needed much after morning tea) and then headed north into the mountains and the VW friendly Grampians Gardens Caravan Park in Halls Gap where we arrived at 3pm. The owners of this well laid out establishment are VWCV members and have two fine Kombis of their own. Camp was set up and the inevitable socialising commenced. There was much VW related conversation well into the night and many cups of tea and glasses of lemonade were consumed by the health conscious VWCV members. Sunday morning saw the long awaited VWCV Long March up to the formidable and inhospitable Pinnacle. The 12 km round trip and strenuous climb pushed the group to the absolute limit but, like our beloved VWs, we just kept on chugging. It was a fantastic effort by all concerned.
Kennett River
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On 1, 2, 3 and 4 November 2008 a total of 23 VWCV members in 14 cars, the majority being Tin Tents (Kombis), made the journey from Melbourne to Halls Gap in the magnificent Grampians. We met at Deer Park and had our first stop at the Ballarat property of VWCV members Margaret and Peter Bruty where we were treated to a magnificent VW theme breakfast of Oval Pancakes, bearing the VW insignia, with all the trimmings and the company of 30 or so other local VW and Porsche enthusiasts. The word had got out in Ballarat that a convoy of Melbourne VWs were coming and Margaret and Peter were inundated with requests to join the morning tea event. Most of the cars were concourse quality and the total scene reminded us of a mini-DOTVW. The Melbourne mob were very appreciative of the level of effort and time put into the event by Margaret, Peter and all the locals who assisted on the day.
In recent years there has been a growing club interest in using long weekends to explore new and interesting parts of this fantastic country that we call home (see the Halls Gap article in this issue).
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Accommodation costs are as follows: Site cost are - Powered sites - $30 a night Non powered - $26 a night Cabins delux - $115 a night Cabins standard - $105 a night ���������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������
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VWCV General Meetings
Membership Application
Melbourne Club meetings are held every fourth Tuesday of every month at 8pm at Bell’s Hotel, 157 Moray St, South Melbourne, unless advised of an alternative venue in the Club Newsletter.
Membership Application also available at the VWCV website www.vwclub.com.au
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WVCV Annual Membership Fees • Single One Year Full Membership $55 • Single 3 Year Full Membership $150 • Additional Family Membership $20 (per extra member). • Membership Joining Fee $10 (first year members only). To join the Club, please complete the membership form inside this Newsletter and forward together with cheque for payment to the Club’s postal address as quoted on the form.
Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc. Membership Officer GPO Box 1215 MELBOURNE VIC 3001 Phone 0420 967 948 Name(s)
VWCV membership also available on line www.vwclub.com.au
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Wagensville News is a monthly Newsletter of the Volkswagen Club of Victoria Inc. Correspondence, articles and items of news are invited and should be sent to:
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GPO Box 1215 Melbourne VIC 3001 Email wagensville@hotmail.com DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE 30th January 2009
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Vehicles - VWs only
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VWCV Committee
Registration Number(s)
President Dean Holden 0412 500 588 Vice-President Brian Reed 9481 5673 breed@bigpond.net.au Secretary Michael Cronin 0419 684 181 Treasurer John Farlow 0418 357 416 farlowj@internex.net.au Additional Committee Members John Stevens & Richard Graham Public Officer John Stevens john.stevens@justice.vic.gov.au Motorsports Co-ordinator Michael Clark 9878 1554 clark1954@optusnet.com.au Social Secretary Richard Graham 0418 527 862 rgraham8@bigpond.net.au Membership Secretary Andrew Mengyel 0420 967 948 vwcvmembership@yahoo.com.au Technical Officer Bill Malkoutzis & Andrew Ermel Editor Tony Albers 0408 330 894 wagensville@hotmail.com Assistant Editor Andrew Ermel 03 9369 1360 AndrewE@brimbank.vic.gov.au Web Master David Holinger david.holinger@rmit.edu.au Advertising Manager Dean Holden 0412 500 588 Club Historian Chris Scane 0417 593 573 historian@vwclub.com.au
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Is your Membership renewal due? Don’t mess around with cheques or money orders, why not pay online? The Volkswagen Club of Victoria website now has an online payment facility to make renewing your membership even easier. Ensure your place in the club by paying with either Visa, MasterCard, or PayPal. or please return this form together with your cheque or money order for payment to the above address. Please allow 28 days for processing.
All material in this newsletter represents the opinions of the author(s) and does not carry any endorsement by the Editors of Committee unless otherwise stated. Any material advertised for sale does not carry any endorsement by the Club and the onus is on the purchaser to ensure the purchased goods meet their requirements. Each VWCV Committee Member is a volunteer, carrying out Club duties in their own leisure time. The Club has no paid officials, only enthusiasts dedicated in furthering the interests of the club and it’s members. Could members please bear this in mind when contacting Club Committee Members.
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