Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria - June 2021 magazine

June 2021 (Issue 481)

The shiny new Koster Forester on the Cobaw SF trip

Follow us on our webpage: http://subaru4wdvic.com.au/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/subaru4wdvic/ Connect with Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/subaru4wdclub_victoria/

Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc. Reg. No. A—0006149J / FWDV Member

Mailing address: c/- 24 Hill Street, Hawthorn, VIC, 3122 NB: Our Mt Waverley P O Box has closed

ABOUT THE CLUB The Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc. was originally formed over 40 years ago by an enthusiastic group of Subaru owners. Today the club has expanded to include all Subaru 4WD and AWD vehicles, as well as all other makes of AWD, light 4WD and crossover/soft-roader type vehicles.

The club aims to participate in the exploration of the Australian countryside without damage to the environment, vehicle or individual.

Visitors are most welcome to attend the club’s General Meetings and contact committee members regarding participation in club activities.

The club relies on membership fees to offset its running costs, including insurance.

Membership fees are payable each year, due on 31 May. The fees for 2021/22 were set by members at the General Meeting in April 2021 and are as follows: MEMBERS RATES Single: $85 (Senior card - $80) Joint/Family: $95 (Senior card - $90) (Note: these are annual rates. New members joining mid-year pay pro-rata) One off joining fee of $15 ($30 for Joint/Family) also applies All annual fees include FWDV affiliation and trip insurance: $30 These fees are based on an electronic newsletter distribution only.

Requests for a hard copy magazine will be considered by the Committee.

NON-MEMBER TRIP FEE A trip fee of $15 per adult non-member applies (for insurance purposes). This is a one-off charge and may be offset if the visitor later joins the club.

Please contact the membership officer with any enquiries.

Email: members@subaru4wdvic.com.au

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COMMITTEE President: Mark Tyssen president@subaru4wdvic.com.au Vice President and FWDV Delegate: Tim Folliard vice-president@subaru4wdvic.com.au Secretary: Martin Foot secretary@subaru4wdvic.com.au Treasurer: Angela Bombardieri treasurer@subaru4wdvic.com.au Membership: Erica Auld members@subaru4wdvic.com.au Trip & Social: Tim Folliard events@subaru4wdvic.com.au Venue coordinator: Mark Tyssen venue@subaru4wdvic.com.au Editor (acting): Martin Foot editor@subaru4wdvic.com.au Ordinary Member: Nicholas Leask nicholas.leask@pobox.com Ordinary Member: Peter Kakalias halfmanpete@gmail.com Off-Committee: Resources: Bev Davison resources@subaru4wdvic.com.au

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT Another month rolls around, members had the opportunity to do a trip over the last few weeks, and a scheduled July long trip of Martin’s has had the due diligence of pre-trip discussions, vehicle readiness, and only awaits the count down of days till setting off…..under a potential COVID restriction cloud…lets hope the well planned trip goes ahead, as it was already delayed from last year.

The core sub-committee for the now scheduled October event for our 45th Anniversary has begun with some preliminary research into what type of events we wish to promote & gain the involvement of our members. More details will be provided at the July General Meeting, as currently we are ‘checking / scoping out’ a few suggested options.

We would welcome additional members to assist the current trio of the sub-committee to make this event happen. Please contact either myself or Martin to nominate yourself to participate to assist us to ‘make it happen’.

With Winter well under way, as has been evident in the first weeks of June, by the drastic stormy weather we have had all over our state. We need to be vigilant, and be aware, of fallen trees across roads both suburban & rural, and also on tracks in areas that we may visit. In the suburban areas as close as in suburbs of Croydon, Bayswater, Boronia, Montrose & The Basin, those storms provided that added challenge of power outages (for many days, I was 4 days without power) due to power lines down that were assisted by fallen trees.

There are worse affected areas centred around Kallista in the Mount Dandenong Ranges that will be without power for several weeks if not months, as vital infrastructure needs to be re-installed, be it underground to reduce future power supply interruptions. Currently SES & Dept of Defence groups are assisting in providing temporary power solutions whilst the repairs continue, removing fallen & unsafe trees, and reconnection of power. These dangers make it more perilous when it is dark and wet, providing greasy road surfaces both on asphalt and on clay dirt roads.

Some of our members have been affected by these storms, and I hope everybody has been able to cope, had support from siblings and friends.

Till later, Stick to the track, and Stay Safe, Mark Tyssen President

Badge presentation to Daniel Ho at the May General Meeting

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VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT From Queen's Birthday to just before Cup Weekend is always a difficult time to plan trips as Parks Victoria closes the gates on many tracks across the State. Look up the Parks website to see what's closed - it is a long list. This protects tracks from damage by vehicles when wet, people getting stuck and many of those open in the High Country become very difficult when wet or snowy. The last week also highlights the issue with keeping tracks clear from fallen trees. Anyone who has travelled forest tracks will have seen trees chain-sawed after falling across the track, sometimes with a gap barely wide enough to drive through.

Based on the damage, road closure and power outages in the populated outer suburbs and towns around Melbourne, tracks and campsites may be inaccessible for some time.

Still, the club has many trips planned. Martin's trip to the S.A. Outback probably won't see a large tree and has had a great number of bookings. Hopefully COVID-19 lockdowns and City/Country divides become a thing of the past and we can get out and about again going to great places only a 4WD can reach.

Tim Folliard Vice President, e: vice-president@subaru4wdvic.com.au

CLUB PERMIT SCHEME The club is registered with VicRoads under their Club Permit Scheme (CPS). This enables vehicles 25 years and older to drive on public roads, with a “heritage” number plate. Vehicles are limited to either 45 days or 90 days on the road and owners must maintain a logbook for each trip. Fees are much lower than for normal registration.

The club originally became part of the CPS so members could continue to own and drive older vehicles that would otherwise being heading for the scrapheap. Its good to see these cars at club events and meetings out of interest in motoring history. Some of these old models are still very capable off-road.

The scheme makes it all more affordable.

As it turns out, there have been no permit vehicles registered with the club in the last couple of years.

However, earlier this month, new member Chris Balfour and his son James applied for and were granted plates for their very clean and well presented L-series wagon.

In the latest news, the State Government are reviewing the scheme.

There are a number of proposed changes that the Government is seeking feedback on, from industry, motoring clubs and individual enthusiasts. Of particular note is the proposed change in eligibility from the current 25 years to 30 years. For more information, see the article by journalist Robert Pepper here: https://l2sfbc.com/proposed-changes-to-victorias-club-permitscheme/ These proposed changes are part of a broader review of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations and are currently open for public comment until 8 July, see: https://engage.vic.gov.au/road-safety-vehicles Martin Foot and Tim Folliard Club Safety Officers - CPS 5

TRIP AND SOCIAL More details on these trips can be found in the Club Website under proposed trips. It is easy to add your name to trip bookings. Alternatively, you can still email events@subaru4wdvic.com.au, or contact the trip leader directly, to register for a trip or to propose a new one.

North Flinders Ranges Touring Trip - Two vacancies, due to cancellations When: 18-31 July 2021 Rating: Easy/Medium Contact: Martin Foot, e: secretary@subaru4wdvic.com.au Details: A long Touring trip. Trailers OK.

Snow Day Trip - Trip full When: Date to be advised to those who have booked - late July or early August, snow forecast dependant, and now tracks cleared of fallen trees.

Rating: Medium - as far as we can go in the snow.

Location: Yarra Ranges area.

Contact: Tim Folliard e: events@subaru4wdvic.com.au

Bike Ride When: (rescheduled to) 21, 22 August Rating: Easy/Social Where: Warburton Rail Trail Contact: Mark Tyssen, e: jmse.mt@gmail.com

Little Desert and Mt Arapiles Trip - bookings open When: October 30 - November 2 (Melbourne Cup long weekend) Rating: Medium - (sand).

Details: May book campsite near Dimboola on the Wimmera River as base.

Big River/Mt Terrible Trip When: 29, 30 January 2022 (Australia Day falls on a Wednesday, so this is a weekend trip with an option to extend). Bookings soon.

Rating: Medium - (in dry).

FUTURE TRIPS (in planning) Subaru 4WD Club - 45th Birthday When: later in the year, likely October Details: Sunday drive and dinner

Rating: Social

As always, get onto the website to book trips and further information and also the discussion forum.. It is a great resource.

I am always seeking trip ideas and trip leaders. You do not have to be the lead vehicle up the unknown track to be a trip leader, just put the planning together, work out the route and camping arrangements.

Tim Folliard, Trip & Social Coordinator e: events@subaru4wdvic.com.au

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VENUE REPORT JUNE GENERAL MEETING DATE: Tuesday, June 29 at 8pm.

VENUE: Zoom ONLY. No face to face.

LINK:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81968699588 Meeting ID: 819 6869 9588

Click on the included link to join the meeting. This will also be duplicated as an email to the scheduled June Zoom Meeting.

Due to uncertainty in Victorian COVID restrictions, the Committee have taken the precaution of scheduling as a ‘Zoom’ meeting, PRESENTATION: Sharing windows of recent trip photos & videos.

We hope to return to face-to-face meetings in July.

Mark Tyssen Venue Coordinator

GENERAL MEETING NOTICE The Agenda for members’ meetings is as follows: Welcome of members and visitors.

Review and acceptance of previous general meeting’s minutes.

Correspondence.

Reports by various office bearers.

Other business as mentioned below.

General business raised by members.

“Fines and Fun” – including brief summaries of recent trips.

Guest speaker or presentation.

Supper and networking.

Details of the next few general meetings are as per the schedule below:

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE! Date

Location

Guest Speaker/Presentation

Other Business

Tues 25 May

Online only

Recent Trip photos and videos

-

Tues 29 June

South Camberwell Tennis Club

TBA

TBA

Tues 27 July

South Camberwell Tennis Club

TBA

TBA

Tues 31 August

South Camberwell Tennis Club

TBA

Annual General Meeting 7

TRIP ADVISOR

TRIP

DATE

LEADER(S)

STANDARD

North Flinders Ranges

July 18-31

Martin Foot

Medium

Snow Trip

Late July, or early August

Tim Folliard

TBA

45th Birthday Celebration

Likely October

Sub-Committee, contact Mark

Social

Little Desert and Mt Arapilies

Melbourne Cup Long Weekend

Tim Folliard

Medium (sand)

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL 2021/22 A reminder that membership Fees were due by 31 May 2021 Fees were set by members at the April Meeting. Details on page 3.

A reminder that non-financial members can’t go on club trips.

Download a renewal form from the website: https://www.subaru4wdvic.com.au/index.php/membership Contact Erica Auld with any queries on e: members@subaru4wdvic.com.au

EDITOR’S NOTE Thanks to all contributors to the June magazine.

The deadline for submissions for the next edition is:

Friday, July 16, 2021 Email editor: editor@subaru4wdvic.com.au 8

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2021 NOTICE Notice is hereby given to members that the Annual General Meeting of the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc., will be held on Tuesday, August 31th, 2021 at the South Camberwell Tennis Club rooms, 322 Burke Road, Glen Iris, commencing after the finish of the August 2021 General Meeting.

Members may also choose to attend via the use of teleconferencing software (eg Zoom). A link will be provided closer to the day. The AGM and the General Meeting proceeding it will share the same link.

Order of business will include: 1.

Confirmation of the minutes of the 2020 Annual General Meeting.

2.

Presentation of the 2021 Annual Report.

3.

Presentation of 2021 Annual Financial Statement.

4.

General Business.

5.

Election of officers of the club and ordinary members of the committee.

Nominations for committee positions should be submitted to the club secretary by no later than 7 days prior to the Annual General Meeting.

However, on the day, nominations for committee positions will be accepted from the floor of the meeting.

Special Resolutions: If a member wishes to bring an item of business to the Annual General Meeting that requires a special resolution, 21 days written notice of the special resolution must be given to all club members.

Martin Foot Secretary

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TREASURER’S REPORT Date

Description

Debit

Credit

Opening Balance at 1st May 2021

Balance $4,479.62

Income: Membership Fees

$2,007.50

Resources (merchandise)

$19.00

Total Income for month of May 2021

$2,026.50

$6,506.12

Expenses: 13/5/21

AUHost4u Web Invoice

$49.99

25/5/21

Name Badges Inv. 24018 C&D Trophies

$78.00

Hall Hire Feb-June South Camberwell Tennis Club

150.00

Optus Sat. phone monthly service fee

$15.00

26/3/21

Total Expenses for month of May 2021

$292.99

Closing Balance @ 30 April 2021

$6213.13

10/6/21

Term Deposit of $8,269.87 has been rolled over for three months maturing 10 September 2021

$8,269.87

10/6/21

Interest received New Amount invested at a rate of 0.10%

$31.20 $8,301.07

NOTE: 1.

Angela Bombardieri Treasurer, e: treasurer@subaru4wdvic.com.au

VALE TONY WATKINS The club has been informed of the passing of former member Tony Watkins in April.

Tony had suffered from cancer for some time.

Tony was best known to the club as the founder of the offroadsubaru.com forum.

He led a number of trips in the mid-2000’s.

The forum continues to be active as part of the online community.

RIP Tony. Condolences to family and friends.

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TRIP REPORTS Cobaw State Forest Trip, 23 May 2021

By Daniel Ho On a lovely sunny day last 23rd May, 9 vehicles from the Club met in Lancefield in the morning before heading into Cobaw State Forest.

It had rained the week before, and some CFA members the group met in Lancefield told members of the group that the tracks in Cobaw were muddy.

Due to some “family” matters that morning (wife was ill), the trip leader (me) arrived 1 minute past the 10:30am meeting time and didn’t get a chance to speak with the CFA guys as they had left town by then.

With the CFA’s comments in mind, we went into Cobaw State Forest for a day of technical driving but ventured on a modified route compared to the original plan. The new route was to start with a small loop out from the main picnic/camping area (Smiths Track and Mansfield Track) to check out if the tracks are as muddy as the CFA described them to be.

The tracks were indeed moist but not muddy. However, it didn’t take much standing water before things got slippery, as we found out in our first bog hole. Despite the water being only about a handspan deep on a relatively firm base, we all slipped and slid while crossing the hole.

Shortly after the bog hole and turning into Mansfield Track was our first technical section consisting of deep ruts and big rocks. This is typical of Cobaw SF tracks. With the Subarus being nimble vehicles, we threaded our way through this section with careful line choices and expert help from Rick Koster.

After this was when the plan “went out the window”. Unbeknown to us, a large rock has rolled onto Mansfield Track. The rock was as wide as the length of my car! (Sorry, forgot to take a photo) and the alternative route around the rock was too rutted and soft to be drivable. We had no choice but to divert onto Link Track. Rick had driven Link Track the week before thus it wasn’t completely virgin territory, but we knew there were some tricky spots. Plan A (or is it now Plan C?) was to continue on Link Track for 2km to the next access 11

track to return to Ridge Rd, with the aim to have lunch back at the main picnic/camp ground by about midday).

When we reached the junction 2km down the road, it became evident that the recent rain has made the access track muddy and rutty. With a 9 car convoy and the track being an uphill climb, the chances of the track degrading to the point of being undrivable for the cars in the back of the convoy was high.

Plan D now came into effect and we continued along Link Track to find the one and only obstacle of the day where some trail work was necessary to ensure safe passage. After some teamwork in filling the gaps and expert guiding by Rick, all safely navigated through this rock drop.

Technical terrain is typically slow going. It took us the better part of 3.5hrs to cover 5.7km of tracks, earning us all a nice relaxing lunch at ~1:30pm in a clearing/ campground at the corner of Ridge Rd and Boyles Rd. Chris and Erica left us after lunch. The rest of the group continued onto a 3Km loop of technical tracks that involved much concentration and wheels lifting (Part of original Plan A). The trip concluded at ~4pm.

After the others left, Keong and I deciding to check out Pole Track en-route to Nudist Camp Track.

Pole Track dips into a valley and it was indeed rather wet and muddy at the bottom of the valley. After navigating through a rather deep sticky bog hole and some very rocky steep sections, given the time, we decided it was better to leave the further exploration for another trip.

Stay tuned for an upcoming Cobaw SF exploratory trip.

Attendees: Daniel Ho and Samantha Lee Keong and Anya Yip Tim Folliard Les Ralph and David (visitor) Nick and Deb Leask Peter Kakalias Rick, Jacqui and Josh Koster Martin Foot

Subaru XV Forester XT Landcruiser Holden Rodeo Ute Outback Outback Forester Forester 12

Erica Auld Chris and James Balfour + 1 visitor

Forester Forester

More pics and videos cfrom the trip an be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jK3579US4S79pYV-Nl3KUfQylfgw-S40?usp=sharing

MARKETING, BRANDING AND COMMUNICATIONS REVIEW Over the last few months, your Committee has been considering where the club sits in an increasingly online world. Formed almost 45 years ago in an age of typewriters, paper stencils and roneo machines, the club has long relied upon its printed magazine to inform and advertise its events and activities and what it offers to members. For the last twenty years or so, we have also had a website and more recently, Facebook and Instagram pages. These have all been reactions to the changing media world. And we’ve tended to put things up like a signboard on the side of a road and saying, “that should do it”. The result has been a steady trickle of new members, about enough to match normal attrition. So the demographic of the club continues to age and we remain in our comfort zone.

But the modern generation are operating at a different pace, using mobile devices and social media as a lifestyle. In the same way that young people don’t read traditional newspapers, they also don’t want or read magazines. The want and expect targeted, personalized information and there are algorithms out there consuming megawatts of computing power to make sure they get it.

In this changing world, the club can’t assume that people will just continue to approach us and ask politely whether they can join us at our meetings and on our trips. We need a more active marketing approach to ensure the club stays relevant and grows in numbers and strength.

With this in mind, the Committee is conducting a review of our Marketing, Branding and Communications. Led by a sub-committee consisting of Nick Leask, Peter Kakalias and Mark Tyssen, they have produced a template for moving forward. There is a great deal still to discuss and decide, but some outcomes are emerging and its appropriate to share them with members as the process unfolds.

A central point is that we need to actively manage our interaction with the outside world. In particular, 13

the skill-set of the Editor position is not the same as that of a social media manager. With this in mind, the Committee are considering appointing a Community Manager, where “community” in this context means the broader group of people interested in Subarus, offroading, outback touring, etc. A draft position description has been prepared and is currently under discussion. If any is interested in such a role, contact Daniel, Mark or Peter for more information.

Another crucial consideration is how we measure our success or otherwise in our marketing efforts. We need to set some targets eg we hope to increase active membership over the next two years (say) to 100 (currently around 40). The rationale for this is to stimulate a wider diversity of club activities to match individual interests, including trips suitable for people who prefer to keep their As regards social media, we want to encourage an open, online discourse with the broader community, but it needs to be structured and orderly, so we need a social media policy. Again, the sub-committee has been active and has produced a draft policy. The full Committee reviewed the draft and we expect to adopt it at the July Committee meeting.

The way we conduct our meetings is changing to, accelerated by the COVID emergency. We hadn’t considered online meetings two years ago, but now it’s the norm. In fact, our May meeting attracted considerably more people online than in person. The jury is out on whether that’s altogether what we want, but the immediate issue is the quality of the online experience for both members and visitors, for whom first impressions are critical to whether they wish to continue to engage with us.

With this in mind, the club may need to consider some investment in technology to ensure everyone can participate fully and equally. We haven’t achieved it yet with loan equipment, despite the best efforts of Mark, Daniel Ho and Peter Kakalias to manage the electronic side of the meetings.

Finally, the magazine itself is seen as an essential part of the media mix, but perhaps more as the “journal” of the club rather than the “herald” promoting the latest news and embracing conversations in real time. The Editor’s role has tended to be very isolated in terms of content and production (says he as he writes this!) and a more collaborative model is sought, where contributions can be more immediately and directly included. We may need to invest in specific software solutions to be able to do this.

For more information, speak to a Committee member.

Martin Foot Secretary / Acting Editor For more information, click on the image below:

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FWDV NEWS A letter to clubs and their members from the CEO sent shortly after the windstorms earlier in June: To all members of Four Wheel Drive Victoria’s community, We know this is a time of hardship especially now with the wild weather that has come through communities throughout the last few days.

If you have found yourself in need of support, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at our office and we will endeavor to provide practical help to those who need it most. Whether it be trees down on your property or building/fencing/structure damage from the intense winds and wild rain falls or anything else in between.

This is a trying time and we would like all members of our community to feel supported through this.

Wayne Hevey Chief Executive Officer

Four Wheel Drive Victoria RTO 21605 Tel: (03) 9874 7222 www.fwdvictoria.org.au

FWDV News The June edition of FWDV has recently been issued and will be forwarded to S4WDCV members separately. Matters discussed include: Mt. Skene Permits FWDV Training Ground in Toolangi Recording Volunteer hours FWDV Social media FWDV - Australian Red Cross - LifeBlood challenge (recording blood donations)

Member Survey FWDV have prepared a survey of club members to obtain feedback on how they are doing their job and what could be done differently to improve the service. Responses close 23 July.

For more details visit the website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GMK8MN2

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MINUTES Committee Meeting Minutes (abridged) Minutes of the meeting of the committee of the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc. held online on Tuesday, 10 June 2021, commencing at 8:00pm approximately, using Zoom conferencing software.

1. Present: Mark Tyssen, Tim Folliard, Martin Foot, Angela Bombardieri, Erica Auld, Peter Kakalias 2. Apologies: Nicholas Leask – attended initially from a remote location, but almost immediately was unable to maintain a stable satellite connection to the meeting and dropped out.

3. Visitors: Nil. 4. Quorum: A quorum was achieved with 6 of 7 members present.

5. Urgent Business: Marketing, Communications and Branding Review.

5.1 Review recommendations (inc. budget for purchase of equipment and annual s/w subscriptions). As per the previous Committee meeting discussions, it was agreed that the Committee were generally accepting of the Review recommendations in principle, but details including the budget expenditure were yet to be confirmed. Further discussion on these items was deferred.

5.2 Community Manager job description. The sub-committee had prepared a draft job description for the new role to take charge of social media interface with the broader 4WD community. The document was discussed and comments were to be added to the online document for the sub-committee’s further consideration. ACTION: Martin 5.3 Social Media Policy. Similarly, the sub-committee had prepared a draft social media policy to provide guidelines for implementing and managing the club’s social media presence. The document was discussed and comments were to be added to the online document for the sub-committee’s further consideration. ACTION: Martin 6. Minutes of the Previous Meeting 6.1 Minutes of the meeting of Committee held on 4 May 2021 were accepted as a true record without amendment. Moved Angela, seconded by Mark, CARRIED. 6.2 Business Arising from the Minutes: Nil. 7. Correspondence 7.1 In: via Post: -

Various: membership renewal / invoice for badges

via email: FWDV: 5/5 7/5 13/5 14/5 17/5 21/5 31/5

Wayne Hevey (CEO) – National 4x4 show 20-22 call for club stallholders (2) Daniel Whitby (Projects)– Queen’s Birthday Camp Host Wayne Hevey (CEO) – Volunteering with Parks Victoria handbook for review Daniel Whitby (Projects) – May E-News Alison McLaughlin (Office Mgr)– Mt. Skene 2021 permit system in place, see FWDV website for details and application forms Closing date for FWDV feedback survey extended Alison McLaughlin (Office Manager) – Affiliation Renewal 2021-22

General: 7/5 7/5 12/5

Various membership renewal emails Various membership / vehicle permit enquiries and applications Cynthia Rennolds – problems with membership renewal form link Cindy Steffens – re Quanbeyan 4WD Spectacular – spam?

DELWP (via MT) – Conservation Matters newsletter 16

13/5 16/5 21/5 30/5 31/5, 1/6 1/6 2/6 4/6 8/6

Roger Church, SCTC – Invoice for use of SCTC meeting room Stewart Southam – re Oodnadatta Track enquiry Paul Goodrick, KCK Lubricants – promoting motorsport products S4WDCSA – Bullsheet magazine Damian Versteeg – wanting a set of stock 2012 Forester wheels (2) S4WDCWA – June magazine Jacques ? – promoting “Gearshifter”, a classic car and bike automobilia swap meet site Daniel Ho – forwarding VicRoads response to his enquiry re suspension lift for an XV (3) Gorge Chocolates - Welcomes Car & Bike Clubs

7.2 Out: 7/5 10/5 15/5 21/5 24/5 25/5 1/6 4/6

Responses to various members re membership renewal Responses to various enquiries re membership / vehicle permit scheme Stewart Southam (MF) – re Oodnadatta Track enquiry Bruce Miller (EA) – re membership and vehicle permit enquiry Committee (NL) – Draft Community Manager role description and draft social media policy Paul Goodrick, KCK Lubricants – Introductory Offer promoting high performance vehicle lubricants Members (MF) – Zoom link for general meeting Members (MF) – Coronavirus restrictions affecting general meeting Damian Versteeg (MF) – re wanting a set of stock 2012 Forester wheels Daniel Ho (MF) – re VicRoads response to his enquiry re suspension lift for an XV (2)

7.3 Business Arising: [carried over] FWDV Feedback Survey: to members. ACTION: Martin Debra Carter: it was noted that no further correspondence regarding a vehicle permit scheme application had been received to date.

Daniel Ho: VicRoads response to XV suspension lift query Daniel Ho: Editor role query. ACTION: Martin, Mark to discuss further with Daniel.

8. Reports 8.1 Resources: No Report. Bev continuing to manage clothing sales and orders.

8.2 Trip and Social: Cobaw Ranges day trip: TLs Sam and Daniel. Successful trip well attended with 10 vehicles and 17 participants. Tim commented however that the vehicles / drivers were having problems with clearance and traction on tracks that were not really that hard. The club needs to monitor the ability of modern Subarus to cope with such conditions. This may lead to a “softening” of 4WD trips in general.

North Flinders Ranges Trip: 18 – 31 July 2021. TLs Martin and Dot. Current numbers are 10 vehicles and 13 attendees confirmed. A reconnaissance as far as Yunta proposed for the Queen’s Birthday weekend was called off due to COVID restrictions and border closure. An second meeting of participants will be held later in June.

Snow Trip. Dates dependant on suitable weather conditions. Currently 12 vehicles and 17 people registered. th 45 Birthday Celebrations: to be held on a weekend in mid October. Invitees will be limited to current members and their families and friends. The plan is for a Saturday lunch or dinner at a venue not too far from Melbourne, with an overnight accommodation option. Also, a day trip on the Saturday for those who are interested would finish at the dinner location. The Dandenongs, Warburton, Toolangi and Strathfieldsaye have been suggested as possible locations. Subcommittee of Mark, Tim and Martin have met and are exploring venue options.

Cup Day long weekend: Based on the Border track trip, a trip specifically to the Little Desert and Mt. Arapiles.

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MINUTES Post Christmas Trip – Strathfieldsaye as base for High Country?

Australia Day 2022, actually weekend of 29,30 January. Big River Cambarville base camp with day trips eg to Mt Terrible.

Possible trips: Narbethong area. Tim to provide further info.

Yarck to Euroa. Strathbogies?

Dinner Plain. Samantha and Daniel had raised with Tim the possibility of an out-of-season club event at the alpine club they are part of at Dinner Plain, as fees would be discounted. In discussion, it was suggested that this could perhaps happen over the Cup day long w/e in November. ACTION: Tim to liaise further with Sam and Daniel.

Social drive along the Grand Ridge Road returning via the South Gippsland Hwy. ACTION: Martin Wombat State Park. No specific proposal.

8.3 Venue: 8.3.1 May General Meeting: This was held on the 25th at SCTC. COVID restrictions had been announced earlier that day. Only 6 members and attended in person while 19 attended online, including 3 visitors. With the assistance of Daniel Ho and Angela Bombardieri, video-conferencing was provided via Zoom. Nick Leask gave an excellent presentation on Subaru off-road technology ie CVT transmission and X-Mode.

8.3.2 June General Meeting: Will be held on Tuesday, 29th at 8pm. The venue is SCTC. Presentation not discussed. ACTION: Mark, Martin 8.4 Membership: 8.4.1 Membership applications: A Joint/family application had been received from Chris Balfour and Wendy Atkins. Chris was a visitor on the Cobaw SF trip, bringing his son James and his friend. Chris had also attended the May GM. MOVED: That Chris Balfour and family be admitted to membership of the club. Moved Erica, seconded Tim. CARRIED. [carried over] While two applications for membership had been received (Dragic and Midgeley), neither has as yet attended a club meeting, so their applications were deferred. ACTION: Erica to monitor.

8.4.2 Membership enquiries: Several enquiries had been received regarding membership, including from Neil ? and Stacy Clarke, who attended the General Meeting. ACTION: Erica to monitor these.

8.4.3 Membership mailbox. Problems with the membership mailbox have been resolved.

8.4.4 Membership renewals: Currently 29 memberships have been renewed for 2021/22, leaving 13 to be followed up (includes 2 inactive Life memberships). ACTION: Martin offered to contact Dunn, Kearney and Jantke. Tim will contact Chapman. Erica will send out a general reminder. It was emphasised that non-financial members could not participate in club trips (nor would bookings on trips be permitted).

8.4.5 Erica requested that she be given read-only access to the club’s bank account online in order to be able to match renewals with payments received. MOTION: That the Membership Officer be given read-only access to the club’s bank account online. Moved: Angela, seconded Mark, CARRIED. ACTION: Angela to investigate and action.

8.4.6 Erica also offered to make the Membership Register available online to Committee members who need access to it, via Google Sheets. For security and privacy reasons, access will require use of a Gmail account. ACTION: Committee members will need to provide Erica with their Gmail address to gain access.

8.4.7 FWDV Affiliation renewal. The levy has been set at $52 per membership. The annual return is due 25 June. Erica to complete the membership form and Angela to raise the invoice to FWDV and 18

organise payment of the levy.

8.5 Communications and Marketing: 8.5.1 Magazine: Thanks to all for their reports. The deadline for the June magazine is the 18th. [carried over] Nick commented that he has been looking at collaborative tools for production of the magazine, to take the load off the Editor, which role he feels should be primarily about sourcing and sorting materials. He has been looking at two tools in particular. Both would involve an on-going cost to the club. Deb Leask has a professional DTP background and would be prepared to operate the chosen tool to produce the magazine. Thanks to Deb for this offer.

ACTION: Nick to prepare a recommendation and costing.

8.5.2 Social Media: (See item 5. Urgent Business above regarding the Marketing, Communications and Branding Review discussions.) [carried over] No updates to FB at present. Mark and Erica have volunteered to assist. ACTION: Angela to appoint Mark and Erica as administrators.

Peter asked that for the Instagram account currently in his name, a new club email address community@subaru4wdvic.com.au be created to “own” the account. This would also receive any messages from people wishing to contact the club and would be monitored by him and ultimately the Community Manager when appointed. ACTION: Martin 8.5.3 Advertising: [carried over] Martin yet to discuss advertising with Subaxtreme.

Mark yet to investigate possible advertising with wreckers: Subaru Heaven, Subabits, SubaRoos Burwood.

8.6 Treasurer 8.6.1 Membership renewals: (See item 8.4.4 above).

8.6.2 Bank Balances: $6598.13 in the operational account. Investment account balance remains at $8,269.87 and is due for rollover on 10 June. Following discussion and comparison of interest rates available from Bendigo bank, it was agreed to renew the investment for only 3 months as funds may be required for the Communications budget expenditure by then. Moved Martin, seconded Peter, CARRIED. ACTION: Angela 8.6.3 Asset list [updated]: CB radios x 2 – are with Mark The satellite phone is with now with Martin for the North Flinders Trip The club’s marquee and pop-up tent is with Mark.

8.7 Secretary: The AGM was confirmed for 31 August. ACTION: Martin to include a Notice in the June magazine and call for nominations.

8.8 Vice-President: We need more social / easy trips, such as the Grand Ridge Road. (see item 8.2 Trip and Social above).

8.9 President: No report.

10. Priorities and Planning 10.1 Marketing, Branding and Communications sub-committee: (see item 7.5 above.)

10.2 By-Laws [carried over]: Mark is near to completing his section on Roles and responsibilities, but is waiting for resolution of current discussions re the Editor and Community Manager (see 8.1 above). Martin to continue to draft Code of Conduct section. A section on the operation of the Club Permit Scheme has been proposed.

11. General Business: Martin mentioned the W.A. business Subarino, which specialises in lift kits for early Subarus, inc. L-series and Brumby models.

12. Next Meeting: Tuesday, 6 July 2021, at 7:30pm via Zoom.

13. Meeting closed at 10:20pm approximately.

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MINUTES General Meeting Minutes The general meeting of the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc was held on Tuesday, 25 May 2021 at South Camberwell Tennis Clubrooms starting at 8:10pm approximately. The meeting was also broadcast from the venue, using Zoom teleconferencing software.

1. Present: (at SCTC) Mark Tyssen, Tim Folliard, Martin Foot, Damian Stock, Daniel Ho, Erica Auld (via Zoom) Angela Bombardieri, Bev Davison, Daryl Cheshire, Les Ralph, Nicholas Leask, Deborah Leask, Peter Landouris, Peter Kakalias, David Wilson, Peter Mynard, Keong Yip, Stewart Southam, Rick Koster, Nathon Redden, Peter Devine, Dot Greiveson 2. Apologies: Michael Bauer 3. Visitors: Stacy Clarke, Neil ?, Chris Balfour 4. Quorum: A quorum was achieved with 22 members present (6 in person and 16 online).

5. Welcome: Mark welcomed members to the meeting, both those present in person and those connected remotely.

6. Minutes of the Previous Meeting: 6.1 The Minutes of the meeting held on 27 April 2021 had been circulated to members. The Minutes were adopted. Moved Tim Folliard, seconded Angela Bombardieri. CARRIED. 6.2 Business Arising: Nil. 7. Correspondence: Recent correspondence has included: Post C&D Trophies - Badges FWDV National 4x4 show 20-22 call for club stallholders FWDV member feedback survey Queen’s Birthday Camp Host Volunteering with Parks Victoria handbook for review May E-News Mt. Skene 2021 permit system General Various membership enquiries and renewals TLCCV – Cruiserkhana 4WD competition announcement Magazines from other clubs: S4WDCSA DELWP – Conservation Matters newsletter KCK Lubricants – promoting products for track use Outgoing Responses to above items as appropriate Members – membership renewal reminder 20

Post Office Box cancellation Members – Meeting arrangements inc. Coronavirus restrictions 8. Reports: 8.1 Resources: Bev Davison offered to discuss any clothing orders with members. If there is no stock in hand, individual orders will be placed on a waiting list until a minimum number of 10 is met (otherwise a surcharge applies for the logo).

8.2 Editor: Magazine: Martin commented that the April magazine was light on this month as there was no trip report due to the Bike Trip having been postponed.

The deadline for the next edition is 18 June.

EOI’s for the Editor position sought.

No report on social media.

8.3 Trip & Social (Tim’s report) Cobaw State Forest Day Trip (23 May). Ran successfully the previous weekend. Thanks to Daniel and Samantha as TLs. North Flinders Ranges trip (July 2021) is fully booked. Names can be placed on a waiting list (contact TLs Martin and Dot). A meeting of participants was held during the month (thanks to Bev for hosting).

Snow Trip – will be scheduled at short notice. Members should register and will be contacted a few days prior, depending on weather forecasts. Likely to be held around the Big River / Matlock area. th 45 Birthday celebration event will be held in mid October. Will consist of a sit-down dinner and an optional trip beforehand. Will be held relatively close to Melbourne so people can return home not too late. Attendance will be restricted to current members and their families. A subcommittee has been formed to plan the event and has had its first meeting. A couple more volunteers to join the s/c would be appreciated.

Little Desert / Mt. Arapiles Trip – Cup Day long weekend. Yet to be posted on the website.

Christmas Party, Post Christmas Trip – no plans as yet Big River / Mt Terrible – late January 2022 (Australia Day falls on a Wednesday) Social Trips – members’ ideas and proposals for these requested.

8.4 Venue: Video conferencing in place at the meeting. Thanks to Daniel Ho for assistance.

Door Prize: Les Ralph.

8.5 Membership: Erica has responded to a number of enquiries regarding membership as well as about vehicle permits.

Currently the club has 40 memberships, subject to renewals, which are due 31 May for the 2021/22 year.

8.6 Secretary: AGM will be held in August, Martin made a first call for any new Committee members. Formal announcements in the June magazine.

8.7 Treasurer Current balance $5,866 as membership renewals continue to come in. There will be a significant levy payment to FWDV before 30 June.

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MINUTES Term deposit matures in June, Angela will seek the best outcome, as the current interest rates is only 0.69%. However going outside Bendigo bank for a tiny increase is not in her opinion worth the hassle of setting up the relevant authorities / signatories.

8.8 Vice-President: Tim has recently attended a 4WD Maintenance course run by Ringwood Training. There were no Subarus there, all were heavy 4WD vehicles. Use of the Breadbreaker kit to remove a tyre from its rim was practised and this could be of use to club members to avoid taking multiple spare wheels and tyres. Martin has one. Also discussed was the use of tyre pressure monitors. Daniel commented that he has these on his road car. The screw-in variant works by opening the valve, which may slowly decrease pressure.

8.9 President: Mark noted that this was an unusual meeting inasmuch as the number of online attendees exceeded those attending in person.

9. General Business: Martin Foot spoke about the modification of his camper trailer hubs to accept Subaru wheels, now completed satisfactorily.

Peter Kakalias had recently purchased tyres at Bob Jane Prahran for his Outback and the proprietor (Marouf) is prepared to do a good deal for club members. His tyres are 235/65R17.

Peter Devine still has parts available from his wrecked SG Forester, notably a set of BF Goodrich tyres (70% tread remaining) size 215/70R16. To fit this size a lift kit will be required.

Bev Davison has bought Pirelli AT tyres for her SH series Forester at $210 per tyre fitted.

Nick Leask had been invited by the Subaru Glen Waverley dealership to test-drive the 2021 Outback.

The clearance may be slightly less in this model than previously (?). The Outback Sport model has higher load ratings for the roof bars – 100Kg dynamic load, 300Kg static load (or the other way round – not sure). He learned that the last manual Subaru will be the 2022 WRX STI. He was unable to discover any news about whether the Wilderness or Turbo Outback models now available in the USA will come to Australia.

10. Fines and Fun: Badges: Nil. Last to Meeting: None.

Trips: Border Track Trip.

Martin Foot for getting stuck 500m up the track on the first day.

Les Ralph for not having his own recovery gear.

A total of $2.00 in fines was taken.

11. Presentation: Nick had prepared a digital presentation: “Subaru off-road technologies Q&A”. The context was that of new members / owners of modern Subaru vehicles being unsure as to the capabilities and reliability of recent developments including CVT transmissions and X-Mode. He explained that there are two CVTs in use depending on the power of the vehicle – the standard TR580 and the heavy duty TR690. X-Mode has had two or three versions to date, with the latest iteration allowing a degree of slip to cope with mud and snow. He also discussed tyres and tyre pressures in offroading. Daniel raised the issue of “tyre sag”.

Nick will post the digital presentation on the club website Discussion Forum.

12. Meeting closed at 9:45pm approximately and was followed by supper (for those actually at SCTC).

13. Next meeting: Tuesday, 29 June at 8pm, at South Camberwell Tennis Club.

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BUY IT AND SELL IT HERE Please note: If you have any items listed here for sale which are no longer available please remember to let us know at: editor@subaru4wdvic.com.au Item: Forester aluminium bash plates Details: Made from 6.0 mm construction grade aluminium SF Forester $350 SG & SH Forester $380 SJ Forester $420 CVT & Gearbox Protection $380 Outback & Diesel Vehicles $420 Fitting can be arranged. 10% discount for Subaru Club members.

Please contact David via TXT after hours Road less Travelled - Vehicle under body protection e: dw@subaru4wdvic.com.au ===

2022 (US) Forester (facelift - new wheels, revised front)

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TRIP AND RECOVERY GEAR The aim of all Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc. trips is to have an enjoyable experience in the bush, increasing 4WDing skills and experience, whilst maintaining the highest regard for the safety of individuals, the vehicle and the environment. As a driver you have ultimate responsibility for the safety of your passengers and vehicle. It is the responsibility of any participating driver to contact individual trip leaders for clarification of individual trip requirements and standards.

Financial members are encouraged to participate in as many trips as possible to increase confidence and experience. Visitors are welcome subject to the payment of the appropriate levy to cover insurance, but after two visits, should consider membership. Non-financial members are not covered by insurance and may not participate until payment is received.

Individual drivers with concerns or queries regarding their vehicle and the trip standard should contact relevant trip leaders. The Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc. recommends that each vehicle carry the following items or equipment on every trip:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Personal details form as specified by FWDV, copy to Trip Leader Two rated D- Shackles (minimum 3.2t) Rated snatch strap Recovery points, front & rear; plus, optional bridle strap, according to vehicle design; UHF (477Mhz) Channel 16 CB Radio. Ideally in car but hand held are ok provided sufficient battery(s) to last the trip.

1.

Fire extinguisher, accessible to the driver 2.

Spare tyre (full size) 3.

Jack and wheel brace, or equivalent 4.

Emergency supplies (matches, food, water and clothing) 5.

Sufficient fuel, oil and water for the trip and delays 6.

A tyre pressure gauge; compressor (according to the trip) 7.

An axe, bow or chain saw; 8.

A sturdy shovel (collapsible shovels are no good) 9.

Spare parts (appropriate to the nature of the trip) 10. A tool kit 11. Personal first aid kit 12. Your vehicle manual

Any vehicle not carrying at least the first five (5) items of equipment should contact the individual Trip Leader before leaving. Any club member unsure about any of the items of equipment listed above are advised to contact the Trip and Social Coordinator or the Trip Leader concerned. All Trip Leaders carry a complete First Aid Kit in case of emergency. All non-emergency medical needs are expected to be meet by individuals own medical supplies.

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