Subaru 4WD Club of Vic magazine - April 2012

April 2012

Checking the route - Grampians 2012

(ISSUE 380) Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc. Reg. No. A – 0006149J FWDV Member www.subaru4wdvic.com.au GPO BOX 2456 Melbourne VIC. 3001

VOLKS-BARU SUBARU and Volkswagen Specialist Parts and Service Centre

We will smooth out your motoring costs with extremely competitive prices, offering trade discounts to all Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria members on all parts and repairs.

John Bailey 1362 Heatherton Rd Dandenong North 3175 Phone: (03) 9793 5655 Page: 2

INTRODUCTION TO THE SUBARU 4WD CLUB The Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc. was originally formed over 30 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 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. Fees for the 2012/13 year were agreed at the general meeting in March 2012 and are as follows: Interstate: $100 (Seniors card - $95) â—? Single: $110 (Seniors card - $100) Joint/family: $115 - (Seniors card - $100) (All fees includes affiliation and Insurance: $42) A trip fee of $10 per adult non-member applies (for insurance purposes) Please contact the membership officer for further information regarding membership, including pro-rata and monthly rates.

GENERAL MEETINGS

COMMITTEE

South Camberwell Tennis Club 322 Burke Road Glen Iris (Melways 59 H6)

Last Tuesday of each month at 8:00pm sharp (except December)

Meetings 1st Tuesday each month: 7:30pm

Damian Stock (President) Peter Bellis (Secretary)

president@subaru4wdvic.com.au

Bob Marshall (Treasurer)

treasurer@subaru4wdvic.com.au

Jessica Walsh (Trip & Social)

events@subaru4wdvic.com.au

Martin Foot (Editor)

editor@subaru4wdvic.com. au

Andrew Jantke (Membership) vacant (Resources) vacant (Venue) Phil Milkins (Ordinary Member) Dale Rebgetz (Ordinary Member)

mship@subaru4wdvic.com.au

secretary@subaru4wdvic.com.au

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT Welcome to the April club magazine and my report. Some months I approach this report with plenty of things in my head but this month was not one of those months, until Martin stepped in. He reminded me of all the things that I should mention so please blame him for my ranting.

In the last month we have got through an important change to our club’s constitution being the setting of a new date for membership fee changes. This change sets the March meeting as the date at which we set the membership fee structure for the coming year. This allows the club to collect the year’s fees in time for submission of our affiliation fees to the association.

Elsewhere in the magazine you will be advised of the new fee structure so please be diligent in getting your membership fees back to Bob as soon as they are due. Payment of these fees guarantees your continued participation in club activities, as the club is not covered from an insurance perspective until the fees are submitted to FWDV for our affiliation and insurance cover.

While reviewing our current financial situation prior to setting the coming year’s fee structure, at the March committee meeting, we came to the conclusion that the cost of running the club each year was higher than what we were collecting from the members in membership fees. While we felt that this was a serious situation we also did not want to raise fees to fully cover the shortfall, but rather by finding other ways of raising funds from outside of the club. This could be through additional advertising, outside fund-raising events, social events and corporate sponsorship. Already, some members have provided information on fund-raising ideas, such as Bunnings sausage sizzles, and we will investigate the best options for achieving this fund-raising. If you would be interested in being part of a fund-raising sub-committee please let me know so that we can get this moving quickly.

If we do not supplement our income in these ways then we will not be able to survive as a club for more than a couple of years, even if we cut our costs, which we are also undertaking. One way that we are already doing this is by delivering the magazine to members electronically, followed up by collection of a hard copy at the monthly club meeting. We hope that this will result in only a few magazines being mailed out each month, saving on postage and envelopes.

At the moment I am struggling to remember all the things I am supposed to do at the meeting, but I am sure that Martin will not let me forget, especially if it means one less copy for him to carry home again. Please come along to the meeting to collect yours and socialize with the rest of your fellow members. For those of you who attended last month’s meeting, I am sure that you got

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT something out of the presentation by Mark Russell, from Fourby Fitouts, on the dos and don’ts of vehicle storage. I know that I got a few good ideas and hope to put these into practice when I get around to fitting out my Forester and Hilux.

Actually the fit out may be limited to the Hilux as I have been toying with the idea of purchasing the new model Impreza XV which I am sure many of you have seen advertised on the television. I have recently checked one out and it certainly looks impressive, although possibly too good to take too far off-road. I am working on getting a loan vehicle from Glen Waverley Subaru, to bring to the April meeting, so please come along if you are interested in checking out what looks like a very capable new Subaru off-roader. Maybe we will find some time to take it for a spin, to see how well the new CVT auto performs.

Speaking of the next meeting, Martin has collected an array of photos from the recent Grampians photo trip and will be displaying them at the meeting. It should be interesting to compare the artistic styles of the budding photographers. Shortly after the meeting yours truly will be jetting off to Bali for a week for a brief holiday. I am not happy about being away as it means that I may miss Jamie’s re -scheduled night trip between Longwarry and Gembrook.

This may yet be postponed to later in May, depending on numbers and the state of the tracks in the area. Please register for this trip at the April meeting.

You will all be aware of the recent floods that have wreaked havoc throughout northern Victoria. As usual, FWDV will be coordinating relief activities that member clubs will be invited to participate in. Please consider getting involved when these activities are being promoted through the magazine and via email.

From my involvement in the bushfire relief work I can attest that it is a very rewarding experience.

Before we know it the club elections will be here and a number of current committee members will not be standing again. Please consider becoming one of the committee as it a good way to have a say in the running of the club. At this stage we know that both Martin and Jessica will be standing down so if you are interested in taking up one of these positions I am sure that the current holder will be only too happy to explain what is involved. I am also filling the positions of venue and resources at the moment which, I am sure you will agree, is an untenable arrangement. Please see me if you would interested in filling one of these positions. Don’t forget that without a committee the club cannot function so give this some serious thought over the next couple of months.

Anyway that’s enough from me for this month. Take care of yourself out there, on the road or in the bush, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Damian

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EDITOR’S REPORT THE ELECTRONIC VERSION of the magazine has been available for several months now and members are hopefully taking advantage of being able to read it well ahead of the general meeting. In order to save on postage, Committee has decided not to mail the printed version ahead of the meeting. They will be available for collection at the meeting. Any remaining will be posted afterwards. Members who have not registered an email address will receive their magazine in the post beforehand as usual. === PRINTING OUT YOUR OWN MAGAZINE is now an option, and one that also saves the club money. The problem to date has been to get the pages in the right order to make a booklet, however, I can now supply a PDF document where this has been done for you. All you have to do is to print it out back and front. If you don’t have a duplexer in your printer, a different version of the file will allow you to flip the paper stack and print both sides in two passes. Contact me if you want to try this option - three people are doing this now. === The magazine deadline for next edition is MAY 15th, 2012. Send all copy to editor@subaru4wdvic.com.au Martin

VENUE REPORT

APRIL GENERAL MEETING Date: Tuesday 24 April at 8pm.

Venue: Camberwell South Tennis Club Special Presentation: Slideshow from the Grampians Trip on 31 March and 1 April

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TRIP & SOCIAL REPORT BUNYIP / KURTH KILN PARK NIGHT DRIVE Gladysdale Day Drive (TBC) Saturday 5 May (pm); Sunday 6 May (TBC) Trip Standard: Medium Requirements: Torches and spare batteries Contact: Jamie Scott via events@subaru4wdvic.com.au This trip will start at the BP Service Station Outbound, Princes Hwy, Longwarry at 6pm. This is a chance to have something to eat and make sure the fuel tank is full. The trip will head off at 7pm and should finish about 11pm at Kurth Kiln. Jamie will be camping there that night, and if you wish to stay for Sunday's trip you will need to bring your camping gear.

If it goes ahead, the Sunday trip will start about 9:30am with Ellis Track and others in the Gladysdale area. Note that this part of the trip is rated medium to difficult. This trip will also be weather dependant.

SUBARU 4WD CLUB OF QUEENSLAND mid May 2012 Trip Standard: Social The Subaru 4WD Club of Queensland is heading down to Victoria in May. Whilst they may not have any spots open for their trip, we are hoping to liaise with them to meet up at one or more of their camps for some overnight camaraderie.

We are hoping to have some more details at the April club meeting.

FLOOD RELIEF May/June 2012 Trip Standard Variable Contact Damian Stock president@subaru4wdvic.com.au After the devastating floods in northern Victoria, there is much work to be done to get communities back on their feet. To that end, 4WD Victoria have put out a request for volunteers to assist with such tasks ranging from fencing to property clearing, cleaning and re-painting. This will be a coordinated effort to maximise the work that can be done with the volunteers available.

As we receive more details, they will be passed on to members.

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TRIP & SOCIAL REPORT MUNGO LAKES WORLD HERITAGE AREA Saturday 9 June – Monday 11 June Trip Standard: Easy Contact Jessica Walsh events@subaru4wdvic.com.au The Mungo Lakes area is just north of Mildura and has some of the earliest evidence of Aboriginal inhabitance in Australia. The area used to be a large inland lake, and thousands of years of water and wind action have left us with some amazing formations. The trip will meet at the Centro Shopping Centre on the corner of 15th St and Deakin Ave Mildura at 2pm on Saturday. We will then have a 1 ½ – 2 hour drive out to the campsite, where we will pitch tents, relax and watch the world go by.

On Sunday we will head around the loop track, past the visitor's centre and around The Walls Of China. This is part of the formation that has contributed to the park's world heritage status. Look closely enough and there are signs of early settlement. Depending on the weather we will head back out to The Walls for an amazing land based sunset, looking out across the dry lake bed.

Monday will see a relaxed start and a return to Melbourne.

Vehicles will need to be well prepared as we will be in an isolated area. All supplies including water are also needed as the only facilities are some long drop toilets at the campsite, and water cannot be relied on.

Be aware that there is a fair bit of driving on the Saturday and Monday, as it will take about 5-6 hours just to get to Mildura, with another 1½ or so to get to Mungo.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY Saturday 21 July Trip Standard: Social Cost $30 Contact Peter Bellis secretary@subaru4wdvic.com.au This is one of the highlights in the club's social calendar. The Bellis' always provide an outstanding event (with the help of club members). Come along and enjoy the cheer!

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TRIP & SOCIAL REPORT GOLDFIELDS HERITAGE AREA Saturday/Sunday 20/21st October Trip Standard: Social/Easy Contact Martin Foot editor@subaru4wdvic.com.au A weekend based in Maldon in central Victoria, with local trips on the Saturday to heritage mining sites in the surrounding countryside, and perhaps a navigation run. On Sunday there is the option to visit the annual Mt Tarrengower Hill Climb (a heritage vehicle and motorcycle event run by Bendigo Car Club – there’s a small cost involved to view).

Tent and camper accommodation available at Dot and Martin’s property on the edge of town. BBQ or pub options on Saturday night depending on weather.

GRAMPIANS Saturday 3 – Tuesday 6 November Trip Standard: Medium Contact Peter Bellis secretary@subaru4wdvic.com.au The Grampians are an outstanding geological feature in western Victoria.

This trip will aim to traverse the ranges so is rated at medium as some tracks can be a bit scrabbly. Discussions are being had with Parks Victoria so there may be access to some MVO tracks as well.

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, CAIRNS 14 November Trip Standard: to be determined Contact Jessica Walsh events@subaru4wdvic.com.au Cairns is the only place in the world to view the total solar eclipse on November 14 2012 from land. Allow about a week before and a week after the eclipse for travel and some touring in the area. If you would like more information on the eclipse itself, go to www.eclipse2012.org.au The eclipse is due at about 6.45am (yes, am) and will be in an area that is subject to frequent cloud cover at that time of year, so there may in fact be nothing to 'see' - apart from the darkness, that is. Because of this, the trip is still in the concept stage, and may not go ahead. Please let me know if you are interested.

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TRIP & SOCIAL REPORT OTHER TRIPS Narbethong Wombat State Forest Melbourne Laneways

JESSICA'S JOTTINGS You will have noticed that one of the trips featured this issue is to help out after the floods in northern Victoria. Four Wheel Drive Victoria are coordinating clubs and their members to assist these communities in getting their lives back to normal as best they can. This is an opportunity for us to do more than just tour an area (although tourist dollars will be welcome once the towns are ready for visitors). There is no particular requirement for any skills, as many hands is the first need.

Please give it some thought, and when there are more details it would be good if the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria can be amongst those giving up some time to help. [See page 25 for a recent update from FWDV - Ed.] Happy travels, Jessica Walsh Trip and Social Co-ordinator

FOR SALE The club makes this space available free of charge to members wishing to buy or sell items.

Please note that the Motor Car Trader Regulations 1998-22(4) require that vehicles for sale advertisements must contain: (a) the cash price of the vehicle and; (b) the registration number if registered or the engine/chassis numbers if unregistered. Contact the club editor to advertise in this space.

Forester Aluminium Bash Plates: made from 6.0mm construction grade aluminium: $300 for club members, $330 for non-members. Fitting can be arranged. Contact: David Wilson, dw@subaru4wdvic.com.au.

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TRIP REPORTS GRAMPIANS 30 March – 1 April 2012

by Jessica Walsh The Grampians trip was originally designed to follow the Iconic 4WD Victoria trip notes for the area.

Unfortunately the storm damage from 2010-11 was still in the process of being cleaned up, and many tracks were closed. As this was a photographic trip it became a collaborative effort from the participants to choose lookouts and other vantage points for some great photos.

Michael and I were the first to arrive on Friday afternoon within minutes of each other at the Halls Gap Information Centre. We were able to get the latest updates on which tracks were open, and suggestions for us to try. We headed over to the Halls Gap Caravan Park, collected the gate codes and pitched our tents. Andrew and Lisa were the next to arrive about 7.30pm followed 30 minutes later by Jerrad and Alyssa. Andrew claimed he was late due to his GPS unit adjusting for the end of daylight saving so he thought he had plenty of time! Andrew and Lisa had their new Cub camper in tow, and were very 'proud parents' showing off how easy it was to set up. Lisa had influenced the purchase with her requirement for a queen size inner sprung mattress. That's not camping!

We headed off across the road and enjoyed a very good dinner at one of the local cafes. As we were dining Martin rang to say they had had a false start and had returned home to get their UHF antenna, but had got caught up in the football traffic. They decided to leave early the next morning, aiming to get to Halls Gap before 9am.

The last to arrive that night were Matt and Tim who got in about 11.30pm.

They proceeded to set up their tent only to discover that Matt had forgotten to pack the tent poles. So they enjoyed a night curled up in the front seats of the car. The next night Martin and Dot were kind enough to share their cabin so at least they got one good night's sleep.

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TRIP REPORTS We awoke to a slightly cloudy day that looked perfect for picture taking. We crossed the road once more to the cafe for coffee and breakfast.

As we were deciding what to eat, Martin and Dot arrived, having made good time with a 5am-ish departure from home.

After breakfast we had a discussion on where would be the best places to see.

Our plan was Boroka Lookout followed by MacKenzie Falls. At Boroka Lookout we had a great vista over Halls Gap and the plains behind. Whilst we were there we got chatting to one of the rangers who gave us a couple of suggestions for some slightly more challenging tracks.

It was interesting to talk to him about the effect of the storms that passed through early the previous year, both at the time, and during the recovery.

This recovery is still on-going as was evident by the number of tracks that are still closed in the park. Parks hope to have the majority of tracks open in the next six months, which is good news for future trips.

Taking the Ranger's advice, we drove to Reed Lookout and then on to MacKenzie Falls. Reed Lookout gave us a wonderful view of the Grampians looking south. Unfortunately for us, the DSE had been burning off the day before and this had left a smoke haze over the Grampians. It would not be until the next day that this would clear.

MacKenzie Falls gave us all a chance to stretch our legs with groups heading in Page: 12

TRIP REPORTS different directions to view the Falls from the top and bottom.

After lunch in the car park we again followed the Ranger's advice and made our way to Rose Creek Road which took us across the basin towards the Victoria Range and up Goat Track. This again gave us more photo opportunities, looking both back the way we came, and eastwards. As we descended the western side of the range we stopped to view the Billimina Shelter and nearby falls.

The falls were merely a trickle and the artwork at the shelter protected with cyclone fencing. It was still interesting to view, though, artwork and paintings from thousands of years ago.

We headed back to camp in a roundabout way, trying to drive on some more challenging 'dotted lines'. Unfortunately we were thwarted by closed gates to tracks that had yet to be rehabilitated.

After dinner we grouped around the campfire and took delight watching the International Space Station travel overhead on one of its fifteen daily orbits.

Sunday morning's discussion had us off to Wonderland. We started walking up towards The Pinnacles along a valley of granite. We soon came to a clearing where the more energetic went ahead to scout the track and the rest of us sat and admired the view back down towards the car park. Back in the cars and it was off south down the centre of the Grampians. We crossed Serra Range twice and on the second crossing we stopped for lunch, only for our friendly ranger to drive past and wave. We had seen him at three or four different locations during the weekend, so it is good to see Parks have such a strong presence in the area.

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CLUB CA Date

Event

2012 Fri 20 - Sun 22

4WD Muster presented by the Variety Club (not a S4WDCV event)

Tues 24

General Meeting

Tues 8 (note change of date)

Committee Meeting

Sat 5; Sun 6 (TBC)

Bunyip/Kurth Kiln night run Gladysdale Trip (TBC)

Tues 15

Magazine deadline for articles, reports, etc

Tues 29

General Meeting

Sat 9 - Mon 11 June (Queen’s Birthday)

Mungo Lakes World Heritage Area

Sat 21 July

Christmas in July

APRIL

MAY

JUNE +

Sat 20. Sun 21 Oct Goldfields Trip/Mt Tarrengower Hill Climb

Trip Standard

Sign

Vehicle Suitability

Easy Medium

All wheel drive and high range 4WD. Can be Suitable for medium clearance vehicles with d

Difficult Very Difficult

Suitable for medium to high clearance vehicles wit Suitable for high clearance vehicles with dual rang

ALENDAR

b

Location

Lardner Park, Warragul

Standard Contact for further info.

social

info@4wdmuster.org.au

Cost

From $100 with campsite

CSTC Foot/Greiveson residence, Hawthorn

Peter Bellis, email: secretary@subaru4wdvic.com.au

BP Longwarry

Jamie Scott, via email: events@subaru4wdvic.com.au Martin Foot, email: editor@subaru4wdvic.com.au

CSTC Mildura

Jessica Walsh, email: events@subaru4wdvic.com.au

Bellis residence

social

Jean Bellis, via email: TBA secretary@subaru4wdvic.com.au

Maldon area

Social +

Martin Foot, email: editor@subaru4wdvic.com.au

low clearance with single range and road tyres. dual range and all terrain or road tyres.

th dual range and all terrain tyres. ge and tyres suitable for the terrain (eg. mud terrain tyres).

Small charge for ticket to MT Hill Climb

TRIP REPORTS Lunch was accompanied by quite a few groan-worthy puns which kept everyone thinking. But soon it was time to pack up and head south to Dunkeld and coffees. It was here we said our goodbyes and made our various ways home.

I would like to thank Michael for being a navigator with me on Saturday as it made my driving much easier.

A return trip to the Grampians is on the cards for me, perhaps in twelve months when more of the tracks are likely to be open. Next time I might even remember my camera!

Participants: Jessica Walsh Michael Hartshorne Andrew & Lisa Jantke Jarred Coomber & Alyssa Bunting Matt & Tim McConaghy Martin Foot & Dot Greiveson

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Outback Forester Holden Rodeo Forester Forester Forester

CLUB MEETING MINUTES A general meeting of the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc was held on Tuesday, 27th March 2012 at the South Camberwell Tennis Club starting at 7:18pm.

1. Present Jean Bellis, Peter Bellis, Damian Stock, Adam Howley, Paul Saleeba, Jerrad Coomber, Glenys Howell, Brian Howell, Katie Mynard, Peter Mynard, Ruth Marshall, Bob Marshall, Martin Foot, Phil Milkins, Elaine Milkins, Rick Koster, Tom Boltadzija, Michael Hartshorne 2. Apologies Jan Aylott, Jamie Scott, Les Scott, Elaine Hyde, Mick Noonan, Jessica Walsh, Bev Davison, Dale Rebgetz, Lisa Jankte, Andrew Jantke 3. Visitors: Mark Russell (Fourby Fitouts), Stephen Whittaker.

4. Welcome: A welcome was extended to all members and visitors.

5. Minutes of the Previous General Meeting 5.1 The minutes of the February 2012 General Meeting were accepted without amendment after being moved by Bob Marshall and seconded by Katie Scambler.

5.2 There was no business arising from the minutes.

6. Correspondence 6.1 In Magazines from various 4WD and other automotive clubs Advertising material FWD Victoria Australia Post – update of records Opposite Lock Victorian Winch Challenge Letter of thanks and apology from Mark and Jana Harris Bright Lights – confirmation of speaking at May meeting Fundraising suggestions from Rae Turner Variety Club’s 4WD Muster at Lardner Park 6.2 Out- - None 7. Reports 7.1 Resources Still looking for any requests for club clothing items.

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CLUB MEETING MINUTES 7.2 Editor Thank you to all the contributions.

Martin is now able to create a PDF version of the magazine that prints in booklet format. It is available to members as an alternative to the mailed paper copy. The software is “Book Creator” and is available over the internet for $20.

Many thanks to Martin for producing the magazine this month considering his very high workload at the moment.

Magazine deadline for April is Tuesday 10th.

7.3 Trip and Social Refer elsewhere in the magazine for details.

Grampian trip Campsites have been booked.

Jessica will contact those attending.

The Subaru Club of Queensland will be having a high country trip over two weeks in May. 7.4 Venue: Refer elsewhere in the magazine for details.

7.5 Membership: No report submitted.

7.6 Treasurer Current bank account balance is $1,366.32.

Major payments last month - $215.

Received three memberships in the last month.

7.7 Secretary Next week’s committee meeting is at Bob Marshall’s place.

7.8 President Brief mention about the Pajero Challenge and Big River trips.

Will not be able to attend the next Association meeting.

8. Guest Presentation A very informative presentation was given by Mark Russell about custom built in-vehicle storage systems for 4WD vehicles.

9. Special Resolution Page: 18

CLUB MEETING MINUTES The following proposed special resolution was put forward to the meeting: The following changes be made to the constitution of the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc. In rule 6.a, replace the words “Annual General Meeting” with “general meeting held no earlier than three (3) months before such fees are due”.

In rule 10(d), delete sub-rule (e) – “to set the schedule of fees for the next financial year”.

The motion was proposed by Peter Bellis and seconded by Damian Stock. After some discussion, the motion was put to the vote and it was passed unanimously by the members in attendance. Damian declared the motion carried.

The following proposed special resolution was put forward to the meeting: The following change be made to the by-laws of the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria.

In rule 14.b, replace the words “Annual General Meeting” with “general meeting held no earlier than three (3) months before such fees are due”.

The motion was proposed by Peter Bellis and seconded by Damian Stock. The motion was passed unanimously by the members in attendance. Damian declared the motion carried.

10. Membership Fees The proposed membership fees and projected financial situation were discussed at length.

Various options put forward to improve the financial situation included: Switching more magazines from mailed paper copy to electronic mailed PDF copy ($52 saving per membership).

Seeking more advertising in the magazine or sponsorship for the club.

Distinguish more between single and family membership fees.

Give new members only the option of receiving the club magazine in electronic format and charging an additional fee if they want a paper copy.

Various members pointed out that the club needs to be very careful Page: 19

CLUB MEETING MINUTES not to price itself out of the market, considering that a lot of people now go four wheel driving through internet forums, which don’t charge anything.

It was agreed that the club’s financial situation requires further discussion and action to resolve.

It was proposed that the following changes be made to the membership fee and association levy across all membership categories: increase the membership fee by $8.00, and increase the Association levy by $2.00.

The motion was proposed by Peter Bellis and seconded by Brian Howell.

Motion was unanimously passed by the members present in attendance.

11. General Business 11.1 Damian is continuing to have problems with the engine secondary air pump in his car. A by-pass system is available from Cosworth, with no impact on engine performance. Kit costs about US$78.

12. Fines and Fun 12.1 Nametags:Michael Hartsborne, Jerrad Coomber.

12.2 Last to Meeting: Tom Boltadzija.

12.3 Trips 12.3.1 Big River Damian – for being 2 hours late.

David – for being 2 hours late.

Jerrad – for bring a nice thin sleeping bag which wasn’t very effective in the cold weather.

Jerrad – for getting Adam wet when he went flying through a river crossing.

Adam – for blocking the road at one point.

Rick – for telling his son over the CB radio that he saw a fire rescue helicopter down in the valley.

12.4 Total fines collected - $3.50.

13. Meeting closed at 10:45pm.

14. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 24th April 2012 commencing at 8pm.

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COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Minutes of the meeting of the committee of the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria Inc held on Tuesday 3rd April 2012 at the home of Bob Marshall starting at 7:50pm.

1. Present Bob Marshall, Phil Milkins, Dale Rebgetz, Jessica Walsh, Martin Foot, Damian Stock, Peter Bellis.

2. Apologies Andrew Jantke.

3. Quorum A quorum was achieved with 7 committee members present.

4. Minutes of the Previous Meeting Minutes of the March 2012 committee meeting were accepted without amendment.

Business Arising from the Minutes and Outstanding Actions 4.1 Club Resources Waiting to get a list of current resources off David – Andrew will pick up from David.

Bob did not get a resource listing for last financial year.

4.2 MS-Publisher 2010 Have not yet been able to source a copy for Martin.

4.3 Subaru Docklands Have further follow-up to do.

5. Correspondence 5.1 In FWD Victoria Seasonal road closure for 2012.

Flood relief.

Camp host for Easter.

Query re club trip for Easter.

Advertising material.

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COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 5.2 Out Replies to various incoming emails.

6. Reports 6.1 Resources Damian is putting together a list of goods collected for use in a raffle.

Have visited the club clothing supplier in the last week.

Had some enquiries about a chambray shirt. Damian will follow options.

Had some enquiries about polo shirts with a woman’s cut.

Damian to follow up.

6.2 Trip and Social For further details of dates, places, etc, please consult the centre pages of the magazine.

Pajero Challenge re-run – will be deferred to later in the year.

The Subaru Club of Queensland will be having a high country trip over two weeks in May. There may be the possibility of Victorian club members joining their Queensland counterparts for a few days at Buchan mid-week.

Solar Eclipse – Port Douglas – for the 14th November 2012.

Goldfields trip – August / September – to be run by Martin.

Kurth Kiln – re-run the aborted trip in early May. Damian to follow up with Jamie.

Grampians – 4-day trip over the Melbourne Cup weekend in November. Trip standard will be medium.

6.3 Venue For further details of dates, places, etc, please consult the centre pages of the magazine.

Damian is waiting for a reply from FWD Victoria regarding contact details for Spatial Vision.

April meeting – slide show of Grampians trip. Need a data projector – David Wilson? Jessica to chase up trip members for photographs.

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COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Damian sought reimbursement of supper supplies for the March meeting - $9.65.

6.4 Membership Have a membership payment from last year still outstanding.

Will need a membership renewal form for the April and May magazines – Andrew to liaise with Martin.

6.5 Editor Trip information in the magazine – Jessica will update the information in the next few months.

Had some “fun” with getting last month’s magazine out due to the extra inserts and Martin’s work commitments.

Will do a member/vehicle profile in the next month or two.

Electronic printable version – have three memberships indicate that they will take so. Have 3 memberships taking the on-line version only.

With all members now getting an electronic copy, is it necessary to mail out the magazine? Is the club able to distribute the magazine at the general meeting and mail out to members who were not at the meeting?  Starting with the April meeting, members will continue to receive the electronic version of the magazine and the printed version will be handed at the general meeting.

April editorial deadline is Tuesday 10th April.

Damian has asked one of his sons to produce a silhouette version of the club logo.

6.6 Treasurer Current bank account balance is $1,419.82.

Web hosting – currently is paid half yearly - $114. Under a current deal, have the ability to pay for the full year and save 25% of the fee. Deal has been taken up and paid $171.

6.7 Secretary Constitution changes – have to be forwarded to Consumer Affairs Victoria for approval and processing. Once done, a new version of the constitution will be circulated to members.

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COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 6.8 President Next presidents’ meeting of FWD Victoria will cover OH&S and risk management in clubs.

The meeting is open to club presidents and committee members. Will be held on 28th April 2012.

Getting plenty of correspondence from FWD Victoria regarding flood recovery relief in northern Victoria. Volunteers are being sought to help over the next few months. Will put this to the club at the April general meeting.

7. Electronic Media An article in the 2012 Rally Calder program talked about how quiet a few car clubs these days exist solely on the internet via forums.

Question from this is “What is the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria doing about it?”

Some members have pointed out that the club needs to explain the benefits of its $110 membership verses free entry to a forum. Such explanation would need to include detailing benefits of belonging to FWD Victoria. Need to “sell” the benefits of being a member of the Subaru 4WD Club of Victoria. Some benefits are currently spelt out on the club’s membership brochure/application. Need to differentiate the benefits that the club environment can only provide.

Damian S and Adam Hough are the “moderators” of the club’s Facebook page. Currently using it to post photos of recent trips, etc.

The club’s current website will be updated to the new version in April 2012.

8. General Business None 9. Next Meeting will be held on Tuesday 8th May 2012 at 7:30pm at the home of Martin Foot.

10. Meeting closed at 9:55pm.

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FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VICTORIA NEWS FLOOD RELIEF UPDATE First a big thank you to the clubs/members who have participated in the recovery to date, and thanks to those clubs who have expressed an interest in help in the future.

Peter & I have spent a few days with a group working in and around Numurkah area, and it’s fair to say that all of the residential requests for assistance are being attended to by the shire support groups. We commenced work on a number of rural properties last Sunday and this is ongoing as you read this with another group.

As with our past experience farmers generally are slow to ‘put up their hand’ and seek assistance so, we sort media support to spread the word via the Numurkah Journal.

The two tasks that will no doubt form the greatest percentage of the requests will be the clearing of flood debris from land to be sown or cultivated. The second will be the clearing of stubble and debris from fence lines and restanding fences. The first task simply requires a number of volunteers walking across the pasture either side of a vehicle/truck/trailer collecting the debris, dumping it and setting fire to it. Naturally the central C.F.A. number needs to be alerted to the smoke.

The second task does require some implement that can push/drag the deep stubble off the fence and what remains is cleared with rakes or pitch forks.

Most farmers have a tractor and we found it takes little modification to develop a very workable ‘blade’ on either the rear or the front of the tractor.

Almost every machine will have prongs to distribute round bails either front or rear, and the simple addition of a wide board or plank across the prongs makes a great blade for pushing the debris into heaps for burning.

Another trick we have learnt is much of the stubble becomes packed solid around the fence wire and is difficult to remove. We found that by approaching the fence on the opposite side to the build-up, placing the tractor prongs under the wire then lifting the fence, the stubble falls off or is far easier to remove. It then requires a sledge hammer to drive the star pickets or posts back into the ground.

Concerns regarding stubble on the fences is that left to dry it will very quickly rust the wire as does burning it in situ.

If you plan to assist we suggest you consider taking the following: gloves, pitch fork or a garden fork (but the former will save your back), strong rakes, LOTS of repellent, sun screen, heavy footwear and a hat. You may consider Page: 25

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VICTORIA NEWS wearing long sleeves and trousers as the mossies are very hungry!

Camping arrangements are at the shire grounds just a few Kms south of Numurkah. It’s a small community the name starts with a W but its pronounced ONE EWE. It includes showers, toilets, a meeting room and a reasonable kitchen. It will be necessary to contact either Peter or myself to ensure key access is made available.

The extent of the task ahead is enormous and has to be seen to be believed.

The water down stream towards Picola is estimated to be 7 Kms wide and is continuing to inundate much of the rural country. As it drains it will reveal considerable devastation but as it’s no longer ‘news worthy’, these people will struggle.

As the tasks and communities become more defined we hope to be able to give clubs an area to work through, and the shire has assured us they will provide camping in these areas.

We do ask that on completion of your labour, you provide us with a few details of the task undertaken, and the total man/women hours provided.

We will continue to provide regular updates.

FWDV Coordinators Allan Marshall and Peter Townsend.

RESOURCES Club Clothing prices: Polo - $33 Double-sided vest - $66 Long sleeved fleece top - $71.50 Storm jacket - $121 Cap $27.50 An order for club clothing will be placed shortly with the suppliers.

Members interested in purchasing items, especially for the coming winter season, please contact Damian: president@subaru4wdvic.com.au Page: 26

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VICTORIA TRAINING CALENDAR April 2012 Friday 27th Proficiency Course (PC120428) Theory - Nth Balwyn Saturday 28th Proficiency Course (PC120428) Practical - Werribee May 2012 Thursday 3rd Proficiency Course (PC120505) Theory - Nth Balwyn Saturday 5th Proficiency Course (PC120505) Practical – Werribee Wednesday 9th 4WD Driver Awareness Course (DA120509) – TBA Saturday 12th Advanced 4X4 Driver Training Course (AD120512) – Tallarook Sunday 13th Advanced 4X4 Driver Training Course (AD120512) – Tallarook Friday 18th Ladies 4X4 Course (LC120520) Theory - Nth Balwyn Saturday 19th First Aid Course (FA120519) – Nth Balwyn Sunday 20th Ladies 4X4 Course (LC120520) Practical – Werribee Friday 25th OziExplorer Course (OZ120525) – Nth Balwyn Saturday 26th First Aid Course (FA120519) – Nth Balwyn June 2012 Friday 1st Proficiency Course (PC120602) Theory - Nth Balwyn Saturday 2nd Proficiency Course (PC120602) Practical – Werribee Friday 8th Sand Driving Course (SA120609) Practical (Optional) – Portland Saturday 9th Sand Driving Course (SA120609) Practical – Portland Sunday 10th Sand Driving Course (SA120609) Practical – Portland Monday 11th Sand Driving Course (SA120609) Practical – Portland Tuesday 12th Chainsaw Course (CS120616) Theory - Nth Balwyn Saturday 16th Chainsaw Course (CS120616) Practical - Tallarook Sunday 17th Chainsaw Course (CS120616) Practical – Tallarook Thursday 28th Proficiency Course (PC120630) Theory - Nth Balwyn Saturday 30th Proficiency Course (PC120630) Practical – Werribee FWDV can be contacted on 9857 5209 or e-mail: training@fwdvictoria.org.au Contact S4WDCV Secretary Peter Bellis on email: secretary@subaru4wdvic.com.au regarding attendance at FWDV courses as a club discount may apply.

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