NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTH CANTERBURY BRANCH OF THE VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND INC.
CLUB ROOMS 19-25 REDRUTH ST. TIMARU SOUTH
Replica Timaru’s First Car Built by C. W. Wood June 2023
NOGGIN AND NATTER
First Thursday of the Month
Our AGM is on 1ST JUNE. 7.30pm
This is our normal Noggin Night. PLEASE BE PRESENT.
We have a catch up of 35 year and 25 year membership badges to be distributed.
Your attendance would be appreciated.
As this financial year draws to a close, I hope many have put their hands up to come onto the committee and really learn about your club. We had had a successful year, with many and varied interesting rally routes plotted by Gavin and Michelle Munro and their helpers. It is only with the support of the club members that our branch continues to thrive. The parts team under the guidance of Barry Smith has also thrived and continues to grow with donations always coming in. The guys that regularly attend on a Wednesday morning do a terrific job for our Branch. I thank you all.
The Bar continues to hold its head high and thanks to Krystal Munro for running this over the past year. Thanks must also be expressed to all those who have helped with the suppers on Club Nights, and also for those who have taken their turn at running the bar. It is pleasing to see that Sandy McMillan has passed his bar licence on behalf of our club. The Swap Meet Committee have done a sterling job on all our behalves. They get things done and a special thanks to Colin Johnstone who through his guidance enabled us to have a Swap Meet in September last year when our April one was canned because of Covid. A successful event was held at the new venue the Timaru Motor Raceway in April this year, and with a few tweaks hopefully will be our venue for the future. A huge thanks to all the helpers over the two days required for getting things organised. A huge commitment when at a new venue and a learning curve for many. Our Library has been expertly governed by Barry Barnes, who continually keeps our donations of books and memorabilia up to date. This is a mammoth effort as the donations continue to grow. Thank you Barry for your dedication.
Our Newsletter editor Les Rzepecky has done a marvellous job continuing with the newsletter publication. This is not an easy task as we all know, and he would appreciate any story’s or photos to be sent to the Tri-Car email. Thank you Les for all you have done.
Any idea that you have regarding anything the club could benefit from, please tell us at the AGM or let any committee member know so it can be included with the planning. It is a club for ALL of us, not just the committees club. It is pleasing to see our membership continues to grow. We still have a lot of names badges for new members waiting for collection. It would be super to see them turn up to our events.
Finally I must say a huge thankyou to my committee. We have thrashed around many ideas and resolved many issues at our committee meeting. As chairman I appreciate the time each month that you willing give to the branch. I thank you all and wish the incoming committee all the best for the coming year. Kindest regards Alistair Day, Chairman
To date I have not exactly been inundated with offers of help with digitizing the Cecil Wood material referred to last month. It’s not too late to offer!
With our Annual Meeting coming up, the Branch Rules require that I stand down from the post of Librarian and am ineligible to be reappointed unless there is no written nomination for the position nor a nomination when called for from the floor.
So here’s your chance if you want to have a go at the job!
I would be happy to assist a new appointee get their feet under the desk and further assist on an ongoing basis.
We have just had a lot of NZ Classic Car magazines come in for the duplicates table, please help yourself.
Also coming in were some relatively recent Beaded Wheels from 2019 to this year. Is there a new member out there who would like to grab these back issues?
There is still a good supply of BW with issues there covering from the early 60s through to the present day.
The Library is a resource for all members and most of the material we have is available for loan. I have been reading a history of the Singer Company about which I knew precious little previously. Lots of good reading available.
Barry BarnesDeadline for July Tri Car is 20th June
Thursday June 1st 7.30 pm at Clubrooms, Redruth St Timaru.
BAR :-
Noggin and Natter Kitchen Hands.
I would like to thank all the members who have volunteered for kitchen duty throughout the year. Currently I have enough people on my roster to ensure each person only has to do their duty once a year.
I’m proud to say so far I have had no “refusals” and no “ let downs”.
Each month I phone or text two members and I’m amazed at the enthusiastic and friendly response I always get, this attitude makes my task a very pleasant one.
Well done everyone you’ve done a great job. Thank you all.
Tony McGillen.
Activity quite brisk again this month with yet another large trailer load of parts recovered from a private garage, which contained mainly Datsun parts from the 70's era.
As I mentioned last month the fact some of our shelving is Groaning” under the weight of items, well now we do have to shift a considerable amount of parts to another 'temporary area' to accommodate this new influx of parts. The Wednesday Team will be Happy I'm sure.!!
But this is what the parts dept. is all about and we are grateful for the opportunity to collect these items on behalf of the Club.
All this means that there is plenty of items to peruse through and to find that part you need for your project.
Come on down on a Wednesday morning and have a browse, you might just find that bit! We are open from 9am till 12 noon.
Cheers, Barry Smith. Parts Manager.
To access other club newsletters go to www.vcc.org.nz scroll to News from our Branches as hard copy newsletters
SCVCC Website - May 2023
- Online SCVCC membership page updated to reflect content of vcc.org.nz, with online form
- May newsletter placed up
- Focus given to All British Day
Upcoming - More stories of various runs, online version of newsletter, information about upcoming events, members vehicles in gallery, Stories and photos from members are ENCOURAGED and can be sent through to website.scvcc@gmail.com
On a cool autumn day, 16 cars (and 33 people) left the clubrooms and travelled via Rothwell/Leckie/Keith Sts to Domain Ave, travelled down Craigie Ave, turned onto College Rd, left onto Bowker St, right onto Coonoor Rd. Following onto Fairview Rd, we travelled on Suttons, Beaconsfield, Brassell, Pleasant Valley and Talbots Rds crossing over onto Grays Crossing Rd and through the Ford (very little water over the Ford). Turning right onto Esk Valley Rd then onto Church Hill Rd. We stopped and visited the beautiful St Marys Church built in 1880 with a No 1 Historic Place Category combined with an interesting graveyard for a wander around. Leaving there we turned left then right onto Hendrys Rd left onto Bluecliffs Rd and had afternoon tea at the Bluecliffs Hall grounds. A lovely drive with good company and enjoyed by all.
Thankyou Ruth and Donald for an interesting afternoon.
Meet at the clubrooms for a 1.30 p.m. start. Bring afternoon tea and a seat.
ORGANISERS: Barry & Lynnette Smith
ForYour Diary
50 Year Presentations
Tentative Date
Sunday July 23rd
More info in July Tricar
We have been invited to join with Ashburton for a night away in Oamaru on Saturday 10th June. We would meet them in Pleasant Point at 9.00am and then follow a rally route to Oamaru to stay Saturday night. Book yourself into Ascot Oamaru Motel (03 4379040). On Sunday there is a rally route to visit Tempero’s. There will be a $15 per person charge. On Saturday you can take your own lunch or purchase enroute. If you intend to go please txt or phone Graham 021 843813. There will be a small amount of shingle driving in between two sealed sections.
This rally was held on a fine but cool autumn day. There was a good turn out of 30 cars including two who just came along for a day out. The rally left from the clubrooms after morning tea with everybody heading in the same direction towards Otipua. Once they’d passed through the Time Trial checkpoint they split into two directions. The routes zig zagged out through Fairview, Rosewill, Cave etc to Maungati. Lunch was held at the Maungati Hall and after lunch the fun began with the field tests. Four tests saw the competition heat up. First off the passengers needed to give the drivers directions so they could follow a rope with the front wheel. Second test required the passenger to ‘sweep’a ball around some cones and into a box, leaning out the window . Harder than it looked for some. The third event required the driver to throw three empty beer cans into a box. Nobody managed more than one as they bounced back out. The final test was for the driver.Alength of rubber track was laid out on the ground and the driver had to guess how long they thought it was. Congratulations to Dave Diamond who was 0.65mm off. After the field tests it was back to the clubrooms for afternoon tea and prizegiving. The results were
Jim & Pat Geddes Trophy
Best P60 Overall - John Lester
Bill Macarthur Trophy
Best PerformedAmerican Vehicle - John Lester
Fred Whiteley Cup
Best PV, PWV Overall - Melanie Bates
Les Irving Family Trophy
PV – P80 Overall - Sandy McMillan
Thanks to everyone who attended. We hope you had a great day. Michelle and Gavin
Some of managed to collect some prizes as well!!
Photos Of Ashburton Charity Rally
Mid Week Run May 2023
1st June AGM
4th June All British
8th June Mid-week run
24th June Night Trial
12th August Garage Raid
The bar takings have been doing well this year. Bar prices had to be put up slightly to reflect the increasing costs of the supper supplies. We have had a small amount of club hiring over the last 12 months the majority being from Meditrain.
Some issues around the roof leaking in the men’s toilets which has been fixed. We have had the clubrooms spider-proofed. Sandy McMillan has now got a bar license. Thank you Sandy for doing that.
Also thank you very much to Sandy McMillan, Nola Day and any others who have helped me with managing the bar duties when I have been unable too.Also thank you for Don Cameron for doing the raffles and thank you to all of you that have helped with supper this year. To make doing supper duty easier for the future, I have done a guide for being on supper duty which is now located in the kitchen. The gardens and grounds continue to be kept in top shape by Eric Robins and our Wednesday team. Thank you all very much for making our clubrooms exterior/grounds look so great!
We have SCVCC club caps and a supply of the VCC emblems for our cars. These are available for purchase at the bar.
Due to work commitments I am standing down from the role of Clubroom convenor. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this role over the last two years. I encourage anyone to put their name forward for this role. It is not a hard or difficult role. Please remember this is your club and it requires everyone to do their share.
Thank you,
Krystal Munro Clubrooms Convenor.Welcome to SCVCC. Look forward to seeing you at Club nights, Rallies and combined events’
The very first clipping in the Cecil Wood scrapbook is an expansive article from the Herald of 8 October 1927 with details of the Timaru Motor Olympia show to be held at the Mill and Co Wool store in Hayes Street which ran for the following week starting with an official opening of the show by Deputy Mayor Mr A L Gee at 7pm on Monday 10th October.
The Olympia was organised by South Canterbury Motor Trade Association whose President was Cecil Wood. It was promised to be better than the Olympia from the year before, a huge success, and not far behind the Olympia held in Christchurch in conjunction with the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition. In fact the decorations at the South Canterbury show were adjudged as being superior!
Cecil Wood was recorded as saying “No expense has been spared and no labour has been too great to demonstrate in the finest way possible the British, American and Continental Motor Car”
An area of 85,000 sq ft was available and had an area set aside by the entrance for a tea room with an adjacent truck display area being Stand no 1. There were 25 stands all motoring related with many being for agents for various makes of car (and motorcycles) which are not specified.
Some names from the past include Maoriland Motors, Dominion Motors, Amuri Motors, Adams Ltd, R A Rodgers, Dunnett and Downey, Brehaut Brothers, CFCA, South Canterbury Buick Motors, Sim and Sheed and of course the Cecil Wood Motor Company.
There were also the like of the AA and oil and tyre companies.
Rest rooms, lolly stalls and ice creams were available and an orchestra played every evening. Tug of war competitions were also held. A review in the Herald was nothing short of lyrical lauding “the attractive decorations” and “brilliantly illuminated and gloriously decorated hall”. The reviewer offered the conclusion that “in not one respect did the exhibition fail to achieve its objectives.” It would be hard to imagine the Herald of nearly 100 years later giving such a fulsome account, in fact you would be lucky if they covered such an event at all! Now most of the dealer names are not familiar today, but the Buick agents are obvious and of course Ford was Cecil Wood’s bread and butter. It was a couple of months yet before the Model A would make its debut so perhaps the butter may have been starting to be spread more thinly as demand for Lizzy dried up!
I knewAdams Ltd were the Studebaker agents and indeed they featured the new Erskine alongside a Studebaker Victoria coupe at the show. But what about the rest? By coincidence I was checking out a folder from Russell Cross’s estate and found a number of old newspaper clippings dated 1926. I hope that some of them will be good enough to reproduce but I found out Maoriland Motors were the South Island Jewett agents, John C Trengrove Timaru agent. ACulling at Bockaerts Garage was the Buick man in late 1926 though establishment of South Canterbury Buick Motors was not far off, for by October 1927 Buick ads were placed by them.
Amuri Motors were the Dodge agents with premises in Cannon Street (now spelt Canon Street).
Brehaut Bros (Timaru and Geraldine) were not only the Norton agents but Douglas agents also, while Adams Ltd, Stafford Street, clearly also dealt with motorcycles offering great deals on used BSA, Douglas, Harley Davidson and Triumph steeds in time for the Christmas holidays.
E Undrill of Geraldine was agent for Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile Pontiac Cadillac, Vauxhall and Austin, and also carried a range of reconditioned used cars and motorcycles, while Hallys were Ford agents in Temuka and Geraldine.
Donnett and Downey were agents for the “Invincible” Talbot and the “Superb” Singer. Sim and Sheed in Stafford Street stocked the 9/20 Rover and E O
Henshaw of Evans Street offered the Oakland whose time would soon run out with the arrival of Pontiac in the GM range.
Prices are interesting. The cheapest Studebaker, was the tourer at 461 pounds. The Buick sport roadster was 472 pounds, the Oakland tourer only 369 pounds but their sport roadster was 445 pounds.
Hallys would put you into a New Beauty Ford tourer for only 139 pounds. Cecil Wood however advertised the Little Beauty runabout (roadster) at 158 pounds. For most cars an extra 50 to 100 pounds or more would be required for closed examples, 2 door and 4 door.
Todd and Co (Chrysler House) South Stafford Street was not at the Olympia as they were not members of the MTA but in 1927 were offering a Chrysler (model not specified) for 299 pounds and a 4 door sedan for 347 pounds, no doubt 4 cylinder models (Maxwells in drag but still good cars). The 6 cylinder cars of the era are very good cars indeed, with the 70 and 72 and slightly later 75, 77 and 80 being very sought after. These days tourers and roadsters are still favoured by collectors, though closed cars of the 20s are no longer spurned in the way they were in the 1960s and even 70s.
Sadly back in the day many quite good and certainly restorable examples were sacrificed to provide parts for open car rebuilds, or in some instances closed cars were rebuilt as open cars - think Rolls Royce Sunbeam Bentley and Stutz for example.
Barry BIt gives me great pleasure to present the Annual Report of the two Swapmeets we had during the year. Our usual April Swap-meet in 2022was cancelled because of Covid restrictions.
We then decided to hold a Swap-meet on the 10th September 2022. Planning and preparation, including advertising, TMP, toilets, site books, etc., were all in place when on the 30th August we were informed that the venue was cancelled due to ground conditions. An urgent was held to see if we cancel having a Swap-meet or to find a new venue.
The next day we secured the Orari Racecourse car park as a venue, which left us just 8 days to organise ourselves. With huge support from my committee club members and friends we had a very successful setup Swapmeet.
Considering the restraints by the large number of vehicles arriving, parking was stretched to the limit and the general public having to cross a busy road.
Overall, with the large number of sites sold, a good attendance of the public, good weather and no other swap-meet’s for several months, excluding set-up and running costs, it was very successful.
Moving into 2023 with April our usual Swap-meet time, the Orari Racecourse unavailable and the Winchester Domain with huge set-up costs, it was decided to look for another venue.
We approached the South Canterbury Car Club about Levels Motor Raceway, which after inspection, we accepted. This venue came with all sealed walkways, very good toilet facilities and not the traffic entering off highways or busy roads. It was also privately owned with a good health and safety policy and resource consents.
Barry Smith did a tremendous job to measure out and produce a site plan for Michelle and us to work to.
We only had the grounds hired for Friday and Saturday. The Friday set-up was very well attended by members which made it easy and ready for the site holders at 3.00pm.
Saturday was a good day weatherwise, lots of happy stall holders and a very good turnout of the public attending, although numbers were slightly down on previous attendances. We were about 10 members short for helping on Saturday which would of made it a lot easier to run smoothly and more effective.
The North-Haven Childcare Group did a sterling job of parking in the lower Carpark.
Following on after the swap-meet we had to do the clean-up and pack up the container. This was done very well by club members who completed the task within the allocated time on the consent.
At the debrief meeting a number of ideas and improvements were discussed, which I am sure with a little tweeking, will help make our swapmeet even better and the venue suitable for many years.
Overall these two swap-meet’s, at different venues, were very successful and I would personally like to thank all members, friends, helpers and my committee for their huge input, time and commitment far and beyond the call of duty.
Many Thanks, Colin Johnstone.
(Check our Web Page for further details on events listed below)
Gore End of Season Run
Canterbury Irishman Rally
Ashburton Overnight Run to Oamaru
West Coast 2023 Rosco Sporting Trials
Geraldine Motor Muster
June 3rd
June 3rd -5th
June 10th -11th
June 18th
July 14th-16th
Chairman: Alistair Day (Nola) 6886108
Vice Chairman: Colin Hawke (Glenys) 6889955
Immediate Past Chairman: Ashley Milliken (Evelyn)
Secretary: Pauline Young (Wayne)
Treasurer: Nola Day (Alistair)
Club Captains: Gavin and Michelle Munro
News Letter Editor: Les Rzepecky (Helen) 021 1220011
Clubroom Convener: Krystal Munro 027 8567940
Parts Manager: Barry Smith (Lynette)
Librarian: Barry Barnes (Carla)
IT Officer: Shannon Stevenson
Committee: All of the above and John Lester ( Mary )
Identification and Certificate: Alistair Day, John Lester, Colin Hawke.
Swap Meet:
Chairman: Colin Johnstone (Trish)
Secretary / Site
convenor: Michelle Munro (Gavin)
Treasurer: Nola Day (Alistair)
Ground Convenor Barry Smith ( Lynette)
Committee: Gavin Munro (Michelle)
Krystal Munro 027 8567940
Lex Westoby 03 6126556
Sandy McMillan 027 6155150
Alan Patrick 6158803