VOLUME 21, NUMBER 2 Mar-Apr 2016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE UPCOMING EVENTS online at oecc.ca on the Events Report from the Chair 2 May 3, 2016 7:00pm—Electra page or contact: Gerry Parkin- 2016 Fort Langley Run 3 Meccanica, Quebec St. and 1st. son or Alan Miles (see last page of this issue for phone numbers VCB March Event 4 Ave., Vancouver, B.C.—shop tour (contact person: Lorna or e-mail addresses) Reliant Motor Cars 5 Hoare 604-584-2564) June 7, 2016 7:00pm —BCIT Upcoming Events of Note 10 May 21, 2016 —Vancouver Shop Tour—this event may be Hearts and Tarts Run 11 ABFM at Van Dusen Gardens, postponed —(more details to VCB April Event 13 5251 Oak St. (at 37th Ave.) come) Welcome to the OECC/ Volunteers needed: call Walter June 20, 2016 Masonic Lodge 14 Car Show Contact Lorna for Rear View Mirror/ At The June 4 and 5, 2016 —OECC AGM weekend (more details on details. Wheel page 9). Registration form

“I wonder if they’ll take the Thames as a trade in?” VCB visits the Vancouver Tesla Dealership (story page 2) Dennis and Lorna at our March event, held at Jim Pattison Hyundai. Story page 4

Report from the Chair By John McDonald

Well, just over a year has passed since I took office as Chairperson of the Vancouver Coast Branch and I am finally getting around to writing my first installment in the Roundabout. My bad, as they say these days.

The year 2015 proved to be very busy with a varied Events Calendar that was aimed at satisfying the needs of most VCB members – hopefully it had more than something for everybody. Beginning with a visit to VanCity Plating in Coquitlam in January and ending with the Christmas Social / Dinner at the Eaglequest Golf and Country Club in Surrey in December, the membership was involved with Shop Tours and Presentations (VanCity Plating, John Clark’s Garage, Pacific Auto Trim, Nigel Matthews talk on Classic Car Value, Rovalution, BCIT visit), Car Runs (Hearts and Tarts, Fort Langley, Annual Fraser Valley, London to Brighton), Car Shows (ABFM, Two Lions, A&W Cruise-in), social get-togethers (Spring Social, Stewart Farm Picnic, Rocky Point F&C, Christmas Dinner) and Meetings (Club AGM in Kamloops, VCB AGM in Burnaby). Attend- ance at these functions was most encouraging, with a majority of the monthly meetings having be- tween 30 and 35 participants – much improved over recent years. Runs like Fort Langley, Fraser Val- ley and London to Brighton were extremely well attended. The Second Annual OECC-VCB / Two Li- ons Pub British Invasion Car Show in North Vancouver once again saw over 40 Old English cars dis- played for the very appreciative public.

From an executive point of view, changes were initiated to provide more transparency to the mem- bership on the running of the Branch business. Inclusions to the Branch Webpage provided the members access to the Events Calendar Spreadsheet, the Annual Budget, the Quarterly Financial Performance and the Minutes for the Branch Executive Committee Quarterly Meetings and the Branch Annual General Meeting. Maintaining contact and communication with the membership was, and continues to be, a primary focal point for the Branch executive.

All in all, 2015 was a very successful and satisfying year. The new year, 2016, is well underway and has started out where 2015 left off. We have a full Events Calendar with many of the activities returning from the previous year and with a number of new ones making their debut. Hosting the Club Annual General Meeting on the June 4-5 weekend along with the OECC-VCB / Two Lions Pub Car Show in North Vancouver and coupled with the start of the Brits around BC Run is the primary event of the year. These events require extensive planning and execution efforts from the VCB executive and membership. We very much look forward to the suc- cessful presentation of these very busy but exciting activities.

Increasing VCB membership involvement (recruiting volunteers) in the Branch business activities and events planning along with maintaining solid communications with the members is of critical importance moving forward. The replacement of all of the executive members, potentially including all of the volunteer positions, at this years AGM in November is a major concern.

The coming year is looked at with great anticipation. I am very excited about each and every one of our planned (and impromptu) 2016 activities. It is shaping up to be another fabulous year. Regards,

John McDonald

Chairperson, OECC-VCB

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 2 2016 Fort Langley Run

Story by Walter Reynolds Photos by Alan Miles

The planning for this year’s Fort Langley Run included an order for a gorgeous sunny Saturday. The person “up there” must have listened because this year’s run on Saturday, April 9, 2016 was blessed with unusually hot April weather. 30 people and 18 cars assembled in Fort Langley’s Fort parking lot for this year’s Fort Langley Run. Several drivers had no navigator so used the “follow that car” navigation method. Fortunately, no one got lost!

The cars left at 10:35 and followed the Reynolds Rover past two of the three segments of the Derby Reach Region- al District Park, around the western streets of Fort Langley then south into Langley farmlands and back into Fort Langley. A tour around the streets of the eastern part of Fort Langley was next and then we were off south to lunch at Adriane’s at the Airport Restaurant at the Langley Airport.

Several compliments on the route were received by yours truly including one which was a suggestion that all that was needed for the 2017 route was to reverse the 2016 route. Hmmm.

This Run brings with it the ‘Old Sparks’ trophy which is presented to the owner of the oldest car on the run. This year’s winner was Bill Grant for his 1960 Morris Minor. The Branch Executive at its March 31, 2016 meeting modified the rules for awarding this trophy: The trophy does not get awarded to the same car in consecutive years. Along with the trophy, Bill was presented with a bottle of wine, donated by Linda and I. A second bottle of wine was donated as a draw prize and this was won by Bernie and Pat Miles.

This year’s Run was the 8 th Fort Langley Run. The first years were 2006 to 2011, inclusive, following which there was a three-year hiatus. The Run was re-started in 2015. From going through old Roundabout copies, this year had the most people in attendance and the most cars, plus possible the best weather. Well done VCB members.

Of special note is that new members, Tom and Val Morris with their 1961 Morris Minor came all the way from Sechelt to participate in the Run – Sechelt to Fort Langley to Sechelt all in one day. Now that’s dedica- tion. Thanks to everyone who attended and brought out their British cars; it certainly made the planning and organiz- ing worthwhile.

Driver’s meeting and some of the lunch attendees (above) plus the Speke’s and McDonald’s enjoy some top down motoring (top picture)

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 3 VCB March Event Text and pictures by Alan Miles

For our March meeting, Events Co-ordinator Lorna Hoare organized a visit to Jim Pattison Hyundai in Surrey for a presentation on their hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and the technology associated with it.

The evening started with Chairman John giving a brief rundown of upcoming events and other branch business. He then turned the meeting over to Hyundai Product Advisor Cam Henderson. Cam gave a very interesting talk on the history of fuel cell development and of their fuel cell equipped Hyundai Tucson SUV, a model of which was present at the meeting so members could take a good look at it.

Cam told us that Hyundai is the first manufacturer to bring fuel cell vehicles to Canadians and is also the first to mass produce said vehicles on a production line. Both the “regular” gas powered Tucson and the Hydrogen fuel powered models are produced in the same plant in Korea. Building both models on the same platform in the same facility allows for reduced manufacturing costs which help to keep the costs down.

Hyundai has only brought ten FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicles) into Canada and all are being handled by this dealer- ship location. The Tucsons are only available as a three year lease and so far there is only one filling station available which is in the Surrey area. Two of the ten are set aside as “press test drive” vehicles leaving eight that are leased out to customers. Lease cost is $3,600.00 down with monthly payments of $599.00 which includes all maintenance costs, concierge service-where the dealer will pick up the vehicle for servicing and leave a hybrid car as a loaner, plus unlim- ited fuel. Currently, hydrogen produced for this type of use is only available from Quebec and the cost to fill up the Tucson is $400.00.

Also on hand to answer questions was Owen Owens from HTEC. HTEC (http://www.htec.ca/ ) is a company that is en- deavouring to build a network of fueling stations to make ownership of fuel cell vehicles more viable for the general public. Plans are to open a new retail filling station in Vancouver in the fall of 2016 with others, hopefully to follow. The thought being that as the infrastructure grows so will the customer base and also the interest of governments to invest as well.

Thanks to Lorna once again for organizing such an interesting evening and also picking up the coffee and doughnuts! Twenty three members were in attendance. Lorna also did a draw for a $25.00 Canadian Tire gift certificate which was won by Dennis Nelson.

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 4 Reliant Motor Cars any en-route mishaps.” He did admit to roll- ing it onto its side once while cresting a bridge going around a left hand bend too fast. He was the only occupant at the time. He con- By Walter Reynolds siders that the car being lightly loaded con- tributed to the upset, which was not helped by the excess speed that he and the Reliant were travelling. He repaired the damage him- self and sold the car!

The Reliant Motor Car Company factory was located on Watling Street (the A5 Roman Road) at Two Gates, Tamworth, Stafford- shire, England. (Geography tip: Tamworth is about 45 miles north east of the Austin facto- ry at Longbridge, Birmingham.) The company was founded in 1935 by Mr. Tom Lawrence Williams with the help of colleague Mr. E.S. Thompson and continued producing vehicles until 2001 when shareholders changed its fo-

cus from manufacturing cars to importing I venture to speculate that most people’s ini- French micro cars and the Piaggio “Ape” 3- tial images of Reliant cars includes Mr. wheeler. (More on this later in the article.)

Bean’s pre-Mini Reliant Regal or Top Gear’s Reliant Robin. In Mr. Bean’s case, he drove In 1934, Mr. Williams was the Works Manag- his Regal through many of his early skits. For er at Raleigh Bicycle Company. The Company Top Gear, while attempting to prove the myth decided to discontinue making their 3- that Reliant 3-wheeled cars cannot go around wheeled vehicles (see Roundabout May-June, corners, Jeremy Clarkson and “Tame Racing 2011 to read about Gerry Parkinson’s Raleigh Driver, The Stig” successfully rolled a Reliant 3-wheeled delivery van). As Mr. Williams re- Robin while making a left-hand high speed mained convinced of the market for 3-wheeled turn on their test track. It later came out that vehicles, he bought the rights to the Raleigh the Top Gear car had a 10” wheel on the driv- vehicle and started building his own versions. er’s side, a 12” wheel on the passenger side The first prototype vehicle was built in the and a 13” wheel on the front. This caused the back garden of his Kettleworth, Tamworth vehicle to be unstable on the driver’s side, home. He completed and licenced the vehicle, hence always rolling towards that side. A very called “The Reliant”, on January 1 st , 1935. well-staged TV trick which some people The 3-wheeled Reliant closely resembled the (including me, until I started researching this Raleigh Karryall and was a 783lb van with a article) actually believed. steel chassis powered by a 600cc JAP single cylinder engine driving the rear wheels According to my brother in England who through a 3-speed gearbox and shaft drive. In owned a Reliant Regal for a few years, “The 1936 the engine was uprated to a V-twin car is very stable. My wife and I would pack 750cc JAP engine. ourselves, the two boys and all our camping gear into our Regal and go camping without

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 5

1935 Reliant 7cwt (restored as a copy of Tom Williams’ 1934 prototype). The driver sat astride the engine and the 1949 Reliant 8cwt van. body was a hardwood frame with aluminum In 1952, Williams decide to modify the Reli- panels attached to it in the traditional man- ant van’s body to seat four people. This vehi- ner of the time. With the motorcycle front end cle was displayed at the 1952 Earl’s Court mounted in the open in front of the bulkhead, Car Show as the 1953 Reliant Regal, Mk. 1. this was essentially a motorcycle fitted with a box body.

Reliant lore suggests that Mr. Williams came up with the Reliant name because some of the parts on the prototype Reliant were old Ra- leigh parts stamped with an “R” and he need- ed a company name starting with the same letter!

In 1937, Reliant negotiated with Austin for Austin to supply the 747cc 4 cylinder, 7hp side valve engine of the Austin 7 for the Reli- 1953 Reliant Regal Mk. 1. ant vehicles. This arrangement lasted until sometime in 1939 when Austin discontinued The Regal Mk. 1 had an aluminum body fitted making the engine. Williams’ philosophy was to an ash frame and had a convertible top. that Reliant should be as self-reliant as possi- Over the next few years the Reliant Regal ble and not buy parts it could make in-house. evolved: The Mk. 2 in 1955 was the first mod- With this philosophy the Company designed el to start using fibreglass panels and in 1956, and made its own engine which was essential- the Mk. 3 Regal was the first all-fibreglass ly a copy of the 747cc Austin engine, manufac- model. tured using “small scale” techniques, for ex- ample, the crankcase was sand-cast rather than die-cast as Austin would have made it. During the Second World War, Reliant built parts for the war effort but returned to manu- facturing vehicles in 1946.

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 6 adapted to be any kind of vehicle whether it be a pickup truck or road sweeper. The TW9 also sold well in the UK with a 16 cwt (1,792 lb) capacity. Under licence, BTB Engineering made and sold the vehicle as the Reliant Ant.

1957 Reliant Regal Mk. III.

1960 saw the introduction of the Mk. 6 which was the last Reliant model to have the Reli- ant side valve engine.

The Regal 3/25 of 1962 represented a major Reliant TW9 lorry (Wikipedia photo) direction change for Reliant. Gone was the internal wood frame; in its place was a rein- forced fibreglass unitary body. Polyester fibre- In 1969, the 50,000 th Regal 3/25 was sold and glass was molded in two major units (an inner the 700cc engine was introduced. Also in and an outer) which were then bonded togeth- 1969, Reliant bought out Bond Cars Ltd., er and bolted to a steel chassis. The 3/25s their biggest rival at the time, and commis- 598cc engine was also new and it was also sioned Tom Karen of Ogle Designs to design a Britain’s first mass-produced light weight 3-wheeled vehicle under the Bond name to overhead valve aluminum alloy engine. This appeal to the younger market. This car was engine was increased in size to 700cc in the the Bond Bug. later Regal 3/30.

Bond Bug made by Reliant (Wikipedia photo)

Reliant Regal 3/25. The Bond Bug was produced from 1970 to Reliant had been exporting the Regal as a 1974. Earlier Bugs used the 700cc engine pickup to outside markets. This move was so though the 750cc engine was used in exam- successful that Reliant created a new pickup- ples from 1973 to the end of Bug production. type vehicle, the TW9 with a 10 cwt (1,120 lbs) carrying capacity. The TW9 was easily

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 7 In 1973, Reliant introduced what some say is shipped from Tamworth in kit form to be as- the most famous British 3-wheeler of all time, sembled by the country’s own work force. One the Reliant Robin. The Robin was powered by such vehicle was the Sabra based on Ford the 750cc engine but was a completely new running gear and engine. The Sabra, in 2- design. door coupe and convertible forms were

shipped to the Autocars Co. in Israel. Reliant were so impressed with the design that they sold it in the UK as the Sabre.

1974 Reliant Robin.

The Robin was available as a saloon or an es- (Flickr.com) tate. The first Robins were produced until 1975 when the Robin received more minor The first Sabres appeared in 1961 as 2-door changes and a larger 850cc engine with a SU , front engine, rear drive with a carburettor. Production ended in 1982 but the 1,703cc 4-cylinder OHV Ford Consul (later Robin was re-introduced in 1989 as the Robin “Zephyr 4”) engine. The body shells were orig- Mk.2. inally based on the Ashley 1172 to which Reli- ant had acquired the rights. Coupes were in- The Reliant Robin could be purchased as the troduced in June 1962. Also introduced in Standard Robin, the Super Robin, the Robin 1962 was the Reliant Sabre Six, a model Estate or the Robin van. HRH Princess Anne based around Ford’s 2,553cc, 6 cylinder Zeph- bought a Robin Super saloon while living at yr 6 engine. The nose of the Sabre Six was dif- the Sandhurst Royal Academy. The Reliant ferent from the earlier Sabres. The majority Robin “65” model was introduced in 2000. It of the Sabre Sixes had Triumph TR4 front was a special edition vehicle to celebrate 65 suspension. years of 3-wheel production. The final Robin was made in February 2001.

From 1975 to 1982, Reliant built a 4-wheeled version of the Robin called the Reliant Kitten.

The Kitten was not Reliant’s first foray into 4- wheeled vehicles. Reliant were working for other countries designing vehicles for “home- grown” production. These vehicles were 1964 Reliant Sabre Six (Wikipedia photo)

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 8 Overall, the Reliant Sabre and Sabre Six did- n’t sell very well in the UK especially against its Triumph and MG competition.

In late 1963 or early 1964, Reliant bought a prototype design (by Ogle Design) for the car to replace the Daimler SP250. Daimler didn’t like the design so it was purchased by Reliant from Ogle Design. Mated to a Reliant Sabre 1982 GTC. (Wikipedia photo) chassis, the resulting vehicle was named the Reliant Scimitar GT which was first dis- played in 1964. A Ford 2.6 litre straight 6 Reliant produced other 3 and 4-wheeled vehi- Zephyr/Zodiac engine provided power. The cles including the Regent, the Rebel, the FW5, first body style was a coupe, followed in 1968 the Kitten, the FW11, the Rialto and the Fox. by the very popular estate version, the GTE The space available limits discussion on the (and all of its later permutations). From 1980 Reliant products to the models detailed to 1986 Reliant also produced a convertible throughout this article. For more information Scimitar, the GTC SE8. The Reliant Scimitar, on the vehicles produced by Reliant, please in all of its versions was produced for 22 check out the sources listed at the end of this years, from 1964 to 1986. article.

To close the Reliant story, the company did not go bankrupt as some reports suggested. Instead, production ceased in 2001 when the Reliant shareholders decided to shift the com- pany’s focus to the importation of French Li- gier micro cars and motorcycles plus products from Piaggio and Bulcato. The firm also had plans to import the Indian San Storm , but the plans never came to fruition. Ear- lier in 2001 Reliant moved to a new factory in Reliant Scimitar GT. nearby Cannock, Staffordshire but ceased (Encyclopedia of Classic Cars photo) manufacturing cars shortly after the move. Reliant Cars Ltd. was renamed Reliant Parts- world which operates from the Cannock facto- ry making Reliant parts. The old site of Reli- ant Cars in Tamworth was turned into a housing estate called Scimitar Park. Several streets in Scimitar Park are named after Reli- ant products. In Reliant’s 65 year history the Company produced nearly two million vehi- cles and sold cars in 9 countries including the Netherlands, India, the UK and the Middle East. They were the UK’s second-largest Brit- Reliant Scimitar GTE (Encyclopedia of Classic Cars photo) ish-owned car manufacturer from the 1960s to the 1990s.

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 9 One last note. To confirm the stability of at least the Reliant Robin, here is a photo of Upcoming Events of Note them being raced. BRITS AROUND BC 2016 ( from Ken Miles –Wagon

Master ) Brits around BC will commence this year on Sunday June 5th and will continue until June 17th. The 2016 ABFM will be held by the Vancouver Coast Branch this year commencing on June 4th and ending at the Two Lions Car Show on June 5th. After the car show is over, people taking part in BRBC 2016 will depart for Whistler and the first night of BRBC. Be- sides visiting with the Kamloops and Kootenay Branches the highlight of this year’s BRBC will be a visit to the Reynolds Car Museum in Wetaskiwin, Al- berta. The Reynolds Museum has three facilities, over 9000 sq. metres of restored cars including a school on restoration, a 2000 sq. metre aviation museum and almost 5000 sq. metre of barns storing unrestored auto- Reliant Robins being raced at an unknown mobiles. You will find this museum well worth the ef- location (Internet photo) fort to get there. Cost this year will be $25.00 to join the tour which will get you a bumper plaque and a planned route book. A list of hotels has been posted on ======the club website at oecc.ca in the Events section. I would advise to get booking as soon as possible as the Sources: hotels will only be held until May 1st. Please let me know if you are coming and send me your cheque for ~ Elvis Payne’s Reliant Motors web $25.00 to confirm your space on the trip. Ken Miles 604 site, www.3-wheelers.com/Reliant . 576 8036 or email [email protected]. ~ Daniel Lockton’s December 2008 arti- cle on the Reliant Robin. OECC AGM 2016 Weekend—June 4th an 5th, 2016 This year’s club AGM is being hosted by our very ~ Grace’s Guide to British Industrial own Vancouver Coast Branch so we’re hoping to get a History, www.gracesguide.co.uk/Reliant great local turnout. Your AGM Committee has planned a fun filled weekend of events that we feel all will en- ~ Matt Greenly’s Scimitar sites: joy. www.reliantcars.co.uk. The weekend will begin at 1:00pm on June 4th with a ~ Wikipedia: Reliant general history; luncheon at the beautiful Tsawwassen Springs Golf Reliant Sabre; Reliant Scimitar. Club followed by the AGM itself at 2:00pm. The Mini Monte will follow at 3:00pm and will feature a run ~ 1962 Observers Book of Automobiles. which will avoid the main roads for the most part and feature some interesting stops along the way hosted by ~ Encyclopedia of Classic Cars. your fellow VCB members at their garage/workshops and other locations. Dinner will follow at 6:00pm at the home of Ken and Pat Miles in Surrey. The follow- ing day we will all head over to North Vancouver for the third annual British Invasion Car Show hosted by the Vancouver Coast Branch and the Two Lions Pub. Those who are going on Brits’ Round B.C. will continue on to the first night’s stop at Whistler after the show. Once again, we hope you will all consider joining us for this fun filled weekend. More details and the registra- tion form can be found at the club website, oecc.ca in the Events section.

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 10 Hearts and Tarts Run Treaty in 1846 designated the 49 th parallel as the inter- national boundary. They didn’t realize at the time, Point February 14 th , 2016 Roberts was cut off from the rest of the United States. Britain suggested it should be under British rule but the By Susan Blake American’s didn’t buy the idea. Although plotting the boundary at the time was a remarkable feat, modern technology revealed that it is far from a straight line th For this year’s run, we decided to visit our cycling para- along the 49 parallel. According to an article in the Ca- th dise “below the line” in Point Roberts. When we “hit the nadian Geographical in 2010, the 49 parallel actually road” on our bikes, it’s invariably a nice sunny day and runs about 200 metres to the south of the monument at it’s simply delightful taking in the various views, the Point Roberts. This means that the U.S. gained about 10 marvelous colours of nature and animals and birds along sq. km. from Canada on the peninsula. However, only 3 th the way. Valentine’s Day would not have been a cycling of over 900 markers across the continent are at the 49 day, but given the light drizzle and sea mist it was great parallel, resulting in a net gain for Canada of about 86 sq. for classic British cars and their modern automotive coun- km. terparts. We then turned south onto Marine Dr. where many es- A group of 31 OECC and PACMOG members met at tates overlook the Georgia Straits. Steve and I feel really McDonald’s in Tsawwassen to socialize prior to the drive. fortunate the days we have seen a family of four deer Steve Blake gave a few instructions and off we drove in a grazing as we’ve cycled by. Not sure how the homeown- convoy of 14 cars towards the Point Roberts Border cross- ers feel about that, as the deer munch on their flowers ing. Our fingers were crossed, in the hope that there and shrubs! would be a swift passage through the border. The original At the four-way top at Gulf Road we saw the building border crossing, staffed only a couple of times a month, that was once the famous Breakers and across the road, was opened in 1919 and consisted of a tent tossed over a Kiniski’s Reef Tavern, named after wrestler Gene log. As luck had it, today, there were only a few cars at Kiniski, part of which was the George and Barker Can- the border, we passed through quickly and regrouped in nery that operated until 1929. In the 1970’s the Breakers the parking lot at Tyee Drive and McKenzie Way. was a hot spot for live music and weekend drinking. It was burned down in 1983 and re-opened in 1986 a few months before BC liquor laws were changed for Expo 86 allowing for Sunday drinking in British Columbia. The owner stated that changes in the BC liquor laws, com- bined with surveillance by Washington State liquor con- trol board undercover agents, road blocks to check pa- trons as they returned home to Canada and the Canadian dollar rallying, killed the business.

A glance back as we drove along Marine gave us a good view of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and Deltaport; then to the left between the trees and bushes we caught glimpses of Boundary Bay Airpark which is serviced 2 days per week by San Juan Air with flights to and from Bellingham. The current owner is a retired Air Canada Captain. The runway apparently requires very little maintenance; as it’s seeded with low maintenance turf, it Cars regroup just over the border in just requires occasional mowing. A little further along we Point Roberts passed Lighthouse Park, so named because in the late nineteenth century the land here was set aside to build a We headed towards Roosevelt Way that parallels the bor- lighthouse, which was never built. The park is popular for der. A leap over the ditch and we’d be back in Canada. In camping and picnicking, and one can frequently see the past, it has been known for people to enter the United whale watchers searching for that perfect shot of a pass- States by doing just that, however after 9/11, signs were ing Orca or two. As the road twists around we invariably erected stating that entry into the U.S. was only permit- see a single heron in the ditch but he (she) was nowhere ted through the official border crossings. Unfortunately, it to be seen today. We did notice an eagle drying his wings was later discovered that the signs were erected with the and several crows, seabirds and other small birds too dif- wording facing south, not north! Oops! ficult to identify from the car.

We could see the Georgia Strait and the monument mark- Continuing along Marine, we passed nicely appointed ing the legal Canada/U.S. border as we travelled west. homes on spacious lots near the 900 berth marina. We Britain and the United States, signatories of the Oregon turned east onto APA (Alaska Packers Association) Road and then south onto South Beach Road passing the Royal

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 11 Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (SAR) Station 8 - lots were forested, and homes more isolated, some hidden Delta. This is the only Canadian search and rescue based amongst the trees; a number of signs advising “private in U.S. waters. At the bend we passed the South Beach road” or “no trespassing”. We reflected on what a wonder- House Restaurant tucked in to the right, swathed in ivy ful place this would be to be ferreted away from the world. and barely visible to passersby. Up the hill we took a As it happens, of the over 1300 people living in Point Rob- right, rejoining APA Road, heading east until we turned erts, approximately 50 are living under the United States north onto Boundary Bay Road. Witness Protection Service. Point Roberts is the premier gated community of all! Had we continued along APA, we would have ended up at Lily Point, the highest reach, at 200 feet, of deposits left We drove down the hill into Boundary Bay to see what by retreating glaciers 15,000 years ago. The Tsawwassen looked like a vast grey ocean. The tide was high and the Peninsula, including Point Roberts, was formed from the sea mist such that the other shores of Boundary bay were sand and gravel outwash from these glaciers. It was ap- invisible. Only brightly coloured buoys and floating birds parently settled by Natives as early as 9,000 years ago broke up this otherwise grey scene as we looked out over and became one of the most significant native salmon the water. Turning left onto Roosevelt Way, we followed fisheries of the Central Coast Salish and a place of great the border as we travelled west, passing the old border spiritual power for indigenous people. crossing that operated in the 60’s and 70’s.

The modern history of Point Roberts includes its We turned south onto Province Road, making our way up “discovery” by Spanish explorers in 1792. It was eventual- the long meandering hill – certainly in more comfort with ly given its present name by 100 horses than under pe- Captain George Vancouver in dal-power - before following honour of his friend Captain Mill Road to Benson and Henry Roberts. Eighteen fifty- back to Tyee Drive. Here eight and the gold rush we stopped for cheap U.S. spawned a thriving village on gas and cheese before head- the west coast of the peninsu- ing homeward towards the la that accommodated the border. needs of prospectors as they started their journey up the Throughout the drive we Fraser River. Once the gold noticed many fire hydrants rush (quickly) faded, in 1859, that had been used as can- the Point became a military vases to showcase local tal- reserve with no permanent ent. Along this stretch of residents permitted. The area Tyee Drive, these stood out evolved into “a dangerous ha- among the planted borders. ven for smugglers and other- In 2013, the local fire de- wise lawless men”. Neverthe- partment sponsored a com- less, a colony of Icelandic fish- munity artwork competi- ermen arrived from Victoria, tion and provided supplies and cleared the forests in or- to residents so that they der to build homes and work could work their magic on the land, which didn’t turn the then, faded and peeling out to be very fertile. Some hydrants. also worked in the canneries, either on the west coast or The motoring gods were smiling on us yet again and we at a cannery built at Lily Point in 1892. The Alaska quickly made it through the border and regrouped, this Packer’s Association purchased this one the following time, at Diefenbaker Park on 1 st Avenue before driving year. It was closed in 1917 due to declining salmon stocks. along to English Bluff, to 12 th Avenue, down 52 nd to Pat In 1892, President Theodore Roosevelt cancelled the nev- Quinn’s Restaurant at the Tsawwassen Springs Golf er-used military reservation and squatting migrants were Club. later given homestead rights in 1908. During Prohibition, the Point became a hub for rum-runners and in recent Thirty-two people had lunch at the new restaurant. The times a hub for the “distribution” for B.C. Bud! In the food was good but rather slow arriving, but as one of our 1950’s Washington State land ownership laws changed, members graciously reminded us, it is a new restaurant the Massey Tunnel was built and Canadians attracted by and it’s not unusual for things to move slowly for the first cheap land built weekend and summer homes here, so several months. There were 9 British classic cars at this that by the 70’s over half the residents were from “above year’s run, 3 Morgans, 2 Jaguars, 2 Rovers, a Morris Mi- the line”. nor and a Triumph.

Following our turn onto Boundary Road, we commented We hope you enjoyed the drive and the company as much on the different landscapes we’d passed through. Now the as we did. Happy driving!

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 12 VCB April Event Text by Alan Miles Photos by Alan Miles and Les Foster

This year’s VCB April event was suggested to Events Coordinator, Lorna Hoare by John Chapman who has been using B & J Parts and Machine for some of his machining needs. I can only assume that if John has been using them and has recommended them for a visit that they must do very good work. A quick look around their very tidy workshop would seem to confirm that this is a very professional establishment.

B & J Parts and Machine has been in business since 1968 and can handle all types of machining from individual parts to complete engine remanufacturing. Their specialty is marine/industrial engine remanufacture but they also do automotive machining including cylinder head reconditioning, cylinder boring and honing, engine balanc- ing, flywheel resurfacing etc. plus as John can attest to, they will work on old British engines as well.

Shop foreman, Wayne Wood took us on a very informative tour of the shop giving us an overview of all of the ma- chines and what they can do plus answered questions from many of those present (26 attended). Wayne was a very gracious host and certainly made us all feel very welcome.

The event was scheduled to run from 7—8pm as Wayne had another pressing engagement (his wife’s birthday) but it in no way felt rushed. John MacDonald opened the meeting with a few short announcements before intro- ducing Wayne and after the shop tour some of us went to the nearby Tim Horton’s for coffee and dessert. We also managed to sign up a new member, Stephen Pallavicini, who is currently restoring a TR250. Welcome Stephen, it was great to chat with you.

Now that Coquitlam Automotive is gone it looks like B&J might be a good new resource for our members needing such work done. They are located at 2549 Kingsway Ave., Port Coquitlam, Tel: 604-464-6677.

Thanks to Lorna and John for setting this up. Don’t forget, if you have any suggestions for possible event loca- tions please let Lorna know. Our calendar is full for this year but it’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s events.

Wayne explaining one of his machines and holding up our certificate of appreciation.

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REAR VIEW MIRROR

Les Foster sends in these pictures he took of a 1965 Bedford truck that he ran across at Imports and Classics in Lyndon, Washington recently. Ap- parently the truck was a gift from Pakistan to Can- ada for Expo 86. No word on how much they wanted for it but a posting on their Facebook page stat- ed that it was to be going on Ebay soon. A search on Ebay revealed no com- pleted listings for such a vehicle so perhaps it is still in their inventory. Any takers? Looks right up your alley, Les.

AT THE WHEEL Membership Secretary: John Chapman Communications Coordinator: Alan Miles [email protected] 604-590-3749 [email protected]—604-272-2145 New memberships and correspondence: Roundabout Editor : Alan Miles Chairperson: John McDonald 7923 144A St., Surrey, B.C. V3S 8C1 [email protected] - 604-272 -2145 [email protected] 604-942-8223 Immediate Past Chairperson: Good & Welfare: David Ballantine Vice-Chairperson: Walter Reynolds Gerry Parkinson [email protected] [email protected] 604-463-6305 [email protected] - 604-980-4120 604-943-3824 Treasurer: Bernie Miles Website Editor: Alan Miles Event and Meeting Coordinator: [email protected] 604-943-0535 [email protected] 604-272-2145 Lorna Hoare Membership renewals: mail to 207-4753 [email protected] - 604-584-2564 River Road West, Delta, B.C. V4K 1 R9

VOLUME 21,NUMBER 2 THE ROUNDABOUT PAGE 14