AUSTIN 7 CLUB OF S.A. INC
2007 COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT: TREVOR CLERKE, 39 Baker Street, Birkenhead 5015 Ph: 8449 1375 (H) email: [email protected]
SECRETARY: RALPH DRAGE, 37 DeCastella Avenue, Wynn Vale 5127 Ph: 8251 2637 (H) Mob: 0418 846 082 email: [email protected]
TREASURER: LYN CLERKE, 39 Baker Street, Birkenhead 5015 Ph: 8449 1375 (H) email: [email protected]
ASST SECRETARY DAVID GARNETT, Fairlie Road, Kangaroo Flat 5118 Ph: Mob: 0438 700 854 email: [email protected]
COMPETITION SEC CHRIS WATTERS, 224 Dawkins Road, Lewiston 5501 Ph:8524 3178 (H) email: [email protected]
REGISTRAR & GEOFF STEPHENS, 198 St Bernards Road, Hectorville 5073 LOG BOOKS: Ph: 8365 1343 (H) Mob: 0437 061 569 email: [email protected]
SPARES MANAGER DAVID GREAR, 19 Woodfield Avenue, Warradale 5046 & Vice President: Ph: 8296 1689 (H) email: [email protected]
TOURING: BRENTON SPANGLER, 42 Hamilton Ave Warradale 5046 Ph: 8376 1924 (H) Mob: 0410 471 078 email: [email protected]
PROPERTY: GERRY LANG, 3/3 Mills Street, Mitchell Park 5043 Ph: 8277 2345 (H) Mob: 0428 377 351
EDITOR, A7 Journals: DAVID SEARLES, 33 Hughes Street North, Woodville 5011 & Federation Delegate Ph: 8445 1444 (H) Mob: 0408 700 047 email: [email protected]
Delegate to the Committee & SANJAY KUMAR, 16 Salisbury Street Unley 5061 Convenor of SA Rotors Group: Ph: Mob: 0411 772 768 email: [email protected]
**************************************************************************************** CAMS Delegate: TONY MORGAN, Ph: 8264 7179 email: [email protected]
LIBRARIAN: RON BURCHETT, 40 Johnson Parade, Blackwood 5051 PH 8278 3197 (H) email: [email protected]
****************************************************************************************
All correspondence to: The Secretary AUSTIN 7 CLUBROOMS: 262 TAPLEYS HILL ROAD, SEATON 5023 Or email to [email protected] The Austin 7 Club SA Internet address is: www.austin7clubsa.com.au Internet address for SA Rotors Group: www.sarotors.org Austin 7 Journals Page 2 July 2007
Austin 7
Journals
Volume 181 July 2007
PRESIDENT’S PRATTLE
Hooray. At last we have had some good rains and farmers are planting away hoping to get follow up rains to give them and Australia good returns.
It is with a sad heart I must report that we have lost two stalwarts of the club.
Brian Jericho was connected with motor sport and spent many a weekend in the towers of race meetings timing and getting results. Also Ron O‟Connell who was a restorer and character, helping so many people with knowledge and hands on skills. They will be sadly missed from the worlds of motor sport and touring assemblies.
Since I last wrote, the Border Run has come and gone for another year. Next year it will be held over the Easter Weekend in Mildura, due to the Melbourne Club being fully committed to the Echuca National Steam and machinery Rally over the June long Weekend. If you are interested in going next year see your committee members for further information.
Lyn and I have been away to New Zealand to catch up with some Rotary Exchange students that stayed with us a few years ago. Two days after arriving home I went into hospital and had my left shoulder rebuilt and so I understand what our injured and sick members go through. So I now wish you all Get Well Soon and hope to see you all around the traps renewing friendships and enjoying “Austineering”. Till then.
Yours in Motoring & Friendship Trevor Clerke President.
Vale Brian Jericho It is with much sadness that we have to record the death of Brian Jericho on 3 May 2007. Brian served the Austin Seven Club during the period 1975 to 1986, as follows: 1975 – social committee 1975 –1977 general committee (Competition Secretary in 1977) 1980 - general committee 1986 - general committee (Competition Secretary) Brian worked as Clerk of Course for many A7C sprints at Mallala and AIR and at the Tailem Bend rallycross track Brian was also a valuable member of the Austin 7 Timing Team, working at the Calder Thunderdome, Phillip Island, Eastern Creek, AIR, Mallala, the AGP and Clipsal, before failing health stopped him from attending race meetings. Brian was a friendly, outgoing person and his many friends in the timing team and older Club members will miss him.
Austin 7 Journals Page 3 July 2007
Vale Ron O’Connell
Members are saddened to hear that Ron O’Connell passed away on Sunday 27 May 2007. Ron was an active member of many clubs including the Austin 7 Club where on the Tuesday before he died was with us on a Leisure Run to the Tanunda Clubhouse for lunch. At the table it was noted that he hadn’t eaten his salads, he was overheard saying that the stuff was for rabbits. The picture shows Ron at the Loxton Historical Village taken during the Federation’s Mid-North Meander recently held and although was admitted to the Mildura Hospital twice during the tour and flown home from there by air ambulance, he managed with Joy to attend the Meander’s final luncheon hosted by the Gawler Club.
We’ll miss you Ron standing outside the Clubroom’s door having a rolly, but we won’t forget you. Austin 7 Journals Page 4 July 2007
GEOFF STEPHENS
K G B Car Audio Services Pty Ltd 234 Main North Road Prospect S.A. 5082
* Car Audio * Car Radio Repairs * Alarms * Immobilisers * Hands Free Kits * Central Locking * Speed Alert * Cruise Control
Phone: 8344 1488 Mobile: 0437 061 569
Special Discounts to Austin 7 Club members
Austin 7 Journals Page 5 July 2007
COMING EVENTS July 2007: 14 SA Rotors Meeting 15 Modern Regularity Mallala. 16 Special Austin 7 90th Birthday Rally meeting to be held at the Clubrooms to form sub- committee to plan and prepare for the event in 2012. 22 A7 Club Day Run & Hills Luncheon to Meadows for Christmas in July. Meet at Hazelwood Park at 10am for the run to Meadows. 22 SA Rotors 5th Anniversary Cruise check sarotors.org. 23 A7 Club Enthusiasts Night. 24 Leisure Run meets at Woodside Bakery at 10.30am.
August 2007 11 SA Rotors meeting. 12 A7C Day Run to the Jones‟s at Mt Templeton with variation. 13 Club Meeting at the Clubrooms. 19 Modern Regularity at Mallala. 21 Leisure Run. 25 SA Championships Round 3 at Mallala. 27 A7 Club Enthusiasts Night. 31 Quarterly Luncheon to Reepham Hotel corner Churchill & Regency Roads Prospect.
September 2007 8 SA Rotors meeting. 8/9 Pre-War Austin 7 run to Mannum. Staying overnight at Mannum Motel. Check with David Grear for bookings. Starts at McDonalds Darlington then via Clarendon, Meadows, Strathalbyn, Langhorne Creek, Wellington, Jervois, Murray Bridge, east of the River Murray to Mannum. Next day to Cambrai, Sedan, Keyneton, Angaston & Tanunda for lunch. 10 Club Meeting at the Clubrooms. 16 A7C Day Run will be going down to Langhorne Creek area for an interesting day out. 18 Leisure Run. 23 Modern Regularity SA Championship. 24 A7 Club Enthusiasts Night. 24/29 Cruising Classics. 30 Bay to Birdwood Classic for vehicles manufactured from 1 Jan 1956 to 31 Dec 1977. Entries close Friday 10 August 2007, the event is limited to 1750 vehicles.
October 2007 1/5 Cruising Classics. 13 SA Rotors meeting. 13/14 CAMS National Series. 15 Club Meeting at the Clubrooms. 16 Leisure Run. 21 A7C Day Run. 28/10 – 3/11 Riverland Ramble to Berri Riverside Caravan Park. Ralph Drage has prepared this week for us up at the Riverland with sightseeing at Loxton, Renmark, Barmera, Cobdogla among many other places.
Next year‟s Border Run will take place over Easter 2008 and will be located in Mildura. The actual site is Dareton in NSW just over the NSW/Vic border. The dates are from Friday 21 March to Monday 24 March 2008. The Queen‟s Birthday weekend in June is a Steam Rally held in Echuca and the Victorian A7 Club has been invited as a feature Club. The Vic club will advise and invite us to partake in this event in the near future. When this happens all will be advised, some members here have already expressed an interest in attending Echuca.
Austin 7 Journals Page 6 July 2007
IS YOUR VEHICLE A CONDITIONALLY REGISTERED HISTORIC VEHICLE THROUGH THE AUSTIN 7 CLUB?
If so, you must get your Log Book and current Registration Certificate endorsed by the Club Registrar (Geoff Stephens) as soon as possible after you have renewed your vehicle registration.
Please do your part to preserve the integrity of this conditional registration system we are privileged to have through our Austin 7 Club.
If any member has an email address, and is not receiving periodic messages from the club and wishes to do so, please email me on [email protected] so that I can include you on our email mailing list.
The Club is sending out an SOS for old club movie films which from reports of a member appear to be missing. If any member can recall or offer assistance in identifying and locating these films please see someone from the committee.
Port Vincent Holiday House.
• 200Km And Just 2 Hours away from Adelaide is a four bedroom holiday house. • It accommodates 8 persons in • 2 Double beds & • 4 Single beds. • All you need to take is your linen, food & whatever you drink. • The town has a Hotel, restaurant, Hardware & 3 General stores. • 2 Petrol Stations & auto-gas is available. • For further information call Trevor or Lyn Clerke on 08 84491375 or • 0428 851 139.
Austin 7 Journals Page 7 July 2007
PAST EVENTS
1939 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX LOBETHAL REVISITED April 22nd 2007
Twenty cars and crews lined up on a fine and cool Sunday morning for the club run to Lobethal. The cars included 4 Austin 7‟s, 2 Austin 10‟s, 5 A30‟s, 1 A95, 1 Cortina Mark 2, 1 Riley 1.5, 1 XY Falcon Fairmont, 2 Mercedes and 3 Moderns.
The cars had gathered at the very pleasant Stockade Botanical Park at Northfield for the 10.30am start. The first part of the run was the straight drive up Grand Junction Road to the base of Anstey‟s Hill. Up the hill, going down a gear (or two), before turning into Paracombe Road at the crest. This scenic road is usually overlooked, but well worth travelling on to Inglewood. From here we followed the main road to Gumeracha and then on to Lobethal for our lunch stop at the Bushland Park Reserve.
What a well kept secret this park is! Just off the main road surrounded by towering gums, the main building is situated by a lake. An excellent undercover eating area was soon filled with our happy Austineers. The local Tourist Centre had opened the top flat grassed area for our cars so that we did not have any slopes for out members to walk. The park also has electric Bar-B-Q‟s, a playground and 4 walking trails.
Austin 7 Journals Page 8 July 2007
PAST EVENTS
As lunch was being taken, I handed out the second stage of the run. Included was history of the 1939 A.G.P., photo‟s and memories of some of our club members who attended this event. So, when lunch was finished we began the next stage of our run and this is where things went a little wrong.
Sandy had suggested to me that it would be a nice touch to wave a chequered flag as the cars crossed the original finishing line. To give me time to stop my car, find the flag, position Sandy to take photo‟s etc., I asked David Grear to hang back a little from my leading car. All good so far….. although I did not tell David the flag waving would occur on the second time we crossed the finish line so the lap of the G.P. track was a little slow, but that is not a bad thing.
Now Sandy and I are in position, flag at the ready with our cars approaching. A very poor „Glen Dix‟ flag waving impersonation as the cars trundle by. Much tooting, waving and smiling showed that this idea was a winner.
David and Michele were now the lead car (oops). We watched on as they went straight on instead of turning right to go through Springhead. Not to worry, we can mobile phone him to get them back on course at Mount Torrens. Now, mobile phone conversations between open Austin 7‟s at speed (well relative) are likely to be misheard or misunderstood (or both). This one certainly was, as David carried straight on through Mount Torrens heading for Mannum with a line of Club cars following behind. More frantic phone calls to get our wayward sheep to come home. All turned out well as the wayward convoy returned to Mount Torrens to rejoin the chosen route.
From here it was a short scenic drive along Burford Hill and Angus Creek Roads into Birdwood and our home – Quirky Lodge.
Here we had a relaxing afternoon tea. The usual tales were told, like Yes, we knew David had missed the turn and Yes, we knew we were going the wrong way - but we follow him anyway. The weather was perfect as many of the men wandered the yard looking in sheds and trying to determine where the boundary fences ran (it‟s a quirky block). The Ladies appeared to have much to talk about, including kids, grandkids, cats and gardens.
We had two members join us along the way. Geoff Stephens joined us on his BMW motorbike when we left the Bushland Park at Lobethal and Malcolm Datson from Murray Bridge caught up with us at Birdwood.
We intended for this run to be easy and relaxed, and apart from one minor hiccup I think all went well.
Thank you to all who attended. I hope you enjoyed our run.
Austin 7 Journals Page 9 July 2007
Laurie and Sandra
OUR CLUB MEMBERS RECALL THE EARLY DAYS OF LOBETHAL
Ken Darwin In 1939, Ken Darwin was a dashing 19 year old and the owner of an Austin Big 7. Ken remembers many things about the 1939 race and other races held at Lobethal. He recalls that along with his mate, George Bryant, and three young ladies (who shall remain nameless) they drove and parked at their favorite spot. That spot was the small bridge just down from Kayannie Corner, and why was this spot so popular? This was the location of the Beer Tent, situated on the banks of the Onkaparinga River (Creek?) under gum trees. From here, the group did walk to other parts of the track. One of the best spots was the humped back bridge on the other side of Charleston. Here the cars became airborne and had to veer right immediately on landing. Very spectacular! Ken, being a mechanically minded person, enjoyed looking at the home built specials. The Terraplane, Hudson, Buick or Ford V8 engines shoe-horned into either an M.G., Bugatti, Riley, Frazer-Nash or a homemade chassis. Ken also recalled the racing was much more "Gentlemanly" then, you raced and you won, or you raced and if you lost then you congratulated the winner. There was no Whinging!
Ian Brock Ian is another member with many memories of the Lobethal circuit. Ian was only 15 years old when he attended the 1939 A.G.P. and how did he get there? Easy, he rode his push bike up from Norwood, a feat he would perform the following year also. Now, Ian's favorite position was the S bends leading downhill into Lobethal. This was always a spot where action and accidents happened. Of course Ian walked to other parts of the circuit but the S bend retained its lure. Ian recalls how a young Western Australian M.G. driver Allan Tomlinson won the A.G.P. in 1939. In 1940 Allan returned to the Lobethal track and was going much faster than he was the previous year. So much so, that he failed to make the downhill S bend. His car flew over the barrier and into a tree. He was badly hurt (no seat belts or crumple zones in those days) and took several years to recover. This was the spot Ian was watching the racing. He was one of the first to reach the injured driver and offer what assistance he could (not to steal the steering wheel, gear knob, gauges or any other bits as would happen today). Ian admired the Australian Specials. He appreciated the ingenuity of making competitive race cars from an assortment of bits and pieces. Doug Whiteford's Black Bess is one car he fondly remembers. He also marveled at the skill of the top drivers of the day.
Ron O'Connell Ron was 15 years old when the 1939 A.G.P. was held. He remembers travelling to Lobethal with his family in a Vauxhall ASX 6 cylinder car. Again like many other, their favorite viewing spot was the esses coming into Lobethal. Another 'must be' spot was the garage in the main street where many bent and broken cars and bikes were repaired. Ron can remember being here until the early morning hours watching the frenzied repairs. In the following years when Ron was old enough to have a licence (although rumor has it, this may not have stopped him in the past) he and several mates would drive to Lobethal. He
Austin 7 Journals Page 10 July 2007 recalls one trip where he and 7 mates drove an Essex Tourer to the track. Six were seated in the car and two lay on the running boards. (Who needs seat belts)? As the meetings went for several days, it was usual to camp for this period, although getting any sleep was fairly difficult. Evidently someone in a nearby camp had a bugle and if he was awake so was everyone else (could this have been a pre-war schoolies week?). One night a driver of a new-ish Ford V8, challenged the group to a one lap race around the track (it was late at night). Now, the old Essex was obviously given a handicap start and roared off into the distance towards Charleston. Now, Ron and his mates were a knowledgeable (clever) group who knew the short cut between Charleston and the back- end outskirts of Lobethal. Did they take this short-cut? You bet they did, easily beating the very frustrated, embarrassed and confused Ford V8 driver back to the finish line... (They probably also broke the lap record). Ron also recalls, as a 14 year old Apprentice Mechanic, working at Alan Skinner's at Medindie, he did some work on a Lancia Lambda racing car. The car was fitted with a Buick O.H.V. Straight Eight Silver Anniversary Motor, (other older motor racing enthusiasts recall this car being fitted with a Hudson S.V. Straight Eight motor. I am sure Ron would like to hear from anyone who knows of any history of this car). One other humorous story Ron recalled, was when a young lady asked if she could come with the lads up to Lobethal. Of course it was O.K. with the boys, but the young lady had to ask her mothers permission first. Now, Lobethal was called Lo Brothel by the boys and when the lass asked her mother, could she go with a group of boys to Lo-Brothel, the response was not favorable. (Never did find out how this story ended).
John Wills As most members know John's memory is not as sharp as it has been in the past, but I must admit I was very pleasantly surprised when I spoke to him recently on his memories of Lobethal. The more we spoke, the more he remembered (including memories of the Woodside circuit, Sleeps Hill Motorcycle Track and the riders involved.) But back to the 1939 A.G.P. John was 11 years old and travelled up to Lobethal in the families‟ 1937 Chevrolet. John and his family must have moved around the track, as John could recall all the best viewing spots. A favorite though was the right hand bend into the town's main street, (the site of the old Onkaparinga Woolen Mills). John was at this spot when a wheel came off a racing car and slammed into a young policeman, breaking his leg. John also recalled another scary crash he saw at Kavannie Corner. A car lost control and rolled over the fence and into a small hollow. In this hollow was a jagged tree stump which the car and driver appeared to land on. John was sure he would find the driver impaled on the stump, but luckily (especially for the driver) he had just missed the stump. The excitement and drama at the start/finish line with handicap starts, mid race repairs and tyre changing and refueling was another of John's favorite viewing spots. After the war, John and his mates rode their push-bikes from Mitcham to Lobethal to watch the racing. Having cars and motor bikes competing was a bonus, as John enjoyed the bikes also. Like the other club members who have commented here, he also liked the attitude and openness of the drivers and riders from that era.
Ian Jones Now, at the time of the 1939 .A.G.P. Ian was only a wee baby boy of 11 months, but he can recall that as a young lad he could remember sitting in the front hedge of his family's home in Lobethal watching the racing cars and bikes roar past. Perhaps Ian can point out this house.
From Me I hope you have found the above recollections interesting. I know I did when I was chatting with these Grand old Club Members. A common theme always came through – It was fun. The racing was good with many characters and the cars all had unique personalities Thank you for sharing your memories with us.
Austin 7 Journals Page 11 July 2007
Laurie O'Connell
PAST EVENTS
Modern Regularity Sunday 27 May 2007
Most competitors gazed towards the sky, hoping to forecast when the rain would arrive to spoil their nominated lap times, which would demand more of their driving skills. Although threatening to rain all day, it managed only a few drops in the last heat, having no effect on the results.
Our reigning state champion, Shane Harris, returned to the track after a short absence, due to mechanical and monetary problems, to post by his standards, a very poor 122 points in the first heat, although we admit mostly caused by another competitor.
This only spurred Shane on to better performances, and in fact he came second in the next heat, and he won both the 3rd & 4th heats, however, the competition was so tight, only permitting Shane to come 5th on the day. He was well comforted in his final effort by scoring only 6 points in the 5 laps of the 4th and final heat.
The first eight places were within 50 points of each other. Very consistent all day, and in first place was Gary Raymond with 154 points.
Mister consistency, Geoff Stephens, returned in the Echo (after using the Prius previously) to take out second place with 169 points.
Colin Tucker in his Ford Cortina, the battered beast, took out 3rd. Is there any truth in the rumour he maintains the rust to help improve his power weight ratio? Noel Harris in 4th managed to pip his son Shane at the post by 6 points.
We started with 22 competitors on the day and had only two retirements. The first was Astrid Quinn, whose Alfa 33 was making horrible terminal sounds, not dissimilar to Ian Motley‟s A7 in Hay.
The other was Jason Sutton, who missed the last heat after having had a big, (and loud) spin, deflating a tyre, he also has a long return journey, from Mallala to Hallett Cove, but is looking forward to the next meting.
Alexander Ball had a rush of blood and a dash of adrenalin on the exit from the esses, while setting up a passing manoeuvre, to end up sliding sideways along the straight.
Brenton Thorndike requires a special mention, after forgetting his fire extinguisher and arriving late for the start, was seen weaving his way through the traffic with much gusto.
Chris Watters – Competition Secretary.
Austin 7 Journals Page 12 July 2007
Geoff Stephens and Chris Watters at a windswept Mallala Motor Sport Park and Noel Harris in his Ford Escort
The Editor received a note from Darren Mattiske a member of SAMROA about his experiences from the other side of the flags.
This is what he wrote: “I have been an official at motorsport events and a member of SAMROA for the past 7 or so years and like most officials, only dream about competing. 2 years ago I competed in my first Modern Regularity event in our old Holden Nova (a rebadged Toyota Corolla) at Mallala. In a nutshell, Modern Regularity is a relatively new competition where the driver nominates a lap time and endeavours to maintain that time over a number of flying laps (usually 4 or 5) of a racing circuit. Each tenth of a second away from the nominated time scores penalty points. The driver with the least number of penalty points wins, or the driver with the most points i.e. furthest from their nominated lap time comes last! (You see, you get excited and forget what you‟re doing). It is a relatively safe form of competition, as outright speed or lap time is not a consideration in scoring. Therefore, you don‟t need to buy an expensive „rocket‟, the family „shopping trolley‟ can be just as competitive as the latest sports car. A car passing you on the track is not perceived as beating you. This has the effect of competitors not trying to block or „dice‟ with each other, as in racing or sprinting, and generally much safer competition results. In fact, blocking and dicing is not tolerated and will attract a penalty from the Clerk of Course of the event.
Last year we upgraded our old Holden Nova "shopping trolley" and I'm not allowed to use the new car on the race track, however, I was able to borrow a friends HQ race car for another Modern Regularity event and had a stack of fun. This got me and other officials thinking that competing would make better officials. A bit like umpiring a game of football without ever playing a game. The only solution was for me to buy a cheap car and hand the keys to other officials when I'm not using it. I'm sure there are plenty of resources within our club to help maintain it.
Back in January, I bought a 1979 VB Commodore for $300. It has a 202 with a Holley 350 carbie, extractors and 4 speed manual. Over my annual leave, I was planning to change the springs, front brake pads and replace the brake fluid. I ended up removing anything not required from the cabin and engine bay, and also found myself replacing the front shockers after discovering the left shocker was dead when replacing the springs. I also replaced the oil, coolant, plugs and points. Didn't touch the tuning of the carbie or the timing.
I competed in a Modern Regularity in April and the car didn't use a drop of oil or give me any trouble. Got a 1:49 lap time early in the day on a damp & slippery track before the rain set in. I only had 2 "offs", one in practice after changing into 2nd gear going into turn 5 (northern hairpin) and the back end locked up causing a gentle spin, the other was a brain fade during a heat when it was raining and not braking early enough going into turn 5, locking up the front so I choose to run straight on and make a safe re-entry.
At the end of the day, I was 9th overall (from 27 of us). I need to "develop" the car in a few areas before the next meeting. I have some disc brakes to replace the current drum brakes on the rear. There is a list of improvements as long as my arm that will keep me busy (and poor) for a very long time. A generous saloon car driver (Naomi Maltby #91) has donated an old set of 16" Bridgestone saloon car race tyres as they need to start using Kumho tyres from June so I'm currently looking for some 16" rims.
A huge thanks goes out to all the volunteer officials who work Sunday in not the ideal conditions and staying late due to the program running behind schedule.”
Austin 7 Journals Page 13 July 2007
Darren Mattiske
PAST EVENTS
Border Run 2007 to Bordertown – 9 to 11 June 2007
The Bordertown Budget Motel was the venue for this year‟s border run with the Victorian Austin 7 Club. 49 members were organised from this side of the border with 25 coming from the other. 16 Austin 7‟s from SA with 13 from Victoria made this gathering one of the largest border run meetings with Austin 7‟s for quite a few years. We also opted to bring along a couple of Sprites, a Ten, an A30, an A40 ute (first timer – welcome) an MGA, and a couple of moderns.
The Victorian contingent was interesting this year as many of the 25 from Vic were first timers and they all had Austin 7‟s – this is great to see, but what has happened to all the „old‟ regulars.
As mentioned on emails sent to our members, David Grear did all the hard yards in organising this year‟s event. It was done on the kiss principle with our Sunday drive being the taken from the tourist promotion brochures from Bordertown.
Austin 7’s at the Cannawigra Church and hall.
Austin 7’s at the Buckingham Church and school. Lunch on Sunday was at the historic Mundulla Hotel and what a fantastic venue this place has turned out to be. We were „entertained‟ on our arrival with the presence of a farmers‟ market in the courtyard of the hotel where many of us enjoyed the browsing, tasting and purchasing the local wares.
Austin 7 Journals Page 14 July 2007
The Watters’ checking out the Lavender and Kate Stephens checking out the Jams PAST EVENTS Border Run 2007 to Bordertown – 9 to 11 June 2007
Border runners enjoying the atmosphere of the farmers’ market at the rear of the Mundulla Hotel
Austin 7’s out the front of the Mundulla Hotel
Austin 7’s out the front of the Mundulla Hotel
Austin 7 Journals Page 15 July 2007
Austin 7’s out the front of the Mundulla Hotel PAST EVENTS Border Run 2007 to Bordertown – 9 to 11 June 2007
Austin 7’s out the front of the Mundulla Hotel
Austin 7’s out the front of the Mundulla Hotel
Austin 7 Journals Page 16 July 2007
Other border runners vehicles with Austin 7’s out the front of the Mundulla Hotel
PAST EVENTS Border Run 2007 to Bordertown – 9 to 11 June 2007
Austin 7’s out the front of the Mundulla Hotel
Meanwhile inside the Mundulla Hotel lunch was being enjoyed by all. Austin 7 Journals Page 17 July 2007
More views from inside the Mundulla Hotel
PS: Ian & Cheryl Jones were awarded the Athol Lamont trophy with their 1928 Chummy.
PAST EVENTS
MONARTO ZOO RUN – Sunday 24 June 2007
The official meeting place was at a park in Barr-Smith Ave, Myrtle Bank, where most of those who were joining the run had assembled when the departure time of 9.15am had arrived. Brenton gave some brief instructions before we all moved off. We travelled up the freeway, through the Heysen Tunnel before turning off the freeway at the Stirling exit, then thru Aldgate & Bridgewater before arriving at Hahndorf – well most of us did as we were instructed, but a few, not mentioning any names, but one of them was the run organizer, missed the turn off & went straight to Hahndorf .
In Hahndorf picked up a visitor from the UK, David Dye. He had emailed me a few weeks earlier advising that he would be in Adelaide and being an A7 owner was hoping to catch up with some like minded people. I advised him that he would be most welcome to join us on this run to Monarto & to attend the Enthusiast night the following evening. When he arrived in Adelaide he rang me & we agreed to meet at the Old Mill, since he was staying nearby. I believe he also attended the Enthusiast night on the following Monday evening.
From Birdwood we went thru Littlehampton before arriving at John Fennell‟s place, our morning tea stop where we were joined by a number of other members. After parking all of the cars in John‟s yard we were firstly greeted by John, his Grandson & his very nice Austin Healey 3000. From there we were ushered into his 4 car garage which had been divided into 2.
Austin 7 Journals Page 18 July 2007
The front part of the shed was completely lined by Number Plates from all over the world. One part of his collection which I found most interesting was a group of plates from Tasmania which were issued in consecutive years from 1930 to 1955 – the year of issue formed a part of the number in a couple of different ways. One wall of the rear part of the shed was dedicated to a magnificent collection of rocks which is what John first started collecting. Another wall had an amazing & well displayed collection of Automobile Association Badges from all over the word whilst another wall had a similarly impressive collection of Name Badges from vehicles – some of which I had never heard of. The 4th wall had things such as Dinky Toys & very elaborate bottle tops & other interesting odds & ends. Every thing in his shed was extremely clean & tidy – he obviously doesn‟t get to do any work on his Healey there. PAST EVENTS MONARTO ZOO RUN – Sunday 24 June 2007
Inside his house he had more collectable items such as lanterns & enamel signs. Unbeknown to Brenton, John had put on some morning tea for us as well as letting us see his magnificent collections. John gave a talk about his collections & Brenton thanked him very much for enabling us to view his hobby.
It was now time to head toward Monarto Zoo. Upon arrival we all had lunch while Brenton divided us into 2 lots to suit the busses. After lunch we went thru the visitor centre where we saw some Bilby‟s & Meerkat‟s before joining the 1st bus which left at 1.30pm. On the bus we were joined by our guide Ros, who made our visit very memorable. She was both interesting to listen to & very informative. We were lucky enough to be among the first bus load of people to see the recently arrived Black Rhino. They had been at Monarto for only a few weeks, and had not previously ventured out of their enclosure. Among the other animals we saw were Bison, Barbary Sheep, Lions, Cheetahs & a number of Giraffes.
Austin 7 Journals Page 19 July 2007
I understand that unfortunately the second bus, which hadn‟t returned by the time we left Monarto, was ¾ hour late departing, which meant a lot of waiting around in the cold for those allocated to that bus. After the bus trip some stayed & had drinks in the coffee shop, whilst others made their own way home.
On the day we had 62 people who travelled in 24 different vehicles, such as A7‟s, A30, A95, Lancer, Cortina, Falcon, Mercs, Holdens & a couple of moderns.
Despite the breeze which was direct from the South Pole, it was an excellent day enjoyed by all who attended. A big thank you must go to Brenton & Cyndy for organising such a great day out.
Ralph & Marie PAST EVENTS
MONARTO ZOO RUN – a second view.
On the 24th June a group of Austin Seven Club members, family and friends in an assortment of old and modern cars met at Barr Smith Avenue, Myrtle Bank at 9.00am to travel in convoy through Bridgewater, Hahndorf, Littlehampton and Nairne to visit John Fennell‟s shed where we viewed his amazing collection of car badges, numbering in the thousands from all over the world, his number plates including one given by an appreciative driver of a Ferrari racing in the Targa Tasmania.
He had pulled the car out of a ditch with a wrecked mudguard and described the horrific sound of a Ferrari being torn apart by chains between two 4WD‟s while its driver yelled “yes, yes, yes” as the offending mudguard came off and he rejoined the race. He also had a fantastic rock, crystal and fossil collection including dinosaur bones, Trilobites and much more.
Austin 7 Journals Page 20 July 2007
After morning tea a few more members joined us for the run on to Monarto Free Range Zoo where some of us enjoyed a packed lunch while others ate in the café. Then it was off to see the Meerkats, those little critters with the surprised expressions that stand up on their hind legs like little people and seem to be always on the move. At 1.30pm the first group of us boarded a bus driven by Maurine with Ros as our volunteer guide to see the zoo‟s collection beginning with the Mongolian Wild Horses, American Bison, then a pair of Black Rhino that have just arrived at the zoo.
The next group we entered their enclosure through remote controlled gates being the grazers of Africa - Impala, Zebra and Gazelle plus the amazing Waterbuck that can escape land predators by dashing into a river or lake and stay submerged with only their nostrils out to breathe for up to an hour, providing no crocs lie in wait.
PAST EVENTS MONARTO ZOO RUN – Sunday 24 June 2007
There was a large herd of beautiful Rothschild‟s Giraffe of all ages including the alfa male who marched up to the bus and looked down on us with a snooty air while a couple of youngsters playfully beat each other with those long necks. Next we saw the White Rhino‟s with a baby that stayed hidden behind its mother, then it was on to the beautiful Cheetah‟s, not so pretty African Wild Dogs and into the Lion‟s den where a handsome pair of males lay happily Austin 7 Journals Page 21 July 2007 together totally ignoring the advances of „the young tart,‟ a lioness bred at the Adelaide Zoo, and the rest of the pride of females. It seems the lion breeding program is not going well.
Finally back through the Giraffe enclosure and our tour was over all too soon but many of us will have great photos to remember the day. We probably went through 20 or so remote controlled gates in the bus for obvious reasons.
We will have to return one day to visit the viewing platforms for the cheetah and giraffe and one they are to build for the lions and African dogs and maybe also to take a camel ride but, for today, we were content to get into the warm shop and education area to touch pelts of many of the breeds of animals we had seen on the tour plus feral cat, fox and a koala skin, skulls of many others and to see two Bilby‟s snuggled under a heat lamp and a Tawny Dragon in a glass case before heading home. The Royal Zoological Society is to be commended on the work they are doing at Monarto.
Thank you to Brenton and Cyndy Spangler for a most enjoyable day.
Marilyn and Leigh Thomas
Austin 7 Journals Page 22 July 2007
220 Main North Road Prospect SA 5082
Autoglass Replacement & Repairs
Tinting Cars
Glass Cut
Insurance work billed direct
All major cards accepted
RAA Members Welcome
Austin 7 Club Members Welcome
Lindsay Dean
Mob 0408 269 444
Ph 08 8269 4444 Fax 08 8269 5537
Austin 7 Journals Page 23 July 2007
M & C Doyle Crash Repairs
30 Deloraine Road Edwardstown SA 5039.
Ph 8277 7868 www .doylecrash.com.au
Experience - Quality - Reliability
+ Restorations & Unique Finishes + Metal Finishing & Modifications + Plastic Component Repair + Mazda Rotary Specialists + Accident Repairs - Insurance - Private - Fleet
Wanted to buy: "Austin 7 Chummy wanted preferably in good order. Please contact David Drummond by Email [email protected] or telephone 02 99585372."
Lost!! The club has misplaced or some-one has borrowed without telling anyone the internal formwork of the frame for the meteor bodies that were made for the club some time back – if anyone has knowledge of the whereabouts, please contact either David in spares.
For Sale: Harry Hewson has made the decision to sell his 1933 Austin 10 Chrome Radiator Saloon which is in concours condition. He is asking $12,500 for this fine vehicle, contact him on 8277 3912. Reg No is “AUST 10”
Austin 7 Journals Page 24 July 2007
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Austin 7 Journals Page 27 July 2007
Some messages from our overseas correspondent – Graham Buesnel currently over in Calgary, Canada with his wife Carol, who is on a twelve month exchange teacher programme. They are half way through their term tenure and Graham has been sending the odd email to the editor and they are reproduced below:
Saturday 19 May 2007: I had the opportunity to have a drive of a 1927 T Model Ford at about 30mph for a half hour and a 1928 Model A Ford Pickup.
The owner of the Model A sat with me and said give the full boot and at 60mph by the circular speedo I backed off. Both interesting vehicles! I was surprised at the handling ability of the A model as it really sat on the road comfortably. I found out after that it had the new type old tread radials that they are now making in USA. This all took place at our Thursday Liars Club meeting at the farm shed 40 km south of Calgary. About 20 guys each week meet and have the special lunch at the sale yards just down the road. Photo taken with my cell phone.
Sunday 3 June 2007 We have just said goodbye to the world travellers from the Austin Club. Barry and Rae had a restful time at our place after an interesting flight from Vancouver to Calgary. I will leave this blank for Barry to tell you about it. We were fortunate to see three bears when we took them to Lake Louise, one mother and her half grown cubs. We as usual ate our way around Alberta with them and enjoyed someone who understood what we are saying. Living here has seen us miss understood every time we speak and more and more we have to explain what we are saying. Many words are different and I am now starting to speak more in the Calgarian language but quickly slip back into South Australian lingo …….Barry Frost at Lake Louise……… quickly at home.
One of the members has a 1929 REO fully restored and it came on its maiden voyage outside of Calgary last week. He purchased the vehicle for $5 from a farmer and also found another one 11 years later which cost him $100. It has taken him 16 years to complete a ground up restoration. This weekend we visited Wataskiwin which has a car museum similar to Birdwood, only it has 400 acre site and the car building is 4 times the size of Birdwood. They also have an aviation hanger on ………..…..the bears near Lake Louise……….…the site with lots of planes. To get from one place to the other our driver had a 1926 T Model Ford Tourer. Regards for now.
Graham
Austin 7 Journals Page 28 July 2007
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Austin 7 Journals Page 29 July 2007