DURNOVARIA 1008 NEWSLETTER March 2016 The Essential Newsletter for the MG Owners Club Dorchester Area 1008 £5 p.a. MGOC Durnovaria 1008 - March 2016 February Club Meeting Christmas Dinner 2015 The February meeting was listed as ‘The Year Ahead’, A big thank you to Ray and Lorraine for organising last when our Our Vice Chairman and Events organiser Peter year’s superb Christmas Dinner held at The Brewer’s Arms Elliot was due to let us all know what he had organised in Martinstown. We had a fantastic attendance of about forty for us in the coming months. However our group was members. plagued by an attack of the ‘dreaded lurgy’ so Peter was Thank you also to Graham who was the most excellent not with us to make his presentation. Also struck down master of ceremonies and auctioneer. A new member in their primes with the lurgy were Paul and Hilary Storey, Geoff Goater very kindly provided the highest bid for the but hopefully by the time you read this they will be firing MG clock (donated by the MGOC) and the landlord Chris on all cylinders, revved up and raring to go! bid a wonderful £50.00 for the lovely bottle of Laphroaig Our Chairman Ray Moore managed to keep the Malt Whisky donated by Derek and Chris Ralls who was assembled inmates in order and was ably assisted by unable to attend the dinner. With most of the raffle prizes Lorraine who became Hilary for the night, organising being kindly donated by members the total profit during the raffle which was well supported. During the evening the evening for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance a few anomalies in our 2016 plan were identified and was £123.00. Congratulations to Robert and Catherine corrected. We had a vacant date for a weekend run on Oakley who were presented with the club trophy from Sunday 31st July. After some discussion it was decided Ray in recognition of their support of the club despite a that we should head very difficult year for both of them. The Brewer’s Arms over to Abbotsbury provided an excellent Christmas Dinner served by young Subtropical Gardens. and hardworking staff. Hilary Storey It was suggested we could picnic in the adjacent field, or for Skittles - Frampton Arms those wishing to get The Club’s skittles evening their legs under a table held on the 13th of February the gardens have an at the Frampton Arms in excellent teahouse. Moreton proved to be a The gardens were voted HHA/Christie’s Garden of great success. Thirty-two the Year 2012. “One of the finest Gardens I have ever members and three guests visited” Alan Titchmarsh. battled it out on the alley. - abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk/gardens/ The evening was arranged for us by our Vice Chairman and Events organiser Peter, who was ably assisted by his wife Pam and their grandson James. Graham was our Starr performer for the evening, who compered and scored throughout the evening with aplomb and vigor and a very bright shirt. Graham had ‘stallions’ and ‘fillies’ teams in opposition for the first half which resulted in a tie, however, after our substantial ‘ploughmans’ it was decided that if we were to get home before midnight a ‘sudden death’ round would be needed. Before long when all the lesser Curator Stephen Griffith in the Jurassic Garden players had been wiped from the leader board, it became a needle match between our Chairman Ray and Cythya, who proved to be a formidable opponent. Finally the slow determined style of Cythya won out over the high velocity, but in the end, less accurate projectiles from Ray’s delivery. When asked for the secret of her success, Cytha mysteriously The Teahouse replied ‘watercress’ - make of that what you will! By any standards a jolly Cover Photo good time was had by one Pictured on the front cover of this month’s newsletter is and all and a hearty big Mike Benton’s 1959 Mk1 1500 MGA posing in front of the thank you goes out to all old Post Mill at Outwood in Surrey. Read about the 350 year concerned in making the old working windmill on page four. evening happen. The Starr of the evening, with shirt 2 MGOC Durnovaria 1008 - March 2016 The top two inches of my head stuck up over the top My MGB GT by Ray Moore of the windscreen even with the car seat reclined to the maximum and whilst driving the car with the hood in the When asked to write a few words on our up position I found it difficult to see traffic lights because present car, I thought fellow members may be of the narrow windscreen. It was sadly time for Pearl to interested on the events that led to the purchase find a new home. of the car as well as the car itself. We decided that a MGB GT would suit us better and we were soon reading the ads for something especial. We Lorraine and I have long been great fans of fresh air had no idea how difficult it would be to sort the truth, motoring and it was this love that would eventually lead the misrepresentation and the downright lies when us to owning our present MG. We owned numerous dealing with car sellers. On one occasion, after receiving convertible cars during our early marriage life and our satisfactory photographs of inside and around the car photo albums are full of car related happy memories, with assurances from the owner that the car was “as but unfortunately, in 1986, Lorraine was diagnosed with good as the day it left the factory” Lorraine, myself and Muscular Scoliosis which meant “good bye” to little sports John Lee motored up to Bedford for an inspection. cars and “hello” to power steering and is there enough room for a wheelchair? We looked at envy during the summer months at every car we saw with the roof folded down and the occupants enjoying the wind in their hair, and if a car passed with the hood up, it was difficult not to shout something rude. We often looked at each other and said “one day”. In 2003, I decided to retire from the Prison Service and thought this would be the ideal time for a special little retirement present to us both. MG had long been a favourite and many years previously I had been given a test drive in the GT, but unfortunately, the sale fell through. Having decided on a MG we began our search. We found just the little MG Roadster that we were looking for which was currently living in Bristol and on a very cold, rainy day in February 2004, we excitingly set off to collect our new car. We arrived home with a 1974, Old English White, MG Roadster looking wonderful with chrome wire wheels. It also had quite a memorable registration number of OWL 666. Lorraine with “Fern” our present MG The proud owner after reversing the car from the garage, stood aside allowing us to examine the car. The carpets were threadbare and flat with years of abuse, seats dirty and the passenger door would only open when someone lifted the door dragging it open. After noticing that the engine had several suspicious elements, we decided to “cut our loses” and leave. The owner asked why we didn’t want the car and seemed a little put out when we replied “we wouldn’t keep pigeons in it”. After many false journeys and almost nine months of searching we finally found our present car for sale in Torquay, a 1968 MGB GT, British Racing Green with wire wheels. The car now has a five speed gearbox and a replacement engine was fitted in 2012, Spax rear “Pearl” our first MG suspension, Moto-Lita Steering Wheel and Intermittent We decided to call the car Pearl as we had collected Windscreen Wipers. We also fitted her with electric the car on the day of our 30th wedding anniversary and ignition, halogen headlamps, a discreet surround sound as the car had been first registered in the very same system with concealed speakers and lastly, a cigarette month and year as our marriage. It was at this time we lighter fitted to allow for the Sat Nav. Do we miss the decided to join 1008 and we were soon making new roadster “yes” very much and we often speak of another friends, enjoying the events and repeated getting lost convertible, but alas, we only have one garage and on club outings. After several years of enjoying our little “Fern” as she is now known has become a treasured car, I had to reluctantly admit that the car was too small. member of the family. 3 MGOC Durnovaria 1008 - March 2016 Cover Photo Pictured on the front cover of this month’s newsletter who ran it as a living and working piece of English history. is Mike Benton’s 1959 Mk1 1500 MGA parked in front For over 30 years it was the venue for community events, of the 350 year old Post Mill at Outwood in Surrey. car rallies and school and Scouting visits. The brothers ran the mill with enthusiasm, but sadly in 1992 Raymond died. The MGA has now been replaced by a 1954 MG TF, but Gerald continued on with the help of his wife until his death near Redhill in Surrey, just a couple of miles from where in 1996 and the mill was left to his widow Sheila.