1902 De Dion Bouton

THE RUNNING BOARD

November 2013

THE SECRETARY

Club Meetings

Time: 7:30 pm

Date: The 3rd Thursday of each

month (except December)

Location: The Music Bowl

Townsville City Council’s

Thuringowa Building,

Thuringowa Drive, Kirwan.

Club address

THE SECRETARY

PO BOX 5056

TOWNSVILLE QLD 4810

Xmas parties – don’t

miss out, RSVP now

Easter Hub Rally – 2014

Nomination Form

2

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT: Greg. Sibley

Ph. 4721 0096

VICE-PRESIDENT:

Derek Walker

.

Ph. 4723 5225

SECRETARY:

Kevin Warren

Ph. 4788 8668

TREASURER:

Mike Sherriff

Ph. 4728 7982

ORDINARY MEMBERS

Kristine Walker

Bill Bunt

………………………………………

FOUNDATION & HONORARY LIFE

MEMBER:

Norm Morley

………………………………………………….

OFFICE BEARERS

TOWNSVILLE CLUB CAPTAIN:

Ron Anderson

Ph. 4751 6359

DEPUTY CLUB CAPTAIN:

Kristine Walker

Ph. 4723 5225

TOWNSVILLE DATING

OFFICER:

Bill Bunt Ph. 4772 2469

BURDEKIN CLUB CAPTAIN:

Les Wassmuth

Ph. 4783 2899

BURDEKIN DATING OFFICER:

Gary Crowdey

Ph. 4783 2896

HERBERT CLUB CAPTAIN:

Gordon Schmierer

Ph. 4776 5891

HERBERT DATING OFFICER:

Stephen Melvin

Ph. 4776 3035

LIBRARIAN: (Vacant)

SOCIAL SECRETARY:

Linda Sibley

Ph. 4721 0096

MAGAZINE EDITORS:

Mal Lorimer.

Ph. 4772 6981

mal.lorimer@gmail.com

Bill Honniball.

Ph.4774 0043

bill.honniball@gmail.com

BARBEQUE TRAILER:

Custodian - Bill Honniball

Ph.4774 0043

3

Disclaimer The Townsville Veteran Vintage and Historic

Motor Club Inc. does not hold itself responsible

for statements made or opinions expressed by

contributors to The Running Board.

Membership fees Single: $30.00

Family: $35.00

Joining fee: $10.00

…..………………

Club Merchandise Club shirts and Polo shirts: purchase directly from

Totally Work Wear, Hugh St. Currajong.

Name badge: $9.00

Key ring with Club badge insert: $6.50

Club badge insert for a key ring: $2.00

Car badge: $30.00

……………………

CLUB LIBRARY: (Custodian: Henry Burke)

All Stop Auto, Ingham Road

9am – 5pm, Mon – Fri

9am – 11.30am Sat.

CLUB OBJECTIVES:

To encourage the preservation, restoration

and use of veteran, vintage and historic

vehicles.

To promote and organise rallies and other

events that are appropriate for the use and

display of these vehicles.

To extend to owners of veteran, vintage

and historic vehicles, and all other people

interested in these vehicles, the facilities,

privileges and hospitality enjoyed in

conjunction with the club.

CLUB MAGAZINE:

Six issues of ‘The Running Board’ are produced

annually.

……………………

From the Editors

I make no apology for the emphasis on Rileys or

the ‘Pic of the month’ in this issue. See, this is

what happens when co-editor Bill goes away and

isn’t able to control the nature or the size of

articles snuck in by one particular member, namely

the other co-editor!

Look on the positive side though. If you want to

know about a great car rally (two rallies, in fact)

that covered more than 10,000 kms over a period

of five weeks, then read on. But if you’re not

interested in that sort of thing then read the other

articles and with all the time you’ve saved go and

get that old car in the shed going so we can see it

at future club outings.

Fortunately, there are other equally-interesting

articles in this issue, such as the regular reports

from President Greg and Club Captain Ron. The

‘My car’ story this time is about Richard and

Helga’s 1934 Armstrong Siddeley

Don’t forget to scan through the ‘For Sale’ notices.

There could be the perfect Christmas present, just

waiting to be gift-wrapped!!

Speaking of Christmas, end-of-year parties are

planned in Ayr (23nd

Nov.) and Townsville (30th

Nov.), so, if you haven’t already done so, RSVP

now

Then, there is a tribute to Keith Locke by Mike

Sherriff who probably knew Keith better than most

of us.

Finally, as 2013 draws to a close and the AGM is

just around the corner (Feb. meeting) members

should be giving serious thought to nominating or

being nominated for positions on the Management

Committee or as one of the Office Bearers. So far,

it is known that the Club Captain and both the

newsletter Editors’ positions will be vacant.

……………………

From the President

The end of the year is fast approaching and though

there has been little out of the ordinary to happen

this year, behind the scenes there has been

considerable effort expended to making sure that

next year will be a memorable one.

The Hub Committee, under the chairmanship of

Frank Cerutti, has been working hard to make sure

that next year’s event will be one worthy of the 40

year milestone, while at the same time coping with

the problems arising from locating the event in

Charters Towers. So far there is every expectation

that this choice of venue will result in a successful

event, both from the point of view of our club, and

from the point of view of the Towers community,

however it has put extra strains on the

organisational abilities of the committee and it is

creditable to see how the committee has responded

to these challenges.

4

Another pressure on the Hub Committee has been

the role of the Queensland Historic Motor Council

in sponsoring the event. There has been a lot of

toing and froing going on behind the scenes as our

club and the Q.H.M.C. gains an appreciation of the

aims and capabilities of each other’s organisations.

It has been a steep learning curve for both and not

without its difficulties. Nevertheless it is a

worthwhile exercise and it is to our club’s credit

that we are a pivotal partner in the Q.H.M.C’s

attempts to raise its profile throughout Queensland

and simultaneously to unite all clubs throughout

the State.

It is worthy to note that, thanks to the efforts of our

editors, Mal and Bill, the electronic delivery of

The Running Board is now an established and

smooth running fact. Less apparent but no less

important, is the effort that has gone into updating

the club’s records and resources. This is an

ongoing, dry and thankless task which has

nevertheless placed our club on a sounder

organisational foundation.

After a few hiccups, we have adopted a new

constitution which reflects more closely, the legal

framework within which we operate. Thank you to

all those who organized and participated in this

procedure.

In writing these words, I sought inspiration from

the words of my immediate predecessor Warren

O’Donnell and I noted in his comments for 2011

that he writes:

“The request for cars to be displayed or participate

in other community events appears to be

increasing.”

I don’t think that there is a member of our club that

doesn’t enjoy owning, restoring, displaying and

talking about our cars. The local school fete seems

to be the natural environment where these

attributes come together. It is also worthwhile

mentioning that the car club and its members are

one of the few organisations there for the “love of

it”. Society at large has a rising expectation that, as

the custodians of a community heritage, we have

the public responsibility not only to preserve this

heritage but also to make it freely accessible to the

public at large. Again, I don’t think any club

member would have it any other way but it does

not sit too well when members are seen as prime

targets for revenue raising. We can only dream of

a system such as they have in the United Kingdom,

where historic vehicles are excused any

registration fees in light of the fact that their

owners are preserving a national heritage. Don’t

hold your breath!

On a lighter note, I have been back to my favourite

shopping place again. The Charters Towers dump

currently holds an early Austin Cambridge, a four

door Torana, a Mazda 800 (mid sixties), a Morris

Marina, a Datsun 1200 and la piece de resistance

the Dodge truck early 1950’s. All of these gems

are due to be crushed any day now and turned into

something useful like tins for Baked Beans.

All the Best for the Festive Season

Greg Sibley

…………………………

Club Captain’s Report

The Club activity this month will be the Heads &

Tails run on the 24th. The idea of the run is to stop

at pre-organised spots, wait for the next car to

arrive, toss a coin and the winner of the call moves

onto the next spot. This will be a lot of FUN, so

the more cars the better.

So far we have had a poor response from members

for our Christmas Dinner & Trophy Presentation

Night. This will be held at:

Toms Tavern,

186 Nathan Street, Aitkenvale

Saturday 30th November

Time 6.30pm for 7.15pm start.

Cost: $35.00 per head.

Payment no later than the November

meeting.

There is no Club meeting in December, but there

will be a Christmas lights run at 7:00pm on 16th

December.

In January there will be the Ingham New Year run

to Ashton Hotel and the Fish & Chips lunch at

Bushland Beach [weather permitting].

5

Reports on September and October runs

1. Lunch at Giru International: 22 September

By 11 am on a sunny spring day, about 60

adventurers in roughly half as many vehicles set

forth on a combined car clubs ‘pub crawl’. The

idea was for us to make our way from the Stuart

Hotel on the outskirts of Townsville, to the Giru

International Hotel, a quiet country pub which had

been lifted from obscurity in the 1970s and 80s

through the sarcastic efforts of two erstwhile

Townsville comedians, Lyle Hillway and Mal

Hodges.

To avoid mixing it with the modern traffic rushing

pell-mell down ‘the highway called Bruce’, the 20

kilometres longer ‘via Woodstock’ route had been

chosen. This would have worked well had it not

been for 20 kilometres of road works along this

route, controlled by no less than five sets of

automated traffic lights. By the time the convoy

pulled up outside the ‘International’, more than

just a few of the old timers were letting off a bit of

steam, not to mention their cars!

All was forgiven however once inside the pub

when the barmaid revealed that the price of their

steak sandwich specials, the only fare available,

was a jaw-dropping low $3. For that price, one

might expect a tough bit of old boot leather, but if

the truth be known the steak would have passed

muster in any of the best restaurants – country

hospitality at its delicious best.

Considering our little convoy must have gone

close to doubling the population of Giru, the pub

coped quite well. Meal tickets were purchased at

the bar and redeemed at the BBQ in the beer

garden, where we consumed our sangers amid the

palm trees, and washed them down with our

favourite brew. All the while, the Jags, Minis and

Vintage and Veterans added a touch of class to this

most unlikely of ‘International’ hotels.

Along with the dozen or more vehicles from the

Jag and Mini Clubs; the Vintage, Veterans and

Historics taking part comprised four moderns, two

Rileys, two Morrises, an Austin, a Packard, a

Cadillac and a Mini Cooper, which was suffering

something of a Club identity crisis.

2. Saunders Beach Brunch: 20th

October

The following members, visitors and cars met in

Anderson Park at the earlier-than-usual time of

9:30am, and then set off on a very leisurely and

enjoyable drive out along Hervey Range Road. A

right-hand turn into Black River Road took the

convoy to the Bruce highway and then it was only

3.4km to the Saunders Beach turnoff.

Unfortunately a lot of other people thought the

grassy, shady area and car park at the northern end

of Saunders Beach is a top spot for a picnic too,

and Club Captain Ron (ably assisted by navigator

Heather) had to resort to Plan B and led the

convoy to the southern end, where we had a

perfect area right on the beachfront all to

ourselves.

It never fails to amaze how quickly the next stage

of a club run takes place. It’s like a video on fast-

forward: cars come to a stop, drivers and

passengers pile out, chairs, tables, hampers and

other gear extracted from back seats and boots,

everything unfolded and assembled in the best

shady spot in a large oval formation, everyone

facing in, food and steaming cups of tea and coffee

miraculously appear. Then the video switches to

slow motion and a calm relaxed scene with people

sitting around quietly discussing (and solving??)

the world’s problems, predominates.

Those enjoying the shade and sea breeze, and

doing some of the solving were:

Derek & Helen Hadgraft - VW Beetle

Warren & Miriam O’Donnell - Daimler

Jan & Norm Morley - Morris Minor

Tiny Stonehouse, Yvonne Cisco, Glenda Webb &

Sandra Sellen - 1983 Mercedes 230E

Ron & Heather Anderson - 1949 Riley RMA

Serge & Berice Morelli - 1923 Rolls to Anderson

Park then a Modern to Saunders Beach.

Bev & Bill Bunt - 1928 Ford Model A

Mal & Jenny Palling - Modern

Marilyn & John McMenamin - 1962 Rover 3 Litre

Peter & Tina Ryan-Modern

Roger & Wendy Evans - 4WD & Caravan (?)

Bill & Jean Honniball-1951 Morris Oxford

Georgina & Ernie Valdeter (visitors)-Modern

Mal Lorimer-1949 Riley RMB

……………….

6

Welcome

It is very nice to see two new memberships being

accepted at the last Club meeting. So, a very warm

welcome to Peter Leather, who lives in

Annandale and owns a 1912 Ford Model T Tourer,

and to Ross and Sylvia Chapman, who live in

Brandon and own a 1928 Austin 7 Chummy

Tourer.

We look forward to seeing you and your veteran

and vintage cars at our regular club events (Check

out the Club Calendar on the last page)

…………………

VALE

Keith William LOCKE (7 January 1937 – 28 September 2013)

Keith joined the Townsville Vintage, Veteran

and Historic Motor Club (TVVHMC) in 1976

and was a financial member until December

2012. The onset of ill health several years ago

caused him to be unable to attend club

meetings and activities.

For many years he was a very active member

of the club as was his wife, Dulcie, his

daughter Joanne and Son-in Law Patrick and

Grandson Stephen.

During Keith’s 36 year membership of the

club, he was Club Captain for 6 or more years

and carried out this voluntary appointment in a

very effective and efficient manner.

Keith was instrumental in my joining the club

in 1998 after I purchased my 1927 Willys

Whippet.

I believe I speak for many current and past

club members in thanking Keith for his long

involvement with the club and extend our

condolences to Dulcie and the family.

Rest in Peace Keith!

Mike Sherriff

…………………..

Christmas Party

in the Burdekin

We hope you can join us….

Saturday Night

23rd November 2013 Kalamia Hotel,

50 Queen Street, Ayr.

Time: 6.30pm for 7.00pm sit down Cost: $28.50 per adult Children 5-12 years: $14.25 each Children under 5 years: $5.00 each

This includes a 2 course dinner. Purchase drinks from the bar.

Please RSVP by Friday, 15th November

2013 Definite numbers and payment must be given to the Hotel by that date

Phone: 47833615 (8.00am-6.00pm) Text Mobile: 0417 004 755

Email: cwazzy@bigpond.net.au

7

‘Easter’ Riley Rally in August 2013. What?

Every year Riley owners drive their cars to a 3-day

rally, in one of the States, at about Easter time.

This year it was SA Riley Club’s turn to organise

the rally and it decided to have the rally in August

- who says you can’t be different? Last year the

rally was in Toowoomba, Queensland.

Rileys ranging in age from the 1930’s to the mid

1950’s came from Qld, NSW, Vic, SA, WA, UK

(Yes, Alan and Eddie shipped their 1937 Kestrel

from England to join in the fun), NZ (The

President of the NZ Riley Club is ….. wait for it

….. Bill Riley!!) and South Africa: such is the

enthusiasm and determination of Riley owners.

At a ‘Welcome Brunch’ in Nuriootpa, courtesy of

SA Riley Club, the participants were welcomed

and given the program for the next three days, plus

time to renew friendships. Then, in our ‘trusty

steeds’ we travelled via routes of our own choice

to Burra, taking in the beautiful scenery of the

Barossa Valley and historic townships along the

way, and yielding to the temptation of sampling

and topping up supplies of the local produce.

That night a Progressive Dinner commenced in the

Burra Town Hall and patrons were given a

commentary on historic places as they were

‘bussed’ to the location of the next course of

dinner. The idea was great but the logistics of

moving 130 people several times during the

evening proved to be a tad optimistic.

The next day was busy-busy, starting off with a

‘photo-shoot of all 40 Rileys lined up at the old

mine site where everyone could compare and talk

about ……….… Rileys, of course! What else

would you talk about? And if you could tear

yourself away from these in-depth conversations

there was the Mine site and remaining buildings to

explore. Burra owes its very existence to mining,

as it had one of the world’s largest copper mines in

the 1850’s and its output literally saved SA from

bankruptcy. The township of Burra is now

heritage-listed.

The traditional gymkhana took place in the

afternoon. Three cars from each State had to

complete four simple driving tests, points were

allocated for competency and totalled - the State

with the highest score would take home the

‘Conrod Trophy’. (Bribing the officials, although

tried, was generally unsuccessful).

A buffet dinner back in the Town Hall that night

almost turned into a disaster when a smelly old

hobo, with his bottle of plonk wrapped up in

newspaper wandered in past the security (??) and

thinking he could get a free feed, sat down at one

of the tables, much to the disbelief of those already

seated there. It took some time to restore order and

establish that the ‘the old hobo’ was in fact a

‘Riley-ite’, who had decided to ‘dress down’

instead of ‘dress up’ in period attire. Even towards

the end of the evening, some of the Qld. contingent

still didn’t realise the ‘Hobo’ was one of their own

- he was very lucky not to be thrown out on his

ear!

Next day we drove north through Terowie (once a

thriving railway town where passengers from

Adelaide and Broken Hill had to change trains

because the railway gauge changed from broad to

narrow gauge at this location) and onto

Peterborough, another railway town steeped in

railway history. All three railway gauges met at

Dodging ‘road-kill’ and caravans on the roads

through Qld and NSW kept the driver on his toes

The old Hobo used all his charm on Bev, the Rally

Director, to get a free feed

8

this point - narrow, broad and the standard gauge

from WA and Alice Springs. In its heyday, up to

100 trains a day would pass through Peterborough.

On through extensive cropland and then climbing

up and over the Flinders Ranges we experienced

spectacular views, made even more pleasurable by

the purring ‘twonarf’ litre engine under that long

black bonnet, before dropping down onto the

coastal plain of Spencer Gulf, with Port Augusta at

its northern tip in the far distance.

Fortunately I had pre-booked a cabin for the next

two nights rather than roll out the swag - the

overnight temperatures were minus 0.5 degrees!!

We made the most of the next day by driving 26

kms to Quorn along a marvellous road and through

some amazing scenery. At Quorn the Pichi Richi

steam train took us along the last remaining

section of the narrow-gauge (3’6”) Ghan railway,

built in the 1870’s - it was all clickity-clack, rattle-

rattle and cinders-in-your hair stuff, with lots of

‘huffin puffin’ by the steam engine as it took us up

the Range to Woolshed flat for morning tea.

Shannon’s Insurance heavily subsidised this

activity making it possible for so many of us to

enjoy the experience. Train travel stimulates the

appetite and back at Quorn the local economy was

also stimulated as we descended on the few cafes,

pubs and coffee places for lunch. The rest of the

afternoon was free to sight-see or to have a

‘Nanny-nap’ (the favoured option) and conserve

strength for the Presentation Dinner that night.

The Hard Luck Trophy went to the Creed family

(WA). Their BMC Kestrel broke down on the

Nullarbor and somehow made it to Adelaide,

where a Morris Head was located and fitted, but

found to be warped. Another head was located and

fitted successfully. All this happened over the

weekend and the family still got to the Welcome

Brunch on Monday - amazing!! The Conrod

Trophy for the overall winner of the gymkhana

went to WA (Qld came second - the SA club is

either very honest or it is hopeless at rigging this

event because the host State invariable wins the

Conrod trophy). The Longest Distance Driven to

the Rally also went to WA - I was pipped by about

100kms. John Higham (NSW) won the Alby Lobb

Trophy for the pre-war Riley with the highest

gymkhana score. Bev Wilson (Rally Director)

received the Jim Andriesse Trophy for

contributing most to the future of Rileys in

Australia.

Next year? Mittagong, NSW, in March!

The ‘Farewell Breakfast’ was a time to say our

‘goodbyes’ and ‘see you next year’ as half the cars

headed home, while the other half ‘set their

compass on North’ for the 2,500km journey to

Darwin, but that’s another story.

Congratulations must go to the SA Riley Club for

trying something quite different from previous

rallies, for making it so enjoyable and for giving us

the opportunity to see this beautiful region of

South Australia. Mal. Lorimer (Townsville)

A sight that brings tears to your eyes: Rileys, and lots of ‘em!

'The Pichi Richi steam train ‘a huffin an a puffin’ up

the hill -

9

My Car – 1934 Armstrong Siddeley

We have a 1934 Armstrong Siddeley 6-cylinder,

12 HP Tourer with pre-selector gearbox.

I blame it all on my first laptop about two years

ago. We had been looking at and admiring veteran

and vintage cars for 15 years when one Saturday

afternoon I looked on eBay on my week-old laptop

and there she was – beckoning me to admire her

shiny body and beautiful lines. An old, but still

attractive lady residing in Cooma, NSW, saying

“Hi Richard, I’m available (at a price), just bid for

me – last bids 8 pm Monday night”.

After checking and re-checking bank accounts and

lots of emails to the owner, we were assured that

she had been restored and re-sprayed to a high

standard for a client who could now not pay for the

makeover because he had lost all his money

gambling in Singapore.

At about 7:55 on the Monday night we still didn’t

have the highest bid, so Helga said, “If you don’t

offer more, I will.” I then realised that Helga was

serious, so a winning bid was made and accepted,

money was paid, and the deal was done!

I thought about driving the car back to our son’s

property in Brisbane until I found out it had

snowed heavily in Cooma and it was downhill and

icy all the way to the coast. Sanity prevailed and

the car was transported to Brisbane in relative

safety, via a car company.

A new hood, four new tyres, new wooden hood

bows and other minor cosmetics were completed,

and after about six months she entered the

Ormiston House Rally and won the

Encouragement Award.

Lady Armstrong Siddeley is equipped with the

dreaded pre-selector gearbox which requires a pair

of loving hands and equally loving feet to

encourage her best behavior on the road. Any

rough handling is not tolerated and can result in

‘Her Ladyship’ stopping and sulking on the side of

the road.

Eventually, after about 12 months, she was

transported to Townsville with some lower-class

‘moderns’ to enter into Townsville country

society.

She now mixes quite often and enjoyed her first

‘official’ outing at the Heritage Day, West End,

where she was attired (to her amusement) as a

Bush Bashing Beauty with buffalo horns, shark

teeth, snakes, whips, flags of many nations and

vintage 78 rpm music via an ancient gramophone.

She eventually grumbled about having ‘wet feet’

and wanted to go home but still demands

fortnightly outings so she can keep up her quota of

admiring glances.

She would like to meet a

possible long-lost cousin (a

1927 Armstrong Siddeley 4-

door) who lives in

Herberton and was spotted

in a photograph in the

Cairns & District Vets car

magazine.

Richard and Helga Lee

……………………

Here she is with a brand new hood

First outing – Ormiston House, Brisbane

Aged owner with 2011

Encouragement Award

10

Rules of the road - Thai style

A vehicle behind you travelling no closer than

10 cm is not considered to be tailgating.

If the driver in front of you, especially a truck,

flashes his left-turn indicator several times, he

may be telling you it is safe to pass …….. but

he may be wrong.

If the driver in front of you, especially a truck,

flashes his right-turn indicator several times,

he may be telling you it is not safe to pass

…….. and he will usually be right.

If a driver approaching from the opposite

direction flashes his headlights, it may mean

“Police ahead, watch your speed” or “Don’t

pass that car, you fool, I’m coming too fast” or

“I have screwed up big time trying to pass this

car, so please take evasive action”

The largest vehicle has right-of-way, except

elephants, they always have right-of-way and

water buffalo come second

Expect buses, especially orange ones, to

overtake on curves, hills and as you are

approaching from the opposite direction

If you are on a motor cycle and you see a bus

approaching, expect another bus to overtake it,

especially if the road has no shoulders

If you are overtaking another vehicle, expect

another driver to decide to overtake you at the

same time

If you are on a motor cycle or bicycle, keep as

careful a watch behind you as in front of you

If you are involved in an accident you will

most likely be blamed

Learn to read the Thai script for ‘Men’ and

‘Ladies’ for service station restrooms

…………………….

For Sale

For sale through members of TVVHMC

1979 Volvo 244 GL. Lime Green with Biscuit

roof. Auto in good condition Phone 0488 477

467.

1980 Fiat X1/9. 1300 motor, 5-speed gearbox,

immaculate condition. $7900 ono. Ph Gary

Crowdey 4783 2896.

1950(?) MG Model Y, Sedan, fully restored.

Phone Alan Flynn on 07 4778 1711. $15,000.

Listed for sale in club magazines tabled at recent

meetings

(Only cars located in Queensland and apparently

roadworthy have been included)

Auto Antics

Sunshine Coast Car Club

PO Box 362, Nambour, Qld, 4560

1976 VW Beetle. Superbug, excellent motor,

Needs a good tidy-up inside and out. With a

respray it would make a good club car. $2500

ono. Phone Bob on 0419 704 701.

1957 Ford Zephyr. Good condition and runs

well. Quick sale wanted at $20,000 ono. Contact

craigmonckton@bigpond.com.

Bearing Chatter

Cairns and District Historic Vehicle Club

PO Box 849, Malanda, Qld 4885

1972 Datsun 240Z. 2-seater, fully restored

including reconditioned engine, unregistered.

$12,000. Phone Evan on 0418 922 554.

Vintage Views

Brisbane Vintage Auto Club

PO Box 443, Narangba Qld 4504

1927 Chevrolet Capitol Tourer. Immaculate

condition. Asking $12,500. Phone Graeme on

5445 5656 or 0408 771 175.

……………………….

Extract from Townsville Bulletin 8/6/2013

11

‘Rileys through the Red Centre’

The SA Riley Club organised this rally through

central Australia to Darwin for the cooler month of

the year, but to tag it onto the annual Easter Riley

Rally they had to change Easter time to August -

no problem, South Australians can do anything!!!

The general plan was for the 21 participants (5

‘Nines’, 4 RMBs, 2 Roadsters, 1 RMA, 1

Drophead, 1 Kestrel, 1 BMC Kestrel, 1 BMC 4/68

& 5 ‘Moderns’) to travel at their own pace and to

stop when and where they wanted for however

long they wanted, but to try and meet up for dinner

and some R&R at Coober Pedy, Alice Springs and

Katherine on the 11th, 18

th and 24

th August

respectively, with the final destination being

Darwin for three days, 28-30th August. This was an

ideal arrangement because not everyone has the

same interests or wants to push the 130kph speed

limit along the Stuart highway!!

Rather than give a day-to-day account of the trip

(which would be boring, boring!), I‘ve picked out

just a few of the many highlights.

Meeting together at the designated places was a

marvellous idea. Getting to know people and their

cars was both fascinating and often hilarious as we

swapped stories and experiences - never a lack of

conversation, that’s for sure!! It also made you

aware of what a huge and diverse country

Australia is. But, regardless of what State you

come from (or what football code you follow) we

can sit down with someone we’ve never met

before and relax over a meal, a beer or just a

‘cuppa’ at a wayside stop and share common

interests.

My first night was at Woomera, having pretty-

much wasted the day driving 90kms out to Roxby

Downs to visit the Olympic Dam Mine, only to

find that tours were conducted just once a week,

on a Friday morning - I got there at lunchtime on

Friday!! That was very disappointing, but meeting

up with some other ‘Riley-ites’ for dinner, with red

wine from the Barossa Valley, made up for it.

Uluru, Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Kings Canyon

are quite different in their geology and spectacular

scenery. I walked around each one and it was

impossible not to be in awe, particularly of Uluru,

its mass, changing moods and its mystique. It is

easy to understand why the aboriginal people have

so many dreamtime stories relating to it and so

many sacred sites around its base. After all, Uluru

is the source of life in that region; animals come to

drink from the permanent water holes and feed on

the diverse plant species that exist and survive

only because ‘The Rock’ is there. The 10km walk

around the base, with all the informative plaques

explaining the relevance and importance of

different sites, is ‘a must’, and guaranteed to create

enormous respect for Uluru and its keepers.

The Stuart Highway was a completely unexpected

and welcome surprise. I had not given it much

thought, knowing that at least it was sealed and

therefore much better than the horror stretches

littered with broken and abandoned cars, caravans

and trailers that I’d heard about in the ‘70’s. But to

have this wide, smooth two-way strip of road in

front of the bonnet all the way to Darwin was

fantastic. Road trains, 4WDs with caravans or

tailers, even the ‘odd’ cyclist: no problem!

‘Missy’, my RMB, loved cruising along at 90 kph

hour after hour - no bumps, no squeaks, no rattles!

It was tempting to push the 130 kph speed limit,

but with time up my sleeve and still 5,000 kms to

go before rolling into the carport at Townsville,

why tempt fate? Why, indeed!!

Rileys at ‘The Rock’ - Uluru cast its spell over

these two visitors and their occupants

Happy and

relieved

that we

made it to

our first

get to

gether:

Coober

Pedy

12

I had been to Kakadu NP several years ago so I

opted to visit the Litchfield NP, which is altogether

different, being on the edge of a sandstone plateau.

Beautiful cascades and waterfalls plunging over

the edge of the escarpment have carved out deep,

vertical-sided gorges covered with plant species

that have adapted to a wet and humid tropical

environment, whereas the sparser vegetation on the

plateau has to endure harsh dry conditions for most

of the year. It was hot travelling (despite both ‘air-

conditioners’ on the RMB being open) and several

bushfires were burning out of control in the Park,

so a swim in the crystal-clear waters of the

Florence Falls plunge pool (having been declared

free of ‘salties’, of course) was an unexpected

bonus.

The hospitality showed to us ‘Riley-ites’ during

the Rally was unbelievable. In Alice Springs the

MECCA (Motor Enthusiasts Club of Central

Australia) hosted a fantastic welcome Bar-B-Q and

presented those that had driven more than 3,000

kms to the ‘Alice’ with an ‘Overlander’ car badge

as a reminder that we were re-enacting the

amazing journeys of hardship on nothing more

than tracks to ‘the Alice’ back in ‘the good old

days’, whereas we did it on roads that the old

timers would never have thought possible. Our

arrival in ‘the Alice’ coincided with the Henley on

Todd Festival and we were invited to take part in

the Festival’s street parade. Where else in the

world would you find a city having a festival to

promote something it didn’t have? Like, a river

with water in it, and then organising a series of

boat races? Crazy? Yep, it sure is and it happens in

Alice Springs every year, in the dry season of

course, and it’s a whole lot of fun.

Similarly the KMEC (Katherine Motor Enthusiasts

Club) put on a Bar-B-Q for us in their newly

acquired, work-in-progress clubroom/shed. After

lunch we drove to a large shady and grassed area

in front of the City Council Offices for a huge

Show and Shine display of cars and motor bikes

sponsored by Shannons - some cars and motor

bikes had driven the 340 kms from Darwin to be in

it. Sunglasses were essential to combat the glare

from all that chrome and gleaming paint work. The

biggest surprise for me on the day occurred when

‘Missy’ was awarded the ‘Best British’ trophy -

that wash and bit of TLC in the morning must have

been the clincher!

The boat trip along the Katherine Gorge is another

‘not to be missed’ activity. Simply spectacular,

with fascinating rock formations carved out by the

river and fantastic scenery around every bend.

Only one ‘salty’ was spotted during the two-hour

trip and I was surprised to learn that crocodile

numbers have been decimated as a result of the

poisonous cane toads invading the water way -

what an environmental disaster that introduced

species has been.

Darwin just blew us away!! Fifteen Rileys, five

‘moderns’ and cars from the Darwin Car Club

assembled 35kms out of Darwin to be escorted by

a Shannons car with yellow lights flashing into

Darwin and through the CBD - the lunchtime

crowds loved it; waving, taking photos and

enjoying the spectacle of these amazing 55-80

year-old cars that had just driven more than

3,000kms to their city. The convoy continued on to

Cooling off in the beautiful Florence Falls plunge pool Lining up for a king-size Bar-B-Q in the KMEC clubroom

13

the old heritage-listed Qantas Hangar, which

doubles as a club room and workshop for the

Darwin Car Club, to be met by TV cameras and

newspaper reporters.

That evening we were treated to a wonderful

dinner and social evening under the stars outside

the hanger, courtesy of Shannons. Darwin is a

vibrant city at ‘the top end’ with plenty to see and

do. The Darwin War Museum is another ‘must’.

The devastation caused by the Japanese bombing

was shocking, but the loss of life and the bravery

shown by an unprepared, under-resourced defence

force against all odds was gut-wrenching.

Shamefully, most of us had no idea the bombing

raids continued for two years, not just the two

initial raids we hear about - such is the lack of

Australian history in our schools’ curriculum!

I’m not into markets very much but the Mindil

Beach market is quite something. The range of

foods to eat while walking around or sitting on the

beach watching a brilliant sunset, and the ‘stuff’

for sale, are unbelievable. Then, to watch some of

the younger generation dancing on a sand dune,

silhouetted against the evening sky all to the

enchanting throb of a didgeridoo was pure magic!!

The farewell dinner at the Trailer Boat Club was a

mixture of relief (that we’d made it), sadness (that

it was all over) and varying degrees of exhaustion.

Bev Wilson (Rally Director) was thanked and

applauded for attempting and pulling off such an

ambitious and thoroughly enjoyable rally. There

were lots of hugs, handshakes and back-slapping

with wishes for a safe, trouble-free trip home,

together with invitations to next year’s Riley Rally

in Mittagong NSW, and rallies in New Zealand

and South Africa. The next day we set off in our

‘trusty steeds’ for the 5-7 day drive back home,

hopefully making the right choice of south, east or

west, at Katherine or Three Ways!!

Summary:

For those who might be interested in some figures

relating to both rallies (4-day SA Rally and the

Red Centre Rally), check out the following,

keeping in mind that I camped with a swag and

had a single burner gas stove to boil water for tea,

coffee, noodles or soup for brekkies and lunches to

keep costs down, but had most dinners at a hotel or

restaurant. The 1937 Riley Kestrel brought out

from England to take part in the rally was the only

car not to reach Darwin; she developed a major

gearbox problem in Alice Springs and had to be

transported back to Adelaide, then England.

Total distance travelled (T’ville-Nuriootpa-Port

Augusta-Darwin-T’ville: …………...…10,125kms

Time away from home: ………………..... 5 weeks

Cost of petrol (Max price $2.26 at Kings Canyon,

Av price $1.78): ………….………….…… $2,280

Engine oil used (including an oil change (5L) in

Alice Springs): …………………….…..…17 litres

No. of ‘freebie’ nights with friends: ……….….…4

No. of nights camping: …………………...….…19

No. of night’s accommodation in hotels or caravan

Park cabins: .................................................…...12

Av. fuel economy for the whole trip: …..21.3 mpg

Total cost for the two Rallies: …..$4,400 (approx.)

Mal Lorimer (Townsville)

One of many ‘termite

people’ along the Highway

Loved this sign at the

Barkly Roadhouse

Moving off in convoy for the last 35kms into Darwin

‘Missy’ didn’t miss

a beat during the

whole trip. Here

she is beside the

‘Dachy kennel’

14

Lunch at the Giru International Hotel

15

Saunders Beach Brunch

As a location for 'Brunch’ it doesn’t get much better than this!

Club members put on the

‘nosebags’ and talked about

this and that as they sat under

the shady Casuarinas …......

............ while the 'thoroughbreds' waited patiently in the sun

'RED' must be

the 'in' colour

for October, or

else these

thoroughbreds

have been

waiting in the

sun too long!

16

CLUB PROGRAM up to February 2014

CONTACTS:

Club Captain: Ron Anderson: 0418 779 600, Assistant Club Captain: Kristine Walker: 0408 071 689

DATE EVENT DETAILS

21stNovember Club Meeting 7.30pm. The Music Bowl, Thuringowa

24th November Heads n Tails Run

Meet at Anderson Park for a 2:00pm departure.

Don’t be late or you will miss out on the

information sheets. BYO smoko

30th November Christmas Breakup (Townsville)

Tom’s Tavern, 186 Nathan St. Aitkenvale (behind

McDonalds). 6:30 start for dinner at 7:15pm.

Theme for the evening: ‘Tropical Christmas’

23rd

November Burdekin Christmas Breakup

RSVP 15th Nov. Ph. 0417 004 755

Kalamia Hotel, 50 Queen Street, Ayr. 6.30pm for 7.00pm sit down. $28.50 per adult Children 5-12 yrs, $14.25; under 5 yrs, $5.00

********** No Club meeting in December ***********

16th December Christmas Lights Tour Depart Thuringowa Council Chambers 7:00pm

12thJanuary 2014 New Year Lunch Ashton Hotel

Depart Bohle Barn car park 8.30am. Meet Ingham

members at Tyto Centre for BYO smoko

16thJanuary 2014 Club Meeting 7.30pm. The Music Bowl, Thuringowa

19th January 2014 ‘Fish-n-Chips’ lunch at Bushland

Beach

Meet at the Anderson Park for a 11:00am

departure - weather permitting!!

Pic of the month

One can forget oneself in the excitement of the

game - ooops!!