Octagon January, 2017

Official Journal of the MG Car Club of Queensland Inc. 

ctagon 

The 

No. 1 January 2017 

Members of the ‘Bundy Crew’ of the Wide Bay Chapter got into the spirit of 

Christmas and decorated their cars for the annual Pageant of Lights held by the 

Bundaberg Regional Council. They also made the most of the occasion by using 

it to promote the Wide Bay Chapter. 

The Octagon - January 2017 1

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 

Name Phone Mobile Email 

PRESIDENT 

Richard Mattea (Carly) 3325 0409 0488 224 105 richard.mattea@yahoo.com 

VICE PRESIDENT 

Ken Wasley (Barbara) 3378 6202 0423 152 723 wasmg11@gmail.com 

SECRETARY 

Malcolm Spiden 3266 6350 spidenm@yahoo.com.au 

TREASURER 

Carly Mattea (Richard) 3325 0409 0410 310 452 moffmat@bigpond.com 

COMMITTEE 

Don Webster (Ann) 3379 2566 0439 526 060 donweb@bigpond.net.au 

Dean Tighe 0419 774 441 sales@tighecams.com.au 

Flavio Paggiaro (Sue) 0412 985 916 admin@kellands.com.au 

OFFICIALS 

Position Name Phone Position Name Phone 

Event Secretary Fred Sayers 3359 2623 

Annette Truscott 0407 494 867 

Ev. Sec. Asst. David Robinson 3255 9037 

Richard Mattea 3325 0409 

CAMS Delegate Gary Goulding 3351 3506 

(Alternative) Ann Thompson 3378 1368 

Chaplain Ken Trudgian 3886 3409 

Club Captain Don Webster 3379 2566 

Canteen Convener (Mt C) Vacant 

Special Interest Vehicle Paul Strange 3398 1993 

Concession Contract pstrange@bigpond.com 

Webmistress Glenda Crew 3341 4397 

Clubrooms Max Johnson 3201 5836 

Regalia Shaun Rankin 0402 450 290 

Library David Robinson 3255 9037 

Point Score Ian Fettes 3803 3858 

Membership Sec. Peter Rayment (Delia) 0407 693 947 

National Meeting Noeline Johnson 0437 220 602 

Co-ordinator 

nlj52@bigpond.com 

Chapter Liaison David Miles 3892 2699 

Far Nth Qld Chapter John Fransen 0458 658 830 

Wide Bay Chapter David Hall 0490 363 889 

Darling Downs Chapter Gary Lawrence 4696 8314 

Capricorn Chapter Gurney Clamp 4939 4760 

Whitsundays Chapter Cathie Meredith 0427 392 829 

Octagon Editor Elaine Hamilton 3893 2438 0418 870 782 vprojects@internode.on.net 

All enquiries to the secretary: 

C/o GPO Box 1847 Brisbane 4001 

2 

The Octagon - January 2017 

Headquarters: 8/16 Collinsvale Street, Rocklea 

E & OE Hillclimb: Gramzow Road, Mt Cotton 

The opinion of the editor, correspondents and advertisers expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the management 

committee of the MG Car Club of Queensland Inc. and as such the club accepts no responsibility. Published six times a year members 

personal advertisements are free. Club constitution available in clubrooms. Copyright 2013 MGCCQ.

President’s Report 

Welcome to the first edition of the Octagon 

for 2017. I trust that all members had a safe 

and joyous Christmas and New Year period. 

Peter Rayment is one person who hasn’t 

had much of a break with the end of the year 

bringing on the membership renewal process. 

Please allow two weeks for your renewal to 

be processed as it has to go through several 

stages (which includes a couple of journeys 

via Australia Post). If you need it in a hurry 

just give the Club a call. Late last year 

work commenced on setting up an online 

membership application and renewal process. 

Work is continuing and we hope to have it up 

and running later in the year. 

Once again the committee and others have 

been working hard to provide what should be 

a great year of activities for the Club. There 

is well and truly something for everyone. We 

have an extensive social programme, with the 

major event being the annual presentation of 

trophies. This year, it is being held Boulevard 

Gardens in Indooroopilly on Saturday the 28th 

of January and so will have been held by the 

time you read this. You can look forward to a 

full report in the next edition of the Octagon. 

Meanwhile why don’t you check out the trophy 

rules (on the News page of the Club website) 

and start planning your year’s events to give 

yourself a chance of being one of the trophy 

winners for 2017. 

When you look at the calendar you will notice 

that most weeks have some sort of activity 

being undertaken somewhere in the State. All 

the events are organised by Club members 

who are generously volunteering their time for 

the benefit of the Club and its members. There 

are too many to thank by name, but on the 

behalf of the committee and your fellow Club 

members, thank you very much. Without these 

efforts the Club wouldn’t be anywhere near as 

enjoyable and fun as it is now. 

In my corresponding President’s message in 

2016 I lamented the lack of new MG vehicles 

available for purchase in Australia. I was 

pleasantly surprised when a number of ‘new 

old stock’ MG 6s came onto the market later 

in the year. It would now seem that there is 

further good news on this front with the Norris 

Motor Group establishing a dedicated MG 

show room at their Kedron facility. Let’s hope 

that many of the people purchasing these 

vehicles are new to the marque and also 

decide to take up MG Car Club membership. 

So, if you are in the market for a new small, 

midsized or SUV vehicle please give some 

thought to purchase of a new MG, (and no, I’m 

not on commission). 

In February 2018 the Club will celebrate the 

50th anniversary of the first Mt Cotton Hillclimb; 

the first Hillclimb took place on the 18th 

February 1968. It has been in constant use by 

Club members and Hillclimb enthusiasts ever 

since, which makes it the oldest continually 

used circuit in Queensland. Something for the 

Club to be proud of and celebrate. We are 

planning on holding a significant event at the 

venue on the 18th of February 2018. More 

detail will follow later this year. 

So in closing I hope that all members find what 

they are looking for in relation to their motoring 

passion via the Club in 2017. And remember 

to please be safe on our roads and race tracks. 

- Richard Mattea 

Ross Kelly 3352 4151 

0407 364 543 

MG ZR, ZS, ZT Ken Wasley 0423 15 27 23 


Some words from Elaine 

Welcome to 2017 and to the first Octagon of 

the year. 

A major feature of the first Octagon of any year is 

the calendar - a document showing the number 

and diversity of events on offer to you, 

our members. 

Our regular page 5 ‘Noticeboard’ continues to 

highlight the events for the two months in the 

immediate future; ‘Dates for Events by Type’ 

(pages 5 and 6) provides just what the heading 

suggests while the removable four page calendar 

gives a quick insight into all the events planned 

for the year. (Space has not allowed for the 

complete year’s events to be included but all are 

on the website calendar.) A glance through it will 

prove to you how vital and active our Chapters 

are and our Membership Secretary has confirmed 

that Chapter Members now account for more 

than 50% of our membership. This is a staggering 

success for which David Miles, the Club 

President at the time of the formation of the first 

of these Chapters and now the Chapter Liaison 

Officer, deserves full credit. 

Hopefully you have all made yourselves familiar 

with the new calendar being used on the Club 

website. If not, please go and have a look and 

find out just how much more information on 

events is there for you. Events are colour-coded 

by Club and Chapter but there are also a number 

of events in green. These are events put on by 

other Clubs and which may be of interest to you. 

We hope you find this useful. Those of you in 

the Chapters may be surprised to find out just 

how much motorsport is available for you in 

your area while I know that many of our locals 

who participate is motorkhanas and khanacross 

etc will be jealous of the number of venues and 

events available in country areas. Maybe some 

Chapter Coordinators could arrange for a run to 

visit some of these events. 

The feature ‘Stories from the Stables’ reappears 

this issue thanks to Jeff Heslewood being 

prepared to give us a preview of what has been 

happening in his garage. The story is quite 

inspirational as well as being informative and 

4 


entertaining. We’ve had one look at the car at 

Concours, now we wait to see it on the track. I 

do urge others of you to take the time to share 

your stories with us - please don’t wait to 

be asked!! 

Peter and Delia’s reporting of their trip to Perth 

and back for the 2016 National Meeting continues 

in its serialised form. The final episode will 

appear in the next Octagon just before they - and 

others - start heading for Adelaide for this 

year’s gathering. 

‘Chapter Chatter’ once again shows the strength 

of our Chapters (as mentioned above). However, 

for this issue there is no calendar of events or 

reports of past events from the new Whitsundays 

Chapter due to difficulties in communication 

encountered during their changeover to the NBN. 

However, the reports and calendar will appear on 

their website page and also on our Club calendar 

as soon as the problem becomes resolved. 

With only one competition event held since 

our previous issue, the focus of ‘Competition 

Corner’ is on the success of those in the 2016 

Hillclimb Series as celebrated at the Clubrooms 

on December 9th at the presentation of trophies. 

You usually see photos of cars in these pages but 

this time the focus is on the people behind 

the wheel. 

One short story, finally published in this issue, 

has been patiently waiting its turn to see itself in 

print and, hopefully, so has its author, Graham 

Hepburn. I am sure you will find it interesting 

reading as many of you will also have ‘If only’ 

stories to tell as well - so please be inspired by 

Graham and tell us about them. 

Closing date for material for the March issue is 

the last day of February but please don’t wait until 

then to send your items in. Life is much easier for 

me if you send them to me as early as possible 

as it eases the pressure on me at deadline time. 

Best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy and 

event-filled year!

Notice Board 

The Clubrooms are open on the first and third Friday nights of each month with hot food starting at 6.30 

pm priced as low as $3. The goal will continue to be to have something special happening on the first 

Friday of each month. Your suggestions are welcomed. 

Working bees are held at the hillclimb on most Wednesdays and are therefore not listed below. For 

further information, contact Malcolm Spiden. 

(P) indicates that the event is pointscoring for Club trophies. The rules for pointscoring for trophies can 

be found on the News page of the Club website. The pointscore is updated throughout the year by Ian 

Fettes so you can see how competitive you are. Please contact Ian with any queries you may have. 

Please consult the online calendar for any update and also for Chapter events to which all members 

are always invited. You will also find that motorsport events promoted by other clubs and also events in 

regional areas are listed in our online calendar. 

FEBRUARY 

3 Friday Noggin ‘n’ Natter at clubrooms 

10 Friday CAMS Evening of Champions at Easts 

Leagues Club Coorparoo 

12 Sunday HSCCQ Come ‘n’ Try Motorkhana (P) at 

Driver Training Centre, Willowbank 

17 Friday MG Noggin ‘n’ Natter at clubrooms 

22 Wednesday Mid Week Run (Organised by Bruce Mutch 

0427 787 208) - Check the calendar page of 

the Club website for details. 

25/26 Sat/Sun Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Round 1 (P) 

MARCH 


11 Sat/Sun CAMS State Championship Races Round 1 

Morgan Park (P) 

New members 

We welcome the following new members and wish 

them a long and happy association with the Club. 

John Cowie 

Gavin Donohoe 

Jenny Eyre 

Robert Semple 

Valerie Bossom 

Lawrence Chetter 

William Cundy 

Ken Proud 

Robyn Seaton 

Denise Titchmarch 

Gail Warrrilow 

Michael Robertson 

Raelene Riddell 

Welcome back to Maria Houghton 

Rae Cowie 

Judith Langdon 

Chrystellee Semple 

Kenneth Bossom 

James Burgess 

Beth Dunlop 

Robert Murray 

David Seaton 

Adrian Titchmarsh 

Ian Wardell 

David Warrilow 

Amber Robertson 

Stewart Riddell 

12 Sunday HSCCQ Interclub Motorkhana at Driver 

Training Willowbank (P) 


18 Sat/Sun Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Round 2 (P) 

22 Wednesday Mid Week Day Run (Organised by 

Neil Summerson 0419 273 196) - Check the 

calendar page of the website for details. 

WANTED - A machine operator 

Does not require any engine reconditioning experience as the successful applicant will be 

taught all they will be required to know. 

An interest in cars and engines is a must. 

Age or Gender does not matter but would suit someone over 50. 

Contact Dean Tighe on 0419 774 441 


DATES FOR THE YEAR BY EVENT TYPE 

All of these events are open to members including members of all Chapters. All five 

Chapters put on a big program of events and these are listed in the centre calendar. These 

are open for any members visiting their area so check their programs of events if you intend 

travelling throughout the year. (P) indicates that the event is pointscoring for Club trophies 

Dates to be advised 

DAY RUNS (all pointscoring) 

If you would like to assist by organising one of the runs please contact the 

Club with your offer, email mgccq@mgccq.org.au 

MIDWEEK RUNS 

Bruce Mutch is the coordinator of these runs. His email is 

bmutch@bigpond.com and his phone is 3376 1384. He already has 

volunteers (names below) to organise each of the monthly runs which are 

held on the 4th Wednesday of each month from Feb to Nov. Full details will be added to the 

online calendar as they become available throughout the year and will also advised in the 

weekly email for those within easy driving distance of Brisbane. Thanks go to the following 

for their volunteering to organise the runs. 

22 February Bruce Mutch 22 March Neil Summerson 

26 April David Miles 24 May Ian and Kay Wells 

28 June Kerry Horgan 26 July Barry Lutwyche 

23 August Jeff & Pat Heslewood 29 September Denis Thomas 

25 October Trevor and Joy Jones 22 November Bruce Ibbotson 

HILLCLIMBS AND SPRINTS EVENTS 

Those events marked (P) count towards mg annual speed event awards 

22 January Come ‘n’ Try/Test ‘n’ Tune 

25-26 February Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Round 1 (P) 

18-19 March Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Round 2 (P) 

2 April CAMS Club Challenge Hillclimb 

22-23 April Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Round 3 (P) 

13 May Pre QHC Test ‘n’ Tune 

2-4 June Queensland Hillclimb Championships 

24-25 June Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Round 4 (P) 

22 July Porsche Supersprint at Morgan Park including Interclub (P) 

26 August Come ‘n’ Try/ Test ‘n’ Tune Hillclimb Mt Cotton 

9-10 September Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Round 5 (P) 

30 September Interclub Hillclimb Mt Cotton 

2-3 December Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Round 6 (P) 

NAVIGATION RUN 

OTHERS TO BE ADVISED 

14 May NDSCC INTERCLUB NAVIGATION RUN (P) 

6 

The Octagon - January 2017

HSSCCQ MOTORKHANA EVENTS 

MARKED (P) TO COUNT TOWARDS 

MG ANNUAL MOTORKHANA ANNUAL 

AWARDS 

12 February Come ‘n’ Try Willowbank Driver Training Centre (P) 

12 March Interclub Willowbank Driver Training Centre (P) 

18 June Queensland Motorkhana Championship Round 3 Willowbank Driver 

Training Centre 

6 August Queensland Motorkhana Championship Round 4 Willowbank Driver 

Training Centre (P) 

10 September Willowbank Driver Training Centre 

15 October Willowbank Driver Training Centre (P) 

HSCCQ KHANACROSS EVENTS MARKED (P) TO 

COUNT TOWARDS MG ANNUAL AWARDS 

9 April Willowbank Driver Training Centre (P) 

21 May Interclub at Willowbank Driver Training Centre (P) 

9 July Willowbank Driver Training Centre (P) 

12 November Willowbank Driver Training Centre (P) 

RACE MEETINGS 

Marked (P) to count for mg racing drivers annual award 

11-12 March CAMS State Championship Races Round 1 (P) 

6-7 May HRCC Autumn Races at Morgan Park 

20-21 May CAMS State Championship Races Round 2 (P) 

1-2 July HRCC Historic Race Meeting at Morgan Park 

29-30 July V8 Supercars at Queensland Raceway 

5-6 August Shannons Nationals at Queensland Raceway 

2-3 September CAMS State Championship Races Round 3 at Morgan Park (P) 

23-24 September Shannons Nationals at Morgan Park 

18-19 November CAMS State Championship Races Round 4 at Morgan Park (P) 

ANNUAL CONCOURS AND CLUB DISPLAY DAYS 

(P) indicates Pointscoring events 

28 May MacLeans Bridge at Belmont Rifle Range (P) 

18 June Denis Cotton Club Display with Geary Sports Car Concours 

at Ormiston House (P) 

9 July RACQ Motorfest (P) 

17 September All British Day at St Josephs Sportsground Tennyson (P) TBC 

OTHER 

NOGGIN ‘n’ NATTERS 

14-18 April MG National Meet in Adelaide 

15 September Annual General Meeting 

Every 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 

20 January and excep Good Friday 


Mal Ryan Ph: 0419 741 223 - mspa.com@optusnet.com.au - Capalaba, Brisbane. 

Check out our website: www.octopusgrip.com to find a distributor close to you. 

British Car Specialist & Rover T4 Diagnostics 

2 Trade Street 

Ormiston Q 4160 

8 


Bits’n’Pieces 

This photo was taken in about 1957 and is of the Swift Service Station at Morningside which 

was run by Fred and Avery Dyke. Fred and his daughter, Yvonne, were founding members 

of the Club and this Nuffield dealership became a ‘de facto’ Club headquarters in the Club’s 

early days. Yvonne contacted the Club recently to advise us of the death of Dave Williams 

who took this photo from the middle of Wynnum Rd! We were saddened to hear of Dave’s 

death but, thanks to him, we have this wonderful photo which was reproduced on the cover 

of the January 2010 Octagon and an enlargement, donated by Dave, is on display in the 

Clubrooms along with information on the people and cars in the photo. 

It’s almost as if no ‘Bits and Pieces’ section 

would be complete without some wildlife 

photos from Mt Cotton working bees. 

On the left is a cormorant ready to take 

advantage of the waters of the dam; below 

is one of the resident goannas who made 

their presence felt at the December hillclimb! 

This one was photographed near the office 

as if waiting for an event to get underway! 

(Photo by Jim Heymer) 

Such was Ross Letten’s 

desire to be part of the 

festivities at the Club’s 

Christmas get together 

that he had his own 

personalised transport to 

provide mobility for his leg 

which had suffered damage 

in a boating incident. He 

topped off his dramatic entry 

by wearing a festive hat and 

ensuring he had a basket 

for carrying his ‘goodies’. 


Pictured are Bruce Ibbotson’s MGC GT on a 

tow truck and the reason for the repair. 

The second photo show what he found 

under the roof [turret] once the cracked split 

head lining and foam plastic were removed 

after holes were found in the roof. 

Bruce explains the problem -- “The early 

MGB-GT & MGC-GT cars had a bitumen 

sheeting material fixed onto an unpainted 

roof (turret) then a piece of 8 mm foam 

plastic material to which was glued the 

headlining. This bitumen sheeting was not 

painted but the same sheeting applied to 

the inside of the doors and the floor was 

painted; this filled up the small holes in the 

sheeting which allowed air to escape as the 

material was attached. 

“The headlining in these cars was a very fine 

striped vinyl with the stripes running from 

front to the back. Later cars did not have the 

bitumen sheeting applied to bare metal and 

were painted inside the roof. 

“The headlining was glued to some sort 

of formed liner then fitted. These later 

production cars apparently did not have a 

10 


problem with rust inside the roof. The photos 

are from my C-GT where we found 2 small 

holes through the roof, the rusting started 

from the inside.” 

If you want more information about this 

problem, Bruce will be happy to give you 

further details. 

The 70th Anniversary of the MG Y-Type 

will be celebrated by the Australian Y type 

Register over the weekend 9 - 12 June 

2017. Special rally plates, as pictured, will 

be made for those Y-Types attending. 

50 Y-Types and over 100 people from 

Australia and a couple of special guests 

from overseas are expected to attend the 

event which will be hosted in Maleny. A flyer 

for the event and a tentative schedule for 

the weekend are on the News page of the 

Club website.

IF ONLY! 

by Graham Hepburn, Cairns North Queensland. 

Jochen Rindt’s Brabham BT23-5 recently 

came up for auction in Germany. My mate 

Tony Williams of Wagga Wagga sent me 

details from the catalogue, which listed my 

name as a previous owner. The car came 

to the antipodes for the ‘67 Tasman series 

and was damaged in N.Z. Bob Britten of 

Rennmax fame had a BT23 chassis jig and 

so could build a new frame quicker and 

cheaper than repairing the old one. 

The original frame went up into Bob’s ceiling 

and eventually was rebuilt as a Formula 

Ford, but the client didn’t pay. Tony and I 

came across it in 1972, bought it and with 

Bob’s help reassembled it as a FF with 

light body, fuel and oil tanks, piped up and 

complete except for engine and gearbox. 

I then went to England as Van Dieman’s 

third employee to learn about setup in 

Formula Ford and had a successful season 

as Don McLeod’s mechanic, culminating in 

winning the FF Festival in ‘73. I then went to 

Germany as Dave Walker’s spannerman. He 

drove an F2 and 2 litre sports car for Team 

Obermoser in ‘74. That was enough motor 

racing for me. 

We never used the Brabham and eventually 

sold it to Denis Lupton who started to 

reassemble it as an F2 car. We had paid 

$1800 for the Brabham, and sold it I think 

for $2500. The recent auction estimate was 

360,000 to 500,000 euro. If only! 

FOR SALE 

Elfin Malala (replica) just FULLY 

overhauled. I am busy getting it logbooked. 

Comes with rear body mould and some 

spares. Construction can be viewed at 

frizellclassicracing.com 

(Ed: Vern and I can recall seeing that chassis 

in Bob Britten’s shed at Easter 1972. Vern had 

been competing at the F2 Championship round at 

Hume Weir and, after the event, we took the Elfin 

to Bob Britten’s to remove the motor and have it 

refurbished. Thanks for the memory, Graham!) 

Price $35 000.00 

Contact: Geoff on 0400 531 669 

Email: gfriz00@gmail.com 


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12 


Stories from the 

Stables 

1970 FORD ESCORT – 

FATHER & SON PROJECT 

by Jeff Heslewood 

After my retirement, I decided to build 

myself a “toy”, preferably a 105E Ford 

Anglia. These were extremely hard to find, 

and I was directed to an unfinished project, 

a 1970 Ford Escort 2 door which may be 

for sale. My son Greg was also at a bit of a 

loose end, as being newly married and also 

buying a house, he could no longer afford 

the time or money to continue Kart racing, 

an interest that had involved the whole 

family for around 20 years. 

So off we went to inspect the Escort. The 

plan was to build a modified road car that 

would fit the improved production criteria, so 

that I could use it on club runs and we could 

both compete at hill climbs and club sprints. 

The “unfinished project” was a bare shell 

that had been fitted with a good roll cage, 

adapted Commodore/Nissan front cross 

member and suspension and Mitsubishi 

disc brake rear end. The guards had been 

cut out to accept forest flares and there 

was also a standard 2 litre 16 valve Ford 

Mondeo Zetec engine, Sierra 5 speed 

Jeff and Greg with the finished product 

gearbox and alloy fuel tank supplied. The 

shell appeared reasonably sound although 

quite a few minor rust repairs were needed. 

The deal was done and home we went, full 

of enthusiasm. Six years later, we finally hit 

the road and track. 

For almost six months we struggled to make 

the front suspension workable. It was well 

designed, but created ground clearance 

problems and the engine was sitting too 

high for our liking. We finally bit the bullet 

and decided to revert to Ford components. 

The retro Ford scene is huge in Britain, and 

English companies were able to supply all 

the componentry we needed at very good 

prices. We were able to purchase a World 

Cup cross member and engine mounts, 

water rail, radiator, etc that allowed us to bolt 

the Zetec engine straight into the Escort. 

Now the hard work began. 

The only serious rust was in the left front 

chassis rail, so we had this corner repaired/ 

replaced professionally by the late John 

Dawson. I fabricated numerous repair 


sections for “A” pillars, front guards and 

inner and outer sill panels, and purchased 

repair sections for front and rear lower 

guards. Most Saturdays, Greg would be 

welding these in place, then grinding to a 

neat finish. 

The rear inner guards had already been cut 

out to allow for the flares, so we fabricated 

new “tubs” and Greg went to work again 

with the welder. The front section of the 

transmission tunnel also had to be removed 

and a new section fabricated and fitted 

to accommodate the 5 speed gearbox. 

This brought us to the stage of fitting the 

fibreglass flares. There are many horror 

stories about attaching fibreglass to steel, 

and after hunting around I came across a 

product called Techniglue, which apparently 

is used in the marine industry for bonding 

alloy, steel, fibreglass etc. It is a relatively 

easy to use 2 pack product which appears 

to have done an excellent job of bonding, 

and sands to a good finish. Finally the shell 

was sound and we could move on to the 

mechanicals. 

At this point we discovered that a limited slip 

option was not available for the Mitsubishi 

differential that came with the car, so we 

again reverted to Ford items rather than the 

very strong but heavy Toyota diff favoured 

by most. A billet CWP set has been fitted 

with a plate style LSD and much stronger 

2 piece half shafts. We turned to English 

suppliers for major suspension components, 

adjustable GAZ platform struts and springs 

for the front, with camber/castor adjustable 

top mounts and GAZ adjustable shocks for 

the rear. An “A” frame is used to locate the 

rear end. Locally manufactured King Springs 

do the job on the rear, and front and rear 

anti-roll bars were also sourced in Australia. 

We fabricated a new top mount for the rear 

shocks which allows them to be mounted 

more vertically. 

Next came the brakes which are operated 

by a bias adjustable pedal box. Improved 

production regulations allow us to use 

15” diameter wheels which in turn provide 

clearance for larger rotors and calipers. The 

fronts are 285mm rotors mounted on alloy 

hubs and 4 pot Wilwood calipers. The rears 

are 247mm rotors, again with Wilwood 4 pot 

calipers. At this point we also purchased a 

set of Compomotive 15 x 7 alloy wheels. 

The gearbox received a full rebuild including 

a straight cut close ratio gear set. Greg’s 

skills proved invaluable as he was able 

to assemble and set up both the diff and 

gearbox. 

14 


At this point we did a final trial assembly of 

all components into the shell before stripping 

it again for prep and painting. We did not 

have a painter organised, but believe it or 

not, while talking to good neighbour Peter 

from down the road, we established that 

he was a spray painter and was more than 

willing to paint the Escort. As it turned out, 

not only was he a painter, but a very good 

one, who completely ignored our advice 

that it is “mainly a track car” not a “show 

car”, so the paint and finish need not be 

anything special. The Escort had obviously 

had a couple of hits in its lifetime, and 

previous rust repairs, although plated, were 

a bit rough. Anyone who saw what Peter 

started with would appreciate the quality 

of his workmanship, particularly when you

consider that it was painted in our backyard 

shed. The body is painted Ermine White, a 

Ford colour from the era, and the dark green 

stripe with gold edging is borrowed from the 

old Pete Geoghegan Mustang. 

Next came the engine build. We are 

using forged pistons and steel rods with a 

standard crank. ARP bolts and studs have 

been used for mains, big ends, head and 

the lightweight steel flywheel. The clutch has 

been converted to hydraulic with a heavy 

duty pressure plate and ceramic paddle type 

clutch plate. Machining and balancing was 

done by Chilton Engineering. The head is a 

2003 Ford Focus unit which has better ports 

than the earlier model and accepts larger 

exhaust valves. It was modified by Alex 

Cowie and runs oversize inlet and exhaust 

valves. We chose Newman camshafts which 

run with mechanical lifters and provide 

a very usable power band from 3000 to 

7500 rpm. Vernier pulleys were also fitted. 

However, the later model head presented 

us with an unforseen problem when it came 

time to assemble the engine. 

boot. Over the course of the project there 

have been a few issues that were beyond 

our capabilities, and the assistance from 

Bruce Ayers of Ayers Engineering has been 

invaluable. 

All our modifications have been compliance 

plated and the car is now registered and 

has run at Willowbank and Lakeside GEAR 

days, and appeared at the MG Concours. 

As the project neared completion, it became 

obvious that the intended use would have 

to be reconsidered. It is now a track car that 

will be used sparingly on the road. Greg 

intends to run hill climbs and club sprints 

while I will restrict myself to GEAR days. 

This really has been a labour of love and 

I would recommend the very rewarding 

concept of a father and son project to 

others. 

The mounting position for the camshaft 

belt pulleys was completely different. 

After a bit of head scratching I decided to 

have a mount plate fabricated which could 

then be bolted to the head. Accuracy was 

essential so I made a template and had the 

new mount fabricated – problem solved. 

These engines have been known to shatter 

oil pump gears at high revs, and it was 

suggested that relocating the oil pressure 

relief valve away from the pump may help. 

It was a bit of a plumbing nightmare but 

we have installed a remote pressure relief 

valve. Our engine is fed by twin 45mm side 

draught Webers. Ignition is controlled by a 

Megajolt ECU. 

Greg has really excelled with this project, 

not only mechanically but he has also 

rewired the car completely including the 

ECU installation. We also fabricated new 

aluminium door cards and other interior 

trims. Fortunately our wives also enjoy cars 

and motorsport, and Pat manufactured a 

new hood lining and helped with the carpet 

while Kim sewed up a neat little gearshift 


16 


2017 MG NATIONAL MEETING 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

EASTER 

14 TH – 18 TH APRIL 2017 

BULLETIN #3 

Registration is now open 

We are pleased to announce that the Supplementary Regulations and Registration link for the 2017 

MG National Meeting in Adelaide SA have been published on our website. 

www.natmeet2017.mgccsa.org.au 

The ‘Register Now’ event management system is the primary mode of Registration for the event. 

Registration enquiries can be directed to Chris & Wes Bray on 0417 821468, or email 

mg2017registrations@bigpond.com 

Early Bird discounted Registration closes 14 th February 2017, final date to register 15 March 2017. 

Regalia 

Regalia details and order form is also available on the National Meeting Website. 

Please order prior to 28 th February, 2017 to ensure that items will be available for collection at 

Registration on Friday 14 th April, 2017. 

Enquiries can be directed to Geraldine Hough treasurenatmeet2017@outlook.com 

Plan now to come together with other MG enthusiasts from around Australia and overseas, and enjoy 

a weekend of social events and activities, friendly rivalry in motorsport, and club participation. 

MG CAR CLUB OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

Enquiries: 

Event Director 

Tim Edmonds 

Mob: 0419 804 645 

natmeetchairman@adam.com.au 

Thank you to our Sponsors and supporters of the MG National Meeting 2017 

29/11/16 

Adelaide – the place to be seen in twenty seventeen 


Club Christmas Get Together 

It was a happy crowd, all in the spirit of the 

occasion, who gathered at the Clubrooms for 

the final Club event of 2016. 

The function brought together people who 

had never been to the clubrooms before, 

people who hadn’t been there for a while 

and a good representation of our midweek 

and club runners, regular Noggin ‘n’ 

Natterers and hillclimbers. Such was Ross 

Letten’s desire to be there that he overcame 

his temporary disability of a wounded ankle 

to make a dramatic arrival on a motorised 

scooter. 

The Clubrooms looked festive and 

welcoming thanks to the efforts of Ron and 

Bev Clydesdale, John and Pat Walker, Sean 

and Phyllis Rankin, Flavio and Sue Paggiaro 

and Diane Davies and all those who ‘chipped 

in’ by providing a great range of interesting 

foods, many with some creative seasonal 

touches. 

cooking skills and generosity. This was by 

far the most sought after item and Vern 

Hamilton was delighted - as was Elaine 

- when Diane Davies drew his name out 

of the draw. At the other end of the scale, 

Barry Smith was just one of a number of 

people who saw some worth in the range of 

‘vintage’ items provided by Don Webster - 

proving the adage that one person’s junk is 

someone else’s treasure as he carried away 

a carton of ‘vintage’ car jacks. 

The smiles on the faces of those who went 

home with ‘vintage’ goggles, steering wheel, 

oil cans and even a racing helmet still in 

The annual raffle of a variety of donated 

goods once again proved popular with items 

including an incredible Christmas hamper 

of goods, all the products of Diane Davies 

18 


its original packing each tell a story of a 

happy customer. Tim and Lyn Bateman 

were generous in their donation of items - 2 

bottles of ‘home made’ honey, a selection of 

Avon products and a cooler bag containing 

chocolate and wine. Once again, the skills 

of artist Greg Hannant and woodcraftsman 

Allan Tebbutt were greatly appreciated and 

Greg’s original painting and Allan’s beautiful 

cutting board went to happy and welcoming 

homes. 

Thank you to everyone involved in making 

the day a great success. 

Many thanks to Malcolm Campbell for taking 

the photographs of the function and, as he 

does with all of his photos, capturing the 

colour, vibrancy and happiness of the event. 


20 



November Midweek Run 

by Trevor Mills; photos by Malcolm Campbell 

MG Xmas Run Wed 23rd November, 2015 

What a beautiful day for our Club run. With 

24 cars we started our journey at the John 

Oxley Park, Murrumba Downs at 9.30 am, 

and headed to the D’Aguilar National Park 

at Mt.Mee where we had morning tea at the 

The Gantry Use Area. The Gantry looks like 

it is possibly under repair and hopefully not 

for dismantle due to old age. 

There was one casualty this morning, with 

Shaun Rankin’s MGF having problems and 

having to call the RACQ. Hope all is good 

Shaun. John and Glen Boyce were delayed 

getting to Bribie being the good samaritans 

helping Shaun & Phyllis. 

A cool breeze was enjoyed helping make 

our morning very relaxed. From Mt.Mee 

Road we appreciated the scenery of rolling 

hills and the odd sight of the beautiful 

scenes below. Then we journeyed down 

Campbell Pocket Road towards Wamuran 

turning on to the D’Aguilar Highway towards 

Bribie Island. 

From rolling hills to rolling surf. Small 

rolls of surf anyway, and a magnificent 

outlook towards Moreton Island. Here we 

Participants were: 

Owen McNeill & Ron Clydesdale MGB GT 

Dave & Anne Ferro 

MGB 

Aubrey Ross 

MGA 

Allan & Joyce Tebbutt 

MGB 

John Walker 

Commodore 

Dino & Margaret Mattea MGA 

Alex Cairney 

MG6 

David & Meryl Miles 

Magnette 

Neil & Jenny Summerson Mustang 

Denis Thomas & Bruce Bishop MGB 

Barry Lutwyche 

MGB 

John & Glen Boyce 

MGF 

Shaun and Phyllis Rankin MGF 

Jan Burke 

Hyundai 

Malcolm Campbell & Kathy Burford Golf GTi 

Rob & Carolyn Grant 

MGRV8 

Trevor & Ann Mills 

Kia 

with Fred & Barbara Enever 

Ray & Sue Edwards & Sandra Outlander 

Bruce Mutch & Ross Brunckhorst Forester 

Jeff & Pat Heslewood 

Subaru 

Greg & Rhonda Hannant BMW 

Bruce and Tip Ibbotson BMW 

Kay Hawley and Michael Garratt Honda 

Errol and Wendy Hoger Territory 

experience a beautiful sea breeze and 

enjoyed our lunch orders on the deck of the 

Bribie Island Surf Club. 

22 



The Nullarbor Nym 

(Or what we experienced in our MGY on our way home from the Easter 2016 MG National 

We had made it to Perth to attend the Easter 

MG National Meeting! 

This personal recount continues with our 

attendance at that event and then of our 

journey from one side of Australia to the 

other, back home, driving our 1948 MG 

model Y sedan. 

Personally the National Meeting was most 

enjoyable as we renewed old friendships, 

made new ones and participated in all things 

MG. We wrote an official report on the 

meeting and this appeared in the May 2016 

edition of The Octagon. 

Our National Meeting efforts. 

Our little MGY achieved a 1st placing 

in its class in the Concours – thanks to 

Peter’s meticulous preparation and much 

cleaning when we arrived in Perth. At the 

speed event Peter achieved a 1st placing 

and I received a 3rd in class. Then at the 

motorkhana Peter achieved a 1st placing 

and I received a 2nd in class. For the 

uninitiated a car can only be entered by one 

person in the Concours (even though it may 

be in joint ownership!) Then in the speed 

event and the motorkhana the car can be 

dual entered or in the case of a family it 

could have 3 drivers. 

As I had originally found the Y to buy in 

2011, it is referred to as my car, so I entered 

it in my name in the Concours. This is 

something I have only done at 1 other 

National Meeting in all the 40 odd years I 

have been going. All other times the car we 

drove to the event was entered in Peter’s 

name in the Concours, but I always still 

participated in the motorkhana and speed 

events. This gives us more points for our 

club to the overall John Wratten Memorial 

Trophy for the club obtaining the most points 

for the week-end. 

Where is all this heading you ask! To be 

24 


eligible for the overall perpetual Joan 

Richmond Fastest Lady’s trophy at this 

event I would need to “compete” in 3 events. 

So this year I was eligible - the second time 

ever! Joan Richmond was an Australian 

who achieved International recognition in 

motorsport and was part of the 1935 MG 

women’s team at Le Mans. 

The night of the Presentation Dinner came 

and I was excited, as I knew that I had 

accumulated a good number of points, and 

could be “in” with a possibility. Also there 

were no other females in the Concours 

winners line-up - who had also been in the 

other events. 

Unlucky for me that night we were seated 

with complete strangers, as all other seats 

with our fellow Queenslanders were taken 

on our arrival. There was no moral support 

there this evening! No matter. The evening 

wore on as this and then that was presented 

until it came to the time of the night when 

the Perpetual Trophies were being awarded. 

I turned my seat around to face the 

announcer – not wishing to be rude to my 

fellow dinners – but to be able to hear better. 

I had been trying to make polite chatter to 

my nice neighbour. But this was important to 

me – as I may win this trophy after 40 odd 

years of attending and participating at this 

event. 

My hands that held onto the seat began to 

get sweaty and I strained to hear. Wonders 

of wonders my name was called. I was 

ecstatic. Some of the “old” Fastest Ladies 

whom I had known for many years from 

other clubs came to congratulate me and 

all our club members were happy for me. 

To have my name engraved on the Joan 

Richmond trophy for National competition – I 

was in MG heaven. This alone had made my 

trip to Perth most enjoyable and rewarding. 

Of course Peter was also elated.

ph strikes again! 

Meeting in Perth, Western Australia) by Delia Rayment with sneak-ins by Peter - PART 3 

Congratulations again to the three clubs 

responsible for organising this memorable 

event – the MG Car Club of Western 

Australia, the TC Owners Club and the MG 

Owners Club of Western Australia. 

Post National Meeting – Perth 

After the National Meeting we went to stay 

with some old time MG friends, Harry and 

Deidre Pyle, in Perth for a few days. Like us 

the Pyles have had their MGTC for eons, 

and like us they use theirs. The Pyles major 

sojourn being in 1993, when they drove their 

TC around the world. For further details on 

that trip read Deidre’s book “MG TC’s. Drive 

Them ‘til the Roads Wear Out” 

As soon as we arrived Peter was whisked 

away by Harry to their local Vintage Car 

Club complex “Men’s” Spares Sheds. 

What a set up. Sheds filled with all sorts of 

motors, body bits, chassis bits, recovered 

old cars, brand new obsolete spare parts 

and old machinery. The Club sells the bits to 

club members at good prices for cars they 

are doing up. A win-win for the Club and 

its members. The sheds take up an area 

twice the size of the pit area at our club’s Mt 

Cotton Hillclimb. 

Relocated Boab tree from the Kimberleys 

Their Club has recently acquired a spoke 

lathe for making wooden spoked wheels. 

Not many new cars have wooden spoked 

wheels but a lot of the very old ones 

have. Another night we went back to the 

sheds complex and into their lovely brick 

clubrooms, for a Club BBQ and more 

chattering. Good fun. We were made most 

welcome. 

We had lots of catching up to do and being 

the gracious hosts Deidre & Harry are, they 

offered to show us some of the sights of 

Perth after their other house guests Shelley 

and Bob Bazzica from South Australia 

(more old timers), left. They took us up to 

Kings Park where we wanted to check out 

the progress of an old Boab tree that had 

been transported from the Kimberley and 

transplanted in a special spot there. We 


were totally impressed with its positioning 

and the tree’s health. What a wonderful 

achievement for all concerned. 

Harry and Deidre also were kind enough to 

take us to their city’s new Bell Tower which 

was opened in 2000 as a Western Australia 

Millennium project. Besides the famous bells 

from the St Martin-in-the-Fields of Trafalgar 

Square, London, there are also numerous 

bells from around the world to be seen 

on the different levels of the tower as you 

descend. It is the first bell-tower in the world 

to be built which allows the public to view 

the bells and ringers during the ringing. I am 

somewhat of a bell fan, so it was wonderful 

to be able to get up so close and personal. 

A disappointment 

On our last day with the Pyle’s our visit was 

somewhat marred as I received a ‘phone 

call to say that I had not won the Fastest 

Ladies Trophy for the National Meeting after 

all but had only tied! It would appear that 

there was a car in the wrong class for the 

TCs which meant that Noelene Dorn was 

now my equal. The tie breaker set in place 

in the National Meeting rules states that 

whichever person had the most cars in their 

class in the Concours would be the winner 

and that was surely Noelene as there were 

over 30 TCs listed in the Event Handbook. 

A shame though that they could only muster 

up 4 entries for the Motorkhana and the 

Sprint! Noelene is a true TC enthusiast 

however and we have rivalled before in our 

TCs so it went to a likeminded spirit. 

I felt so sorry for her that she wasn’t able to 

go up on the night and collect the trophy. I 

felt like a fraud. But then it wasn’t my fault. 

Still I did equal the result – didn’t I! Maybe 

next year I’ll have more luck as we plan on 

taking the Y to Adelaide for Easter! After 

all, these meetings aren’t all about trophies, 

as we enjoy the travelling and being with 

likeminded enthusiasts. 

26 


Eastward – Home we go 

And so it was time to wish Perth goodbye 

and start heading back across Australia, 

home to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. 

According to Peter’s calculations we had 

3721 miles or 5992 kilometres to go. 

Our route going home 

Our return from Perth was to take us 

as direct as possible to Norseman via 

Kalgoorlie, where we were to meet up with 

our New Zealand (Kiwi) friends Juliana & 

Warwick Protheroe. They were travelling 

in their 1973 MGB doing the South-West 

Australia Tour that the Western Australia 

Club had organised - post National Meeting. 

We have toured through that area before 

and decided to give it a miss this time, 

preferring to catch up with “old friends” in 

Perth. At Norseman it would be back across 

the Nullarbor, do a side shoot down the 

Eyre Peninsular to show the visitors the 

interesting bits and pieces there, back up 

to Port Augusta, Peterborough, Broken Hill, 

Cobar where just east of here we would part 

company - the Protheroes going to Sydney


and us back to the Sunshine Coast. Here 

are some of the highlights of our homeward 

trek. 

Northam 

We had no sooner left Perth when we came 

to Northam. It would seem that we weren’t 

destined to leave motorsport behind just yet 

as their annual Motor Sport Festival was 

in full swing. On arrival we were allowed to 

take a drive up the Mt Ommanney Hillclimb 

Circuit - as racing had finished for the 

day. Where were the safety barriers? We 

camped at Northam that night surrounded 

by a lot of the competitors for the week-ends 

activities - more chatting. The next day we 

went to look at the Northam Flying 50, as we 

knew several of the MG guys and girls from 

the National Meeting would be competing. 

It was a bit scary watching the old cars fang 

around the streets of Northam, and we were 

surprised with the lack of safety barriers 

compared with what we have to install at 

our events like this in Queensland. Still we 

enjoyed the spectacle and caught up with 

the MG friends. Then after a late lunch we 

headed east again. That night we made it to 

Merredin. 

of the towns would not survive. Originally 

the pipeline was built like a wine barrel 

(cooperage) of wood with steel wire binding, 

bound in cloth and painted in tar, to contain 

the pressure. These days it would appear 

that they are made of concrete lined steel 

pipe covered in cloth and painted also. It 

was a shame though that the Engineer C.Y. 

O’Connor who proposed, designed and 

supervised the construction of this pipeline 

nearly to its end, did not see his dream 

come to fruition. With all the political carryon 

at the time he committed suicide - just 

before its completion. An amazing feat of 

engineering which most people just take for 

granted these days. 

A man before his time. 

This was the engineer who was also 

responsible for making the Swan River 

mouth more navigable and the Freemantle 

Harbour a reality. 

The weather was getting warmer and we 

had a kip in the shade at lunch at Southern 

Cross the next day, as we were still trying 

to get over the hectic time of the previous 

couple of weeks. 

A pipeline in one of the world’s driest 

continents 

As we travelled eastward from Perth 

towards Kalgoorlie we often travelled next 

to a large pipeline. This pipeline was built 

in the 1890s to take much needed water 

out along this route, but in particular to the 

goldfields area. Without this “bloodline” most 

28 


Coolgardie 

The glory days have gone for Coolgardie, 

once called the “Mother of the Goldfields” 

because it is the original site of gold

discovery in this area. This more or less 

abandoned old gold mining town still has 

some beautiful old public buildings standing, 

however. 

of chatting we eventually left for Kalgoorlie. 

One certainly doesn’t need to be in a hurry 

as one travels around our country, as there 

is always something to see, and someone 

to chat to. 

Kalgoorlie 

Entering Coolgardie we were met by very 

friendly people, as we drove the length of 

the main street looking for some place to 

stay for the night. People waved at us quite 

vigorously – extremely friendly indeed! 

We found an overnight cabin, where 

we could have a good nights sleep and 

collapsed exhausted. Things were certainly 

catching up with us. 

Next morning whilst I was standing on the 

road kerb side opposite the beautiful old 

court house, taking a photograph of the 

Y parked in front of it, a voice spoke from 

behind me. It said “No – that’s not him!” 

I turned to look at the ‘voice’ and my eyes 

met those of a wizened old gentleman who 

appeared to be a local. 

He informed me that that car across the 

road looked a lot like one of the locals who 

owned “Ye Old Garage” behind where we 

were standing. Next thing the said person 

arrived. The car the gentleman owned, 

which the town’s people had mistaken as 

ours was a Post War Rover 75, a P4 Model, 

6cylinder – a beautiful car. He opened up his 

garage and showed us his collections. His 

collections consisted of old mining vehicles, 

a bren-gun carrier, a 1918 Leyland truck 

etc in the Ye Old Garage, but next door in 

another old shop was more collections of old 

enamel advertising signs, personal hygiene 

items, old movie and airline posters. Etc 

etc. Consequently 3 + hours later and lots 

Always a favourite spot. One can’t visit 

here without taking a drive up to the lookout 

which looks down into the city and into 

the Golden Mile Super Big Pit – 3.7km 

long, 1.5km wide and 480m deep open 

cut gold mine, the largest in the southern 

hemisphere. 

From here we went for lunch at the bakers 

at Boulder, Kalgoorlie’s twin city. 2 hours 

later we hit the road south for Norseman. 

Why 2 hours? Again we found people 

wanting to chat to us about the car and 

where we were going etc. This time we 

received an invitation to be guests at the 

local Veteran and Vintage Car Club that 

night but we had to decline, as we were 

scheduled to be in Norseman that night. 


30 


MGCCQ 2016 Calendar 

Affiliated with the Confederation of Australian Motorsports 

GPO 1847, Brisbane Q 4001 

The following abbreviations are used for Chapter names: 

CAP = Capricorn; FNQ = Far North Qld; DDC = Darling Downs; WBC = Wide Bay; WHI = Whitsundays 

FEBRUARY 

3 Fri CAP Dinner on the Coast 

3 Fri Noggin ‘n’ Natter at the clubrooms 

5 Sun WBC Bundaberg -The Great Car Collection Run 

5 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Run to The Great Car Collection 

5 Sun FNQ Day Run 

8 Wed DDC Mid-week lunch run 

10 Fri CAMS Evening of Champions at Easts Leagues Club Coorparoo 

12 Sun HSCCQ Come ‘n’ Try Motorkhana at DTC, Willowbank (P) 

16 Thurs WBC Early Morning Coffee Run 

17 Fri Noggin ‘n’ Natter at Clubrooms 

19 Sun CAP Breakfast @ Yougalious Cafe: Yeppoon 

19 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Paradise Dam Run 

19 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Paradise Dam Run 

22 Wed MGCCQ - Midweek run 

25/26 Sat/Sun Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Rd 1 (P) 

26 Sun DDC Monthly Run (Breakfast run) 

26 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Twlight Fish and Chips Run 

MARCH 


3 Fri MG Noggin ‘n’ Natter at the Clubrooms 

5 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Secret Run 

5 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Rainbow Beach Run 


11/12 Sat/Sun CAMS State Championship Races Rd 1 at Morgan Park (P) 

12 Sun HSCCQ Interclub Motorkhana at DTC Willowbank (P) 

15 Wed WBC Bundaberg - Mid Week Run 

15 Wed WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Run through local Farming Community 


18/19 Sat/Sun Hillclimb Series at Mt Cotton Rd 2 

18 Sat CAP Laurie Bank Lunch Tour 

19 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Cooroy Run 



26 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Angarra Tea Gardens Run 

26 Sun DDC Monthly Run (breakfast run) 

APRIL 

2 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Day run to Maryborough with lunch at Burrum Heads 

2 Sun DDC Crows Nest Lions Club Car Display 

2 Sun IWMAC Special event Willowbank 

2 Sun CAMS Club challenge hillclimb at Mt Cotton 


7 Fri Noggin ‘n’ Natter at the Clubrooms 

9 Sun HSCCQ Khanacross at DTC Willowbank (P) 

9 Sun CAP Baralaba Country Tour 

9 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Twilight Run 

12 Wed DDC Mid-week lunch run (BYO picnic) 

13 Thurs WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Mid Week Rum 

14-17 Fri-Mon MG National Meeting at Glenelg, SA 


22/23 Sat/Sun Mt Cotton Hillclimb Series Rd 3 (P) 

23 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Woodgate Run 

23 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Woodgate Run 

23 Sun DDC Monthly Run 

26/27 Wed/Th MGCCQ - Midweek run with overnight option 

29 Sat WBC Bundaberg - Camping Long Weekend Away 

29/4-1/5 Sat-Mon CAP Town OF 1770 / Agness Waters Tour 

MAY 


5 Fri Noggin ‘n’ natter at Clubrooms 

6/7/8 Sat-Mon WBC Hervey Bay - Long Trip Away - Toowoomba Tour 

7 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Early Morning Run to Mount Perry 

7 Sun DDC David Hack Classic Car Display 

7 Sun NSW Hillclimb championship Rd 4 Kempsey 

10 Wed WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Mid Week Run 

10 Wed DDC Mid-week overnight run 

13 Sat WSCC Khanacross Whitsunday Raceway 

14 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Run 

15 Sun NDSCC Interclub Navigation run and tour (P) - to be confirmed 


32 


20/21 Sat/Sun CAMS State Championship Races Round 2 at Morgan Park (P) 

20 Sat CAP BAT CLIFT TOUR 

21 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Early Morning Run 

21 Sun HSCCQ Khanacross Interclub at DTC, Willowbank (P) 


26 Fri CAP Raglan Fly in 

28 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Early Morning Run 

28 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Run 


28 Sun TOSA Interclub Macleans Bridge at Belmont Rifle Range (P) 

28 Sun CAP Classic by the Coast 

JUNE 

1 Thurs WBC Bundaberg - Display and Grand Parade 

1 Thurs WBC Hervey Bay - Display and Parade 

2/3/4 Fri-Sun Qld Hillclimb Championships 


2 Fri Noggin ‘n ‘natter at the Clubrooms 

10 Sat WBC Bundaberg - Weekend away at 1770 

10 Sat WBC Hervey Bay - Wondai Sprints 

11 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Car Show and Shine and Sprints 

11 Sun MG challenge hillclimb in Vic - TO BE CONFIRMED 

11 Sun WSCC Khanacross at Tonker Park 

11 Sun BMW Interclub Regularity event 

11 Sun MG challenge hillclimb in Vic - TO BE CONFIRMED 



18 Sun MG Club display and Denis Geary Concours at Ormiston House (P) 

18 Sun CAP Jim Armstrong’s OBSERVATION RUN 

21 Wed WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Mid Week Run 

24/25 Sat/Sun Mt Cotton hillclimb series Rd 4 (P) 

25 Sun WBC Bundaberg - Early Morning Run to Bucca 

25 Sun WBC Hervey Bay - Early Morning Run to Bucca 



JULY 




9 Sun HSCCQ Khanacross at Driver Training, Willowbank (P) 

9 Sun RACQ Motorfest (P) 


16 Sun CAP Terry DWYERS “Mystery Tour” 


22 Sat Porsche Interclub Supersprint at Morgan Park (P) 

22/23 Sat/Sun HRCC and NBCCC Noosa Hillclimb 

23 Sun DDC Jumpers & Jazz Car Display 


AUGUST 


5 Sat CAP Dinner on the Coast 

6 Sun HSCCQ Qld Motorkhana Championship Rd 4 at DTC Willowbank (P) 



19/20 Sat/Sun Leyburn Street sprints 

20 Sun CAP Many Peaks Tour 

20 Sun WSCC Khanacross Tonker Park 


26 Sat Come and Try/Test and Tune day at Mt Cotton hillclimb 


27 Sun Lotus Club Interclub Khanacross at DTC 

SEPTEMBER 



2/3 Sat/Sun CAMS State Championship races Round 3 at Morgan Park (P) 

9/10 Sat/Sun Mt Cotton hillclimb series Rd 5 (P) 

10 Sun HSCCQ Motorkhana including AMC practice at Driver Training Willowbank 


15 Fri AGM at clubrooms and Noggin ‘n’ Natter 

16 Sat All British Day - set up day (to be confirmed) 

17 Sun All British Day - (to be confirmed) 

17 Sun CAP Mt.Morgan Little Western tour 



30 Sat Interclub Hillclimb at Mt Cotton 

Please go to the online calendar on the Club website to get more information on each event 

34 


Norseman 

Our visit here on the way over was just 

a drive thru. On our return however, we 

stayed for 2 nights as we were waiting for 

our Kiwi friends to come from Esperance. 

As we stated in the first part of our story we 

usually like to travel alone these days, but 

as Juliana and Warwick were in need of 

company, not having been in this neck of the 

woods before, we said we would accompany 

them across the Nullarbor. They had heard 

all sorts of horror stories about what to 

or what not to expect whilst crossing the 

Nullarbor! Or was it that Juliana had heard 

about the Nullarbor Nymph and was worried 

that Warwick might go feral! 

of this little town is that it has been almost 

abandoned and forgotten. It’s somewhat 

tardy appearance belies what is happening 

in the surrounding countryside. Admittedly 

a lot of the workers hereabouts are FIFO 

(fly in fly outs), but a lot of the mines are 

underground and therefore unable to be 

seen unlike in previous decades. 

Juliana & Warwick had had a few dramas 

since we said bye-bye to them at Perth 

and this is why they were a day or so late. 

Firstly poor Juliana ended up in hospital in 

Albany because of some type of a virus. 

Then an oil seal on their MGB had to be 

fixed at the back of the gearbox, as it was 

spraying oil all under the car. And the third 

thing they found was that they had broken 

a spring. They had to then wait for another 

to be freighted, overnight, from long-time 

MG buffs Peter Harper’s workshop in Perth. 

I believe he sent two. They were nearly 

thinking about turning around, going back 

to Perth and shipping their car back to the 

Eastern states. But we said, “No – you’ll 

make it across the Nullarbor – it’s a piece of 

cake and you’ve had your 3 pieces of bad 

luck now, anyway!” 

So whilst waiting for Juliana & Warwick we 

did a little investigating around this historic 

gold mining town. One’s first impression 

By the time Juliana & Warwick arrived we 

were able to take them to the best vantage 

points to see some of the town’s highlights. 

Two sculptural features which appear in this 

town are very apt. The first one is of a horse, 

whose name was “Hardy Norseman”. His 

owner, a prospector called Laurie Sinclair, 

found gold-bearing quartz where the horse 

had unearthed it, overnight, in the1890s. 

The second dramatic set of sculptures is of 

a camel train made from corrugated iron, at 

a round-about in the centre of town. Without 

the use of the camel or corrugated iron in 

these areas the early Europeans would not 

have been able to do what they did. Camels 

were used because of their ability to travel in 

such dry conditions. 

Corrugated iron was used because the white 

ants can’t eat it and it is light to transport. 

Corrugated iron is still used today for 

constructing houses. We have seen some 

very swish modern homes built of it. 

As the sun was setting fast it was a rush to 

start driving Eastward Ho, because we had 

booked accommodation at Fraser Range 

Station. 


are pretty posh compared to the working 

shearers’ quarters of my youth at St. George 

Queensland that we used to stay in off 

season, to go fishing in the Balonne River. 

The Fraser Range Stations old shearers’ 

quarters are made of stone and are very 

solid indeed. The awnings of this structure 

are being held up by old Oppenheimer poles 

which were used on the Overland Telegraph 

Line and the East-West Telegraph Line. 

(Google the Oppenheimer poles for more 

information.) 

A different challenge begins 

Once we connected with the Protheroes 

we had another challenge on our plate. 

Warwick had decided to play the “World’s 

Longest Golf Course” – the Nullarbor Links. 

He paid $5 for his card, and armed with 

a 50c chipper, some second hand balls 

and a bottle top for a tee, went out for the 

challenge! The Golf Course runs from 

Ceduna to Kalgoorlie and of course you 

can play it backwards. This 18-hole par 73 

golf course spans 1,365 kilometres with one 

hole in each participating town or roadhouse 

along the Eyre Highway. Each hole includes 

a synthetic green tee and somewhat 

rugged outback-style natural terrain for 

the fairway. In Warwick’s instance he had 

already missed 3 holes, because he had 

come from Esperance and not Kalgoorlie. 

But this did not deter him. So at each spot 

marked on his card we would have to go 

find the green!! All this for a piece of paper 

(certificate) at the end!! Nearly as bad as 

participating in a National Meeting! Ah, we 

know - it was the challenge. Little did he 

know there was going to be many first times 

on this long golf course! 

It would appear to be a big thing these 

days as there is a “Chasing the Sun” Golf 

Festival, held each year in April. We actually 

met a few of them coming across as we 

were going the other way. Sounded like a 

fun time with champagne, concerts with 

comedians, bush poets etc. 

Fraser Range Station 

We had camped on the way over at this 

station but on the homeward leg we decided 

to stay in the old shearers’ quarters. These 

36 


As we looked at these poles, which are 

now posts, Peter began to reminisce about 

his working life with the PMG (TELECOM, 

now TELSTRA) and how technology has 

changed. Peter was originally involved 

in surveying sites for TV and Microwave 

towers, which has given him a feel for the 

Australian bush. Each system has had its 

share of faults and the modern fibre optic 

is no different. He has seen the glass ‘wire’ 

completely eaten by ants and also severed 

by parasitic plants as the plant thinks the 

‘wire’ is a root. 

Here a surprise awaited us. Before we left 

Perth I had taken a friend of ours aside, 

who was going on the South-West Tour and 

asked her to keep an eye on the Kiwis for 

us. The surprise was these same friends. 

I had thought that they were going back to 

Perth and putting their car on transport to 

be taken back to Victoria. Anyway, Anna 

and Wal Robinson were waiting for us at 

Fraser Range and had indeed done a good 

job of bringing the Kiwis thus far. Anna and 

Wal have been on several of these post- 

National Meeting trips with us. The first one 

was from Adelaide in 1993, when we did the 

Birdsville Track together with some other 

MG enthusiasts. Then a few years later 

when the National Meeting was last in Perth 

in 1995 we joined up again with some of the 

same people going to the Eastern States via 

dirt roads, crossing right across the centre 

of Australia. We went through places such 

as Laverton, Giles, The Olgas, Ayres Rock, 

Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, 

Lake Eyre, Innamincka, Thargomindah etc. 

in our MGs. What a nice surprise! 

That night there was much chatting in the

campers’ kitchen, where we chose to be fed 

by and with some of the staff of the station. 

The young German couple were still there, 

enjoying the outback. I asked Wal if he 

would recite his famous “Rindecella” poem 

for our guests and he obliged. He is so 

clever. I don’t know how he can remember it. 

As we wandered off to our room that night 

Peter had a nice surprise. Could it be true? 

Was it her – but with clothes on? This 

blonde young nymph had followed us out to 

the car. She and Peter chatted on for a good 

while, whilst I unloaded our things out of the 

car. She was an ex Mustang driver so she 

was interested in our cars. Peter however 

was wondering where he could indeed put 

her in the car – perhaps if he opened the 

boot then he could let her sit there – she 

certainly seemed the adventurous type. 

Next thing her boyfriend showed up – and 

put paid to that. No luck this time Peter! It 

wasn’t The Nymph. 

The next morning after breakfast together, 

we left Anna and Wal saying that we would 

probably see them “up the track”, as they 

still had to pull down their camper ‘van. Also 

they would catch us up anyway as they were 

in a more modern car - an MGB GT! 

So after Warwick had played his one hole of 

golf – which involved quite a bit of walking 

around the sheep property, we headed 

off. This was the first time he had played 

golf amongst sheep poo! (Even for a New 

Zealander!). 

Juliana & Warwicks Nullarbor adventure 

begins. 

Bolstered by encouragement from us and 

the Robinsons (or was it the prospect of 

an interesting golf game) the Protheroes 

were now eager to start heading across 

the infamous Nullarbor. If they were still a 

little hesitant they didn’t show it. Peter too 

became a bit more alert at the prospects of 

sighting the Nullarbor Nymph. Would he see 

her this time – only time would tell! 

Caiguna 

Near the roadhouse of Caiguna is one of the 

many blowholes which appear across the 

Nullarbor. They are formed by the chemical 

and physical weathering processes that 

erode caverns in the limestone bedrock. 

The airflow is created by the different air 

pressures of under and above ground. This 

one at this stage of the day was blowing out 

so I threw some dry leaves across its mouth 

so that our visitors could “see” the rising air. 

The leaves went skyward quite rapidly. 

Cocklebiddy 

Like most of the places across the Nullarbor, 

Cocklebiddy consists of a roadhouse, 

Service Station, Restaurant and Motel and 

that’s about it. The rooms at the Motel were 

large and clean with King sized beds and 

the restaurant food homely. 

That night at the motel, we were regrettably 

introduced to the Royal Flying Doctor 

Service as one of our motel neighbours had 

firstly to be taken to Caiguna by ambulance, 

where he was then to be flown to Kalgoorlie 

by the RFDS. Of a day they can land on 

the main road, the piano keys are painted 

on the road, but this was night time. Juliana 

and I took turns at being with the patient 

until contact was firstly made with the 

RFDS. Then an ambulance had to be made 

ready. They keep an ambulance at each 

roadhouse across the Nullarbor, just for 

these emergencies. That night the battery 

in the one at Cocklebiddy was a bit flat so 

they started recharging it as soon as they 

thought it would be needed. The question 

was asked could someone take a blood 

test of the patient. Juliana volunteered and 

sent the report to the RFD. Anyway to cut 

a long story short. The gentleman made it 

safely to hospital in time for medical help, 

40miles/66km by land ambulance and 

260miles/420km in the RFDS. (Brisbane to 


Bundaberg) 

At most places one travels in the Outback 

there are collection boxes on the counters of 

most shops for the RFDS. After this incident 

these boxes meant more to us, as it could 

have been one of us in that RFDS plane 

heading for a hospital. 

Mundrabilla 

West of Mundrabilla is Madura and it is 

here that the road descends onto the Roe 

Plains. We called (we usually have twoways 

between us) for a smoko break right 

on the edge of this scenic spot. Spectacular! 

Because of the enormity of these vistas 

it is very hard to take pictures – so one 

just needs to stay still and enjoy them. At 

this point, because we were well and truly 

on our way home I cracked out our other 

home-made fruit cake. When going on a trip, 

I usually make one for going and one for 

coming - we call it our survival tucker. It was 

well received and Peter informed me that 

the Nullarbor Nymph would not have been 

able to make its equal. 

Later Juliana & Warwick had gone on 

ahead to try and find the golf links. It was 

also so that he could give the MGB a blast 

after sitting behind us for awhile. This was 

something they tended to do from day one 

whilst travelling with us. When we arrived 

at Mundrabilla I went into the restaurant to 

order lunch. Also having lunch there were 

a couple of policemen. They went outside 

to where Peter was still at the Y and as 

they showed some interest in the car he 

showed them some of its features, or should 

we say lack of features compared to these 

times. Juliana said “They didn’t want to talk 

to us whilst we were in the restaurant!” It’s 

marvellous how a piece of machine can 

bring on conversations. 

Eucla 

Wal and Anna had gone on ahead this day 

and jagged a wonderful panoramic site for 

their campervan right on the edge of the 

escarpment overlooking the Great Southern 

Ocean and the old Telegraph Station - a 

million dollar view. So good, that they 

decided to spend a couple of nights there. 

We however had to push on as we still had 

38 


lots to show Juliana & Warwick of our wide 

brown land. 

We booked ourselves into a budget room, 

but weren’t very impressed – there was no 

basin, no toilet, no shower, no microwave, – 

nothing, but a bed - and it wasn’t cheap! Still 

it was a roof over our head and it was only 

for one night plus it saved putting the tent up 

- as accommodation otherwise was limited. 

As we left Eucla the next morning Peters 

eyes lit up as here was a sign saying 

“Nullarbor Nymph”. “She must be around 

here some where!”, he said. We started 

heading out in the direction that was 

indicated, but the next thing a golf ball came 

whizzing out of the bush! We went further 

and here was Warwick chipping away at the 

Nullarbor Nymph Links!!! All things aside 

Eucla is the home of the Nullarbor Nymph 

legend, apparently. The story goes that 

an out of work journalist penned this story 

about a long haired blonde running naked 

with the kangaroos and circulated it around 

the world, for business was somewhat flat 

at the Eucla Roadhouse in those days. 

Business improved greatly after that, as 

people came from all over the world half 

believing the story. Only in Australia could 

such a story have taken root! 

Each of the links across the Nullarbor has 

a shelter and a write up as to why that 

particular link has its name for instance 

“Brumby’s Run” at Madura refers to the 

fact that horses were bred there for the 

British Army (India) in the 1880s. Good one. 

Incidental learning! At Eucla the links were 

on the Rifle Range – this was the first time

Warwick had played golf on a rifle range! 

Just as we were leaving to go to the golf 

course who should we see again but the two 

policemen from yesterday. We exchanged 

greets. As we headed towards Nullarbor, 

after our exciting golf sojourn, we came to 

the state border of Western Australia and 

South Australia, where we were met with a 

road block. It was the same two policemen 

and this time they were checking licences, 

recording number plates, and doing 

breathalisers – both ways. What a wonderful 

place for a surveillance point, as there 

weren’t too many other roads that one could 

take in this area. We have no problems with 

this type of check point – if it can help keep 

check on criminals. 

After the check point and some photos at 

the Border Village of things like the three 

clocks with different time zones at this point, 

we had smoko at the Roadhouse and guess 

who turned up again. The two policemen!. 

Seems like they have a big area to cover 

and can range from one state to the other 

quite freely if the need arises. 

At Border Village, we were now about a 

quarter of our way home! 

16 Juiana and Warwick at the edge of the 

earth on the Nullarbor 

Nullarbor 

Even though the distance from Eucla to 

Nullarbor was not great we decided to allow 

a day for this stretch of the trip as Juliana & 

Warwick had never been across this area 

and we wanted to spend as much time as 

we could at each lookout across the Great 

Australian Bight appreciating the majesty of 

the Baxter Cliffs. 

We were in luck - the weather was perfect 

and the time of the tide appeared right also 

as white scallop like lines appeared , caused 

by wave action, around each headland 

contrasting with the azure blue water. 

Picture perfect as one might say. 

That night we stayed at the Nullarbor Road 

House Motel. We wanted to stay here so 

that our visitors could soak up the NON 

atmosphere (vacuum) of the Nullarbor. 

For when you turned your back on the 

roadhouse this was the true Nullarbor. The 

horizon was flat, no trees, no buildings, no 

people, nothing except for some low growing 

bushes. 

The golf tee at Nullarbor was on the airstrip! 

This was Warwick’s first time that he had 

played golf on an airstrip. A first for most 

people I would have said. 

Head of the Bight 

A side shoot after we left Nullarbor 

Roadhouse was into a relatively new 

Aboriginal Interpretive Centre right on the 


cliff tops looking over the Head of the Great 

Australian Bight. There is a charge to go 

into this area as a lot of money has been 

spent on constructing the information centre, 

toilets, and viewing platforms. Seasonal 

viewing of whales is one of the main 

attractions here, but we were just too early 

for the whales. Still we enjoyed the views 

and appreciated the information on the area 

and its original inhabitants. 

Penong and the Nullarbor Nymph strikes 

Whilst waiting for Warwick to play his golf 

at Penong amongst the windmills (another 

first), I went to make some smoko. Out 

came the flask, the cups etc. Then I went 

looking for our fruit cake. I searched all 

through the car there was no trace of it. 

The only thing we can think of was that we 

had had it out as we were on the Nullarbor 

at one of the lookouts and whilst we had 

walked over to the lookout the Nymph had 

done her thing. It must have been her! It 

was done so quickly and cleanly. No trace 

– just like her. Well that is what I am putting 

it down to anyway. I hope she enjoyed it – 

almost a whole cake too! 

Ceduna 

Travelling with Juliana and Warwick proved 

a little bit awkward at times as when we 

travel by ourselves we take each day as it 

comes, not knowing how many kilometres 

we would be able to cover or what we 

wanted to look at sometimes. We do not 

necessarily pre-book our accommodation 

unless we know that we are definitely 

going to be in a place for a particular night. 

As Juliana and Warwick liked the idea of 

pre-booking we now had to make it a habit 

of booking ahead the night before at least. 

When it came to Ceduna we knew of a 

nice place that we had stayed at on the 

way over and so we tried to pre-book. We 

were disappointed, however, as they were 

40 


completely booked out at the Foreshore 

Hotel/Motel, because over 500 bikies had 

descended on the town! Alternatively we 

pre-booked ourselves into a caravan park, 

with J & W into a unit and us into a tent 

site. When we arrived however we took 

one look at what was being offered, like a 

patch of sloping bare earth, in between a 

building and a caravan, about 10 square 

metres, with our car meant to be parked on 

a one way lane and said no thanks -as the 

caravans zoomed up the lane. We couldn’t 

even get our money back for some reason 

or other it was chaos! We just gave up and 

left, as there were too many people still lined 

up waiting to be booked in. 

We went back into town and asked at the 

Tourist Information Centre, but because 

of the huge influx of people, or the fact it 

was near closing time by this stage, the 

attendant just looked at us and said there 

was no more accommodation! Very helpful! 

Suddenly I remembered that I had seen an 

advertisement on our map for a Motel out 

near the airport so I rang them. They had 

heaps of accommodation! We drove out, 

booked in and ended up with the biggest, 

quietest, Motel room, with safe parking, you 

could imagine. It also had cooking facilities 

and was the cheapest yet! It is hard to 

fathom at times isn’t it. We had two days 

there as we wanted a lay day again. I think 

the attendant at the Tourist Information 

Centre was just overwhelmed. 

In the long run it was serendipity that we 

ended up at this motel as the next day we 

met up with some friends who were heading 

west from our own street where we live. It 

is a small world isn’t it. At Ceduna Warwick 

played his last hole of golf of the Worlds 

Longest Golf Course. He handed his score 

card into the Tourist Information Centre 

where it was duly stamped and he was 

given a certificate for his achievement. Well 

done. 

At this point we had now officially crossed 

the Nullarbor from West to East. 

Stay tuned for the next part of our adventure as we 

shepherd the Kiwis across the rest of South Australia and 

New South Wales. The fun continues.

CHAPTER Chatter 

Darling Downs Chapter 

by Gary Lawrence 

So another MG year has come to an end and I 

sit here contemplating the year that was. 

Once again, our Chapter had a busy year 

with members participating in a variety of 

events including our regular social mid-week 

and monthly runs, local car displays such 

as Crows Nest Lions, David Hack Day and 

Warwick’s Jumpers and Jazz Festival. 

We have enjoyed a number of very interesting 

monthly runs with some of the standouts 

being the Clifton Olde Time Movie run, a visit 

to Crofters Craft in Crows Nest which is an 

artisan cottage industry producing unique 

utensils from cattle horn and pewter, the 

Lakes of the Lockyer Tour and an observation 

run to the Army Flying Museum in Oakey. 

Our annual May overnight was very popular. 

This year it morphed into a two night event 

taking us into northern NSW to Tenterfield and 

the beautiful Granite Belt in the Stanthorpe 

environs. 

An annual long tour is somewhat of a tradition 

in our chapter. This year it was planned 

as a ten day run to Mackay to coincide 

with the MGCCQ state meeting in August. 

Unfortunately due to many of our regular long 

run participants having other commitments 

the planned contingent of MGs did not 

materialize. Not to be outdone a couple of 

our members took the opportunity to turn it 

into a caravan trip, attending the Combined 

Chapters meeting at Mackay. 

We continue to see a regular core of 

participants in our events with other members 

joining us on an adhoc basis when personal 

and work commitments permit. We have 

welcomed a number of new members over the 

past year. 

Bob Marsh (Warwick convener), Ron & Judy 

Gillis (mid-week run conveners) and Gary 

Lawrence (Chapter Coordinator) will continue 

in these roles for 2017. Glen Hadfield has 

volunteered to assist me with the Coordinator 

role this year as I will be ‘disappearing’ for 

extended periods, living the dream as I tour 

around Oz. 

The 2017 Event Calendar is available on the 

MGCCQ web site. One of the highlights will be 

our May overnight run to Stradbroke Island. I 

am sure a lineup of MGs on the car ferry will 

attract plenty of attention. 

It is gratifying to see a number 

of our members volunteering 

again this year to convene the 

monthly runs. 

Our 2017 MG year will kick 

off with a mid-week lunch run 

on 8 February; till then, all the 

best for a great Christmas 

and a Happy New Year. 

Lunch Run 09 November 

After an aborted attempt to 

visit Rudd’s Pub in October, 

our November run proved 


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that persistence pays as we enjoyed our lunch 

run to this iconic hotel. 

Apart from being a significant part of Nobby’s 

history, it also is significant for Darling Downs 

Chapter as this is where the inaugural meeting 

was held to establish our chapter. 

We were greeted with quite a warm spring 

day for this run so the cooler dining room in 

the pub was much appreciated. We actually 

had the pub pretty much to ourselves which 

facilitated some rather loud and boisterous 

conversation. We were able to enjoy our 

meals (which, as always are huge) in peace, 

and converse with each other easily. 

of the morning. 

Mussels had a sumptuous Buffet Breakfast 

on offer which was the choice of most 

members. While we waited to load our 

plates with breakfast goodies, those of us 

who are Grandparents were given an expert 

demonstration on how to dismantle a high 

Participants: Ron & Judy Gillis; Brian & June 

Phillips; Rob & Narelle Fraser; Denis & Imelda 

Logan; Gene & Faye Lucas; Phil & Marilyn 

O’Brien; Gary & Janis Lawrence. 

Monthly Run 27 November 

Palmerin Street Warwick was awash in a sea 

of red, intermingled with spots of green, black 

& white, as MG’s parked outside Mussel’s 

Restaurant to begin the Darling Downs 

Chapter’s Breakfast Run, the final run for 

2016. Unusually bright eyed Toowoomba & 

Gattonites greeted the Warwick crew after 

what would have been a very early start for 

the majority of them. 

No complaints were heard as most roads 

were devoid of traffic at that hour which made 

for very pleasant top down driving in the cool 


44 


chair to extricate a child with legs firmly 

wedged. Mission accomplished with not a tear, 

we tackled our meals with gusto. 

After breakfast, with run sheets in hand, we 

set off on the 64km drive to Clifton, minus a 

couple of cars whose occupants had other 

pressing engagements. The first part of the 

run, after exiting the Cunningham Highway, 

followed Sprint Route 12 until it turned 

towards Leyburn. 

This part of the run passed by the historic 

Darling Downs Pub at Sandy Creek & through 

the small settlements of Wheatvale & Pratten, 

all located in scenic farming country. It was 

very pleasing to see that the rains had 

reached these areas & farmers had been 

making the most of the good conditions. 

At the Clifton – Leyburn intersection we turned 

towards Clifton. More scenic farming land 

greeted us on the short run to a park in the 

main street, our morning tea stop & the end of 

another enjoyable Chapter run. 

Breakfast Run 07 December 

What is a good Aussie barbeque breakfast 

without flies? Yes they were in plentiful 

numbers but we endured!! 

Our final event for the year was a very 

enjoyable breakfast as Picnic Point. Our 

numbers were down a bit but we all enjoyed 

our breakfast together with several uninvited 

guests that swarmed around our delectable 

meals as we tried to eat. 

It was great to see all the usual suspects 

arrive, and a warm welcome to our new 

member Ken Proud who we hope will join us 

on many occasions in the future. 

Participants: Ron & Judy Gillis; Rob & Narelle 

Fraser; Janis & Gary Lawrence; Gene Lucas; 

Ken Proud; Phil & Marilyn O’Brien; Helen 

Goodfellow. 

Participants: Guy & Pam West, Greg & Beth 

Newey, John McLean, Gene & Faye Lucas, 

Ron & Judy Gilles, Ben & Angie Cain, Delia 

Morey, Michael & Marilyn Keating, Brian & 

June Phillips, Gary & Janis Lawrence, Bob 

& Mavis Marsh, Andrew & Susan Willesden, 

Glen & Bev Hadfield. 



Capricorn Chapter 

by Gurney T Clamp 

Sunday 20th - November 2016 - BREAKFAST 

ON THE COAST, DEGANIS Emu Park, 

CAWARRAL PUB 

The coastal members of Martin & Narelle 

Adamson, Gurney & Gloria Clamp, John Hallett, 

Phil Henry, Richard & Michelle Taylor along with 

Rockhampton member Ian Wilhelmsen all arrived 

at the Ross Creek car park and managed to get 

away by the desired 7.00 a.m. departure time 

to enable our coastal members to assist the 

restaurant management (Sharon ) in ensuring all 

our members had seating. 

On arrival at Emu Park we were met by new 

members Jim & Patty Burgess and George & Lyn 

Ganter. After settling in the restaurant the coastal 

crew realized that they had to order their breakfast 

as there was a local crowd showing an interest 

in also having breakfast there. Within a short 

time the Rockhampton members arrived - Garth 

& Leslie Barnes, Terry Dwyer & Anne Burbidge, 

Stuart & Ada Clark, John & Margaret Horton, 

Phil & Pam White and new members Laurie & 

Bev Chetter, John Hinton & Debbie Jury along 

with Mick & Shirley Condon from Yeppoon, New 

members Christine & Mark Johnson called in to 

say hello. 

Ian Wilhelmsen addressed members at the 

restaurant informing them that the events 

committee will be meeting on Thursday 24th 

to draft up the 2017 Calendar. Ian also invited 

members to send in any suggestions for tours to 

any one of the committee members. 

After breakfast, some members had to return home 

while the majority of members headed off to the 

popular Bell Park Markets with some later to be 

found loading up their MGs with a bargain. 

After the markets, Martin & Narelle Adamson, 

Gurney & Gloria Clamp, John Hallett, Phil Henry, 

Richard & Michelle Taylor, Ian Wilhelmsen, Jim 

& Patty Burges, John Hallett, John Hinton & 

Debbie Jury, Laurie & Bev Chetter all headed 

off on the next part of the tour to the pleasant 

surroundings of the Cawarral Pub to sample some 

liquid refreshments, with others indicated that they 

needed to get back home for various reasons. On 

arrival at the Cawarral pub we were 

46 


Friday 2nd December 2016 - Christmas, 

KRACKERS (Yeppoon) 

An excited Phil Henry of Yeppoon won the 2016 

Capricorn Chapter’s Jennelle Thomasson Trophy. 

The other award, the popular or not so popular 

“Broken MG award” went to Trevor Andersen who 

also thanked all present for their vote to enable him 

to win his first ever award. Rockhampton’s JO’s 

restaurant at Central Park Motel won the “Best 

Dining experience award” for the past 12 months. 

Gloria Clamp being congratulated for her running 

of the popular Poker run that once again provided 

wine for the tables and Gurney Clamp announced 

his plans for retiring as Chapter coordinator 

On behalf of the committee of the Capricorn 

chapter I wish to thank all those members who 

made themselves available to attend this function 

which allowed them to be part of the voting and 

experience the winners of the trophies and awards 

and to get to view the power point presentation that 

displayed photos that were taken throughout the 

year along with a few surprises of members while 

they were on holidays. 

Following main course Phil addressed all present 

explaining the contents of the 2017 calendar that 

has a couple of new additions to our range of tour 

events with Mt. Etna Bat Cave, Agnes Waters 

revisited after a couple of years. Terry Dwyer’s 

Mystery Tour and the popular tours are all in there. 

Later on Gary & Robbie Galloway indicated that 

they would love to invite the club members once 

again to visit their property on a Friday moonlit 

night, to either camp over or attend a BBQ & 

Damper meal. It was also announced that the 

chapter had received an invitation from Livingstone 

Shire Council to assist in the official opening of 

the Multi Story Car Park and also, in mid 2017, 

the official opening of the new Panorama road 

between Farnborough and Adelaide Park roads, 

and the Rockhampton Regional Council reopening 

of the Mt. Archer road on 16th. December 

Photos from top: Christmas Festivities x2, Phil 

Henry - winner of the Jannelle Thomasson Trophy, 

Phil White, Trevor Anderson - winner of the ‘Broken 

MG Award” 


Sunday 11th December 2016 - YEPPOON 

MULTI STORY CAR PARK OFFICIAL OPENING 

At 6 a.m. rain bearing clouds were continuing to 

roll in from the east threatening our Chapter’s 

involvement in the Official opening of Yeppoon’s 

Multi Story Car Park but, by 8 a.m., the clouds 

were still there but they appeared to have dropped 

most of their rain, which allowed some of our 

expected members to arrive at Yeppoon’s Beaman 

Park in preparation for departure to the new Multi 

Story car park only to find that one of the officials 

cars was yet to arrive. It was decided that George 

Ganter MG TF and Trevor Andersen Daimler 

Dart depart with another member waiting for the 

arrival of Stuart Clark MG A to arrive to give him 

directions. 

The three Capricorn Chapter cars were directed 

into the bottom of the car park waiting for a signal 

for them to drive out into Hill Street entrance/ 

exit. Following the usual council & government 

speeches and all four officials being involved with 

the cutting of the ribbon, Stuart Clark’s was the first 

vehicle to officially enter the park with Santa Claus 

on board happily waving to the crowd while ringing 

his bell, followed by Trevor Andersen with one of 

Santa’s Elves on board and George Ganter also 

carrying a Santa’s Elf. 

They were then followed by Rick & Michelle Taylor, 

Gurney Clamp and Ada Clark driving through the 

lower levels of the Car Park to the top where they 

were once again joined by officials for photo shoots 

with car owners who were each given a piece of 

the official opening ribbon. Our members agreed 

that it was a pleasant experience to be involved. 

Friday 16th December 2016 - Re-opening of 

Pilbeam Drive, Mt Archer 

The Costal Group of Trevor Andersen, Ian Carlton, 

Gurney & Gloria Clamp, Phil Henry along with new 

members Christine & Arthur Johnson and Jim & 

Patty Burgess all arrived early at the Oaks service 

station ready for the adventures ahead. The group 

departed five minutes behind schedule and after 

a good trip into Rockhampton found themselves 

arriving at the Vince Lester Park on Frenchville 

Road ahead of time. 

This gave them a chance to have a chat as they 

welcomed the arrival of Jenny Hill and the gradual 

arrival of the Rocky members Laurie Chetter 

and Bev Dunlop, Stuart & Ada Clark, Jo & Katie 

Emmert, Gary & Robbie Galloway, Ian Henderson, 

Phil White and Robert Holbeck with a travelling 

partner for the day Colin Fleming. 

Rockhampton Regional Council representative 

Gareth Martin introduced himself and apologized 

for the inability of Laura Price to attend as 

planned. Gareth explained to our members what 

Trevor Andersen, Stuart Clark, Santa & George Ganter 

and (bottom) MG A & Officials on top of Car Park 

48 



the procedure was for this part of the official reopening 

of the Pilbeam Drive to Mt. Archer. Gareth 

took a series of photos of our smiling group before 

he headed off up Mt. Archer. After a five minute 

interval Ian Henderson and Stuart & Ada Clark in 

their MG TCs led the rest of our members along 

Pilbeam Drive to Mt. Archer’s summit where more 

photos were taken by Gareth. 

Meanwhile our members made themselves as 

comfortable as possible on what seating was 

available and enjoyed the cool air that is always 

present at the top of Mt. Archer where they enjoyed 

a B.Y.O. morning tea. 

2016 ROUND UP 

It is good to have the opportunity to be able me 

to reflect on what we did throughout the year, as 

it brings back so many great memories. Our year 

started off with the usual B.B.Q. dinner tour up 

Mt. Archer in January on a usual hot summer day 

in Central Queensland to once again find that we 

needed jackets as the sun sunk in the west. 

February we once again paid our usual visit to 

Rockhampton Botanical Gardens for breakfast. 

In March we got to visit a new location when we 

toured to Laurel Bank on the Fitzroy as a club 

for the first time, a spot that we will maybe visit 

annually. 

It is always a pleasure in April to drive up the Mt. 

Morgan range then enjoy a short break at the 

Mt. Morgan Dam an event that is always on our 

calendar. This year we took in sights of the Mt. 

Morgan township from their two lookouts. Raglan 

fly-in is always a popular event in May for our some 

of our aero plane enthusiasts to visit, this year a 

good number of members camped overnight and 

got to experience how cold it can get there while 

watching the Saturday night’s entertainment unfold. 

Also in May a group of our members toured up to 

Airlie Beach and all reporting of a great time had by 

all, specially cruising around the Whitsunday’s in 

a yacht. One event that is always on our calendar 

is a visit to Byfield in June to enjoy the tasty well 

presented food at the Byfield store. Before that, 

this year we toured to Tanby Gardens for morning 

tea - another place we like to visit and where we 

are well received. 

One of the biggest events for our chapter in June 

was several members taking on the challenge 

of the “Great Northern tour” which took them to 

Townsville via Emerald, Clermont and Charters 

Towers then back home through Bowen & Mackay, 

a trip that all involved stated will remain in their 

memories for years to come. In July a few of our 

members took up the invitation from Farnborough 

School to display our cars at the annual fete, an 

event that has a real country flavor about it. 

As a Chapter we like to give support where we 

can and in August we once again visited Leinster 

Place in Rockhampton and in the same month 

we accepted an invitation from members Gary 

& Robbie Calloway to visit their property for a 

nighttime B.B.Q. and horse riding. We will be doing 

that again in 2017. 

It was exciting to being involved with the 

formation of another Chapter that is now named 

Whitsundays chapter. The trip to and from Mackay 

had its dramas, but having the opportunity to meet 

other Chapter members was a highlight, along with 

the daily events - as was a ride in a Tiger Moth. 

September saw our chapter tour to Gladstone to go 

on the ferry coffee & information cruise around the 

Harbour. The tour to Cockscomb Veteran’s village 

near Cawarral in October was an eye opener and 

the history of Mt. Wheeler was hard to believe. 

As we were heading into the warmer months we 

had breakfast at Deganis in Emu Park then, under 

the guidance of Gurney, we dropped in at the 

Cawarral Pub for a refresher. 

Christmas at Kracker’s in Yeppoon gave us all a 

chance to have a chat and pass on our Christmas 

& New Year wishes. Also in December we were 

involved in the Official opening of Yeppoon’s Multi 

Story Car Park and our last tour for 2016, the 

clayton’s re-opening of Pilbeam road up Mt. Archer. 

Through the year we said goodbye to Peter & 

Tracey Breed and experienced the passing of 

foundation member, Don Madden. We welcomed 

new members Ian Henderson & Wendy Major 48 

TC., Rae & Jack Cowie, 99 TF., Christine Johnson 

74 MG B American., Laurie & Beth Chetter MG 

B., Jim & Patty Burgess 68 MG B., John Rowe 58 

MG A. 

Congratulations to Jim & Sandra Armstrong. 

Wayne Kirwan on their results at the Nationals 

in Perth, Phil Henry on winning the Jannelle 

Thomasson Memorial trophy and Trevor 

Andersen on winning the Broken MG award and 

Rockhampton’s Jo’s Restaurant winning our best 

dining experience award . 

50 



Far North Queensland Chapter 

by John and Cherie Fransen 

Sunday, 13 November 2016 - Jaques Coffee 

Mareeba / Tolga Run 

Participants – Alan Wardlaw (MGB), Chris and 

Val Millar (MGF), Tony Basham (TD), Cynthia 

and Derek Bevan (MX5), John and Helen Honan 

(MGB), Tony and Yanti Boland (TD), John Fransen 

(Midget), Leon Johnson (Mini), Kim and Fiona 

Halloran (Merc), Graham and Pauline Hepburn 

(Daimler), Bob and Patty Ingram (MGA), Brendon 

and June Hammersley (MGB), Wayne and Lynette 

Morgan (MGB), Steve and Maureen Girardi (MBG), 

Kay and Harvey Williams (TD), Roy Jacques (E 

Type Jag). 

November run was a meeting first at the bottom 

of the Kuranda Range with nice sunny weather 

for a trip up the Range past the tourist township of 

Kuranda and then onto Jaques Coffee Plantation 

where we were met by Kay and Harvey travelling 


from the west. A relaxing morning with appropriate 

tea, coffee and cake. The discussions were 

aplenty; however, there was protest from our coordinator 

when there seemed to be a congregation 

of women on one table and men on the other. “hey 

people, we are not the Restorers Club”! hahaha 

After the coffee was drunk along with a few cheeky 

scones, two participants returned to Cairns with 

other engagements and we moved onto our next 

part of the scheduled drive. 

Travelling onto Tolga we took a loop around the 

back of Mount Uncle via Chewko, staying off 

the main drag for a scenic drive, the directions 

confusing a couple of drivers who chose to follow 

others rather than follow the original directions. 

Unfortunately we found out once we had reached 

our lunch point that Graham and Pauline’s Daimler 

had broken down with - you guessed it being of 

British origin - electrical issues! 

of varied choices for us. The gardens around the 

course were a beautiful backdrop to our function 

and a good time was had by all. An appreciation 

presentation was done for John and Cherie for 

co-ordinating the various activities throughout the 

year, but thanks must be mentioned for a number 

of Members who also helped organise a number 

of runs and get togethers throughout the year also 

when the Fransens were unavailable. 

After a bit of dessert to finish the night, some chose 

to party some more by making their way to the 

Morgan’s lovely property down the road. 

Taking this opportunity to wish everyone a very 

Merry Christmas from our local FNQ Chapter to 

all the other Queensland Members, some who 

we were fortunate to meet during 2016 at various 

events. Happy New Year for 2017 too, looking 

forward to doing all again next year! 

Rejoining the highway at Mount Uncle, we travelled 

through to Tolga for our lunch stop. Gratefully Alan 

went back to collect Pauline, whilst Graham waited 

for a rescue from the reliable RACQ. At the Tolga 

Hotel, Roy Jacques joined us for lunch in his red E 

Type Jag. 

Following a nice lunch everyone returned home via 

their respective routes, depending on which way 

was easiest to get home, with a couple going via 

Emerald Creek to ensure the usual ice cream stop 

was in the itinerary 

There was a few who got drowned on way home, 

with an unexpected brief heavy shower. 

Friday, 9 December 2016 - Paradise Palms Golf 

Club – Christmas Party 

Attendees – Alan and Sandie Wardlaw, Chris 

and Val Millar, Tony Basham, Cynthia and Derek 

Bevan, John and Helen Honan, Tony and Yanti 

Boland, John and Cherie Fransen, Leon and 

Llorien Johnson, Kim and Fiona Halloran, Graham 

and Pauline Hepburn and Dad, Bob and Patty 

Ingram, Brendon and June Hammersley, Wayne 

and Lynette Morgan, Steve and Maureen Girardi, 

Kay and Harvey Williams, John and Annette, Alan 

Searle. 

With a lot on at this time of year it was agreed that 

a nice Christmas dinner get together was a good 

idea before Members got busy with family activities, 

work commitments, going away for the holidays 

and so forth. 

Paradise Palms Golf Club near Palm Cove was 

the ideal place, with the venue organising a menu 

52 



Wide Bay Chapter 

by David Hall and Lyn Hayward 

Sunday 6th November - Combined Wide Bay 

Chapter Run - Photos and Story Contributed 

by David Carter 

On a very warm morning 5 cars with 10 people 

left our usual Hervey Bay rendezvous heading 

for Howard where we met up with 8 more 

intrepid travellers. 

Unfortunately 1 vehicle, (Darrell Martin asked 

me to not mention his name, so I won’t), 

suffered a catastrophic loss of brake fluid and 

like that other famous British marque (Rolls 

Royce) failed to proceed. It then had to be 

gingerly driven home to be swapped for the 

family hack, so still no breakdowns for the WBC. 

While the swapping was taking place the rest 

of us choofed on up the highway to Childers 

where we met 5 of our Bundy brethren, after a 

refreshing cuppa and lots of chat the Martins 

caught up with us just in time to head off to 

Woodgate for a sumptuous lunch at the local 

bowls club. 

Thanks to all who attended, John & Ros 

London, Mark & Jan Rouse, Paul Overton & 

Yvonne Fabriek, Dave & Margie Roberts, Peter 

May & Joy Batchelor, Darrell & Jackie Martin, 

Jim & Raye Vanderkyle, Peter & Margaret 

Elson, Selwyn & Sue Prasser, Leigh Noll, and 

last but not least Bill Manns & Peter Worland. 

Wednesday 16th November Country Run 

and Planning Day at River Heads Cafe 

On another beautiful morning in Paradise our 

Motoring Enthusiasts met on the Esplanade at 

Pialba and continued on to meet up with others 

on the Burrum Heads Road where the old 

Mundubbera Hospital had been relocated and 

turned into a stately residence. 

Participants: Lyn Hayward & David Hall - Silver 

MG TF, Jo Seeger - White Porsche, Peter & 

Jocelyn Gardner - Green Fiat, Neil & Coral 

Honey - Orange Mini Cooper, Paul Overton - 

Burgandy MGB, Marie & Lindsay McDonnell 

- Silver VW, Kevin Fairhall - BRG Jaguar, Jim & 

Raye Vanderkyl - White MG6, Graham & Bev, 

Darrell Martin - White MGB GT, Dave & Margie 

Roberts - White MGB, Mark & Jan Rouse - BRG 

MGB 

After a quick catch up everyone had a look at 

the new cars viz. the Vanderkyl’s MG6 and the 

Honey’s Mini Cooper. Then it was time to hurry 

and get back on the road again. Lyn was driving 

and parked at the rear and of course had to 

click extra photos before heading for the car. 

Even though David was hobbling to the car with 

his new knee he managed to beat Lyn calling for 

her to hurry as the others were already leaving. 

Lyn was hurrying to get the camera safely in 

the case and David’s walking stick into the car 

stored safely behind the seats before jumping 

in behind the wheel. She discovered later this 

is where she lost her phone. On looking up, 

everyone was disappearing into the distance so 

it was time to plant the foot and do some catch 

up. When that was successfully accomplished 

it was time to settle back and enjoy the drive. 

Then OOPS the oil light started to flash Lyn 

indicated to pull over and shut the engine down. 

The others proceed on to River Heads Cafe not 

knowing about our dilemma and enjoyed a nice 


morning tea with magnificent views while we 

hitched a ride home courtesy of the RACQ. 

When requiring to call the RACQ we realised 

that we couldn’t find the phone. So there was a 

trip back to RV2 to find it. Mark and Jan Rouse 

who live in the area beat us back and found it 

where we thought we had lost it. They invited us 

back to see their new home for a cold drink and 

check out their MGA Roadster Restoration. Lyn 

has vowed to stick to taking photos and leave 

the driving to David in the future. David assures 

me it wouldn’t have made any difference if he 

had been driving and I know that but I wouldn’t 

have lost the phone if I could just stick to taking 

photos. 

Sun 27 Nov - MGCCQ (Bundy Crew) Run 

Report by Gary & Meryl Duncan 

It was with a little trepidation that we, as run 

organisers for the day, waited in the carpark at 

the front of Dallarnil State School with our ears 

trained on a bend that leadsinto town on the Isis 

Highway listening for the familiar sound of an 

MG note or two. The weather of the previous 

day had been well short of friendly for the 

activities proposed for the day of the run and 

for people who treasure their cars, especially 

the ones who like to go topless. We feared that 

the roll-call would find that a few had chickened 

out. A couple had, but had been replaced by 

two Mazda MX5s transporting four prospective 

new members almost restoring us to the 100% 

expected roll up. 

As the contingent which had travelled from its 

meeting place in Bundaberg, swelling slightly 

along the way, arrived they found some of our 

Woodgate members and ourselves waiting 

for them, the 23 people in 12 cars displaying 

a variety of expressions on their faces. Most 

exhibited the joy they felt at being out and about 

with their mates in the cars that they love, but a 

good proportion of the faces said “at last we’re 

here. Now where’s the dunny?” The bad news 

was that they still had to keep their legs crossed 

for another 14 kilometres until we arrived at 

the Lions Park in Biggenden for a welcome 

smoko break. Welcome, that is, after scanning 

the area, looking for the little blue signs with 

white stick men and stick ladies that you see 

on the walls of small buildings in such places of 

course. 

Our newly refreshed group of 27 people in 14 

cars then took in a leisurely lap of the thriving 

metropolis of Biggenden before heading for the 

hills, so to speak. We skirted around the town 

in a large anticlockwise arc on narrow bitumen 

54 


country roads giving us vistas of rolling green 

hills. In fact I was sure that at one point I saw 

on top of one of the closer rolling hills, a young 

lady in very Austrian looking traditional clothes 

with a picnic basket over her arm. She was 

dancing about singing at the top of her voice 

“The hills are alive with the sound of engines.” 

Aka Julie Andrews. But alas. The radio was off 

and no one else saw her so I must have been 

mistaken. Some later favourable comments 

about the views of our iconic Mount Walsh 

from many differing angles and perspectives as 

well other sights along the way vindicated our 

decision to take the group the way we went. Not 

even a short, sharp shower of sparse but heavy 

raindrops, seemed to dampen the enthusiasm. 

Having filled in a gap intended to reinstate our 

appetites for lunch we rejoined the Isis Highway 

beyond Biggenden and headed for our lunch 

venue at another thriving metropolis, namely 

Coalstoun Lakes. 

No one even seemed disappointed that the 

Leprechaun Club, where we had pre-ordered 

our meals, was not nestled snugly on the edge 

of an expansive waterway. 

There were no boats casually bobbing around 

at their moorings with little ripples gently 

slapping against their sides. No one was fishing 

either. That was because there are no lakes 

at Coalstoun Lakes. The only similar natural 

Phone or fax for a 

FREE 

54 PAGE 

CATALOGUE 


formation is comprised of extinct volcanic 

craters, some of which we did see along the 

road but which only appeared as more of those 

rolling hills when seen from road level. When 

there is enough rain they do appear like lakes 

if you expend enough energy to climb up to the 

top and look down inside. 

We were welcomed at The Leprechaun Club 

by Chief Leprechaun John, who efficiently 

coordinated meal delivery and bar operations 

and threw in some Irish Jokes and Irish poems 

for good measure. He seemed to enjoy our 

time there as much as the rest of us. Several 

undertakings were made to return there in 

future either as a club outing or as individuals. 

All appeared happy and contented as the crowd 

gradually dispersed and we all departed for our 

respective homes after a day well spent and 

enjoyed. 

Hervey Bay Twilight Run Sunday 4th 

December 

Well who would have believed it 15 cars and 26 

members and 4 signed up to join our Chapter - 

a total of 30 members the most we have had for 

a long time here in Hervey Bay! 

It was just a short drive along the Esplanade to 

the Pier Park were the Council had recently built 

a nice new car park for extra parking perfect to 

help keep our cars safe and where we could 

also keep an eye on them. 

It wasn’t long before we were all tucking into 

our choice of food and drinks, chatter being 

the main choice of the beautiful evening, with a 

lovely sea breeze topping it off. 

We could not have found a better venue here 

in the Bay and it was nice to see new members 

Lindsay and Marie McDonald driving their 

Immaculate MGB Roadster and the signing up 

of 4 new members to our Chapter was a Giant 

Bonus. We hope you all have many happy 

outings with our club in the future! 

Hervey Bay Saturday 10th December 

Christmas Party 

Our change of venue and Day and Date 

seemed to have attracted our members out with 

28 present at Carol and Lewis Gray’s Home in 

Point Vernon. 

The ladies all brought some beautiful salads, 

pavlovas, cheese cakes, home made sweets 

etc the list goes on and on and a very large ham 

and chickens were purchased by Carol. This all 

made for such a Beautiful Banquet fit for a King 

56 


& Queen. Thank you to all involved in bringing 

along such wonderful tasty food for us all to 

enjoy. 

Warren (Wassi’s) had organised a quiz which 

had most of us baffled but David Roberts knows 

his cars and won hands down. Great effort and 

thanks Wassi for your contribution to the fun of 

the day. Margaret organized a parcel post and 

we all had forgotten what fun that can be. 

We had a raffle with a number of donated prizes 

to be won to cover any costs that Carol may 

have had buying the Ham and Chickens and 

she was more than happy with the outcome of 

that. 

As Lewis had to fly to New Zealand prior to the 

party to be his very sick 90 year old Mother who 

required emergency Surgery, he was unable to 

be with us and we do wish his Mum a speedy 

recovery. However it gave Carol a chance to 

show off his one of a kind Man Cave. Well 

what a collection - Corvettes, Mustangs,Ford 

Thunderbird with an Alfa, Triumph and Morrie 

Convertible to top them off and don’t forget 

the Land Rover Series 1. There was also 

memorabilia on the walls from experiences 

gone by and some photos of Lewis Racing his 

Alfa many years ago - up on two wheels I might 

add. 

Overall it was a fantastic day and thanks so 

much to Carol and Lewis for their hospitality 

in organising this friendly fun and relaxing 

Christmas Party to remember. 

Bundaberg Thursday night 1st December 

was the Pageant of Lights 

The Bundy Crew entered in this annual event 

held by the Bundaberg Regional Council 

and a very Merry time was had by all that 

attended. Those who participated were Eric and 

Janelle Beckman, Ray Mutton and passenger 

Brodie with Jacqui Mutton doing the photos, 

Leigh & Jacki Noll, Keith & Mary Ross, Judy 

O’Donoghue and Sue Ron & Cherryl Johnston. 

Bundaberg Christmas Party Sunday 11th 

December 

We believe the Bundy Crew had a terrific time at 

their party at Moore Park Tavern. Thank you to 

Eric and Janelle Beckman and their helpers for 

organising another great outing! A special thank 

you to local residents Margaret & Peter Elson 

towards setting up etc for the Christmas party. 


Competition Corner 

QUEENSLAND HILLCLIMB 

CHAMPIONSHIPS 4/5 JUNE 

On track photos are by Steve Johns; 

presentation of trophies are by Brad Stratton 

2016 HILLCLIMB SERIES ROUND 6 

2016 EUREKA LANDSCAPES 

QUEENSLAND HILLCLIMB 

The showstoppers for this final round of 

CHAMPIONSHIPS 

the 2016 series proved to a couple of 

by Ace Reporter 

goannas which were completely unfazed 

by the presence of many cars and people 

Weather played a role on Friday with rain 

in their territory and claimed their right to 

resulting in very few taking up the offer 

some track time as well. In keeping with our 

of additional practice. Rain on Saturday 

responsibilities as members of ‘Land for 

saw only the adventurous come out to 

Wildlife’ their rights were respected and they 

try the conditions. This rain washed any 

then moved into the more appropriate role 

rubber from the track surface and even 

of off-track spectators. 

though Sunday gave a brilliant winter day 

the track surface was a dry yet cold track 

Fortunately the predicted ‘heat event’ for 

surface so the possibility of record times 

the weekend wasn’t quite as severe as 

looked uncertain. The entry attracted 

expected and the storms held off so the 8 

Malcolm Oastler current Australian, New 

rounds were run without weather incidents. 

South Wales and Queensland champion 

While no records were broken, there 

in his OMS 28 again with the Hayabusa 

were still some amazing times posted on 

turbocharged engine. 

track most obviously in the Formula Libre 

categories where the presence of Dean 

DA and BJ COTTON SPONSORED 

Amos in the Gould added to the already 

CLASSES 

strong field to keep Dean Tighe, Michael 

von Rappard and Neil Lewis pushing hard 

First class of each run was for the Holden 

into the Under 40s times while Jim Milliner 

HQ group which was won by Anthony Toft 

and Harold von Rappard - returning to 

with a best run of 56.01 seconds. Barry 

competitor status after a short break - and 

Smith (Ford V8 Special) took the Group K 

Vicki Paxton came close to that time as well. 

(Post Vintage Thoroughbred cars 1931 to 

1940) with a 61.64 run from John Anderson 

Fastest time of day went to Dean Tighe 

(Woltri, 63.87). Production Touring Cars 

(37.40) from Dean Amos (37.71) and 

(1958 to 1972) Group N up to 2000 cc 

Michael von Rappard (38.89) while times in 

went to Ken Freeburn (again down from 

the Top Six competition for the same three 

Cairns for the championships) with a 53.70 

were respectively 37.05, 37.81 and 39.58. 

time from Paul Shergold (54.35) both 

driving Ford Cortina models. Noel Wicks 

Best MG Award went to Steve Riley and 

won the over 2 litre class in his Holden 

the Most Improved Award (for first time 

Torana GTR XU1 (50.91 sec). Fred Sayers 

competitor at the hillclimb who improved 

took the Group O for Sports Sedans 

times consistently throughout the day) went 

(Historic Racing and Sports Racing cars 

to Martin Astley. 

1966 to 1969) in the ex Don Holland 

lightweight Morris Cooper S in 52.03 sec 

Happy winner of the raffle for the Ian Colley 

whilst Steve Purdy Group S (Production 

frame and photo collage was Jeremy from 

Sports Cars 1941 to 1977) MG Midget 

the Milliner family. 

49.87 sec. Roy Davis took the Group T 

52 58 The Octagon - July January 20162017 

(Production Sports Cars with a Competition 

History 1941 to 1981) in his Triumph GT6 

running PRESENTATION a 49.13 time OF with HILLCLIMB the Group U class 

(Sport TROPHIES Sedans - Friday up to 1985) Dec 9going to Chris 

Johns in his Ford Escort with a best run of 

47.54 It was seconds. pleasing that the majority of trophy 

winners were able to attend the presentation 

CARRIC of trophies ACCOUNTING night though distance AND BUSINESS prevented 

SYSTEMS some of the SPONSORED major trophy winners CLASSES from 

being there. Michael von Rappard, winner 

The of the All Best Wheel Young Drive Driver Forced award, Induction travels from 

class Airlie went Beach to to the compete; multiple Dave Queensland Roberts, 

Motorkhana 3rd outright and Champion, winner of Noel the Caplet, Best Sports in 

the Car Subaru award makes Liberty the turbo drive with to a Mt best Cotton run 

of from 48.21 Hervey seconds Bay and Therese Derek Grant Wade, in his class 

Subaru winner and Liberty winner turbo of GT the with Kay a Hawley 57.79 time. 

Mark Encouragement Pryor was quickest Award for of Best the Hyundai Female 

Excel Driver, X3 hails Series from cars Lismore. with a 51.85 run which 

was only 0.08 sec outside the class record 

with Trophies Bradley were Smith presented (53.68) by and Richard Tony Mattea Walsh 

(55.35). - wearing two hats as Club President and 

joint Series Sponsor - and Dean Tighe, joint 

BRAD Series KIMBERLEY Sponsor while CARS Gary Goulding SPONSORED took on 

CLASSES the role of MC. 

The Class smaller trophies engine were capacity first to be class presented in 

Improved followed by Production the presentation cars was of won by 

Grant Encouragement Liddell (Datsun Awards 1200 for Coupe, which Kay 52.74) 

from Hawley Karl was Reinke attendance (Hyundai and Excel, presented 61.28) 

slightly the trophy ahead to Chris of Jo Johns Reinke (Hyundai Therese Wade’s 

Excel, absence. 61.63 Vern seconds). Hamilton Dave presented Sidery the (VW 

Beetle, Russell 50.61) Crew Memorial finished ahead Trophy of for Karlie the Best 

Buccini MG to Andrew (Proton Willesden Satria, 50.76) as Glenda in the Crew 1601 

to was 2000 unable cc class to be whilst present. the Vern 2001 gave to 3000 a brief cc 

class history saw of the a tussle trophy, between its significance Ken Graham and 

(Datsun of the multiple 1600 SSS,45.93) relationships and that Pauline the Crew/ 

Graham Collins family (Datsun have 1600 with SSS, the Club. 46.33) with 

Troy McGrogan (Mitsubishi Lancer, 48.45) 

and This Martin was followed Egglesfield by the (Ford big awards Fiesta ST - those 

turbo, attracting 49.41) prize completing money as the well class. trophies. Ken was 

quickest These are over for the first Best 2 Sedan, runs until Best Pauline Sports 

grabbed Car and Best the lead Racing with Car a 46.33 - “Best” run being to hold 

this defined position for these until the purposes fifth and as final ‘Scoring climb Most 

with Points” Ken - and recorded the Outright the winning placings run which with a 

45.93 interestingly time. Paul included Buccini one took racing the car over (Dean 3 litre 

capacity Tighe, 1st), class one with sedan a run (Paul of 47.13 Buccini, secs 2nd) in 

his and BMW one sports 135i from car (Dave the Holden Roberts, Commodore 3rd). 

of Noel Preston (51.27 seconds).

Outright 

1st 

2nd 

3rd 

Best Racing Car 

Best Sports Car 

Best Sedan 

Russell Crew Memorial Trophy for the Best MG 

Encouragement Awards 

Kay Hawley award for Ladies 

MGCCQ award for Males 

Accurate Suspension Best Young Driver Award 

Encouragement award for young drivers 

Class Awards 

All Wheel Drive Forced Induction 

Circuit Excel 

Clubman Cars 

Formula Libre up to 1300cc 

Formula Libre 1301cc & over 

Formula Vee - 1200 

Formula Vee - 1600 

Group P - Sports 

Group Q - Sports 

Group U 

Improved Production up to 1600cc 

Improved Production 1601 to 2000cc 

Improved Production 2001cc and over 

Marque Sports 1601 to 2000cc 

Marque Sports 2001cc and over 

Mod Prod & Inv Cars, incl. Road Reg up to 2000cc 

Mod Prod & Inv Cars, incl. Road Reg 2001cc & over 

Production Rally Cars 

Prod & Inv Cars, incl. Road Reg Up to 1600cc 

Prod & Inv Cars, incl. Road Reg 1601cc to 2000cc 

Prod & Inv Cars, incl. Road Reg 2001cc & over 

Regularity 

1st 

2nd 

3rd 

Sports Cars Open up to 2000cc 

Sports Cars Open 2001cc and over 

Sports Cars Closed up to 2000cc 

Sports Cars Closed 2001cc and over 

Sports Sedans Up to 2000cc 

Sports Sedans 2001cc & over 

Superkarts 

Supersports/Sports 1300 

Dean Tighe 

Paul Buccini 

Dave Roberts 

Dean Tighe 

Dave Roberts 

Paul Buccini 

Andrew Willesden 

Therese Wade 

Gavin Taylor 

Michael von Rappard 

Brock Paine 

Maddison Crewe 

John Stuckey 

Mark Pryor 

Ainsley Fitzgerald 

Jim Milliner 

Dean Tighe 

Jim Heymer 

Craig Hughes 

Geoff Frizell 

Alan Telfer 

Chris Johns 

Grahame Rumballe 

Karlie Buccini 

Ken Graham 

Zaid Latif 

Dave Roberts 

Karl Reinke 

Paul Buccini 

Ray Evans 

Daniel Zeimer 

Jan Bucifal 

Martin Egglesfield 

Andrew Willesden 

David Dumolo 

Greg Tebble 

Therese Wade 

Jeffrey Graham 

Brock Paine 

Terry Johns 

Tyson Cowie 

David Malone 

Gary O’Mullane 

Daryll Searle 


Special thanks go to those who worked 

to make the night a success despite there 

being only 5 days from the last event to the 

presentation night. They include Ian Fettes, 

the Club Pointscorer; Rick Miles, the trophy 

provider; Elaine Hamilton, provider of photos 

for the evening so that people could match 

the drivers with their cars and, perhaps most 

importantly, Pauline and Ken Graham who 

volunteered to take on the job of catering 

for the night and proved to be more than 

capable of meeting the challenge. 

Many thanks, too, to the photographers 

who have supplied the photographs used in 

this report - Steve Johns, Peter Buchanan, 

Rob Talbot, Harry Norbury for their on track 

photos and Jim Heymer who took the photos 

on the night. 

MC for the night - Gary Goulding 

Ainsley Fitzgerald 

Jim Milliner 

Jim Heymer 

Alan Telfer 

Chris Johns 

60 


Karly Buccini 

Ken Graham 

Daniel Zeimer 

L to R Dean Tighe, Greg Tebble (3rd in Regularity), 

Andrew Willesden (Regularity winner) and Richard Mattea 

Brock Paine 

Terry Johns 


Tyson Cowie 

Gary O’Mullhane 

Gavin Taylor, winner of MGCCQ encouragement award 

for males 

Ken and Pauline Graham presented special encouragement 

awards to young drivers Maddison Crew and Brock Paine 

Andrew Willesden with Russell Crew Memorial Trophy 

for Best MG 

Paul Buccini (3rd outirght) and Dean Tighe (Series 

winner) 

62 



Hillclimbs 

or by email to vprojects@internode.on.net 

64 


Produced and printed by ARTXDESIGN CREATIVE STUDIOS artxdesign.com.au

Octagon January, 2017

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