MX5 Club QLD RTR The Year 2023

Big Bang 2023 Kick-off Run
Sunshine Coast Chapter
Sunday 5th February, 2023
Organised by: Jamie Thornburn
Story by:
Marg & Ivan Schindler
Photography by: Marg & Ivan Schindler
The Sunshine Coast Chapter’s first run for 2023 kicked off at Cooroy (from the Aboriginal word Kurui
meaning possum) and headed to Coolum Beach (gulum or kulum meaning blunt or headless, the shape
of Mount Coolum).
Planned by our esteemed Chapter Leader Jamie Thorburn, the run was a little over 145 km with a stop
at the Black Ant at Kin Kin for morning tea. We have stopped there before and what a great little venue
it is.
11 cars headed off at 9:00am following Jamie’s
welcome for the New Year. Group 1 was led
by Jamie and his son Cameron with Russell
& Lynn Birrell as Tail-end Charlie and then
Group 2 headed off ten minutes later led by
Jerry Griffiths and Sue Clapham with Ivan and
Marg Schindler bringing up the rear.
Chapter Leader Jamie Thornburn (right) with son
Cameron, driver for stage 1
Ivan & Marg with an impressive line up of cars at
Cooroy
Jamie’s run sheet was spot on and we were led through some beautiful Sunny Coast scenery. Even so,
two “adjustments” were made by our lead cars – planned of course, i.e. necessitating a turn-around.
Group 1 rewrote the directions during Stage 1 at the Noosa Rd/Okeeffe Rd intersection. In Jamie’s
words “Cameron was driving and, foolishly, he took me literally when I advised him that Okeeffe Rd
was ‘well signposted’. Whilst there was, in fact, a signpost for Okeeffe Rd, it came immediately after
the crest of a fast, sweeping left-hand bend…and was accompanied by my cry of ‘There it is, there it
12 The Year 2023