MARCH 2019 VOL. 59 NO. 2 2019 WE… · MG Car Club of South Australia - Committee Appointments 2018/2019 PATRON Ed Ordynski AUDITOR Graham Tull EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OFFICE BEARERS

MARCH 2019 VOL. 59 • NO. 2

CONTENTS

Editorial……………………….….. 5

Presidents Report……………….. 6

T Register Report……………… 8

Constitution review……………… 12

CAMS Awards…………………… 15

Bobs Short Stories……………… 16

MGC Report…………………….. 18

Calendar 3 Months……………. 20

Club Registration News………… 22

Situations Vacant………………. 23

Buying a Modern MG………….. 24

MGA Magnette News………….. 26

All British Day Report………….. 30

Motorsport News………………… 33

Breakfast Run Up-date………… 34

.Life of Brian’s Theory………….. 36

Vale notice………………………. 38

Trade Directory………………….. 39

Classifieds……………………….. 40

Cover Photo. The MGTF of Heather & Chris

Bennett that was awarded the Sterling Jewellers “Best Presented Car” at the

All British Day.

MARCH 2019 Volume 59 Number 2

1

MG MOTORING

MG MOTORING is the official publication of:

The MG Car Club of SA Inc. 93 Chief Street,

BROMPTON SA 5007

A.B.N. 37 304 683 381

Phone (08) 8346 7747

E-mail [email protected]

Web-site: www.mgccsa.org.au.

www.facebook.com/MGCarClubofSA

Postal address

P.O. Box 200

BROMPTON SA 5007

The articles printed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the

MG Car Club of S.A. Inc. or the Editor.

Technical tips and methods suggested are the views of the person submitting them

and the Club cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of these whatsoever.

See details for submitting articles

on Page 4.

http://www.facebook.com/MGCarClubofSA

MG Car Club of South Australia - Committee Appointments 2018/2019

PATRON

Ed Ordynski

AUDITOR Graham Tull

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

OFFICE BEARERS

2

PRESIDENT Adrian Ward Mob. 0400 577 169 Email. [email protected] P

VICE PRESIDENT Tim Edmonds Mob. 0419 804 645 Email [email protected] V

SECRETARY Peter Coulson Mob:0419 215 964 Email: [email protected]

C

ASST. SECRETARY Bev Waters .Mob: 0402 262 156 Email: [email protected] M

TREASURER Alan Cardnell Phone: 8264 9168 E:[email protected]

MAGAZINE EDITOR Laurie Houghton . PH: 8356 9953 E: [email protected]

MOTORSPORT SEC. Murray Stephenson Ph: 8278 4687. M: 0419 565 970 E: [email protected]

E

ASST. M/SPORT SEC. E

IMEDIATE PAST PRES. Allan Semmler Phone: 8266 2561 Email: [email protected]

SOCIAL SECRETARY G

SEC. OF REGISTERS Ken Burke . Ph 83829821 mob: 0488541646 [email protected],

GENERAL COMMITTEE

Steven Spong Ph: 8370 8913 M: 0417 817 101 E: [email protected]

Peter Auld [email protected]

Ian Curwen-Walker Phone: 8278 2781 Email: [email protected]

REGISTER CO-ORDINATORS

MGA/MAGNETTE Sandra Cardnell ..Phone: 8264 9168 [email protected] L

MGB Steven Spong Ph: 8370 8913 Mob: 0417 817 101 Email [email protected]

K

MGF,& Moderns Neil Williams [email protected] Mob: 0419 308 397

M

MGC Ian Hobbs PO Box 625 MYLOR SA 5153’ Ph: 8388 5600 Email: [email protected] Mob: 0417 877 127

N

FWD,MIDGET Anthony Pearson Phone: 8278 4393

T & PRE-WAR John Bray Ph. 8278 5133 Mob. 0403 043 434. Email. [email protected]

B

mailto:[email protected]


MG Car Club of South Australia - Committee Appointments 2018/2019

3

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS

LIBRARY Stephen Marlow . Mob 0409 600 557

PARADES & DISPLAYS Adrian Ward Mob. 0400 577 169 Email. [email protected] J

BREAKFAST RUNS Steven Spong Ph: 8370 8913 F

KNOW YOUR MG TBA

CLUB REGISTRATION

Geoffrey Goode . Ph: 82673740, [email protected] Arthur Ruediger Phone: 8353 1870 Email: [email protected]

A C

CAMS DELEGATE Ian Curwen-Walker Phone: 8278 2781

WEBMASTER Peter Coulson Email: [email protected]

BAR MANAGER Berry Treffers M: 0434 485 331 E:[email protected]

MAINTENANCE Officer H

F H M DELEGATE Geoffrey Goode Ref Historic Registration

MID WEEK LUNCH RUNS

TBA



4

Submissions for the magazine Close on the

10th day of each month For inclusion in the next issue.

Photos should include owner of the photos name and address as well as

details of subject/s. Articles can be forwarded to

Classified Advertisements can be submitted as for articles or

phoned through if they are short. Classifieds are free for members. Non-members fee is $20.00 per ad per issue.

Adverts are normally only valid for one issue

It’s your responsibility to notify the editor if you wish to repeat your ad in subsequent issues. Note. Cars for sale must have rego. number or engine number

MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTIONS

Laurie Houghton - Editor 18 Farman Avenue Hendon SA 5014 by E-mail to [email protected]

Ph: 8356 9953

Note to Contributors Articles, etc submitted by e-mail should be as an “attachment” Word document, Arial 10, Justi-fied, NOT formatted or tabbed, p h ot o s s ho u ld a ls o b e “attached”, not reduced in file size ie; low res. Please avoid sending pdf files.

MG Car Club of South Australia

Shannons Insurance Agents ......................... Inside Front Cover

Frontline Developments ......................... Inside Back Cover

Willshire Motor Trimmers

………………….Back cover

Alans Auto & Marine…… ….....7

Sports Parts Sydney………...….13

MG Adelaide Workshops……....14

Custom Car Covers……………..14

Trade Directory……………… . 39

Classified Advertisements……...40

ADVERTISING INDEX

And don’t forget, please support our sponsors whenever possible and be sure to let them know you are an MG Car Club member

5

March 2019

MGCC Clubrooms

Monthly General Meetings Held at 8.00 pm on the second Tuesday of

each month at the Clubrooms. All those who are interested in MGs are welcome.

“Noggin’ & Natter” Every Friday night at the Clubrooms. Time:

7.30 pm - ~ 10.00 pm. All welcome for a chat and a drink. Licensed premises.

Tea and coffee available.

Register Meetings “T” Reg. First Thursday of each month.

Time: 7.00 for 7.30 pm.start. Venues as advertised in Register Report. Everyone

welcome - even if you don’t own a Register vehicle.

MGF Reg. Bi-monthly Second Friday of the month at the clubrooms 7.30pm

MGA/Magnette Reg Bi-monthly on the third Thursday of the month, starts Jan in odd numbered months, 7.00 pm for 7.30

Know Your MG Meetings Third Tuesday of each month. Time: 7.00

for 7.30 pm. Start. Venues as advertised.Everyone welcome.

Breakfast Runs Now Meet at Veale Gardens, CBD South

Tce. For 9.00am starts. BYO everything for breakfast. See Calendar for dates etc;

Mid Week Lunch Runs Second Thursday in the month.

See the calendar Motorsport Events

See Motorsport Report.

Printed by Kwik Kopy Unley. Shop 7A 453 Fullarton Road Highgate SA 5063 Ph: 8271 7422 A National Meeting sponsor

Editorial From ..Laurie Houghton

Editor

W ith the Annual General Meeting almost upon us ( March 12th ) it

is likely that there are a few committee members who will not be standing for election, please see the note on page 23.

My call for interesting articles has again been heard, Bob Schapel has excelled again, and an MGA story from the 60’s by two current members is a good read, thanks to all.

It again seems that some people, or pollies, sprout rubbish just to justify their positions/views, as Donald would say “fake news”, I am referring to their concept of car owners paying for mile-age travelled rather than the fuel ex-cise ,what a joke ! ( I think I have got that right ) I wonder who or how such a scheme would be managed, who would be checking your mileage ?

On a personal note, I have just had a first hand job by Willshire Trimmers replace the rear window zip on Jo’s MGF, thanks to Nick Bowler.


6

PRESIDENTS REPORT From.. .Adrian Ward

H i Members and Friends, welcome March and a BIG month for the

Club.

My term as President is rapidly drawing to a close, so I would like to share a few recollections with you, starting with 2017

Elected Committee 2017 - what a group of quality people to help me as Presi-dent, and Tim Edmonds as Vice Presi-dent for the year ahead with the Club’s administration. ·The National Meeting held in Adelaide over the Easter weekend was a HUGE success due to the talented group of Members that put in an outstanding effort and made this a superb event. A healthy number of entrants visited from interstate, and local competitors sup-plemented this number. The weather was perfect, and everything ran to per-fection, thank you team. ·Neil Stagg with the help of Wendy Sauer (Travel coordinator) organized a Weekender to KI and the “Stagg Man” did us proud. I am sure there are far too many stories to mention regarding this wonderful event, however one that stands out is the repair of Alan Foweraker’s muffler with a trusty tin of “baked beans” – and legend has it he didn’t waste the baked beans !! ·Steve Spong organized a MGB Display Day at Victor Harbor on the Foreshore. The event featured 33 magnificent MGB’s and thanks to Steve for another memorable and successful event.

2018 - A new committee similar to the previous years’, very full of talent, en-thusiasm and knowledge.

The MG Challenge was organized by our Club over the June long weekend and featured a Hillclimb at Collingrove, and a Sprint at “The Bend”. Thanks Murray and the team, good job, well done!! ·The Weekender to Clare organized by Wendy and Barb, the girls did an abso-lutely outstanding job and a great time was had by all. Their attention to detail covered absolutely everything, as it was evident that the comfort and enjoy-ment of all in attendance was upper most in their mind when organizing this event, A HUGE THANKYOU girls. ·The Ferrari National Meeting saw the MG Car Club organize the marshalling, beautiful cars, a great day and we re-ceived a substantial donation for our effort, thanks again to all who volun-teered on the day. ·Dick and Sandra organized a superb All MG Day at Torrens Parade Ground for the Club, and the event was well attended and enjoyed by all partici-pants. ·The Gary Chapman interview at the Clubrooms by our Patron Ed Ordynski was another brilliant event. An absolute eye opener into Gary’s skills and ex-perience. Thank you Gary and Ed for sharing your interesting and eventful career with us. ·The Cecil Kimber Run held on Novem-ber 11

th saw Berry, Rebecca and Dick

show off their talents and absolute en-thusiasm to provide us with a memora-ble and enjoyable run to The Birdwood Motor Museum. Rosa and myself were able to attend however managed to get to the start and were fortunate enough to spend some time with members be-

7

NEW MEMBERS The MG Car Club of South Australia

extend a warm welcome to the following new members who joined in

the January period We look forward to meeting you at

club meetings and events.

Brian Toomer MGBGT Paul & Linda McLoughlin MGTF Chris McDonald MGB

ALANS AUTO & MARINE CENTRE

SPECIALISING IN MG SERVICING AND REPAIRS

AS WELL AS FAMILY AND 4WD VEHICLES

SPARE PARTS FOR ALL MAKES AND MODELS

31 LIGHT TERRACE THEBARTON

Ph: 8443 8243 Fax 8443 9266 Mob: 0419 859 147 Alan Foweraker, MGCC Member Discount for members

March 2019

fore I flagged everyone off for this great event. ·Along with the above events we have had the Register Meetings, Lunch Runs, Breakfast Runs, Christmas Par-ties, and let’s not forget the myriad of motor sport events. These events re-quire organization, commitment and member participation, thank you so very much to all the organizers and partici-pants for taking part. ·HISTORIC REGISTRATION – This group need applause for their ongo-ing effort and high level of service to the MG Car Club and its members. They do a first class job with a “smile” - good job, well done, sin-cerely appreciated.

·MAGAZINE EDITOR – Laurie Houghton – A champion, dedicated, enthusiastic, all-round good guy do-ing an outstanding job, thanks Lau-rie. I thank you for your support, encour-agement and friendship over the last 2 years, I won’t forget it.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the AGM, where we need to really sit down and work out how to fill some big gaps. See you soon in your MG, thank you

Keep on MG'ing...!! Regards Adrian Ward President

8


PRE-WAR & T - REGISTER From..John Bray, Photos by David McNabb & Terry Wright

The DNA meeting, Hannaford Rd Blackwood

Y es, “Dean ‘n’ Anne’s” very first Reg-ister at 62 Hannaford Rd.

Dean , Dean it was super clean, what a transformation it was from what I had seen the week before, there is real space and all those “spares” were packed away in a fashion that would only rival that garage at Torrens Park that we go to. I should not go on about it but it was a great effort to present the garage for the meeting and any spouse that wants the same result should consider requesting a register night from their relevant part-ner. Brilliant result Anne ! Not only that the garden and the drive-way looked spectacular as well espe-cially from Hannaford Road where the “great wall of Hosking” dry stone walling

equals that of the Greek Isles from what I have seen. You had to get there early to get a spot in the narrow brick driveway but 5 T’s and a NA shunted up tightly , check out the photos by Terry Wright and TD McNabb. Statistically speaking. Now at 3.45pm that afternoon we had 36 confirmed, 13 apologies, by 6.30pm hardly any had arrived except John Tamke , John Roach , Suzanne & my-self however as he driveway filled to capacity , 56 eventually signed in after finding suitable parking . There were 19 register cars , 16 T Types , 2 Y & 1 Prewar NA. Apart from the 56 signed in, there must have been at least 10 other interested spectators, curious onlookers and ga-rage sniffers. Great to see David Herbert who flew himself up from Mt Gambier, Graham Brown great TC stalwart , Kevin Mills who has stories about the Y and of course the Battle of Britain ambassador Roland Harris in WW2 regalia T shirt. And not to forget Doc Dallwitz fresh from Melbourne and Los Angeles that day & night, unfortunately the unregis-tered TC was a casualty. Apologies Those who missed out on a spectacular event with great food and conversation were in no particular order of impor-tance: Ray Finch, Brian Forth (again), Ian Buckley (Avalon with the squeeze), Pete Coulson, The Tickford Twins from Goolwa Don & Peter, Nick Proferes, Peter& Di Lancaster, Peter Wallace, The Serial Pest John N, Geoff Goode, Geoff & Anne Mclean. Ken Fisher was but changed his mind.

9

March 2019

The Irving Cup This year’s winner was a complete sur-prise to all, and yes it was last year’s recipient Bob Schapel again , a clear winner. The cup was present by a previ-ous champion, Peter Auld , however I was unable to secure the green jacket for the presentation which was unfortu-nate really , the OP Shop in Blackwood are out of stock. Results :1

st- B Schapel 17, 2

nd- TD

Mcnabb, Mozza, Graham Loader 13 pts, 5

th- Artfur 12pts, 6

th-Buckles 10 pts, 7

th-

Goldy 9 pts & sharing 8th on 8 pts, Peter

Perfect & the Boss of the Register. No correspondence will be entered into, de-cision final. I am glad that’s over, far too much stress ! Anniversaries. Would you believe it, not one but two. Firstly, Marg has stuck by her man for 43 years and gave him a leave pass to at-tend the register in the TF ( 1 Irving Cup point at stake here) and you can under-stand how important it was for Russell to be there. As I said, behind every successful man is a good woman and an very surprised mother in law. Congratulations Russell & Marg Garth, legends ! Secondly, my little mate Artfur Rueddy-ger, celebrated to the night , 21 years since his very first T Register meeting which was at David & Joy Pearson’s Hawthorndene.

Arthur has been a great MG club man over that time and contributed highly to the success of the club and the T Regis-ter in general, I know that he was disappointed to miss out on the afore-mentioned cup, but I gave him a bottle of wine to shut him up. General Business.

I tried to emphasize that it should have a strong beginning, a strong ending, with as little as possible between the two, however it did not quite work out on the night. 1. The “ghost who walks” Don Walker is looking for a 1981 National Meeting dash badge for a member/collector in Queensland. The meeting was held at Glenelg here in Adelaide. Stan Sheppard might have one, Curly Walker most assuredly will have one buried at home under a mountain of paper, anyone else maybe let me know. 2. Don is going to Italy sometime soon, the SA is getting him down and he is looking for some good old Italian cooking to sluice him out. The photo-graph of the progress on the SA was interesting, his buddy Peter of the Tickford twins is counselling him in times of frustration and crisis at Goolwa. 3. Nora Hutchings, wife of the late Alan Hutchings a most marvellous past member of the club and great friend of Gary Chapman , turns 80 and we are looking to drive her in a TC to a dinner on 16 February as a gift to the family. I am hoping that Thane, Buckles or other in better riding TC’s than mine can do it for her. 4. Peter Coulson is leaving the club we were told by Ken Burke, the club will need someone to manage IT and the


10

website. 5. Dean Hosking has a mate who is looking for an XPAG engine block to work on virtually to destruction, I would give him an old Morris block to play with, anyway if you know of one, let Dean know. 6. Bob Schapel found an original pre-war sales booklet issued out of the MG factory at Abingdon. A most useful guide to all things MG apparently, simi-lar to the Green & Gold cookbook I am told, has everything you need to know. 7. Ian Hobbs, now the proud owner of the recently acquired Pearson TC from NSW. Picked up that very afternoon, Ian was spooked by the logbook that we have been filling out forever. Look at the photos, it’s a great car, did 1500k’s with-out rising above 85 degrees C, burns no oil but dropped some on Dean’s pavers I am reliably told. Welcome Ian to the dramas that are MG TC.

The wrap. Firstly to Dean & Anne, thankyou for a great night that exceeded all expecta-tions lovely food and great ambience in that super clean garage. Thankyou Anthony for your kind words and for bringing mother Joy along to the meeting, keep it up.

Apologies from me if I left you off the email list and for the misprint of the ad-dress in the magazine and website. Dean consulted the owners at #3 Han-naford Rd, they were quite disappointed not to see the cars, but all credit to Mr Superclean Dean, a nice sign was af-fixed to the kerb just in case. NEXT MEETING. The Golds at Murray Bridge , 3 Florence Street Murray Bridge. Start assembling at the Crafers Park n Ride from 6.00pm on 7 March. Usually we start to move from 6.20-6.30pm , takes approx. 56 minutes to the Bridge. April meeting at Hawthorndene, hosted by Anthony & Joy Pearson.

That’s all folks, see most of you next month at the Gold’s BOSS

11

March 2019

12


MGCCSA CONSTITUTION REVIEW

A PROPOSAL TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION IN RELATION TO THE PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS TO BE CONSIDERED AT A SPECIAL

GENERAL MEETING AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE MONTHLY GENERAL MEETING OF THE MG CAR CLUB OF SA INC.

ON 9th

APRIL 2019

The current Constitution of the MG Car Club of SA Inc. requires that accounts be paid by Cheques, Bills of Exchange, Withdrawal Forms,

Money Orders and Postal Notes, requiring the endorsement of any two signatories, either the President, Secretary or the Treasurer.

A large number of invoices received from suppliers include the business’s BSB and Account Number to enable electronic transfer of funds from the Club’s account to the supplier. On a number of occasions, suppliers have

indicated a preference for this method of payment. Monies are transferred immediately and this method avoids the necessity of banking cheques and

waiting for clearance days to expire. I propose an amendment to the Constitution by the addition to Section 10 as follows: Section 10(F) Payment of accounts may be made by the Electronic Funds Transfer System utilizing the banking account information provided by the supplier. A payment statement would be produced and attached to the invoice to allow audit checking and identification of payments. The Club’s Auditor would be informed regarding this change to the Constitution. This motion must be carried by a three-fourths majority of financial Members present and voting at the meeting. ALAN J CARDNELL TREASURER, MG CAR CLUB OF SA INC.

13

March 2019

14


Custom Car Covers Follow Exact Contours of Vehicle

Car Covers Protect ALL the Vehicle's Exposed Surface

Over 80,000+ Patterns - or Custom Made for YOU!

.Contact me today for an obligation free quote, it’s cheaper than you think!

Special rates for Club members

ALAN TURNER CONCOURSE PREPARATIONS 08 8339 1306

MOBILE 0417816254

http://www.concourspreparations.com.au/

Home of the WORLD’S BEST CUSTOM CAR COVERS TM

If It Has Wheels, Covercraft Has A Car Cover That Can Cover It!

Custom car covers at last in Adelaide Are you tired of those cheap covers that Scratch more than protect,

and never keep out the dust? there is at last a solution

Give your pride and joy the care it deserves.

MG ADELAIDE WORKSHOPS

& A.A. Automotive (Adrian Akhurst)

14 Nightingale Avenue Magil 5072. Tel 08 8364 4988

15

March 2019

CAMS SA & NT 2018 MOTOR SPORT AWARDS DINNER ADELAIDE FEBRUARY 9TH 2018

MSCA – recognition of 45 years associ-ated with CAMS accepted by Sue Stephenson. Photo is Greg Rust (MC) with a Group of MSCA members In attendance

Bev Waters – Service Award “awarded for ex-emplary service to CAMS and to Motorsport”

Jason Edwards – 3rd Class B

in the SA Motorkhana

Championships

16


SHORT STORIES From ...Bob Schapel

Getting an Extra Gear

My father, Lou, once owned a Lea Francis car. One day, when he went back to where it was parked, there was an English gentleman standing nearby, admiring it. In the ensuing conversation the Englishman made a comment that Lea Francis had “a lovely four-speed gearbox”. Dad told him that this one only had a three-speed, to which the Englishman replied, “Well, if it hasn’t got a four speed gearbox, it isn’t a Lea Francis!” When Dad got home, he did a bit of investigating and cut the floor-board out a bit … and found he had another gear!

Traction Control in a TC.

I have used Traction Control in my TC special! Several years ago, I had a problem with excessive inside wheel-spin through the left-hander in the “esses” at the top of Collingrove Hill-climb. I always had to lift off the throttle around that last corner, to prevent the “unloaded” wheel from spinning madly and over-revving the engine. Because I did not have a limited slip diff, I needed traction control! After some thought, I realized that traction control was al-ready fitted, but needed some tinkering. I loosened the right-hand-side hand-brake cable so only the left one worked. I could then use full throttle around the problem corner, while keeping the revs under control with the handbrake lever. It was manual traction control and it worked well, although only on left-handers. However, there are more con-ventional ways of solving such prob-lems, and they work in right-handers too!

Crank-Handle in a Tree

A crank handle is embedded in a tree on the corner of McKenna Street and Beulah Road, Kensington Park. I first saw it when my family moved to the area fifty-six years ago, and it is still there now. Even back then, it had obvi-ously been there for a very long time. Neighbours told me the story that a young chap borrowed his father’s car and lost control while driving west along Beulah Road. The front of the car em-bedded itself in the tree and part of the car remained there, even when the rest was removed. As you can see in the photo, the tree has grown around the remains. From its appearance, the crank must be approaching 100 years old.

17

March 2019

CLUES FAMOUS MG SURNAMES (T-Register bias)

ACROSS: 1 Founder of the MG marque. 2 Started racing in a TC. Later became the first American F1 World Champion. 3 Set records in MG EX 181. Best driver not to become F1 World champion. 4 First to exceed 200 mph in a light car (MG EX135 in 1939). 5 Author of “TCs Forever” and “TCs Forever-More”. 6 Most famous pre-war race driver who drove an MG K3. 7 Wrote “The MG Workshop Manual” covering M-Type to T-Type. Nickname for supercharger. 8 Set records in MG EX120 at Montlhery. Invented the Powerplus supercharger. George …. 9 First raced in a TC in USA. Most famous for fitting big engines in small cars. DOWN: 1 Australian Drivers’ Champion and Ford dealer. Raced an L-Type Magna in 1947. 2 Produced MGB V8s before the MG Factory. 3 Australian triple F1 World champion who earlier raced a TC Special. 4 Raced a TC. Later rolled his Comaro at Bathurst 1982 after starting on pole. Kevin …. 5 Author of “Maintaining the Breed” and founder of the MGCC in UK. 6 Pre-war MG Factory race engineer who later designed the MGA and MGB. Syd ….

7 American actor and race driver who owned a TC road car.

Answers somewhere else in this issue

BOB’S CROSSWORD


18

MGC NEWS MGC conversations by Richard Mixture, March 2019

Echoes from the Shop Floor

H ello, it’s Richard here again. My daughter gave me a wonderful

little book for Christmas, it’s called “MG, Made in Abingdon: Echoes from the Shop Floor.” The 160 pages was written by Bob Frampton and it was published in May, 2018.

I was having a chat over a glass of Old Speckled Hen when my younger friend started complaining about BookFace. He told me that his friends kept on send-ing him photos of a cup of coffee or their lunch that they had just received or a picture of their front gate or a …

While I had no idea of what he was talk-ing about, I immediately thought of this book. It’s a collection of mindless boring titbits taken from interviews from work-ers at the Abingdon Factory. Of course, I don’t need to tell you that it’s where MGs were made from 1929 to 1980.

Basically, it’s a collection of recollections by a bunch of old men plus a few ladies as well. By about half way through the book, a picture was building giving a wonderful reference of what it was like to work at MG on the ‘line’ or in ‘stores’, rather than a manager’s point of view or in fact a racing or rally driver’s perspec-tive.

Many of the worker’s tell their short sto-ries of where they went to school and how they started at MG at 14 or 15 years as a teaboy or a message boy and some progressed to an apprentice-ship and studied at the College on Con-duit Road.

One of the first things I looked at was the index to see if our beloved MGC is

mentioned. The MG models started with ‘MGA’ then ‘MGB’ then ‘MGBV8’ and then ‘MG Maestro’ but no MGC. Then on page 47, the author wrote about Steve Palmer’s recollections, “He was one of the few ‘outsiders’ working on contract at the MG factory in 1967, the time when the Austin-Healey ‘badged’ MGC was being developed. This project may have eventually failed because its performance was heavily criticised by the press, in particular the fact that it was ‘nose-heavy’, but also there was a good deal of competition from the Tri-umph TR6 at the same time. Steve says he was one of the few non-MG people who actually saw the car during its early development.

It happened like this: Steve, at the time (1967), was an apprentice at his family’s firm, Palmer’s the plumbers. The firm was working to install an overhead gas supply at the Abingdon MG Works on behalf of Southern Gas.

Their supervisor, Tony Bell, drove Steve their to help with the work. Knowing of Steve’s interest in cars generally, Tony mentioned that there were some MGBs there with bulges in the bonnets. These were parked in a group around the back, near where the installation work was being carried out. The cars were soon to be announced as the new MGC.

They pulled up behind a silver GT. It was badged not as an MGC but, as Steve recalls it, an Austin-Healey 3000. This was the Austin-Healey version of the MGC range that was cancelled at a late stage of development. It appears that Donald Healey declined to lend his name to it due to its handling character-istics. It had a heavy six-cylinder engine

19

March 2019

and suffered from oversteer.

Steve recalls an MG worker offering the plumber ‘cheap car cigarette lighters’ on a number of occasions.”

Yes, “cheap cigarette light-ers”; the start of chapter 7, “Suspicious Behaviour at MG”, begins with a heading “The Dark Side – Pilfering ‘Rife’ at MG”. Several stories are told such as a propeller shaft being taken out of the factory disguised as a Christ-mas tree, a battery wrapped in Christmas paper, Bluecol anti-freeze taken out in a Thermos Flask and a dy-namo being chucked over the fence and picked up by a girl, who wrapped it in a rag and when caught, told the judge that she “thought the rag would be useful for her grate.”

After a slow start I enjoyed the stories about “Boy meets Girl”, “Dick’s Wig”, “Music and Dance” and “I Remember You”. Do you remember Frank Ifield? Coxy Dixon gave up working at MG for £80 per week to get £120 to tour with Frank as his drummer and there’s a photo of both of them.

Automnal Run

Now MGCers et al, it's about time to go on another MGC run, put Saturday 4

th

May in your diary and we'll meet at 1.30pm at Beaumont Road, Adelaide, just off Greenhill Road.

Remember ladies and gentlemen keep ‘em tuned,

Rich

TROPHIES AWAITING

COLLECTION AT THE CAR CLUB (LIBRARY)

LINDSAY HICK 3 D BEAMES G BOLT P MATHWIN 2

20


2019 CALENDAR

May 2019

2 Thur T Register Meeting B

4 Sat MGC Register Run

5 Sun Peter Hall Memorial 6 Hour Regularity Mallala

9 Thur Mid Week Lunch Run

11/24 Sat Club Registration Clubrooms 10.00 am until 12.00 noon

16 Thur MGA/Magnette Register

26 Sun Motorkhana rnd 2

26 Sun Breakfast Run to Mt Barker

March 2019

7 Thur T Register Meeting Golds at Murray Bridge B

9, 23 Sat Club Registration Clubrooms 10.00am until 12.00 noon

12 Tue Monthly and Annual General Meeting


17 Sun MSCA Super Sprint Rnd 1 Mallala

21 Thur MGA/Magnette Register tba

24 Sun Motorkhana Rnd 1 Mallala

31 Sun Breakfast Run to Don Walkers Goolwa

April 2019

4 Thur T Register Meeting Pearsons at Hawthorndene B

5 Fri MGF/Moderns Register Mtg

7 Sun Multi-Club Hillclimb Collingrove

9 Tue Monthly General Meeting


13,27 Sat Club Registration Clubrooms 10.00am until 12.00 noon

19-23 Fri-Tue National Meeting Redlands Queensland

28 Sun Breakfast Run to Murray Bridge

21

March 2019

Thanks to Russell Garth for this amusing Stonie cartoon....................Ed.


22

CLUB REGISTRATION NOTES From..Geoff Goode

CHILD RESTRAINTS AND SEATBELTS

W e have been informed by the Federation of Historic Motoring

Clubs that as of the 13th December

2018, a change in the regulations re child restraints and seatbelts in Condi-tional Registered club vehicles, has oc-curred. The exemption that allowed any person to travel in a Club Registered vehicle fitted with seatbelts, without wearing a seat belt, has been repealed. Therefore, the exemption no longer ex-ists. Further, any child under seven years of age must travel in a child re-straint. This means, in my opinion, two things. Firstly, when travelling in Club Regis-tered vehicles, if seatbelts are fitted, persons seven years and over must use them. Secondly, children under the age of seven are not allowed to travel in any Club Registered vehicle unless re-strained in an approved properly fas-tened child restraint. Whilst on the subject of seatbelts, re-cently I was asked how one might best mount a pair of three point seatbelts in the MGA model. The following explana-tion is along the lines that I gave to a fellow MGA owner on what I consider the best way to mount three point seat-belts. The comments below refer to MGA roadsters 1500 or 1600. The 1600 Mk2's have the mounting-points factory installed. Furthermore, I recommend static belts only, as they will hold you firmly in place. This is essential in a car that has so little space between yourself and the dashboard/windscreen if a crash occurs. Modern cars have pre-tensioning systems that work in con-junction with the seatbelt retractors.

Unless you are fairly competent at mounting these safety items, I would suggest you use Wiltshire Motor Trim-mers for fitting “off the shelf” seatbelts. Alternatively, you can source a kit of parts based on the MGA 1600 Mk 2 for these early models and MG Adelaide Workshops can fit them for you. Both these organisations advertise in our magazine so you can use them with confidence. If you decide to mount them yourself, then you take responsibility for the out-come. My guidelines below are just that, guidelines that I do not take legal responsibility for. Follow them at you risk. I suggest you source the Klippen series belts and fittings from Wiltshire. I chose to mount the upper belt ends on the tonneau panel as this is the best point of departure, from mount to shoulder (within 15 degrees from the horizontal), and was specified by the factory for roadsters until the 1600 Mk2 model ar-rived with fitted mountings. A section at the back of the factory workshop man-ual shows the exact location for the mounting points. In my installation, the top mounting was fitted to the tonneau panel as a "sandwich" reinforcement using an outer plate of similar size and thickness to match the inner plate sup-plied with the seatbelts. A couple of small nuts and bolts were used to hold the plates together. The floor mounting points were chosen for maximum strength and positioned where the steel frame encircles the wooden floor. The outer fixing was bolted through the corner plate immedi-ately in front of the front bush of the rear leaf spring, using the rear most screw hole as a guide, and drilled out to

23

March 2019

12 mm. The inner fixing was bolted through the rear most screw hole by the side of the transmission tunnel, again after being drilled out to 12 mm. The plates supplied must be used to ensure the mounting points have the required strength to anchor the seatbelts se-curely. Note, if choosing a stiff buckle stalk, check the length first. In the Klip-pan series, I found the middle size was comfortable for all seat positions. A quick release on the outer side con-nection point was required to allow the hood to be raised or lowered. A 5 tonne strength "D" shackle (10 mm thick stainless steel) and a right angle mild steel bracket (6 mm thick by 50 mm wide by 50 mm high and 40 mm across) was used to couple to the floor mount-ing. A piece of nylon cord tied around the "D" shackle bolt prevents an embar-

rassing loss of the shackle bolt when operating the "quick release" mecha-nism, probably in the rain with the pas-senger expressing his or her disap-proval with this additional delay in rais-ing the hood. A reminder, normal operations will resume for the remainder of the year, from March to October on the 2

nd and

4th Saturdays of each month.

On November 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, and December 7 and 14, 2019, the club rooms will be open in advance of the Club’s financial year of 2020, to re-ceive subscription payments, update or replace log books and stamp blue registration papers. Geoff Goode Club Registrar for Historic Vehicles

SITUATIONS VACANT

A s President Adrian Ward mentioned in his report (page 6) that at this

point coming up to our 2019 AGM there could be a number of committee, and committee appointment positions va-cant, nominations close on the 28th February, so if you would like to be a part of running our great club., please contact the club secretary, Peter Coul-son

Potential positions vacant. Committee

Vice President

Motorsport Secretary. You would be responsible for promoting club motorsport to members, maintain-ing records, trophies, calendar etc;

Assistant Motorsport Secretary

Social Secretary.

General Committee One position Potential Committee Appointments

Webmaster, Would need to be IT proficient and ca-pable of maintaining, up-dating where necessary etc; of our existing website. This is a committee appointment and there is no requirement to attend com-mittee meetings

Facebook Administrator, currently a task carried out by the Webmaster

Property Manager Arrange clubrooms maintenance etc; and liaise with the Dads Army Group

24


BUYING A MODERN MG From..Chris & Wes Bray

O ur Mitsubishi 380 was getting tired and unreliable, but what else can

you expect from a car which had trav-elled almost 300,000 km in approxi-mately 12 years. The decision was made “It is time to buy a new car”. Our finance advisor knew that we were likely to come to this decision and made sure that we had access to a suitable amount of money. We decided to investigate a modern MG. At this stage there is no dealer in Adelaide so we consulted the MG Aus-tralia web site and found that there was a dealer in Ringwood, an Eastern sub-urb of Melbourne. Conveniently this is just down the road from Belgrave, our Melbourne home (Chris’s brother). A quick phone call provided the informa-tion that there was a wide range of col-ours available in the yard and, reluc-tantly, they would accept the 380 as a trade in. At about 11:00 am on a Friday morning we parked the 380 on the road outside the yard and started exploring. It did not take long before we were joined by a salesperson. His eyes lit up as he sur-veyed MG regalia on his potential cus-tomers. We were told very quickly that

we could test drive any model for as long as we liked provided that we showed a suitable licence. The first car we drove was a silver MG 6. Initially we thought that this was our dream car. Leather seats, split temperature controls and CD player were the chief attractions. Unfortunately, neither of us could get comfortable in the seats. The car was easy to drive on crowded roads and park in a shopping cen-tre car park. Back to the dealers for a change

of car, this time a MG ZS. The colour attracted us but there was no CD player and it looked like an SUV. The latter was a negative as Chris has experi-enced difficulties getting in and out of SUVs in the past. The seating was com-fortable and there was no trouble park-ing in a car park at a nearby oval. Back to the dealers to get directions to the nearest café for lunch and to pick up brochures to allow us to plan our pur-chase. Eventually we decided on the ZS provided that suitable answers were pro-vided on the topics of temporary regis-tration, servicing requirements of MG Australia and delivery timelines. The questions we had were quickly an-swered and then all we had to do was decide between the demonstration car or a brand-new car. We chose the lat-ter. The following Monday we picked up the new car (9 km on the speedo) and drove it onto a major highway filled with peak hour traffic. The next day, Tuesday, we drove back to Adelaide. The 3-cylinder, 1 litre turbo charged engine handled both types of travelling conditions with ease. With assistance from the sales

25

March 2019 office we connected our phones to the sound system in order to get a replacement for the missing CD player. Most of the drive from Mel-bourne was spent getting familiar with the new controls, in particular using the indicator located on the left hand side of the steering wheel. There were strong cross winds but the car was easily controlled in these condi-tions. On Wednesday, as Wes was driving it to the Mitcham Service Centre, there was a display of flashing police lights as Wes was pulled over for driving a car which appeared to be unregistered. Once the temporary permit was shown all was well. A couple of weeks later we are still very happy with our purchase. The clock is now showing Adelaide time rather than Melbourne time. The in-structions in the manual on how to make this change were totally use-less. A full fuel tank (42 litres) lasts about as long as a full tank in the Mit-subishi (60 litres) but we need to use 95 octane fuel. The turning circle, the worst feature of the 380, is brilliant. There is virtually no road noise and the engine noise is minimal. The biggest difficulty is convincing people it is an MG. We understand the difficulties. There are no oil leaks, it is a quiet car and the battery is covered with Chinese script.

Charity Dinner Sat. 6th April at Serafino,

special guest John Bowe

Street Parade Sun. 7th April 11.00am

Dress in your favourite era, Prizes for best

Efforts

Cars, food, music and wine at

participarting Wineries after the Parade

Supporting the McLaren Vale & District

War Memorial Hospital and local CFS

Contact Trevor Sharp

McLaren Vale Vintage & Classic

Chairman

0415820719

[email protected]

CROSSWORD ANSWERS (With first names)

ACROSS: 1 Cecil KIMBER, 2 Phil HILL, 3 Stirling MOSS, 4 Goldie GARDNER, 5 Mike SHERRELL, 6 Tazio Nuvolari,

7 W.E. BLOWER, 8 Capt. George EYSTON, 9 Carroll SHELBY.

DOWN: 1 Bib STILLWELL, 2 Ken COSTELLO,

3 Jack BRABHAM, 4 Kevin BARTLETT,

5 John THORNLEY, 6 Syd ENEVER,

7 Steve McQUEEN

The 2017 MG E-Motion All electric con-cept car. Autocar believe it is scheduled for introduction in 2020, 500 km on a full charge.


26


MGA / MAGNETTE NEWS From..Sandra Cardnell

COFFEE RUN TO MOUNT LOFTY SUMMIT ON 13 JANUARY 2019

F irstly, I must apologise to Sue and Bill Gilson who followed Alan and

me onto the wrong road at the first inter-section. You would think that the person who mapped out the route would know where she was supposed to go – NO IS THE SHORT ANSWER. Back to the start. We met at The Tower Hotel car park at Magill for a 9.30 start. We were incredibly lucky to have the only window of cool weather for the week. So that might account for the high number of members who turned out for the run. Eleven MGA’s 4 MGB’s a TD and a TF. It is nice to see a cross section of cars from the Club – as always, everyone is welcome to all events. Steu and Elaine Knubley (hope I got the spelling right) were there in the recent acquisition, a red MGB. Elaine has sent through some photos she took on the run; thanks Elaine.

It was a short run to the summit, slowed in places by the large number of cyclists celebrating the Tour Down Under. Still we were happy to share the road with enthusiasts of another kind. We were joined at the Summit by Sylvia and Graham Evans, after a short diver-sion down the hill because he missed the turnoff, and Caroline and Roger Boy-lan. Roger thought we meant Mount Lofty House so he was a little late – “better late than never” they say. Roger did however chat to a chap at Mt Lofty House and when they left, the Boylens got into their MGB and the other chap climbed into his two door Bentley – just a slightly different “toy”.

I have added some photos, Laurie Foody and Arthur Ruediger working out the technology required to pay for park-ing, De Denny waiting for Ian to come back with the ticket and a view of some of the cars. Inside, the four amigos, Dicker, Micklem, Evans and Cardnell in the coffee queue.

27

March 2019

If the amount of lycra at the sum-mit is any indication, the Tour Down Under is a very popular event. The coffee was good and the company excellent. Thank you to all who attended and also to the members who emailed me with compliments on the run. I will certainly try to fit another cof-fee run into the busy MG Car Club calendar. Members who came on the run were – Laurie Foody, Nick & Dennise Micklem, Steu & Elaine Knubley, Trev & Sandy Dicker, Chris & Heather Bennett, Arthur Reudiger, Don Moyse & Rosa Stanton, De & Ian Denny, Jas & Geoff Goode, Michael Holmes, Sue & Bill Gilson, Julie & Brian McIver, Pat Mullins and Sandra Swalling, Sylvia & Graham Ev-ans, Roger & Caroline Boylen, Peter & Christine Auld and Alan and I. Sandra A Cardnell

28


REGISTER MEETING CLUBROOMS ON 17 JANUARY, 2019

N ew Year – no change to the author of this report. After I let the mem-

bers know that we had a new Regalia Officer and that I would not therefore be undertaking the position, I was nomi-nated and elected in double quick time. Thank you for the vote of confidence.

It was a pleasant temperature so we saw five MGA’s out of the nine cars at the meeting. January is usually a quiet month and we had just 13 members present with apologies from De Denny and the Goodes.

We have had a couple of offers for ven-ues for Register Meetings, but these are at Macclesfield and Hindmarsh Is-land. When these are finalized, the meetings will be on a Sunday in the middle of the day to allow travel time. More on this later.

The next two meetings 21st March and

16th May will be at the Clubrooms and

Arthur Ruedigers respectively. The only change, the March meeting will be a “bring a plate” for supper please. No donation for supper of course. If anyone is interested in hosting, 18

th July, 19

September and 21 November are avail-able. Thanks in advance.

The updated MGA/MAGNETTE list is almost ready. Just a couple of details to go. A couple of members have new photos, so if you bring them to the March meeting we can put them in the hardcopy folders. I have uncovered some interesting details in the books and information from members. Also, a list of the MGA drivers who attended the 2005 MGA 50

th anniversary Pa-

rade Lap at that year’s Clipsal. I watched our DVD a couple of times, but apart from a couple, I don’t know the

apart from a couple, I don’t know the names of passengers. If you can let me know, I will put a list in the archives. The drivers were ALAN CARDNELL GRAHAM EVANS IAN MALCOLM SHARON RUEDIGER DAVID WICKS GEORGE CONSTANTOPOULOS BOB BAZZICA ARTHUR GIANNAKIS DAVID FRANKLIN LYELL BLACKMAN NEIL STAGG DINO TALLDIRA TREVOR DICKER CRAIG LITCHFIELD PENNY SMITH ROB MILESI BARRY BAHNISCH DAVID McFARLANE MICK MITOLO GEOFF GOODE MAURICE LINEHAM PHIL OGDEN ANTHONY PEARSON

I have attached a couple of old photos of the MGA’s lining up for the Parade Lap

The co-ordinator the T Register, John Bray, invited MGA and Magnette owners who are interested, to attend their Regis-ter meeting at Murray Bridge on Thurs-day 7 March to meet at the Park’n’Ride, Crafers at 6.30pm, opposite the Church of the Ephiphany The next magazine may not have been delivered in time, so I will send a group email, including the address.

That’s it for now Sandra A Cardnell

29

March 2019

30


ALL BRITISH DAY From..Sandra Cardnell & Wes Bray

ECHUNGA 10

TH FEBRUARY, 2019

T he MG Car Club was well repre-sented at Echunga for All British

Day. We had 57 entries and only the Jaguar Club exceeded that number – anyway that’s what the organizers told us.

It was an enjoyable day, cloudy but fine, ideal for a walk around the cars. It was capped off by another win for the MG Car Club of SA. Heather and Chris Ben-nett, in their MG TF, won the Sterling Jewellers Trophy for the best presented car at the event. Well done to the Ben-netts. (Photo courtesy of Jenny Schiller – Thanks Jenny). Sandra Cardnell

O n February 10, approximately 850 cars, all with British heritage, gath-

ered on the Echunga Recreation Grounds. 57 cars were placed in the section reserved for the MG Car Club of SA. However some members made the decision to display their car in an area reserved for another club. The weather was warm, the sky was cloudy. Some of the participants met at Mylor for break-fast before travelling to Echunga. Oth-ers aimed to arrive before the gates were closed. The cars were arranged in club groups. A display of Heritage Racing Vehicles was placed in the centre of one of the ovals. In the centre of the second oval was a display of cars from the Sporting Car Club. Many of the drivers gathered in marquees provided by the organisers. Many of the representatives of the MG Car Club spent the day catching up with friends from other clubs.

The oldest car in the MG display was Arthur Ruediger’s 1934 MG ND. The most modern MG in the MG display was Robin Button’s 2003 MG TF Roadster. There was some discussion about whether the modern Chinese designed, Chinese built MG’s were eligible to be displayed. The general feeing amongst MG Car club members was no. How-ever at least one member from another club could find no problems with these cars being included. Congratulations to Heather and Chris Bennett for winning a prize for the best detailed car on display. Wes Bray

31

March 2019

32


33

Motorsport Mutterings – March 2019 From Murray Stephenson

The 2019 motorsport year is under way and I hope you are ready for the fun. Keep watching the calendar on the web-site but following are the first events of interest.

Sunday 17 March – Super Sprint Round 1 The first round of the MSCA Super Sprint series will be run on 17 March at Mallala. I trust you have your entries in and are ready to go. MG Car Club is required to provide flag marshals for this round so, if you are able to help, please call me to let me know you are available. Sign on at 8am on the day and enjoy the competition. The Come and Try component to this event is also a great opportunity for new sprinters to receive some tuition from experienced sprinters and see the fun of sprinting. If you have entered I hope you have a great time.

Sunday 24 March – SA Motorkhana Championship Series Round 1 MGCCSA is running the first motork-hana of the SA Championship Series on the skidpan at Mallala. As usual, we will be running the National Meeting courses to provide some practice prior to the Nat Meet in Queensland. To make this event viable we need lots of competitors and we need helpers for set up, timing, marshalling and pack up. If you haven’t tried motorkhanas before, there is a Come & Try component so you can have a go. C&T participants don’t need to belong to a car club or have a licence, it is provided with the entry.

Supp Regs and entry form are on the website and, although not mandatory, it would be appreciated if you could enter before the day. Please contact Murray to volunteer your services for the day.

Sunday 7 April – Multi Club Hillclimb Round 1, Collingrove The first multi club Hillclimb will be run at Collingrove on 7 April. Get your en-tries in early on CAMS event entry sys-tem as this event will fill quickly.

Looking further ahead, we will be hop-ing to run a team at the Peter Hall Me-morial Six Hour on 5 May so, if you are interested, let me know. The second MSCA super sprint will be at The Bend on 16 June and there will be requirement for far more officials than we use at Mallala. Please put it in your diary and consider coming out to help.

In 2019 the MG Club Challenge over the Queen’s Birthday weekend is scheduled for Victoria so keep the June 8 to 10 weekend free. There will be more information to come but the pro-posed venue and format sounds great.

I will not be standing for the committee at the AGM so this is my last mutter-ings. Thank you to all the competitors, officials and followers who have sup-ported and encouraged me for the past eight years on the committee. It has been a great experience and I wish my successor all the best.

March 2019


34

BREAKFAST RUN NEWS From.. Steve Spong

Breakfast at Christies Beach Sailing Club

3rd February 2019

F or the 6th year running we again

started off the breakfast runs with a visit to Christies Beach Sailing Club and were once again blessed with a perfect summer’s day. The multitude of MGs parked all along the foreshore outside of the sailing club made a great sight and attracted many onlookers.

News of these great breakfasts must be spreading as this year easily saw the largest turn out of Club members and guests. First timers were Albie and Julie Pritchard plus Greg Dunston and Sue Hunter, so a welcome to them and we hope to see them on future runs. It was also great to see Ron Lewis out and about again. Apologies to any one we missed on the day.

The Sailing Club is in fact open to the public on the first Sunday of each month; and for still only $15 a head you can have a full cooked breakfast with bottomless coffee, juice, and endless toast. It is well worth a visit.

Thanks to all who came and a special thanks to CBSC and MGCC member Marc Read for the invite and to his fel-low club members and volunteers for putting on such a warm welcome and for coping with so many people whilst retaining a big smile.

In regards to future MGCCSA Breakfast Runs, these will now still be organised by me, but with valued support from John Roach in recording names, helping with reports and generally keeping you all in order on the day.

Attendees:

Arthur Ruediger Brian Lee Lawrie Foody Geoff & Judy Glasson Marc & Jenny Read John & Sue Davies Jenny & Linton Schiller Greg Dunston & Sue Hunter Trev & Sandy Dicker Don Moyse & Rosa Stanton Bryan & Wendy Turner Ken & Heather Burke Dietmar Sauer Liz & Derek Laynes Graham & Linda Byass Audris & Irene Smits Paul & Marion Jennison Caroline & roger Boylen Stewart & Elaine Knubley Alan & Ros Foweraker Trevor Sharp & Sanara Steve Spong & Barb Harrington Albie and Julie Pritchard Chris & Annette Kinney Tony & Wanda Freckleton John Roach Colin & Victoria Gore Daryl Kelly Helen & Trevor Praite Adrian Ward & Rosa Binetti Berry Treffers Suzette Cook with Peter & Bronwyn Micklem, plus guests Ian, Eric & Tamie Ron Lewis & Julia -

MGTC MGTC MGTD MGTD MGTF MGTF MGTF MGTF MGA MGA MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB MGB GT MGB GT MGB GT MGBGT MGRV8 MG ZS Rover 75 MX5 MG 6 Chrysler

35

March 2019

36


T he vehicle, a white MGA, was pur-chased by Brian Lee in the 60s,

from Bob Bazzica. Brian never intended to use the MG for any purpose other than his personal pleasure. His inquisitive nature got the better of him while he was studying motion phys-ics during his teaching degree at Flinders University in the 60s. The white MGA SA 23-492 , was to be the perfect subject for a series of experiments relating to the physics of launching objects from an in-clined plane. It was, as the sales bro-chure stated “ a perfectly balanced piece of machinery from front to back.” With his fellow students, Brian soon real-ised that the perfect launching ramp ex-isted within the university grounds, a road out of sight, no traffic, and with a small hill at its crest, followed by a hori-zontal landing strip. The angle of the in-cline was just about perfect – although it could not be varied without major con-

THE LIFE OF BRIAN’ S THEORY A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK AT AN MGA IN FULL FLIGHT

Written by Graham Byass in collaboration with Brian Lee

struction engineering works –not an option. The vehicle needed to be accelerated to various speeds to measure the ef-fects of forces needed to actually launch it into the air – all four wheels needed to be off the ground and the MGA needed to move through the air whilst remaining perfectly level, to prove Brian’s theory. The day of the experiment was perfect weatherwise – no rain, no wind, and mild summer temperatures – outside influences would be minimal. The first of 4 runs at a launch speed of 30 mph achieved almost no launch at all, and it was not until the third run at 60 mph was recorded, that the desired “4 wheels off the ground affect” was achieved – but not quite enough to prove Brian’s theory. The wheels needed to be further off the ground, and so a final approach at 75 mph was

37

March 2019

scheduled. Naturally the run up needed to be further, and this was extended to 1 mile. At 75mph Brian reached the small hill which served as the launching ramp, and with an air of quiet confidence, he piloted the MGA over the top and into the air. Readers will note from the offi-cial photograph, the unphased expres-sion on Brian’s face during landing. The car was perfectly balanced during its flight, as is evidenced by the photo-graph taken by the camera crew just prior to landing – a small amount of right hand side bias is noticeable, but this neither affected the vehicle or Brian. There was no rotation whatsoever, tes-tament to the engineering and perfect balance of the MGA. The car landed at a the same speed at which it took off, as predicted, and was brought to a halt within 200 yards. The blue Chrysler Royal parked in a concealed position near the launch site was critical during Brian’s appearance at the local county court hearing. Sgt Abel Brown and his assistant Constable Derek Green both appeared on behalf of the prosecution. They had all the evi-dence, as they confiscated the entire set up – car, cameras, measuring devices, the alcohol, and the team of students who were involved. Brian’s plea of “Not guilty your honour – I was conducting an officially sanc-tioned experiment critical to my suc-cessful completion of my physics thesis “ , brought a smile to the magis-trate’s face, who no doubt was thinking of his own misspent youth. He dis-missed the case as a petty example of overzealous police officers having noth-ing better to do during their meal break. During his teaching career, Brian suc-cessfully conducted many daring and dangerous experiments with his physics students, – but the one which brought

him under further scrutiny, this time with the Education Department, involved a .22 rifle projectile blowing a hole in the wall of a classroom during lesson 5 at a country high school. The Education Department condoned his actions as legitimate. The photo was taken by Dr Bob

Lloyd.

The incline used was the entry into the first car park at Flinders Uni.

Bob Bazzica bought the car new and took it to Tasmania on his honeymoon, so it was well run in !

Brian Lee also used the car for his honeymoon, but Bazzica had al-ready christened it.


38

VALE David Pearson

1/10/1924 - 28/12/2018

D avid was a long time member of this car club after joining in 1979.

Lovingly know as Daddy P. His love of MG's started when son Anthony intro-duced he and Joy to the club in 1979 whilst attending Ballarat National meet-ing. The friendship and camaraderie he witnessed was enough for the Pear-son’s as a family to become lifelong members. Well known for his passion for Red wine, David was always seen at meet-ings with a glass or two to hand. Value for money was his motto, AKA a cheap Red! David served the club as President for 2 terms 1985-1988 and together with Joy spent many years co organizing many social functions. Being avid National Meeting entrants David and Joy to-gether with Bob and Shelly Bazzica, organized tours for the international MGCC guests around Australia, follow-ing the 19xx and 19xx Adelaide Na-tional meetings. Both David a Joy were awarded Life membership for their self-less service to the Club. Together with Anthony and Joy his MG stable saw him own and restore, an MGTC, TD, TF1500, Y sedan, MGA 1500 Coupe, Mg ZA Magnette, MG1100 and a MGB David, the only son of a baker, from Surry England, joined the RAF during the 2

nd World War and saw action in

North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. After de-mobbing in 1945 he met and married Joy in Sept 1948. Whilst work-ing at Farnbourgh Aircarft Establishmet in England, he was offered a position in Australia at Weapons Research Estab-

l i s h m e n t ( W R E ) Salisbury in charge of the electri-cal work-shops. They subsequently emigrated to Australia on the 13

th of Jan 1952 . Soon followed by

both sets of parents. After leaving WRE in 1955 and An-thony’s birth, he established an Electri-cal business on Magil Rd, before mov-ing on to setting up a couple of florist shops opposite West Tce and Centen-nial Park cemeteries. 10 yrs of working 365 days a year’ saw David and Joy retire from florist sales to enjoy their passion for travel. Dozens of self man-aged overseas trips over 50 yrs fol-lowed, covering all continents and countries including many International MG meetings. In his twilight years over-seas cruises were their preferred travel. His last was only a week before his passing. He is much loved and will be missed by Joy, Anthony, Wenona (daughter-in-law) and Cara Pearson. (Grand-daughter)

From Joy Pearson I would like to thank all of you that sent cards, brought flowers and attended our Open House on the 13

th of January.

What a wonderful day. Over 70 beauti-ful people and as many or more “Hugs”. So heartwarming at a time like this. My love to you all and remember I am a great one for “Hugs” at any time. Joy

39

TRADE DIRECTORY

WEBBER DAVIES CONVEYANCERS

8323 8529 For all your property transaction requirements Private contracts, Family Transfers, Land Divisions, Community Titles, all property settlements

John & Sue Davies FAICSA (Certified Practicing Conveyancers) Email: [email protected] Web : www.conveyancingsa.com.au

Ann Calver Real Estate Sales Consultant

RLA200675

Selling real estate, or know someone who is? Call me for an appraisal of your

most valuable asset (apart from your MG of course!!). Or see me personally for a special MG Car Club deal as I regularly

attend mid-week lunch runs.

Ph: 0419 812 621 E:mail

ann.calver@harcourts. com.au

[email protected]

TWO TIMS

SHIRAZ

2016 MCLAREN VALE

Rated 94 points

Leath Hunt: 0412 646 931

www.twotims.com.au

Leath Hunt is offering their

2016 SHIRAZ

To Club members for

$120.00a case (12) as a Xmas special

Delivered free into the Adelaide

metropolitan area.

Logon to their website for reviews etc;

www.twotims.com.au

Email: [email protected]

M: 0412 646 931

March 2019


http://www.conveyancingsa.com.au/



FOR SALE FOR SALE

1949 MG TC Road-ster - Chassis No 287, Engine number XPA10001 In excellent condition, runs very well and always garaged. Beautifully re-stored in 2007- 2008 by second to last owner and well looked after since. Service history records including photos and documentation of restoration proc-ess. Currently registered under 90 day historic club registration. Comes with roof, side windows and tonneau cover. Reg. TC – 9287 Price $43,000 Contact. Richard Koch 0411 408 526

40

1972 white MGB Manual with overdrive, soft top with additional toneau cover & hardtop. VIN: YHN91794 ENG: 18V582H949 Asking $15,000 ono Contact: Pat Shipley on 0487 468988”

WANTED TO BUY

One set of Performance Minilites 14 x 6 rim as per photo phone Russell 0468 731 410.

TRAILER FOR SALE Brian James fully galvanised light-weight drop axle trailer from UK 4 wheel braked (recently refurbished) Tilting guards, Breakaway cable Tyres as new, Spare wheel Trailer bed 1.7m wide x 2.8m length Tows perfectly $4500 Phone Pat Mullins 0400 381 481

MGC 1968 White 4Sp O/d on 3rd & 4th gear Black leather trim, tonneau, soft hood roll bar 15inch wire wheels. Good mechanical. Body very straight. 38Km since resto Does need a paint resto. Price: $23,500 ono Contact: : "Darryl Pinch"

<[email protected]>


Documents

MARCH 2019 VOL. 59 NO. 2 2019 WE… · MG Car Club of South Australia - Committee Appointments 2018/2019 PATRON Ed Ordynski AUDITOR Graham Tull EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OFFICE BEARERS