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Exceptionally good weather made a great day most enjoyable!Alowyn Gardens exceeded expectations in its beauty!Masses of roses, shade trees, wisteria canopies, a Beech tree forest, a French ornamental garden, herb garden, a coffee/ gift shop and plant nursery were there for people to enjoy. After an introductory talk by the owner, members wandered throughout the property enjoying the sights. The rest of the day was spent under shady trees sharing a picnic lunch. This lasted well into the afternoon. A very pleasant social gathering.We intend to go to Alowyn Gardens again but in a different season, as we believe the gardens will be beautiful when the wisteria is in bloom.

The weekend of 10th and 11th of November was busy as the club had 2 events on the same weekend.The Saturday event, 10th Nov. was at the Lunar Dandenong Drive-in. This event was organised by the Chrysler Restorers Club who are co-tenants with us at the VDC Club rooms. This event was a fun way to raise donations for Muscular Neurone Disease (MND)This was a major inter-club event and the folks at the Chrysler Restorers club should be very proud of themselves for organising such a unusual way of having a great night out and generating funds for MND.At our November club Meeting we had a raffle and raised $175.00 for MND.The full amount was passed on to the President of the Chrysler Restorers Club with many thanks.The Dandenong Drive-in has 4 screen and the largest was full of classic and customs of many makes and models.The weather was perfect for such an event as many people arrived early and enjoyed walking around admiring the assortment of eye candy. Just after dusk the drive-in was all most to capacity.The movie was The Fast and the Furious which was not really suited to our demographic but it did appeal to the younger enthusiast.For our mob Bullitt or American Graffiti would be more suited.As the sun went down the queue to the cafeteria grew longer and longer and chairs were set up around the various cars some of which had sound systems far beyond what would have been available from the drive-in speaker systems of the past. It was interesting to see a couple with a VC Valiant Safari had brought a replica drive-in sound system which included 2 speakers. Leading up to the main feature were some shorts obviously with a Chrysler bent which included a number of old advertisements for Valiants and one about filming a crime show in Australia with lots of Valiants (mainly Chargers) in it (brand placement perhaps). This show included quite a few car chases and the camera car was shown as a Valiant ute with a camera crew in the back with the cameral tripod tied down. As the crew tried to keep up with the action they were coming close to being thrown out of the back of the ute. Obviously before the days of OHS considerations.But whatever the movie it was a great night and a very different activity. What a great way to help donate funds to great cause.

1938 Buick Special $35,0006 Wheel Equip, Fisher Body, Air-conditioning & 10 Stacker CDSpare Parts include: 4 Engines, 2 Gear Boxes, Spare Suspensions & 2 Diffs. Contact David 0412 968 610

Sixty vintage rockers from the Buick, CHACA and Oldsmobile car clubs stormed Bill and Lillians property for a day of rock and roll music, dancing, feasting on lamb and other meats from the spit. The feasting included hot potatoes and yummy salads and of course as usual, many decadent desserts!Champagne and nibbles greeted the revellers upon arrival. When Andy Dee hit the airwaves with his old-time rock n roll hits, those old rockers responded by getting to their feet, displaying that they had not forgotten how to jive! The photographs tell the story better than any more words.You will need to take a second look to identify the celebrities under their wigs.

7 pm saw about 40 members of both the Buick and Oldsmobile clubs assembled in the show room of the Healey Factory. Wow, it soon became apparent that the Healey Factorys no longer confined itself to working on Austin Healeys. There were so many other magnificent examples of collectables cars on display and as we were to find also in the various workshop areas.We broke in to smaller groups and were guided through the main areas of work. Service and engine and gearbox rebuilding, Body shop, painting, general dismantling and assembly. Robert the proprietor explained that all work is tailored to the requirements of the owner of the car. It was explained that some want work done to concours standards (highly original). Some want the car to be as driver friendly as possible and have all kinds of enhancements to brakes and steering. Some just want the necessary repairs and this can include insurance companies in the case of collision damage.The standard of work being done was very impressive and quite inspiring. Some things that stood out for me was the integrity of the panel repairs and the painting. I was impressed also with the fact that the engine blocks for these 50 year old cars are still being cast and machined in Australia and also the engines are so large for such a small car. Chris the main painter showed a lot of the considerations for preparing the work and making sure it lasted to a high quality The paint shop had a rotisserie for turning the Healeys to the best painting position.luxury! Peter explained that the panel repairs used all the old techniques including blocking hammers, the English wheel, swaging roller for creating grooves, rust replacement panels and panel shape copiers. Apart from the workshops and the magnificent showrooms it was also a good chance to catch up with some Oldsmobile members particularly the Russell brothers Leigh and Rohan who had been with the Club from the very early days and had been part of the organisation of the very early GM days.All in all, this was a great night out hosted by some very hospitable and knowledgeable hosts.

To quote the Bendigo advertiser, the Calder Freeway became a mobile museum last Saturday, 22/9/2018, as cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes, made their way from Calder Park Raceway to Bendigo for the VACC Centennial Cavalcade of Transport.The Cavalcade of 100 vehicles from 1918 to 2018, was lead by a 1918 Buick Roadster followed by a variety of vehicles, which included many beautiful old and new exotic cars. Many cars made their way to Bendigo to also participate in the Show and Shine in the Town Centre. All participants received a keepsake medallion.The lead car is owned by Club members, David and Marge Barnard of Horsham.BUICK Club members were well represented at the event. One of them, John Egglestone received the 1918 to 1945, Pre -War Trophy, with his 1937 Pontiac Coupe, (Sloper). The trophies were awarded by Shane Jacobson. It was a remarkable event and a great day for motoring. Well done to the VACC.

Nearly 60 entrants assembled at the Dalby Homestead Motel, for the Meet and Greet. This was the first gathering of what turned out to be a very interesting week. Day Two saw us travelling across the Western Plains to Jimbour House, a magnificent, rural, two storey homestead, built of sandstone, with a French Provincial character. It was built around the late 1840s, and remains a private residence with its own airstrip.Day Three saw us out on the Western Plains again; this time to Warra and a visit to the farming property of Buick Car Club members, Jeff and Marilyn Bidstrup, who have a wonderful collection of Buicks and a V12 and V16 Cadillacs. Of course, need we say, another delicious morning tea. This was followed by BBQ lunch at the Warra Hotel. That evening we had a buffet dinner at the Windsor Hotel followed by a sing along which was led by none other than Linda Hall and our own Lenny Wright. A great evening!Day Four saw us heading down the Warrego Highway to the Jondaryan Woolshed. Not only a woolshed on a giant scale but a whole village has also been assembled on the site. This time morning tea comprised of damper drizzled with golden syrup. Lunch quickly follow our tour of the village. This too was delicious homemade shepherds pie/ or corned beef and veggies followed by apple crumble. Yum!Day Five saw us assembled in the morning, at the Dalby Showgrounds, for the Show and Shine. A great array of Buicks from 1922 to the 1980s. That afternoon we had a tour of the Dingo Mini Digger Factory. In the evening, we attended the Presentation Dinner which saw Bob and Barb Mc Bride, take home the award for Best 1970s Car and Robert and Lyndal Croxford, take home, The Mayors Choice Award.The Best of Show went to Colin and Dawn Castle with their Maroon 1950 Super Convertible. Many of the attendees are already looking forward to the 2020 National Meet in Victoria!

Last Sunday Club members visited the third largest collection of Minerva cars in the world.Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom, medicine, commerce, handicrafts, poetry, the arts in general, and later, war. In many ways similar to the Greek goddess Athena, she had important temples in Rome.Minerva cars were built in Belgium from 1902 to 1938 and were on a par with Rolls Royce for quality of engineering and finish. From 1908 onwards, Minerva cars used sleeve valve engines, under licence from Charles Knight, who invented and patented the double sleeve valve engine.Sleeve valve engines were also used in aircraft including the Hawker Typhoon and the Focke- Wulf 190 fighter aircraft of WW11. Bill and Dianne made us very welcome, to their home, garage and factory. We were amazed to see a collection of rare Minerva cars ranging from 1904 to 1932.The collection contains about 15 vehicles and includes: A 1904 Minervette, single cylinder, being one of only eight known to exist in the world. A 1925 four, cylinder sedan, with a fabric body and which has travelled 55,000 kms from new.A 1932 eight, cylinder sedan, formerly owned by the Catholic Archbishop of Chicago.A 1930 Cadillac, V16, seven, seater sedan.Dianne invited us to view a collection of magnificent Asian Artefacts, which includes carved ivory. We wish to thank Bill and Dianne for their hospitality.Following the viewing of the collection we had lunch at the Wheelers Hill Hotel. Bad weather did not deter attendance and we had an extremely, pleasant day!

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