A weekend in heaven
What a weekend...the Nationals at Hawkesbury were a great success! The venue and facilities were terrific and the weather perfect. There were large crowds at the showground on Saturday and Sunday, with many Sydneysiders and visitors enjoying the cars and the atmosphere.
The Hawkesbury region provided rodders and their families with a variety of activities, and we appreciated the acceptance and assistance provided by Hawkesbury Council. We would especially like to congratulate the organising committee for their untiring efforts. Having one of our club members on the committee helped us to realise the vast amount of work which goes into making the Nationals a success-all those meetings and telephone calls!
We look forward to the next Nationals, and hope they will be every bit as enjoyable as Easter '97.
Simon Hamilton
on behalf of the Old Time Street Rod Club
Dear Sir,
The following events that have occurred to myself over the past couple of months is typical of the prejudices that occur too often to Hot Rodders, and it can happen to any one of us, at any time.
On February 9th, 1997, I was travelling back from a Rod Run with my two young children (aged 4 & 2 years) in my '34 Chev Coupe. I had been travelling in convoy with 3 other Rods, when I was separated due to traffic conditions. I was travelling along a major highway close to home, when a marked Police car pulled me over. They had not been travelling behind me in traffic, so I can only presume that they were in a side street, watching for speeding motorists.
They proceeded to inspect my Rod quite thoroughly, and discovered two defects. My cycle guards weren't wide enough, and the car was 5mm too low. I explained to them that it was a Hot Rod, and that the vehicle was in the same modified condition as it was when it was first registered in 1985, other than a colour change.
They then asked if I had an Engineers Report. I told them that the Rod was accepted for registration as it stood in 1985, and has proven its road safety as a regular driver for the past 12 years. One of the constables said that as far as he was concerned the Rod was unroadworthy, and he had no option but to give it an unroadworthy certificate. He also said an Engineers Report was required. I protested at this demand, and he stated that if Vicroads notified him that the report was not required he would accept this and left me with a contact number. They also inspected the application of the child safety restraints, and agreed that they had been fitted correctly.
Keep in mind that both Police Officers were never rude to me, and conducted themselves in a civil manner. I in turn was not rude or "smart" towards either Police Officer. I would also like to state that if my rod is unroadworthy, I accept this fact, and would do anything required to make and keep it in roadworthy condition. As soon as I arrived home, I contacted Con Mantzaris (Vic TAC) and Bruce Borlase (Vic State Director), who both agreed to assist me. Con came a couple of days later, and inspected my Rod. He told me that he would contact Vicroads and see what he could do about the request for the Engineers Report. Con had several fruitless discussions with Vicroads, the problem being that no-one individual would take the responsibility of stating that my Rod didn't require the Engineer's Report.
I finally decided that I would have to get an Engineer's Report. Again Con came to my assistance. He organised an engineer from T.I.C. to inspect the Rod, and after some discussion it was agreed that it would be done on 1985 engineering requirements. Several modifications were required, and three weeks later the Rod had passed. I am convinced that if Con Mantzaris and the ASRF were not there to give me guidance and assistance, my Coupe could still be off the road, and it would have cost me a lot more money than it did. I was quite surprised that Con gave his time and advice for free. He does it for the passion he has for the sport of Hot Rodding. I would like to express my thanks to Con Mantzaris and the ASRF for all their assistance and advice in this situation.
It's a pity that there will always be people in authority who class all modified vehicles as unsafe. My Rod is not "rough", or rusty, and there are a lot of later model vehicles on the road that are truly unroadworthy. All we can do is try to stay out of their way, and continue fighting this battle of obvious prejudice.
Yours in rodding,
Lou Selmo.
Dear Sir,
On behalf of our club members, I would like to congratulate you on your 9th Street Rodder News. It by far surpasses all our expectations for a newsletter, and is a credit to all who put it together.
Yours in rodding,
Calvin Pope/Secretary Thunderbirds.
(Thank you Calvin for putting pen to paper to let us know your thoughts on the national newsletter content. Many members may not realise how the newsletter is put together, or by whom. We have regular contributors who send in articles, such as: Geoff Rea, Dave Hart, Alan Evans, Sharon & Lard Clift. And then there are the clubs and individuals who send us their photos and stories to let everyone know what is happening around the country. All this information is gathered, and typed and prepared by Chris (National Secretary) at the Brisbane office. The finished newsletter is then forwarded to Graffiti Publications for typesetting, and final layout work, then back to Chris for proof reading, and final edits, then on to the Printer, before being distributed to members. The newsletter is a team effort, and behalf of the team, thank you for your positive comments).
Dear Rodders,
Before the after glow of the 13th Nationals starts to subside, I would like to say thank you, and extend my appreciation to a host of people who made it a success.
I walked away believing it to have been the best event so far in our national calendar, with only a few hiccups hidden by the success. Each Nationals should be better than the next, as it reflects the growth and enthusiasm in the sport.
I would like to thank the entrants for showing confidence and entering. With no entrants, we have no show. The sponsors who came on board and contributed greatly to the success, Windsor community, NSW Street Rod Committee, ASRF Officials nationally, Nationals Committee, and the clubs and delegates who helped.
Some of the outstanding efforts that were noted; We had clubs that manned the gates, registration building, and Eastern Creek. Some clubs put a big effort into lifting their image, with new jackets and uniforms. Marshall Perrons's pick of the Idlewild Club as the best presented club was very worthy, and I can't forget the ladies auxiliary of the ASRF who manned the coffee shop.
The sport is in good shape and growing. We wish Bruce Borlase and his team every success in 1999. It must be remembered, it isn't any individual's event, it is OUR Street Rod Nationals, and everybody has a responsibility.
In closing, thank you to all, including my wife Jan and family, for your help and support.
Yours in rodding,
Adrian Buckley
NSW State Director.
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