Thank you very much for your support given to me in electing me as President again. With our Club being almost 10 years old we seem to be thriving. Thank you very much to all the Executive, including 2 methodical Secretaries that we have had since starting, a good Secretary is so important in any club.
We have had a couple of Committee changes, Barry Goddard as Social Convenor, with assistance from Glenis, and Jacqui Yarrall as Club Captain, thank you and congratulations to you all. I urge all members to please support them.
Please make a point of finding something to put in the Club magazine, and making at least one suggestion for an event at some stage over the next 12 months.
Thanks a lot, and I'll see you soon.

John Hull
President

I know that we belong to various car organisations that lobby Government on our behalf, but it is time we started asking our own questions and writing letters, especially in this an election year. What do the local candidates think, and what is their party's policy on cars, petrol tax, roading etc.

Just a few thoughts to think on.......

Jacqui Yarrall
CLUB CAPTAIN

It's that time of the year again when subs are due - and the good news is that they are still only $25 - there is no increase!
If you could please get your sub to me at your earliest possible convenience I would be delighted.
Either drop it in the mail to PO Box 1015 Timaru or give it to me at the next meeting.
Your early attention would be much appreciated.
Garey Hanifin
Secretary/Treasurer

Ashburton Rotary are to be congratulated on the number of entrants that they always manage to atrract to this event - they must have a secret formula - I wish I knew what it was.

JH.

On December 13th 1992, my brother rang from Christchurch, to tell me my Dad had passed away of a sudden heart attack. It was a Sunday. My immediate reaction, was that my world had come to an end. It was the worst news I had ever had. My wife managed to get bookings on the plane for the Monday, out of Heathrow, and so I left with my brother and my son. It was a long, miserable trip, I just wanted to get back to NZ, to be with my Mum, and brothers.

On the way back to the UK, we were stuck in Sydney Airport for two hours,and I bought a book to read from the shop. Amazingly, there was a Mk1 Zephyr convertible for sale. It again made me think back to the 60's, to the times my Dad had helped me with my old cars and bikes, and the fun I had with them. Back in the UK, I was busy at work trying to catch up, but in the back of my mind, the Zephyr "filing cabinet" in my brain had been woken up again.

Some years later, I had the chance to go to Australia to see a business colleague, and my wife's sister. This gave me the chance to inquire about shipping, the various magazines and papers and other essentials. One difficulty was that to register a Car in the UK one needs proof of the year of manufacture. This is difficult in Australia as it appears no States, have a "logbook" or "registration document". Later on, I was to discover that the Car clubs in the UK can issue a "dating certificate" so making it possible.

I saw two Cars on that trip. The first one was in Adelaide, and was very badly repaired, although it was up and running. It had a Mk2 diff fitted, and jumped out of second on the overrun. I did not like the car, but kept the information, just in case I could not find anything else.

The second car was in Brisbane, and had a very nice body. Looked like it had never seen any rust at all. The owner was a very nice chap, and he wanted A$22200.00. I felt it was a whole sackful of cash, but had a good look around. I liked the car, it sat well, and looked great. However, I would have had to spend quite a bit on it, as the interior was tan, (not my favourite colour) , the hood did not fit properly around the RHR 1/4 window,which would have meant a new hood, and the paintwork under the bonnet and in the boot left a bit to be desired, and all the rubbers were shot..

Again, it was fitted with a MK2 diff, and chrome wire wheels. I kept the information, but felt I would be upside down buried in it, if I had to fix the things I didn't like. Back I went to the UK, a bit disenchanted by the whole thing. .

I decided to buy the car in Adelaide, just in case there were no others, but this as I found out later, was a big mistake. My earlier hunch had been right, and the car was a pile of "horse pucky".

Photo C.Pinion

A few months later, I was back in Australia, combining a business trip with a holiday. Again, I ran some wanted ads, although this time my description included words like "rusty" & "dismantled". I figured I may as well build my own car, at least it would be how I wanted it to be. In Adelaide I found the car I was looking for, Ron said the car had been parked in the field for "nigh on 20 years."
It had been totally dismantled,sand blasted, painted in red oxide primer, all the parts put inside the body, and parked in the field. I looked at the inner wing, and the chassis number read - EOTTA104427, so it looked like it was a 1954 model.
It didn't look too bad for rust, although I didn't dare crawl underneath, as the guy reckoned there were snakes in the grass.I christened the car the "Adelaide Field Car", and I hope to write a book about it's restoration back to regular use again.

Photo C.Pinion

The vast distances in Australia are a major problem. Both in going to look at cars, and when shipping in containers from a common point. I chose to ship out of Melbourne, as I had business contacts in the area, and the cost of shipping was competitive.

The second car on this trip was North of Melbourne a few hours. This suited me and my wife (Toni) well, as we were on our way to Coffs Harbour for a couple of days off anyway.
The car was a runner, but had some rust, and would need a total restoration. Still, it seemed fairly complete, and sat well. The cross member underneath looked pretty good too. The engine number did not match the chassis number, but I guess that was expecting too much.
I liked the wire wheel hubcaps, my friend Warren Stevenson had them on his Black/Blue Mk1 ragtop (AE4100) back in 67, they added a lot to the car's looks.

Photo C.Pinion

Well folks, that's the story so far. Now I have to start looking for parts,anyone got any convertible parts in their garage??

Charlie Pinion
Staines UK.

� The 1960's were a watershed for British television. "Z-Cars" was a new television series created by the BBC, was set in a mythical place called Newtown and revolved around the activities of the local police and in particular the uniformed Officers who patrolled the area in large saloon cars - Ford Consuls in the first series, subsequently replaced by the Ford Zephyr 6.
The show's main characters were PC's Bert Lynch, Jock Weir, Fancy Smith, Detective Sergeant John Watt and Detective Inspector Charles Barlow who would soon all become household names.

The original idea for a series arose from a book written by Detective Sergeant Bill Prendergast of the Liverpool City Police. His book described his experiences as a detective working the hard-bitten post-war environment of Liverpool. 'Newtown" was in fact Kirkby, an overspill estate 10 miles east of Liverpool. Some local names such as Seaforth where changed into Seaport, though many did keep their identities and the majority there knew where the series was set. Kirkby was under the jurisdiction of the Lancashire Constabulary.

Colonel T.E. St Johnston, Lancashire's Chief Constable, had originally supported the concept of a new "police" television series based and filmed in Lancashire. That support ended abruptly after the Colonel saw a preview of the first episode. He travelled down to London to the Home Office and then onto the BBC in an attempt to have the series stopped, as in his opinion, his Officers did not behave in the way that the show portrayed them. The Colonel lost and show was broadcast.

The television series used light coloured vehicles, white or yellow for better recognition under the television cameras and lighting. In reality Lancashire's crime patrol vehicles were Ford Zephyrs but followed the same range of colours as the average family saloon - green, blue, grey but very rarely white. There were no outward visible signs that they were police patrol cars, and the only give-away, to those in the know, were the twin radio aerials, one mounted on each rear wing. This was an age of the black police patrol car, like the Wolseley, with a police sign fore and aft and a bell. Bill Prendergast's Liverpool City Police used black Ford Zephyr 6's as their Traffic Division's main patrol car.

Where did the call signs Z Victor 1 and Victor 2 come from? - Z was the designation for Lancashire's Crime patrol vehicles, Victor was the letter of the phonetic alphabet for the Division where the crew/car operated, in this case V Division. 1 or 2 indicated a particular vehicle within the Division, though 1 and 2 were usually reserved for the Sergeants car.

Lancashire Constabulary was known as an innovator in policing, and the Z-cars (Crime Patrol) were an innovation later to be copied by other forces within the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Lancashire was the first to use white Traffic Cars and some years later would cover their Traffic vehicles completely in Orange fluorescent tape to increase safety of the vehicles and Officers using them. In the latter part of the 1960's Lancashire Constabulary would roll out a Ford Anglia, as a new small patrol car, it's distinctive colour scheme of light blue and white led to it being christened "Panda Car" by Chief Constable William "Bill" Palfrey.

The TV series spun off other shows such as Softly Softly based on Wyvern, alias Bristol, and Softly Softly Task Force, based somewhere in Essex. Charlie Barlow and John Watt rose up the "ranks" to become Detective Chief Superintendent and Superintendent respectively. �

The Z-Cars television series ran until 1977 by then it was not the Crime patrol but the Ford Escort "Panda" which was featured. The final scene saw Inspector Bert Lynch closing the electric roller shutters over the front door of Newtown Police Station.

Z-Cars would, like Dixon of Dock Green, fade into Television History.

60s Traffic car showing the equipment each car carried
Article and Photo courtesy Dan Rumsey's Classic Z Cars web site<

Two cannibals are eating a clown
One says to the other "Does this taste funny to you?"

Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks
They charged one and let the other one off.

A blind bloke walks into a shop with a guide dog. He picks the dog up and starts swinging it around his head.
Alarmed, a shop assistant calls out: "Can I help, sir?"
"No thanks," says the blind bloke. "Just looking."

So I was getting into my car, and this bloke says to me "Can you give me a lift?"
I said "Sure, you look great, the world's your oyster, go for it."

You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today.
They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.'
So that was nice.

27-29 August Garden City Zephyrs 10th Anniversary Weekend in Kaikoura

25 -27 Sept Weekend run to Alexandra Blossom Festival

FOR SALE

MkII Zephyr stationwagon. 1962, English assembled, disk brakes, 4 speed.
Must sell - make me a realistic offer and it could be yours!
Phone Garey Hanifin 03 688-6663

1961 Corvette raffle tickets - Tornado Rod & Custom Club
See Garey Hanifin for your tickets
Phone 03 688-6663