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SEPTEMBER 2019
Affiliated with QHMC
P.O.BOX 1420, BUNDABERG, QLD 4670 Meetings held at BVVC Inc. Clubhouse, Kendalls Road on the second Wednesday
of the month at 7.30 pm
OFFICE BEARERS
PUBLICITY OFFICER John Burrage...................................................4153 1447 Mob……………………………………………………… 0428 531 447 [email protected]
CLUB REGISTRAR Ken March ..................................................... 4152 7487 Mob……………………………………………………… 0410 184 917 [email protected]
LIBRARIAN Ian Jefferyes……………………………………………….4153 3353 Mob……………………………………………………….0427 366 318 [email protected]
WEBMASTER Rod Gillespie …...……………...........................4159 4645 Mob……………………………………………………….0427 534 027 [email protected]
CATERING OFFICERS Mark & Val Gyles………………………………….4152 8661 Mob ……………………………………………………...0467 606 030 [email protected] RALLY ORGANISERS Max & Jane Scholefield ………………………..4159 4838 Mob………………………………………………...0408 201 810 [email protected]
Ian & Jenny Pearson…………………………………….4152 7563 Mob ………………………………………………………..0400 471492 [email protected] MAGAZINE EDITOR Jenny Pearson…………………………………………….4152 7563 Mob……………………………………………………….0428 527 564 [email protected]
QHMC REP. Bill Martin (Contact only through BVVC Secretary)
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 3
PATRON Gary Schulze……………………………………………… 4154 2842 Mob……………………………………………………….0488 030 245 [email protected]
PRESIDENT Ian Jefferyes………………………………………………. 4153 3353 Mob………………………………………………………..0427 366 318 [email protected]
VICE PREIDENT John Burrage...................................................4153 1447 Mob……………………………………………………… 0428 531 447 [email protected]
SECRETARY Harold Sharp………………………………………………. 4159 0225 Mob………………………………………………………. 0409 723 969 [email protected]
ASSIST. SECRETARY Ron Spiller………………………………………….. Mob………………………………………………………..0427 207 235 [email protected]
TREASURER John Sweeney……………….….............................4152 6195 Mob………………………………………………………..0408 452 871 [email protected]
ASSIST. TREASURER Terry Lewis…………………………………………...4159 0662 Mob………………………………………………...0404 647 359 [email protected]
DATING OFFICER (For concessional registrations) Gary Schulze……………………..............................4154 2842 Mob………………………………………………………..0488 030 245 [email protected]
PROJECT OFFICER Ian Pearson………………………………………………….4152 7563 Mob………………………………………………………..0400 471 492 [email protected]
This year has surely flown, and as a club, we have been extremely busy. You only have to read the club chit chat to see what we have been doing during the last few months.
There have been many and varied runs organised, and the coming months will be no different. Please read the events calendar and join with us in having some fun.
We have been invited to take part in some activities associated with the National Veteran Vehicle Rally. You will find all the details on page 13, as well as in the events calendar on page 22.
Our club Christmas party will be upon us before we know it. Early in December, and held at the Melbourne Ho-tel, it should come in before many other parties and promises to be bigger and better this year. Be sure to get your name on the list early, along with your payment. See all the details on page 23.
Jenny
Page 4 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
At a recent Executive Meeting, it was decided to in-crease joining fee and membership fees of the club. Since the last increase in fees two years ago, fixed run-ning costs have increased on average by 6% per year.
To cover these costs it was unanimously decided by the executive to increase fees for the year 1 November 2019 to 31 October 2020. The new fees applicable will be as follows.
12 MONTH MEMBERSHIP FEE; (1ST NOVEMBER TO 31ST OCTOBER) $55.00
JOINING FEE: $75.00
HALF YEARLY MEMBERSHIP FOR NEW MEMBERS
ONLY, WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:
JOINING FEE: $75.00,
6 MONTH MEMBERSHIP 1ST MAY TO 31ST OCTOBER: $27.50.
MEMBERSHIP FEES ARE DUE BY 31 OCTOBER 2019
John Sweeney Treasurer
Peter & Valerie Hosking
1926 Dodge Tourer RD CR QV1177
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS
Within days, we will be greeting the participants in the 2019 Veteran Vehicle Rally. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our club’s skills in assisting in such an event.
These events are rarely held outside capital cities and with 156 entrants to date, the people of Bundaberg are in for a once in a lifetime treat. We are not likely to see this many pre-1919 cars and motorcycles again in our life-times.
Our club has been invited to attend some of the events in this rally, so please try to take part in the displays. We won’t be mixing among the veteran cars but will be displaying in designated areas close by.
Our club Christmas function this year is to be held at the Mebourne Hotel. It is my understanding that, to secure a fully private room, we need 100 people, so even if you have not been able to participate in other events through the year, mark this one down. We would love to see you and there is no better time of year to touch base again than at Christmas time.
Happy Motoring
Ian Jefferyes
President
BVVC Inc.
About 30 cars left the clubhouse at 1.30 pm and headed to Brindley’s passionfruit farm. It was an easy drive to the farm, which is on Quinn’s Road, just off Rosedale Road. However, a couple of members made hard work of the tour, turning firstly into Moorlands Road before having to double back to the highway and eventually arriving at the designated spot.
We assembled at the entrance and were greeted by Ann and Brian, who took us on a guided tour through the paddocks of 24,000 passionfruit vines. The packing shed was our next stop, where we were shown cleaning, sorting and packing of the fruit.
There are two types of fruit grown, purple and panama passionfruit, which are sent to the Sydney and Melbourne markets. The reject fruit is sent to a factory on the Sunshine coast where it is made into passionfruit juice.
Brian and his son Ross, who is the owner of the farm, told us more about the growing of passionfruit, which takes a lot of hard work, a lot of patience and lot of resilience. The harvesting and packing of the fruit which is carried out by local backpackers.
“Passionfruit is particularly hard to grow – every year is different, every year the weather changes. Too much rain is problematic. In 2011 and 2013, we had floods, which resulted in a lot of vine deaths, which in turn reduced the yield and cash flow, which proved to have a severe flow on effect because upkeep of the farm requires investment to ensure it is properly maintained to produce the quality expected by the market. The vines are very temperamental. If you don’t look after them properly, you just don’t get good fruit. So, looking after them, applying the right amount fertilisers at the right timing is crucial.” Quote Ross
This was all followed by afternoon tea in the shade of the trees near the farm house, with lots of laughter and chatter as usual. Ann surprised us with some passionfruit cream slice which was very yummy, and some members went home with a lovely bag of passionfruit. What a treat!
Photographers, Ann and Maree had a bird’s eye view from the top of the forklift driven by Brian.
A big thank you to Ross, Ann and Brian for a great afternoon, which, one can only say was enjoyed by all.
Kev and Glenda Linder-berg
Saturday, 15 June 2019
PASSIONFRUIT FARM TOUR
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 5
Page 6 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
Sunday, 22 June 2019
PIONEER DAY HOSTED BY BROOWEENA HISTORICAL VILLAGE & MUSEUM
The Brooweena Historical Village provides a fascinating glimpse of the past in its tranquil rural setting in the centre of the township of Brooweena, 47 kilometres north of Maryborough.
A few starters braved the cold morning for a 7.00 am start to drive to Brooweena for the Pioneer Day hosted by the Historical Village and Museum. We headed out through Biggenden and arrived in good time for morn-ing tea.
We were pleasantly surprised to find our friends from the Fraser Coast Club parked nearby, so we were soon
able to catch up with some local gos’. The MG club was also in attendance.
An extensive array of memorabilia, equipment, musical instruments and aboriginal rock carvings, is on display in 12 heritage buildings. The complex includes a black-smith's shop, a butch-er shop, wash house, original 1915 Council Office and an authen-tic rustic barn with a collection of bullock and horse drawn vehi-cles.
There were working demonstrations of times gone by, vintage cars, market stalls, as well as plenty to eat and drink.
We could relate to the butter making, as Ian and I both recall our mothers churn-ing, patting and mark-ing butter.
It was good to be able to support this small and struggling com-munity.
Ian and Jenny
Ian and Cherie catch up with Peter and Jocelyn Gardiner
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 7
Friday 28, Saturday, 29 & Sunday 30 June, 2019
THERE’S A HOBO AT UBOBO!!
A three-day, two-night stay at the Ubobo Discovery Centre was organised by our Events Committee with 18 people making the most of a short break away, and staying in either their own caravans, Discovery Centre cabins or just a “Bongo” with a bed! Nice to see newish members Peter and Margaret Elson come along. A lovely two course dinner on Friday night was provided for us by the local ladies at the Centre, and afterwards no-one seemed in a hurry to retire, happy to enjoy a night-cap and a chat, to finish off a long day.
After a leisurely start to Saturday, the plan was to pack a picnic lunch and go and explore the long since aban-doned Glassford copper and gold mine. Quite a bit of exploring was done just to find the turn-off from the Monto/Ubobo Road to the mine, and after several u-turns, head scratching and the stopping of passing vehi-cles, we eventually found the right track to the mine site.
But, after travelling about 20km along this track, which even the goats had long since given up on, and still no idea on how much further we had to travel, it was de-cided to stop and have lunch and send a couple of scouts to see how much further we had to go. Three bites into a sandwich, they returned to tell us the desti-
nation was just another couple of kms away. The her-itage listed mine site dates back to the late 1800s, with a population around 1500 in its hey-day, and has long since been abandoned, leaving evidence of a busy time, by the size of the tailings left and the old boilers and heavy machin-ery used in the pro-duction.
But the main land-marks of the area were the two 60 feet tall square brick chim-neys, which would have been built by Welsh stone-masons. (Round chimneys were the work of Cornish stonemasons.) After a good look around the area, we were left with questions like… just how did they find this site, how did they man-age to set it all up, work it, live there etc?
So back along the track, still no goats, and we joined the main road back to Ubobo following some of the way alongside the old Gladstone to Monto rail
line which, like a lot of other branch lines is gradually being pulled up, even though there is still a station showing on some maps!!
On Saturday evening, we were invited to join with the local community at the barbecue provid-ed by the Lions Club, with some of our group lucky enough to take home raffle prizes won on the night. Mick from the Lions Club, enter-tained us with about 20 verses of bush poetry… just how did he manage to re-member all of them? Then back to the centre, winding down for the night with Jenny’s “Mastermind” questions, with most of us having “Lost-yer-Mind” an-swers!! Sunday morning, after breakfast, we stopped at the Ubobo Museum to in-spect the wonderful reminders of times
gone by. Wendy couldn’t resist a tune on the old piano, and husband Ross was soon leading a conga line of members around the displays. Passing the “Ubobo School of no Children”, that’s right, no kids but there are three teachers who turn up every day, as they have done all year, waiting for the Education Department to make up its mind as to which school or schools will close or merge in that catchment. It was off to the small but interesting markets at Builyan, this being a good time to chat with locals and find out more about their area. The temptation of a close look at an XP Falcon Coupe for sale, proved too much for Ross and Keith, but even though it was extremely tempting, both managed to keep their hands in their pockets!
From there, a short drive to the hotel at Many Peaks for lunch, after which, some of the group left for home with others headed to Cania Gorge for the night.
All through the weekend there had been talk of the “Hobo from Ubobo”, with the outcome still un-known! Was it man, myth or member???
Why don’t you come with us next year for a fun filled time, explore the area some more, and maybe, solve the mystery?
Ron Spiller
Gwen signs the visitors’ book at the chimneys
Lunch in the bush
Look what we found in the bush!!
Page 8 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
Sunday 21 July, 2019
FROSTBITE RUN TO WOODGATE
Friday 26 July, 2019
SOCIAL PIZZA NIGHT AT CLUBHOUSE
Sunday 7 July, 2019
VISIT TO PARAGON THEATRE, CHILDERS
Wednesday 10 July, 2019
VISIT TO GRACEHAVEN AGED CARE FACILITY
Club members had been invited to display their cars at the Gracehaven Aged Care Facility. We had nine cars on display and, with our cars being from an older era, the residents showed quite an interest in them as it brought back memories.
There were two gentlemen who were quite interested in my Austin A40 as they could recall having similar cars in their younger years. One could even remember how much this model cost when new.
The residents did spend quite a long time looking over the cars and while this was happening, the staff sup-plied us with morning tea.
It is nice to go to these places, as it does seem to give the residents an uplift.
Allan Zeimer
Sunday the 7 July, a number of club members met at the clubhouse for a car run to the Paragon Theatre, Childers and to see the movie ‘Calamity Jane’ with Doris Day and Howard Keel as the main actors. We had a lovely drive, and all met at Central Park in town and had our morning tea before the movie started at 10.00 am.
Calamity Jane is a 1953 American Technicolour western musical film loosely based on life in the wild west. It explores the alleged romance between Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok in the American Old West.
The theatre, built in 1927, has canvas deck chairs as the seating. They were quite comfortable, which was sur-prising.
Lunch was at a local hotel and everyone enjoyed their meal along with lots of chatting. It was an enjoyable day.
Ross and Wendy Klein
Another successful night with club members meeting for a social evening topped off with plenty of pizza was enjoyed by all.
As we neared the sleepy township along the final long stretch of road, a light pink hue in the early morning sky was becoming visible. Ron and Ingrid greeted us at the Woodgate shelter in the stillness of the cold morn-ing. A few brisk walkers passed us by, and the friendly cleaner polished the barbeques for us to use. Terry and Reggie, warm coffee in hand, arrived just in time for a photo shoot on the beach. Rugged up and warm, we watched as the first few pale golden rays made an appearance. Soon the huge or-ange ball poured out its warmth and light over the wa-ter. What a glorious site! It was now time for another coffee and a welcome breakfast. Ross and Wendy soon had theirs on the go on their gas stove, while Terry and Reggie persevered on the clean shiny barbeques. Oh! so very slow. Max, Jane and Wayne soon cooked up a storm on the porta-ble butane stoves while Ray had had the foresight to bring his already heated and ready to eat. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the shel-ter shed while we all tucked into our hearty breakfast with all the trimmings. But it wasn't over yet. Wendy quickly whipped up a damper and it was soon cooking in the camp oven on heat beads. Time for yet another cup of coffee and damper for morning tea before heading for home. What a great morning we had celebrating the Stan Weir Memorial Frostbite Run,
a tradition which has been acknowledged by the club for many, many years. Jenny
A very big ‘thank you’ to the Austin 7 Club, who very gener-ously donated the roller blinds for the western side of the club house, in appreciation for the hospitality they were shown by us on their recent visit to Bundaberg. What a difference this makes when there are functions in the afternoons! A special thank you to Brian and Ann Brindley who had the foresight to make this suggestion on behalf of the visiting club. Members BVVC Inc.
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 9
On a clear Saturday morning 26 July, we met at the club-house. Nineteen cars, drivers and passengers left at 8.00 am for an adventurous trip to Brian & Sharn Boyd’s prop-erty near Paradise Dam. After a pit stop at Booyal Servo, and thanks to Maxine for getting the keys, we left feeling a lot better.
Turning left off the highway we travelled the Booyal /Dallarnil Road to the turnoff to Paradise Dam where we
stopped and met Bryan & Sharn. Brian told us about the history of the area when it was a gold mining area. Brian and Sharn had kindly compiled a flyer for us. Next stop was at Brian & Sharn’s property. This was where the chairs, tables and eskies were removed from the boots for smoko. After smoko and admiring the beautiful views around the property, the men wandered around the sheds looking at all the rusty relics nearby.
We then all loaded up and headed off to Paradise Dam where Brian and his neighbour spoke about the history of
the area and the construction of the dam wall. Remember in 2013 flood? Some of the dam blew out. Back in our vehicles, it was up hills and down dales, off to the park in Biggenden for our lunch. We were running behind time, so quickly ate in time to venture down to Big-genden Historical Museum where we were greeted by the people who had opened just for us. They are normally closed Sunday but were so pleased to see the crowd spilling into their little museum
After walking around and looking at all the past photos and memorabilia, you would have to say we live an easy life now. Phil and John were tickled pink to find their aunt’s name in one of the school registers, while Colleen spotted the old phone switch board which brought back memories for her. She was a switch board operator back in her day. After half an hour and no one answering her calls, she decided to give up. Outside in the sheds there were implements and items that were used many years ago. Jim, too, was proud of the drilling rig he had donated to the museum. All very well displayed!
Saturday 27 July, 2019
BIGGENDEN RUN TO BRIAN AND SHARN BOYD’S PROPERTY AND MUSEUM
Brian informs us about the area before moving on
Lunch at the homestead, overlooking the property
Phil and John browse the school registers
This brought back memories for Colleen
Leaving the museum some of the team travelled to see the Chowey Bridge, while the rest headed for home. Many thanks to Brian and Sharn for being such wonderful hosts for the day. All in all, it was a great day out. Dobbsie and Lyn
Jim showed us his oil rig
Chowey Bridge
Page 10 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
A good rollup of members and cars, old and new, assem-bled at the park opposite the Mt Perry Community Hall where we had smoko.
Jasmine from Evolution Mining arrived and gave every-one a form to fill in before we left. Workplace Health and Safety rules have changed since I left the workforce. To meet these requirements everyone had to blow in the bag before getting on the bus. Thank goodness, no one
had had a heart starter for breakfast, so all 47, a full busload, passed.
It was a pleasant bus ride out to the Mt Rawdon gold mine south east of Mt Perry, where we were met by Tim and Peter from Evolution Mining. An informative power point presentation gave us the background of the mine, how the mine operated and the expected life of it. Evolution Mining has 5 gold mines in Australia and produces about 1% of the world’s annual production.
We were all issued with a hard hat, safety glasses, gloves and vest before we left in the bus to view the pit from the lookout. This is a huge hole of very hard rock in which very fine gold is present in varying amounts. This rock is carted out of the pit by Euclid trucks which shift about 47 tonnes per load. One truck will do 5 trips in a 12hour shift. This rock is found in 3 categories, low grade gold, very low-grade gold or overburden. The low-grade gold is crushed (1gm per tonne). The very low-grade gold rock is stockpiled and will be treated once the higher-grade rock has all been mined and processed.
The low grade rock is progressively crushed from big rocks to powder which is mixed with hydrogen cyanide in vats to ex-tract the gold, silver, copper, zinc and other impurities. This mixture is then cast into ingots, stamped with the mine I.D. and sent to Melbourne where the gold and silver are separat-
ed out and cast into pure ingots.
After handing all the safety gear back and thanking all of staff from Evolution Mining for a very informative tour, we embussed back to Mt.Perry for lunch. Lunch was at the Mt. Perry Hotel and was enjoyed by all.
After lunch, those who wanted to, visited the Mt. Perry Men’s Shed. This is very new , full of men’s goodies (lathes, milling machines, hoists etc.) Evolution Mining has been very good to the Mt.Perry community. They sponsor events, and have subsidised the men’s shed and the transport of the Melbourne tram to Mt.Perry to be restored.
To finish off the day, some members went to the lookout on the Nor-manby Range north west of the town, while others went to the Bool-boonda Tunnel and then home.
All the organisers of the day should be congratulated for a job well done. Everything ran to time and a good time was had by all.
Jim and Joan Wright
Saturday 17 August, 2019
A GOLDEN DAY IN MT PERRY
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 11
Sunday 24 August, 2019
MYSTERY TOUR… ALL IN A DAY’S FUN
Another beautiful day as we all gathered at the club-house for the start of our run, with 20 cars by my count.
We were all handed a sheet of paper with directions and a list of questions to be answered as we drove along, the navigators having to keep watch for the an-swers!
After travelling along many back roads, most of which Peter and I had never been down before, we
arrived at South Kolan football grounds for our morning tea.
Back on the road again, with a fresh set of directions and questions, it was more back roads through
beautiful countryside until we finally arrived at our lunch destination behind Tirroan Hotel. The publicans were kind enough to open for cold drinks and hot chips and pies for those who wanted them.
Prizes of chocolates were awarded to those who had the most questions answered correctly, while we sat around in the shade and enjoyed lunch and a chat.
I'm sure everyone had a very enjoyable day.
Marg and Peter Elson
Members gathered firstly on the lookout on the Normanby Range, then at the Boolboonda Tunnel.
Serious business… Jane marks the papers
Ron, Ingrid and Gloria enjoy a drink with lunch at Tirroan
Max presents the prizes… lucky we weren’t playing for a sheep station!
Minds are like parachutes…they only function when open.
To be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid.
Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth.
Reuben and Sharyn, in their 46 Chev, and Cherie and I in the 37, set out for Lismore for the Northern Rivers Vintage and Veteran Car Club’s Annual Rally over the weekend of 17and 18 August.
We departed Bundaberg on Thursday 15 and headed for Ipswich which was a relatively uneventful run. Things got interesting on the Friday as we travelled via Beaudesert and over Lions Road to Kyogle. This road was built by Lions club members many years ago through the Macpherson Range and is narrow, rough and has some very tight turns. One has a single lane bridge followed by a ninety degree turn and a very steep climb up the side of a ridge. While I managed the shift back to first gear, I was too quick with the clutch and stalled. We had not seen any traffic up until now, but suddenly, had two four-wheel drives and six motor-cycles behind me as I tried to roll the car backwards to a spot where I could restart. They were all very helpful, and we managed to get going again. The 37 had devel-oped a habit of blowing white smoke on hot starts and this got worse over the trip. Proceeding down the other side of the range was exciting, as with the long bonnet of the Chev, we could not see which way the road went at times.
On arriving in Lismore, we attended the ‘afternoon tea greeting’. We noticed that the place looked different; it was green not brown, and down there, they have hills, heaps of them.
The Saturday run took us through all those hills. They don’t seem to have grasped the concept that the short-est distance between two points is a straight line. The views were certainly great, but it was hard work. At one stage, we were following an entrant in a 1926 T model doctor’s coupe which had a Frontenac overhead valve conversion. This thing was eating the hills.
The field was quite varied ranging from a 1918 T Ford up to 1986 BMW. There was even another 1937 Chev-rolet. A great idea was to have photos of the signposts of each turning intersection, on the run sheet.
After a great rally on the Saturday and Sunday, we headed for home on the Monday morning. About twenty kms out of Lismore, the 37 decided to chuck the fan belt, resulting in a roadside fitting of the spare. Reu-ben and I were well supervised by five cows gathered along the fence. My speedo had also gone haywire, reading anywhere from 0 to 100, until it stuck on about 150 mph off the scale.
This resulted in a horrible noise the following morning just out of Esk, so we had to disconnect the cable. Strangely the 46 did the same thing at the same time, so we were reliant on Reuben’s Satnav for our speed in built up areas from there to home.
We finally arrived back in Bundy, but the 37 is not well and we suspect a crack in the head, the car not me, although sometimes I wonder.
Ah! the joys of motoring. Ian and Cherie
Page 12 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
Sunday 17 & 18 August, 2019
BY CHEV TO LISMORE
Thank you to David Batt MP, our local State Mem-ber ,who presented to the Club our very own Qld flag at the last meeting.
Congratulations Bundaberg! We recently presented Rotary Lodge with a combined cheque of $5000 from the Bundaberg Vintage Vehicle Club Inc and Bundaberg Rotary Club. We both contributed $2500, each being proceeds from the Bundaberg Heritage Car, Bike and Machinery Show. Once again, thank you to everyone who contributed to this very successful day.
An man buys a sports car and is really beginning to en-joy it when he sees flashing lights in the rear view mir-ror. He guns it and is rapidly up to 160mph when he realizes what he is doing. He slows down, then pulls over and soon the cop pulls up behind him. The cop comes up to the window and asks, “What were you thinking, taking off like that?” “Well,” the man replies after thinking about it for a bit, “a few years ago a highway patrol officer ran off with my wife.”
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 13
In September our town will host the 2019 National Veteran Vehicle Rally, which comes to Queensland eve-ry 8 years. This is the first time it has been held north of Brisbane. We already have over 150 veteran vehi-cles, all over 100 years old, coming from the USA, New Zealand, UK and all over Australia. With the vehicles here over a 12 day period, it's a great opportunity to showcase our region, visit local produc-ers and attractions. To keep the rally compact and minimise delays to morning traffic, the event will be based in Bargara. The vehicles will tour throughout of region including Chil-ders, Moore Park, South Kolan, Elliott and Burnett Heads. An additional day has been added for the long- legged vehicles to Gin Gin and Mt Perry. Our rally sits between the Horseless Car-riage Association of America Tour in Bathurst and the Model T Nationals in Maryborough. John Handley will be guiding, over 6 days, a number of veteran vehicles under their own power from Bathurst to Bundy. One aim is to ensure that as many people as possible see the vehicles. So, in addition to schools and being on display at the towns being visited, we have arranged a ‘Gaslight Parade’ in Bourbong Street and a ‘Picnic with the Cars’ at the Botanic Gardens for the public and we will host a public gala film presentation of "Genevieve", regarded as the film that started the car movement, at the Moncrieff Theatre. There will be an amazing car and film spectacular in front of the Moncrieff Theatre recreating this 1953 Film Premiere with all the veterans on display and owners dressed in Edwardian
clothing, a street bar, a snack box for all the patrons. All the proceeds are going to the Bundaberg Hospital Services Foundation. Terry, Chris and John invite you all to come and experi-ence veteran motoring up close! We have two club runs in which members have been invited to participate during the rally. On these runs, we will not be travelling with the 157 veteran cars, but on a separate route to meet up with them. The rally organisers would like to see some of our club vintage cars at these two venues. Our club will not be participating in the rally on other days, but are invited to see the cars at various spots en route. Tuesday, 17September: Depart Bargara, 9.15am-10.00 am-Coral Cove - Elliott Heads - 12 - 1.30pm - Hummock - Distillery - 3.30pm, Burnett Heads - Bargara
Wednesday, 18 September: Depart Bargara for Chil-ders, 9.15 am -10am, Dr May's - Foley's Road - Farnfield - Childers, 11.00 am -2.30pm - Farnfield - Goodwood - Ring Road - Bargara.
Thursday, 19 September: Steam Day Burnett Heads Oak's Beach 10.00 am - 3.00 pm
Gaslight Parade : Bourbong Street 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm (Re-enact Red Flag Act) Friday, 20 September: Depart Bargara, 9.15 am - 10am - Bucca Pub - 12.00 - Bargara
Saturday, 21 September: Moore Park Motoring Festi-val. Club Run ( See events calendar)
Sunday, 22 September: Picnic with the veterans, Botan-ic Gardens and Club Run ( See events calendar) Charity Gala Film Genevieve, 4.00 pm at the Moncrieff.
1969 HT HOLDEN PREMIER SEDAN
Page 14 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
This car was purchased new by Harold Dunstan (Helen’s father) on 16 October 1969 from Madill Service Station, a Holden dealer in Gympie, Queensland for the princely sum of $3221.
It is only the second car owned by him. In fact, he only ever owned two cars. He traded a 1953 FX Air ride Sedan on this one, and Tom Madill, of Madill’s Service Station, Gympie, delivered it to Harold at a rotary meeting which was being held at the Gympie Golf Club. Tom exchanged cars, drove the FX home and never sold it. It is still in Madill’s possession, currently on their showroom floor at Madill’s Holden Dealership in Noosa.
This 1969 HT Holden Premier Sedan has a 186 S engine and power-glide transmission. The paint, Egyptian Bronze, is original and it sports a bone vinyl top and gold embossed upholstery. It originally had power assisted drum brakes all round, and did not have a wireless. It has the original registration number , and since being acquired by Garth and Helen on 3 November 2000, has been changed to concessional registration, but keeping that number.
Harold, who owned Dunstan’s Motor Company in Gympie, was an electrical engineer and had a tow truck. He towed a Valiant from Gunalda Range to Gympie, and when the owner could not pay him, he gave him a wireless with the fittings for a Holden.
As a family, they often drove to Noosa beach after Sunday School, but always had to be home in time for Harold to wash it and put it away. He never let anyone else drive his car… he always said one car, one driver!
Since owning the car, we have only made a few minor changes. Disc brakes were fitted to the front, as well as an interior rear vene-tian blind.
A correct type radio was purchased by Garth at a Caboolture Swap, and fitted in the car. It looks good… but has not made a sound since !!!!!!!!!!!
This Holden Premier has now covered 138,264 miles.
Garth and Helen Stubbins
What’s wrong with a little admiration? Premier sets you apart without being brash. Maybe it’s four headlights. No other car in its class has them. Or the elegant, gleaming grille. Or that knife edge rear roofline. All as unique as your signature. And there’s that reassuring new feeling you notice in yourself. Suddenly, you realise you’re driving a car that’s better than you’ve ever owned before. Deep, comfortable cushioned seats. Contoured carpet underneath your feet. Little extrava-gant touches. The subtle feel of quality is all around you. So, when you feel other eyes glance across, when the parking attendant’s smile is wider than you remembered, act as if you’ve always owned one. It’s a great feeling. What a wonderful way to arrive.
FROM THE LIBRARY
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 15
Our read this time consists of two volumes, The American Car Spotter’s Guide 1920-1939 and 1940-1965. The first book contains descriptions of many manufacturers who had limited production or did not survive the depression.
Some cars, such as the Dymaxion, which looked a bit like an old Ansair coach, was a device with three wheels and powered by a rear mounted Ford V8. It only had a run of three pilot models, and perhaps we should be thankful it didn’t go further.
In the mid-twenties, you had a choice of wheelbase. Buick, for instance, had six different lengths to choose from. Also, can anyone tell me what “Wizard Control” was on the 1932 Buick?
Other little gems are the Julian of 1922, which had a rear mounted radial engine, or the Kelsey which had friction drive. There was also a Handley-Knight made by Handley Motors, Kalamazoo, Michigan between 1921 and 1923½. Any relation John?
The second volume covers more familiar cars, and we find that what we got here in Australia was quite often the previous year body style from the USA/Canada. The American Falcon in 1965 was totally different to the XP which had more local styling.
The illustrations are in drawing form rather than photos, but it is still an interesting read to follow the develop-ment of the cars over the years.
I will not be in attendance on the 18th September as I will be with the Veteran Tour, but otherwise I will be at the clubhouse on Wednesday mornings as usual.
Your Librarian,
Ian
The cop asked to see the blonde's driver's license. She dug through her purse and was getting progressively more agitated. "What does it look like?" she finally asked. The policewoman replied, "It is square and it has your picture on it." The driver finally found a square mirror, looked at it and handed it to the policewoman. "Here it is," she said. The blonde officer looked at the mirror, then handed it back saying, "Okay, you can go. I didn't realize you were a cop."
63/64 WOLESLEY SEDAN 6/110 6 cylinder reconditioned, auto reconditioned Car is solid with clean paintwork
Ex Noel Devlin, Branyan Drive Phone:(07) 4155 2455
960 ROVER P5 3 LITRE SERIES 1 SEDAN $6950 or near offer
1961 ROVER P4 100 SEDAN $5950 or near offer
Both cars are running and on club rego . but are offered for sale unregistered. The P4 has a new spare laminated windscreen and the PP plates ROV-100 will be transferred to new owner. There are some spares included.
Phone: Rod Gillespie on (07)41594645 or 0427534027
CAR CHARGING SYSTEM CHECK Keep in mind that an undercharged battery is often caused by car accessories being left on overnight, or by a rear compartment or instrument panel compartment lamp that stays on. When the charging system is operating normally, the charge indicator lamp will come on when the ignition switch is turned ON and will go out when the engine starts. If the lamp does not come on with the key ON, you will need to check the warning light circuit or replace the bulb. Alternatively, noise from an alternator may be caused by the following components: • Improper routing of hoses, wiring, or shielding against the alternator housing • A loose drive pulley • Loose mounting bolts • Worn or dirty bearings • A faulty diode • A faulty stator • Brush/slip ring friction PRECAUTIONS • Do not reverse the connections to the alternator. • Do not short across, or ground any of the terminals in the charging circuit, except as directed by the instruc-tions. • Do not attempt to hotwire the alternator by connecting B+ voltage to any of the alternator 4-way connector terminals. Use only an approved test harness as described in these instructions. • Never disconnect the output terminal while the alternator is operating. Use only approved terminal probe adapters to connect the meter leads and the jumper wires to the connector ter-minals. Using improper adapters will damage the terminals and cause charging system or test harness failure. Inspection Before testing the alternator inspect the following components and conditions: Battery: Verify that the vehicle battery is in good condition and fully charged. • Built-in hydrometer in the battery: The green eye must be showing in the hydrometer. • The voltage across the battery terminals with all loads OFF should be above 12 volts. Verify that the battery connections are clean and tight. • Drive belt for damage or looseness. • Wiring harness at the alternator. Verify that the harness connector is tight and latched. Verify that the output terminal of the alternator is connected to the vehicle battery positive alternator lead. All charging system related fuses and electrical connections for damage or looseness. DIAGNOSIS If the battery tests good but still fails to perform well, the following are some of the more common causes: • A vehicle accessory was left on overnight • The driving speeds have been slow with frequent stops • The electrical load has exceeded the generator output (particularly with the addition of aftermarket equipment) • The existing conditions in the charging system include the following possibilities: • An electrical short • A slipping belt • A faulty generator • A faulty generator voltage regulator • The battery has not been properly maintained, including the following situations: • A failure to keep the terminals tight • A failure to keep the terminals clean • A loose battery hold-down retainer • A power failure caused by an existing mechanical condition in the electrical system, such as a short or pinched wire • Extended vehicle storage • Extended cranking periods due to a possible fuel or system problems. • Incorrect interpretation of the battery's built-in hydrometer • There has been an insufficient ampere-hour charge rate for a discharged battery
Page 16 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
• There is a continuous current draw on the battery through excessive parasitic drain • The battery is old Self-discharge is always occurring as a result of internal chemical reactions, even when the battery is not connect-ed. In hot weather, this chemical reaction is increased dramatically. Therefore, the number of discharged batteries will increase in very hot weather. BATTERY CAPACITY TEST To carry out this test, use a high rate discharge tester, Battery Tester, in conjunction with 73 Digital Multimeter. 1. Turn the tester to the OFF position. 2. Turn the multimeter selector switch to the DV volt position. 3. Connect the tester and multimeter positive test leads to the positive battery post and both negative test leads to the negative battery post. The multimeter clips must contact the battery posts and not the tester clips. Unless this is done, the actual battery terminal voltage will not be indicated. 4. Turn the load control knob in a clockwise direction until the ammeter reads approximately half of the cold cranking amps of the battery. 5. With the ammeter reading the required load for 15 seconds, note the multimeter reading. 6. If the multimeter reading is 9.6 volts at 21°C (70°F) or more, the battery has a good output capacity and will readily accept a charge, if required. 7. If the voltage reading is below 9.6 volts at 21°C (70°F) and the battery is fully charged, the battery is damaged, and a new battery must be installed. If you are unsure about the battery's state of charge, charge the battery. 8. After the battery has been charged, repeat the Battery Capacity Test. 9. If the capacity test battery voltage is still less than 9.6 volts at 21°C (70°F), install a new battery. 10. If the voltage is 9.6 or more at 21°C (70°F), the battery is satisfactory for service. 11. If the battery is found to be discharged only, check for a loose drive belt, loose electrical connection, charging system performance, and carry out the Battery Drain Testing. Caution: Avoid leaving the high discharge load on the battery for periods longer than 15 seconds. Drain Testing with Ammeter In-Line Check for current drains on the battery in excess of 50 milliamps with all the electrical accessories off and the vehi-cle at rest. Current drains can be tested with the following procedure. WARNING: Do not attempt this test on a lead-acid battery that has recently been recharged. Explosive gases can cause personal injury. To prevent damage to the meter, do not crank the engine or operate accessories that draw more than 1O A. Note: Many computers draw 10 mA or more continuously. Use an in-line ammeter between the battery positive or negative post and its respective cable. 1. Turn the switch to mA/A dc. 2. Disconnect the battery terminal and touch the probes. 3. Isolate the circuit causing the current drain by pulling out one fuse after another from the fuse junction panel while reading the display. The current reading will drop when the fuse on the bad circuit is pulled. 4. Reinstall the fuse and test the components (including connectors) of that circuit to find the defective compo-nent(s). Test Conclusion The current reading (current drain) should be less than 0.05 amp. If current drain exceeds 0.05 amp, a constant current drain is present. (Under-hood, glove compartment and luggage compartment lamps that do not shut off properly are all possible sources of current drain.) If the drain is not caused by a vehicle lamp, remove the fuses from the interior fuse junction panel one at a time, until the cause of the drain is located. If the drain is still undetermined, remove the fuses one at a time at the power distribution box to find the problem circuit. ALTERNATOR TESTING To prevent damage to the alternator (GEN), do not make jumper wire connections except as directed. Do not allow any metal object to come in contact with the housing and the internal diode cooling fins with the key on or off. A short circuit will result and burn out the diodes. Note: Battery posts and cable clamps must be clean and tight for accurate meter indications. 1. Turn OFF all lamps and electrical components. 2. Place the vehicle in transmission range NEUTRAL and apply the parking brake. 3. Carry out the Load Test and No-Load Test. 4. Switch the Battery Tester to the ammeter function. 5. Connect the positive and negative leads of the Battery Tester to the corresponding battery terminals. 6. Connect the current probe to the alternator B+ output lead. 7. With the engine running at 2000 rpm alternator output should be greater than as shown on the graph. 8. Switch the Battery Tester to the voltmeter function. 9. Connect the voltmeter positive lead to the alternator B+ terminal and the negative lead to ground. 10. Turn all electrical accessories off. With the engine running at 2,000 rpm, check the alternator output voltage. The voltage should be between 13.0 and 15.0 volts.
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 17
THE RISE AND FALL OF PEEL MOTORS I was approached by the great-grandson of one of the Peel Brothers, Brisbane owners of the firm that made the original body on the “Hinkler” Armstrong Siddeley. He lives somewhere in Brisbane, and is in the process of writing the Peel Family history, and was kind enough to send me the chapter on the Peel’s Limited, South Brisbane Motor Body building business. As it has broad appeal to motoring enthusiasts, just not Armstrong Siddeley “eccentrics”, I thought you may find it worthy of publication in your Club magazine. Sandy Cameron
COACHBUILDERS IN BRISBANE
James Peel learned his trade of wood turning at the bobbin mill in his hometown of Longtown in Cumberland, UK. On arrival in Brisbane in 1884 he quickly established himself as a coachbuilder and engineer in Hope Street, South Brisbane. Like the rest of Australia, emigration was swelling Brisbane’s population with censuses showing the pop-ulation growing from 37,127 in 1881 to 64, 286 by 1886. (Australian Bureau of Statistics) His two sons Edward and Walter became tradesmen also, and together in 1898 they established E. J. and W. Peel coachbuilders in Stanley Street, South Brisbane.
The Peels gained a reputation for good workmanship and high class products. They exhibited their coachwork at the Royal National Association Show (the Ekka) in Brisbane and were regularly awarded prizes – “ … sixty five prizes in the last seven shows of the National Association …” Brisbane Courier 10 March 1906. The Queenslander of 20 August 1904 reported “The vehicle section this year was noticeable for the large number of highly finished convey-ances on exhibition. Messrs. E. J. and W. Peel … had as usual, a fine display, comprising ten vehicles, ranging from a special Surry phaeton to the humbler buckboard. Other samples were four-wheeled dog-carts, Abbot buggies, phy-sicians’ phaetons … Cedar, bean tree, and other Queensland timbers were largely used in natural colours…” In 1905 they commissioned and built the Peel building (tender advert. Brisbane Courier 23 Aug 1905) at 407-431 Stanley Street which survived four fires in the Peel era and was finally demolished in 1987 to make way for Expo 88. The brick front to the building was added in 1919. (Tender advert. Brisbane Courier Sat 30 Aug 1919 p10)
Telegraph Friday 21 Dec 1906 p9: MESSRS E. J. AND W. PEEL
The coach factory of Messrs. E. J. and W. Peel in Stanley St, South Brisbane, any day one likes to visit it, presents a very busy appearance. First, there is the large, airy, and well lighted showroom abutting the main street, and con-taining several of the vehicles with which the firm carried off so many prizes at the last show. A particularly striking exhibit is an elegant little dogcart with the model of a horse attached, giving to the prospective customer a view of the vehicle as it actually would appear in use. The firm has had an exceptionally busy year, and one only has to look through the glass doors leading to the workshop to give instant credit to the proprietors’ statement that the orders already in hand promise another busy year. The showroom is well stocked, as we have said, and so, too, is the re-pairing room. There a great number of industrious and skilled mechanics can be seen at work under the personal direction of the proprietors. A large supply of seasoned timbers for the manufacture and repair of vehicles is always in stock, drawn from the best markets in America and England. The firm’s specialty is in making carriages and bug-gies to the designs furnished or selected by their patrons. All their products present workmanship of the highest class, and the finish is all that could be desired by the most fastidious customer.
In 1908 they built a Phaeton sulky that represented Queensland industries at the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition which was an adjunct to the London Olympics. It received a gold award (Brisbane Courier Fri 21 Feb 1908). The ve-hicle never returned to Queensland as the Brisbane Courier of Sat 5 Dec 1908 reported:
BRISBANE IN FRANCE
The effects of the Franco-British Exhibition are already being made manifest. Our London correspondent recently commented on the fact that a vehicle exhibited by Messrs. E. J. and W. Peel of South Brisbane had been much sought after, and had ultimately been secured by an American visitor and taken across the Atlantic. By the last mail Messrs. Peel received a letter from the head of a large business house in Cloyes, France, remarking on the “two-wheeled carriage with black hood” which he had seen while visiting the exhibition, and asking to be supplied with a catalogue price list, and other information.
A well preserved Peel sulky is on display at the Pringle Cottage Museum in Warwick, Queensland. It was manufac-tured for Gerry Allman, a well-known local identity and proprietor of the Criterion Hotel and used to pick up his customers from the Warwick Railway Station and drive them to his hotel in style. Wakeford Brothers were the agents for E. J. and W. Peel in Townsville advertising in the Townsville Daily Bulletin of 29 August 1928: PEEL’S SULKIES – Over 100 now running in North Queensland and never a complaint. Tray Sulkies
Page 18 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
£21 10s to £26; Phaeton Shaft £23 10s to £26; Straight Shaft £21 to £23. Special Lines quoted for.
FROM COACHES TO MOTOR CARS
While the coachbuilding business had grown rapidly the arrival of the motor car into Australia forced change and created opportunity. Australia’s first car was imported in 1897 and by 1908 Henry Ford had built the first Model T Ford in America.
By 1910 the Peels were being commissioned to build car bodies onto imported chassis. One example was a Roi de Belge car body. This was a very stylish car design that had originally been created for the King of Belgium. (Brisbane Courier Mon 24 Oct 1910) In 1911 Sir David Hardie, a Wickham Terrace medical specialist bought an FN 1500 from Peels as a wedding present for his daughter Mrs. Margaret Helena Cameron. FN was the Belgian com-pany Fabrique Nationale D’Armes de Guerre. This car is now owned by the Queensland Museum.
On 13 Jan 1912 Peels Limited was registered and incorporated in the names of James and Edward James Peel and car motor body building superseded the coach building business. By 1919 they were advertising coach building machinery for sale. (Brisbane Courier 1 Sep 1919)
Among the varieties of vehicles that were built at Peel Motors were Model T Fords, Buick Roadsters, Hudsons, Sunbeams, Dennis Trucks, Leyland Trucks, Ruggles Trucks, a Rolls-Royce, an Armstrong Siddeley and a Delage (French car with an aluminium body). In 1922 Peels became the Queensland agents for Nash motor cars after re-fusing an offer from General Motors and from this point on Nash cars were the majority of their business. (Qld Times Sat 11 May 1929 p25)
MAKING AN AUSTRALIAN CAR INDUSTRY
In an attempt to encourage the development of a local manufacturing industry the Federal Government passed the Customs Tariff Act and the Excise Tariff Act in 1906.
The Australian Government was keen to establish a car manufacturing industry in Australia. E. J. Peel had become a committee member of the Master Coachbuilders and Wheelwrights Association in 1910 (Brisbane Courier 24 Oct 1910 p9) and in 1914 he spoke to the Interstate Commission on Tariff Revision asking for an increase in duty on imported motor cars, while stating that he thought that his company could be competitive with foreign car compa-nies. Others argued that increasing tariffs disadvantaged industries that would benefit from being able to buy cars more cheaply. (Brisbane Courier 22 Sep 1914 p6)
Again representing the Master Coachbuilders in a deputation to two Federal politicians in 1915 E. J. Peel said “local coachbuilders had great difficulty in competing with foreign coachbuilders in the making of motor car bodies, be-cause of the insufficient protection afforded by the tariff. The English competition was not so bad, but America cut severely into their trade, although since the war there had been something in the nature of a revulsion of feeling towards the United States and trade in that direction appeared to have suffered somewhat.” (Brisbane Telegraph Thurs 11 Mar 1915 p3)
Australia was engaged in the World War I conflict from 1914, the USA entered World War 1 in 1917, following the sinking of the Cunard Steamship “Lusitania”.
In 1917 the Luxuries Restriction Bill placed restrictions on the import of motor bodies with the result that for each complete car imported there were three chassis imported (which required bodies to be built for them).
Sir Walter Massey Greene was made Minister for Trade and Customs in Jan 1919 by Prime Minister Billy Hughes. “He saw the tariff not as a narrow revenue raising instrument but a device for vigorous national development and population growth….He saw protection as essential for the stimulation of Australian industries.”
The “Greene Tariff” of 1922 provided protection for certain elements of the industry particularly bodywork. The idea was that Australia would get its own car by accretion beginning with the body, and then the rest of the parts would be built in Australia. (Radio National Rear Vision Keri Phillips 9 July 2013)
By 1923 there were over 12,000 cars in Queensland with Peels Limited being listed as the owner of a Buick carry-ing the number plate Q7777. In Brisbane, Peels were one of eighteen car dealers listed and the only one located on the southside of the river. (List of Motor Owners in Qld 1923, State Library Qld)
MOTORING WITH THE PEELS
Delivery of the custom made Peel vehicles was not always an easy business. In an interview with Harold and Edna Peel their granddaughter Leonie Weldon recorded these stories:
1923-24 Papa (Harold) remembered going up to Toowoomba by car with his mum (Jessie) and dad (Walter) and going up the main street, right to the centre of Toowoomba which was where the (Symes) family had lived. The tollbar in Toowoomba was one of the steepest roads in the country and the Nash went up it.
Around 1922 papa’s father sold a car to a doctor who lived up at Tamborine. Nelson at age seventeen drove up there. At the foot of the mountain they all got out and his father Walter told him to “gun it”. The other three boys were there with bricks to chock the wheels in case the car started to slide back. Once up the hill, the doctor could-n’t believe that they had come up the old cobble road to Tambourine Mountain.
Bill Dickenson (grandson of Walter) remembers being told that the first buyers of Peel cars included affluent Dar-ling Downs squatters. To deliver the first cars to Toowoomba the toll bar was climbed backwards with the cars in
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 19
reverse gear.
Driving around Brisbane was under the view of the local police: Ernest Broomhead, care of Peel’s Limited, South Brisbane was fined £2 with 3/6 costs for having driven a motor car along Stanley Street Woolloongabba, across the Fiveways on 20 November 1922 at a speed which Acting-Sergeant Walsh estimated to be from 20 to 25 miles an hour. (Brisbane Courier 5 Dec 1922)
A GROWING BUSINESS
In 1925 the Ford plant at Geelong in Victoria produced the first Model T Ford wholly made in Australia.
Nevertheless Peel Motors was flourishing and it increased its capital from £100, 000 to £150,000. The sharehold-ers were E. J. and W. Peel, their sister Margaret Banford and George and Sophie Potter (E. J.’s in-laws) (Qld State Archives Company Records) This increase in capital was despite a fire that had occurred in the factory on 3 May 1924. E. J. Peel thought that the fire had been caused by the sun’s rays setting fire to the cotton hoods. Presuma-bly these are the bags for catching sawdust on woodworking machines. (Brisbane Courier 24 Jun 1924)
E.J. Peel also represented the Coachbuilders Association in the Arbitration Court on several occasions between 1918 and 1922. The Coachbuilders Employees Federation was arguing for wage increases. The cornerstone of E. J. Peel’s counter-argument was that Queensland with a 44 hour working week was being disadvantaged by the other states, particularly South Australia with a 48 hour work week. (Brisbane Courier 28 Mar 1919 p10, 20 Oct 1921 p4, 31 Mar 1922 p5)
Walter Peel visited southern states on a working trip in 1926 and on his return announced that Peel’s had ob-tained the sole Queensland selling rights for Dennis Trucks. (Brisbane Telegraph 23 Feb 1926 p11) James Peel re-tired in 1926, and he passed away on 8 January 1927.
1928 was a very significant year for the company. On 30 March there was a disastrous fire at the factory with dam-ages in the vicinity of £50 000 (Brisbane Courier Sat 31 Mar 1928 p8) but by 23 May the forty three employees of the company made a presentation of a gold plated pen and pencil set to E.J. for him to take on his upcoming tour of the USA and Europe and in thanks for the continuity of work and wages through the period of rebuilding the factory. (Brisbane Telegraph 23 May 1928).
The Peel Company provided the coachwork for the Armstrong Siddeley 18HP car that was used to carry Bert Hin-kler and his mother in Brisbane in honour of his solo flight from Britain to Australia. A film was taken on 6 March 1928 of the car being driven down Queen Street with Hinkler perched on the back seat of the car, beside his moth-er. (Video footage NFSA Vimeo Oct 25 2017)
The year finished with an advertisement in the Brisbane Telegraph for the new model Nash cars accompanied by an account of Edward Peel’s tour. (Brisbane Telegraph 31 December 1928 p10)
MOTORISED AMERICA … HOW MR EDWARD PEEL SAW IT
“Redcliffe Road at the most congested period on Sunday is an indication of the traffic conditions in America in the larger cities. That is the impression gained from a chat with Mr. Edward Peel, of Peel’s Limited, who has just re-turned from a world tour.
Peels handle Nash cars and it was mainly to visit the factory in the United States that Mr Peel went abroad… As a result …Peels Limited in the New Year will build closed bodies, using Queensland timbers and steel stampings from the factory. A Duco plant has been installed and Nash buyers will be able to purchase their cars fitted with factory-designed bodies…
CUSTOMS ANOMALIES
With a tremendous home market American makers can go ahead with big building programs, which, lowering overhead, are enabling them to compete successfully in foreign countries. ‘And Australia?’ Mr Peel was asked. ‘Well’, he said. ‘Australia has them puzzled…No one seems to understand the customs regulations. The Customs Representative visits the factory and interprets the regulations in one way. His ruling is followed only to have the authorities in Australia complain that the regulations are not being carried out properly…
On the Continent, he found the low cost light car reigns supreme again, but this, he thought, is the result of the inability of the people to pay high prices.
AN AUSTRALIAN CAR
‘We can’t manufacture them at a competitive price…because a workman in America gives a 50 per cent greater output’ he declared. And he explained that in America piece work is the system in the motor car industry.
Mr Peel is enthusiastic about the new cars that Nash is giving him…
John Day from the Veteran Car Club gives some insight into the processes involved in the factory, “Forty years ago, I did a hobby panel beating course at what was then Southbank TAFE. The lecturer said he was an old Peel’s em-ployee. Sorry, his name is long gone.
I remember him saying that there was a black board running the full length of a wall in the factory, where panels were drawn accurately in chalk. When rolling a new mudguard for instance, the worker would regularly check the
shape against the black board drawing. I recall him saying he made a new front guard for a Shell Mack truck just after the war, because a replacement was not available.” (E-mail to Denis Peel 6 Aug 2018)
Page 20 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
Club Windscreen Badges $3.00 Metal Car Badges $30.00 Cap Badges $3.00 40th Anniversary Cloth Badges $10.00 40th Anniversary Windscreen Stickers $1.00
AVAILABLE FROM THE TREASURER
Men’s Polo PS20 $17.50
Ladies’ Polo PS19 $16.00
Club Jackets 1604 Aussie Pacific $46.00
Club Logo $7.50
Personal Name $3.95
PLEASE QUOTE CODE WHEN ORDERING
Shawline Embroidery, 17 Walker Street, Bundaberg
BVVC NAME BADGES Available from :
CRYSTALGEM TROPHIES Shop, 5 Tantitha St, Bundaberg Central QLD 4670
In 1929 Peel Motors were operating a showroom in the city on the corner of Adelaide and Creek Streets exhibiting the latest model Nash and Ajax (a sub-brand of Nash) cars (advert Brisbane Courier 22 Jan 1929), but the econom-ic storm of the depression was about to overtake them.
THE RAPID DECLINE
On 18 Feb 1930 Peels Limited was still advertising in grand style with the new model Nash 400 gracing the col-umns of the Brisbane Courier, but by 29 July 1930 a much smaller advertisement appears for used cars, followed by a simpler series of used car advertisements on 16 Sep 1930.
Another fire on 30 September 1930 (Qld Times Wed 1 Oct 1930 p7) contributed to the company going into liquida-tion on 15 October with E. J. and Walter made liquidators to wind up the company. (Qld State Archives Company Records) At the same time, most of the other coachmakers turned car body builders in Australia were encounter-ing the same fate, but one South Australian company, Holden was bought out of receivership by General Motors.
Peels were still trading in new cars as late as 13 Feb 1931 (Advert Brisbane Courier) but the business was not showing any signs of recovery.
On Saturday 28 August 1932 Walter Peel took his own life in the factory and was found by his wife Jessie and son Ted.
The factory built in 1905 at 407-431 Stanley Street was used by the Brisbane Tobacco Grading and Bulking Co. Ltd. from 1936 and was purchased by George Tickle Tobacco Co. on 5 February 1947.
A letter to wind up the company was submitted to the Supreme Court on 20 January 1949.
Edward James Peel died on 2 February 1953.
Nash Motors Company continued production in the USA and made the Nash Rambler in 1950 the first (USA) com-pact car of the post-World War 2 era (Lois Lane drove one in the TV series of Superman). In 1954 Nash acquired the Hudson Motor Car Company creating America Motors Corporation (AMC) and the Nash name was phased out for Rambler. In 1987 AMC was acquired by the Chrysler Corporation.
Extract from a book planned by Denis Peel on the Peel family history December 5th 2018.
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 21
BUNNINGS
Friday 1 1 October
PLEASE CONTACT
IAN JEFFERYES IF YOU CAN HELP ON
THIS DAY Police officer: “Your car is too heavily overloaded. I simply cannot let you continue like that. I’m going to have to take away your driver’s license.” Driver: “You’re kidding me, right? The license can only weigh one ounce tops!”
BVVC EVENTS CALENDAR
4.00 pm - 6.00 pm CLUBHOUSE
BYO drinks and nibbles
Saturday, 14 September 2019 Lunch Run to Lowmead Morning tea at Yandaran. BBQ lunch at Lowmead Hotel at a cost of $ 10.00 per person. BYO morning tea, chair etc. Depart clubhouse at 8.30 am RSVP to Harold by Friday, 6 September
Friday, 20 September 2019 Visit to Riverlea Aged Care Facility Morning tea supplied Depart Clubhouse 9.30 am RSVP to Harold by Wednesday, 11 September
Saturday 21 September 2019 Moore Park Festival We will display our cars at Moore Park Tavern in con-junction with National Veteran Vehicle Rally for Moore Park Beach Festival. We are required to arrive after the veterans. Depart clubhouse 11.45 am
Sunday 22 September 2019 Picnic in the Botanical Gardens We will display our cars at the Botanical Gardens in con-junction with the National Veteran Vehicle Rally, 10.00 am to 3.00 pm. Period costume is encouraged. Fashion parade and prizes. BYO picnic lunch, chairs or picnic rug etc. We are required to arrive after the veterans. Depart clubhouse 10.00 am
Friday 27 September 2019 Social Night at Clubhouse BYO BBQ dinner, drinks etc. Arrive 5.00 pm
Saturday 5 October 2019 Yandaran State School Centenary Car display at the Event Depart clubhouse 9.00 am
Sunday 20 October 2019 BBQ Lunch Run to Walkers Point BYO BBQ lunch, chairs etc. We will take the BBQ trailer. Depart clubhouse 10.30 am
Friday 25 October 2019 Social Pizza Night at Clubhouse We will order in pizzas on the night. Arrive 5.00 pm
Sunday 3 November 2019 Afternoon Tea Run to Miara Enjoy an afternoon at the beach. BYO afternoon tea, chairs, table etc. Depart clubhouse 1.00 pm
Page 22 BUNDABERG VINTAGE VEHICLE CLUB INC.
Monday 11 November 2019 Visit to Blue Care Respite Centre Depart clubhouse 9.30 am
Wednesday 13 November 2019 AGM and General Meeting
Saturday 16 November 2019 Lunch Run to Bamboo Land Nursery and Parklands Enjoy a picnic lunch in the gardens and a walk in this 50-acre tropical paradise specialising in bamboo, gingers and heliconias, and featuring a collection of the world’s finest non-invasive bamboos. Gift shop with coffee and ice creams available. BYO lunch, chairs, etc. Depart clubhouse 9.30 am
Friday 22 November 2019 Christmas Social Night This social night will be one week earlier. BYO Christmas finger food, either savoury or sweet, to share, drinks etc Arrive 5.00 pm
Saturday 7 December 2019 (see next page) Annual Christmas Party Two course Christmas Dinner with tea and coffee, at the Melbourne Hotel, Targo Street, Bundaberg Details opposite
Wednesday 11 December 2019 General Meeting
National Veteran Vehicle Rally 17 - 23 September 2019 Thursday 19 September 2019 Veteran Gas Light Parade Bourbong Street, Bundaberg 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm
Sunday 22 September 2019 Gala Film Spectacular, “Genevieve” $20.00 tickets from Moncrieff now, or $10.00 tickets available from Moncrieff from Thursday 19 Sept. (See details on page 13) at 4.00 pm
Sunday 6 October 2019 All Ford Day, Rockhampton
2020 Easter in the Country Rally Enquiries to our rally coordinators - please call after business hours Ken Dawes 0429 452 286 - 0746 222 286
CHRISTMAS
DINNER
NUMBER COST EACH
TOTAL DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
I have enclosed Cheque/Money order for $ _________ payable to: Bundaberg Vintage Vehicle Club Inc.
I have direct deposited $_________ to Bundaberg Vintage Vehicle Club Inc. Auswide Bank Account,
BSB: 645-646, A/c No: 105047163
Signed__________________________________
NAME: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Please post to the Secretary, B.V.V.C Inc, P.O. Box 1420, Bundaberg, Queensland 4670
or email to Max [email protected]
SEPTEMBER 2019 Page 23
Date: Saturday, 7 December, 2019
Time: 11.00 am for 12 noon Place: Melbourne Hotel Cost: $23.00 per person
(2 course Christmas dinner, tea and coffee) RSVP: To Max by 23 November
Numbers must be accompanied by payment
Email: [email protected] Home: 4159 4838 Mob:0408 201 810
No refunds after the due date, 23 November
If not claimed in 14 days please return to P.O. Box 1420, Bundaberg, 4670
Authorized by Ian Pearson, 18 Carrara Court, Bundaberg, QLD 4670 for Bundaberg Vintage Vehicle Club Inc. Kindly photocopied by the office of Keith Pitt MP, Federal Member for Hinkler.
