Volume 32 Number 1 February 2010 - Nissan Patrol … · Page 2 February 2010 NISSAN PATROL CLUB OF S.A. Page 3 ... “42nd Street” ... only have eyes for you” and “Shuffle off

Volume 32 Number 1 February 2010

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NISSAN PATROL CLUB OF S.A. February 2010 Page 2 NISSAN PATROL CLUB OF S.A. February 2010 Page 3

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President:

Colin Goodrich 8261 8081

Vice President:

Marina Langer 8381 5415

Secretary:

Helen Richards 8374 0678

Treasurer:

Trish Goodrich 8261 8081

Minute Secretary:

Christine Robinson 8248 1186

Trips Officer:

Pat Trowbridge 8341 7075

Public Relations Officer:

Janice Lamkin 8339 3073

Editor:

Don Grigg 82663664

Membership Officer:

Marg Cunningham 8376 5137

Librarians:

Heather Woods &

Doug Smith 8268 4625

Property Officer:

Brian Robinson 8248 1186

Past President

Brian Cook 8258 1250

Committee Members:

Jeffrey Schapel 8271 7756

Jim Byfield 8264 5648

Craig Wood 8387 8108

SAAFWDC Delegates:

Brian Cook 8258 1250

Kevin Osborn 8337 6410

Driver Training Unit Delegates:

Dave Richards 8374 0678

Aboriginal Liaison Unit Delegate:

Allan Langer 8381 5415

Fund Raiser

Gayle Johnson 83875927

Driver Trainer/Assessor:

Dave Richards 8374 0678

Auditor:

Kevin Osborn 8337 6410

Magazine Sub-Committee: Mail Out Don Grigg Bush Cooking Janice Lamkin Tech Talk Peter Stewart

CLUB Nissan Patrol Club of South Australia Inc PO Box 153 KILKENNY SA 5009 MAGAZINE Don Grigg 12 Cheringar Blvd DERNANCOURT SA 5075 Phone: 8266 3664 Email: [email protected]

WEB ADDRESS

www.nissanpatrolclubsa.org

CLUB MEETINGS are held at the Challa Gardens Primary School, Humphries Terrace (off Torrens Road), Kilkenny on the first Thursday of every month except January. Meetings commence at 7.30 pm.

The Nissan Patrol Club is a member of

the South Australian Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs Inc (SAAFWDC), which is a member of the Australian National Four Wheel Drive Council (ANFWDC).

UHF Channel 21 is recognised as the official Club radio channel.

Nissan Patrol Club of South Australia Inc Established 1979

ADDRESSES

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NISSAN PATROL CLUB OF S.A. February 2010 Page 4

From the Editor’s Desk

Welcome to Patrolling in 2010! Christmas has come and gone, together with the Breakfast in the Park and the Murbko Australia day weekend. By the time you read this we will already 10% of the way through 2010.

Our editor for the previous four years, Jeff Schapel (see his 2009 report on page 22), has set a very high standard which I shall attempt to emulate, but he has set the bar far too high and it is going to take several editions to catch up, if ever?

I thank all contributors, especially the trip report writers and photo suppliers who add most interest to the magazine. Please continue your submissions.

Any material, which you think is relevant and of interest to members would be appreciated; maybe a book review, camping or car equipment that you have bought.

The Trading Post entries are very lean. Have you got something to you want to buy, sell or exchange? Submit an advert; it is free to members!

We have had the same front cover design since August 2003; do we need a new design as part of the ongoing evolution of the Club? I would be glad to get some feed back on this one, together with any brilliant proposals.

Another forum could be “Letters to the editor”. Is there something relevant to the club, which bugs you? Email a letter to me.

Best wishes for a great four wheel driving year in 2010.

Don.

Patrolling Magazine

Trip Reports, photos, and any items of interest are all welcome. Please forward to the Editor. Contact details on page 3.

DEADLINE FOR APRIL ISSUE 19 MARCH 2010

Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not those of the Nissan Patrol Club of SA, unless specific reference is made to the article

Front cover designed by Marie Schultz, Advertising Graphic Designer.

30 YEARS AGO Patrolling Volume 2 Number 1 February 1980

Editor Geoff Cibich published this issue in his hand writing and appealed for a type writer for the next.

Peter Taylor led a trip “Coongie Lake Excursion Xmas 1979/80” and provided a trip report which reads in part:

“ On 26/12/79 – 006 had the pleasure of leading 003 & 014 on a trip to the Cooper country. 006 & 003 hauling trailers and 014 towing a Jayco Van. Departure time, 9.30 a.m. and we made a reasonable days drive to make our first night‟s camp at Tea Tree Creek.

Next morning after swapping batteries to get 006 started – as his fridge had drained his battery – we headed off to Montecollina Bore for a refreshing swim. 4.30 p.m. found us at Innamincka.

…………

Good weather was encountered throughout, we missed all the rain on our 3000km hike.

For those so interested, 104 different species of bird life (were observed) including Brolgas on film.

Sincere thanks to the Barfields and the Hirches for their company.”


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COMING EVENTS

All participants must register their name and vehicle registration on the trip sheet, or advise the trip leader of their participation. Registration is required to comply with the Club‟s public liability insurance policy. Visitors are welcome to join most trips and social events; simply register your name on the sheet in the trip folder or see the Trips Officer. Visitors must also sign the Club “Warning” forms if participating on a trip.

All participants must confirm with the designated Trip Leader by the Confirmation Date that they still wish to attend the event or trip. Failure to do so will indicate to the Trip Leader that you do NOT wish to participate.

If at the last minute you are unable to join a trip for which you have registered, please make every endeavour to advise either the trip leader or someone else joining the trip. This will ensure the group is not held up waiting for a non-arrival.

The Club recommends that members have RAA membership to cover mechanical breakdowns on Club trips, and ambulance cover from the SA Ambulance Service or your

private health insurer to cover medical emergencies.

Dates Trip Leader Confirmation Date

7 February Canoeing at West Lakes with BBQ Pat & Des Trowbridge

24-28 February Caravan & Camping & Outdoor Adventure-Show.

1-14 March Great Ocean Road by Van Pat & Des Trowbridge

22 February

4 March NPC General Meeting Guest Speaker Glenn Smythe - “Building a full scale steam locomotive”

7 March National Cleanup Australia Day FWDSA

26-28 March 4WDSA AGM Burra

2-5 April, Easter Pyrenees, Elmhurst Victoria with Otways 4WD Club

Craig Wood 26 March

11 April-1 May Venus Bay, Eyre Peninsula, fishing. Roz Foster 4 April

16-18 April Ngarkat CP working bee - see page 16 for details

14 May Theatre Night, “42nd Street”

22-23 May Peake Sand-driving Training Dave Richards & Craig Wood

15 May

12-14 June Willangi/Peterborough Sound & Light Show

David & Helen Richards

5 June

21-22 August Peake Sand-driving Training Dave Richards & Craig Wood

14 August

2-4 October Long Weekend in Whyalla David & Helen Richards

25 September

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With a new year and a revamped committee it is an appropriate time to look at where we now stand and where we are headed for the future. I have looked at the make up of our membership as at the end of 2009. We had a total of 49 memberships at the end of the year of which we know 3 will not be renewing for 2010 In round figures :- 21 (43%) have been in the club more than 20 years 8 (16%) have been in the club 15 – 20 years 5 (10%) have been in the club 10 – 15 years 9 (18%) have been in the club 5 – 10 years 6 (12%) have been in the club less than 5 years 70% of members have been in the club more than 10 years At least 2/3 of club members are aged 60+ From this we can see that we have retained just 6 members from all who have joined the club in the past 5 years. These figures can be interpreted to show that the bonds and friendships formed in the early days of the club are strong BUT new members are not attracted OR they don‟t find that the club satisfies their interests or needs. So, what is the future of the Nissan Patrol Club? Background The club was formed in an era of 4WD adventure touring – remote locations – basic vehicles – limited facilities – self sufficiency – sheet maps and compass bearing navigation. Today We have luxurious, reliable vehicles - much reduced access – defined or made roads - high density tourism – multiple facilities – high technology aids (GPS, Sat phones, digital mapping) The 4WD of today is a high clearance touring vehicle which allows greater comfort, greater load carrying and greater towing capacity than a standard sedan and is suited for long distance bitumen or gravel/sandy surface roadways. Within the club, the primary use is for off the bitumen touring or towing a caravan or camper trailer. We cannot go back to the old ways, but there are still some places that offer relatively challenging 4WD opportunities – Simpson Desert, Victorian High Country, Canning Stock Route to name a few. Future If we don‟t alter the make up and role of the Club to meet the needs of newer members, I believe the club will not survive beyond another 10 years, maybe much less. I have thought about a number of options that we can take to determine our future. I present these without prejudice and in no particular order. Option 1 Promote the club as a caravan / touring club and target the baby boomer retiree, grey nomad set. We already have a number of members who head away each year for

The President‟s Points


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extended trips. Many people look for the security and companionship of others when touring. The caravan dealerships and caravan show circuit could be the venue for promotion of the club. As long as members have a 4WD vehicle, this fits within our current constitution. Option 2 Promote more adventurous trips within the club to encourage more new people to join in to experience their 4WD and visit places they may not go on their own. (How do we do this when the majority of current members have already „been there, done that‟ and are now past it. Option 3 Investigate a merger or incorporation with other 4WD clubs. Anecdotally, although the Association has greatly increased the number of 4WD clubs within SA, there is not a proportional rise in the total membership. More clubs has meant a reduced membership per club. Some other clubs are struggling to survive. As a long standing established club we could provide a platform for others to join. Option 4 Plan for a termination of the club. Set a time line some years ahead to wind down the club activities, expend the club finances through subsidy of membership fees and accept that the club has had its day and served its purpose. Option 5 Continue as we are. The probable outcome will be that this will lead to a forced and unplanned termination of the club due to falling membership from morbidity / mortality, or a financial failure of the club due to rising costs against reduced membership income. While this is not exactly the Happy New Year message that you might expect at this time of the year, I hope that it stirs some strong discussion that leads to positive outcomes. The future is ours to make of it what we will. Colin Goodrich President

THEATRE NIGHT The next Theatre Night at the Arts Theatre will be Friday 14 May 2010. Songs include “I only have eyes for you” and “Shuffle off to Buffalo”

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Welcome to my new column and over the course of the year, I will use this space to profile committee members, advertise merchandise (see Trading Post,..Ed.) and any other membership news. If you have any suggestions towards possible content, please feel free to email or catch me at one of our meetings. I will advise my new email address shortly.

Subs for the 2010 year are now overdue and payable. If you have not renewed your membership, would you please do so at your earliest convenience.

On the reverse of the application / membership renewal form, the last paragraph refers to vehicle insurance and asks for the statement that is not applicable, to be crossed out. This paragraph is easily overlooked but is a necessary requirement.

Would the following members, please see me at the next meeting to complete their renewal forms?

Bob Anesbury

Josef Bajszi

Alistair Boyle

Brian Donaldson

Trevor Elze

Dave Ferguson

Malcolm Gray

Chris Johnson

Jeff Lowrey

Tony Moran

Gill Polomka

The committee decided at the January meeting to 'move with the times' and offer EFT (electronic funds transfer) facilities for payments. The bank account details will be printed on the application / membership renewal form' for payments applicable in 2011. Of course if you prefer, payment will still be accepted by cheque, cash or money order.

If payment is being made by EFT, then a correct reference is to be recorded so that the Treasurer is able to apply the payment to your name. Use either your surname and initial or membership number.

If you have any queries, please speak to Tricia our Treasurer.

Till next time, Marg Cunningham Membership Officer

Marg's Membership Matters


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Name:Colin Goodrich

Club Position:President

Club history:Joined the NPC in February 1986. Have served 2 previous 2 year terms as President. Served 2 year term as Chairman of SA Association of 4WD Clubs.

Travelled on or led numerous club trips – enjoyed them all. With Tricia, made NPC Life

Member in 1999

Current Aims:To set the strategic direction of the club into the future.

Current Vehicle:Toyota Landcruiser 100 Series 4.2 turbo diesel

Marital Status:Married to Tricia 37 years

Children:Two; grandchildren - two.

Employment:Engineering Patternmaker by trade. Worked in the foundry industry for 40 years and 10 days. Had own business for 19 years. Sold the business in 2005. Retired for 1 week. Since then employed 3 days a week at State Emergency Service, now as Project Officer, Call Receipt and Dispatch Systems.

Awards:National Medal with 1st clasp, SES Medal with 1

st Clasp, International Year of

the Volunteer Medal. Made ‘Legend of The Australian Foundry Industry’ in 2009

Hobbies:Fishing, gardening, sleeping.

Pastimes:A volunteer with the State Emergency Service for 27 ½ years. On call 24/7, but

now in an office position.

Favourite destinations:Anywhere in Australia - the desert, the coast, the high country.

Favourite food:You can‟t beat a good roast, Grilled King George Whiting, fresh sticky buns warm from the bakery.

Favourite music:Depends on the mood of the

moment – easy listening, jazz, classics,

country.

Favourite sport:Most car based motor sport. (I rallied for 12 years with modest success as either driver or navigator).

Least favourite sport:Any where the players are made out to be super stars, paid kings ransoms, and are made out to be the world authority on everything.

General demeanour:A sceptic and a cynic. Almost everything we hear from politicians and in the media is spin and hype. Can‟t anyone talk the plain truth anymore?

Lifetime goal:To have been at least some benefit to someone along the way.

Colin’s theory of relativity:After 40 years in Industry: The dirtier the hands, the more itchy the nose.

Member Profile

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Golden Spike – Dave and Helen Richards

Dave and Helen received this award for leading the most trips.

Rubber Goods – Des Trowbridge

Des had a flat tyre just outside of Camooweal at the T-junction on the road which comes in from Lawn Hill. He put on his almost new original spare and with assistance from Dave Foster plugged the flat tyre and re-inflated it. We were on the Long Reach – Lava Tubes – Lawn Hill trip and the next stop was Mt Isa. Unfortunately the repaired tyre would not hold its pressure and so Des assessed his other tyres and decided to buy 3 more the same as his spare. These had to come from Townsville and took a day to deliver. While Des waited and spent another night in Mt Isa the rest of us continued the trip and rejoined Des and Pat in Birdsville.

By the time Des reached home he had had a total of 4 punctures.

Burnt Valve – Doug Smith

Doug received the burnt valve award for his Disco auto transmission. The initial problem was that when shifting into reverse, intermittently it would not engage reverse gear. He took the car to the Land Rover dealer for repairs. The quote for a complete overhaul was $5000.00, and after due consideration, the go ahead was given. After the repair, the first trip to

(Continued on page 11)

ANNUAL AWARDS 2009


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Canberra was good; no hills to go up. On the second trip, the NPC Easter trip to the Otways, half way through the Heysen tunnel the gearbox temp light came on. Doug immediately stopped (not in tunnel though) to cool the gearbox down. This happened every time going up hill with the van on; ok without. Later in Geelong, the transmission cooler pipe came loose and emptied out the transmission fluid, resulting in a $450.00 repair. At Horsham, Doug experienced erratic gear changes, but still made it home. After the dealer took the gearbox out, the torque converter clutch was found to be burnt out. The $2500.00 repair cost was covered under the original repair warranty. After the repair the unit still over heated. The Land Rover dealer did not appear to be able to fix it. Doug‟s solution - traded it in on TD5 Disco - no more troubles - end of story. (He could have traded it in on a real 4WD! Ed.)

Bogger – Dave Foster

On the Otway Ranges trip at Easter, Dave decided to take a short cut across a very steep gully corner, which resulted in his car balancing on a very precarious angle. He had lots of assistance from the enthusiastic Otway Ranges 4WD Club members and NPC members to winch him out.

Fishing – Bob Lamkin

Bob won this trophy at Murbko on the Australia Day 2009 weekend, where Jim Byfield conducted the fishing competition. Nobody seems to know what the competition rules are except Bob and possibly Jim. In accepting his trophy at the AGM, Bob invited members to participate in 2010 and promised that he would change the rules if need be.

Pictures by Helen & Kathy

(Continued from page 10)

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THE GREATEST TRIP OF THEM ALL!

(Including the Great Wall)

We have been members of our club for 20 years now and have run many and varied trips, but the one we ran during September 2009 was the biggest and the best. Taking with us another sixteen club members and five visitors, we toured China.

Based on our successful Vietnam trip in March 2007, we decided to utilise the same travel company, Asia Discovery Tours based in Sydney, for its value-for-money and comprehensiveness of its itinerary, and it did not disappoint. In alphabetical order the club members were the Alywards, Boyles, Byfields, Fosters (Frank & Roz as well as David & Gloria), Griggs, Robinsons, Schapels and ourselves. Three of the visitors were friends of members and the other couple, coincidentally, turned out not only to blend right in but were also

distantly related to one of the group.

Our tour started in Beijing, China‟s capital city, and during our three days there we visited the Emperors‟ Summer Palace, the Olympic “Bird‟s Nest” Arena and “Water Cube” swimming centre, the ancient Hutong area (which we traversed by rickshaw), the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall of China, the Tombs of the Ming Dynasty Emperors, Tiananmen Square and the huge and opulent Forbidden City, which was both home and business address of the majority of China‟s Emperors. We also visited a silk carpet factory where we

watched young ladies using a rather blotchy and smudged strip of pattern sheet to create the most fabulous silk carpets featuring 712 knots per square inch, all done by hand and at great speed. A 2 m X 3m carpet took 12 to 18 months to make.

Then we flew to Xi‟an, which is at the beginning of the famous Silk Road across the continent. Xi‟an was a protected city surrounded by huge walls and a moat to keep out intruders, but the rectangular wall is only 13.7 kms long, and these days even the very heart of Xi‟an spills beyond the walls, and the outer suburbs are miles away. The visit to the Shaanxi Museum was a highlight and it was in Xi‟an that we attended the Tang Dynasty


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Singing & Dancing Show preceded by a Dumpling Banquet. Twenty-one carefully crafted dumplings were presented, pork dumplings shaped like little pigs, fish dumplings like fantail goldfish, chicken like baby chicks, etc. And all of the delicious. The cultural show, the first of several, was splendid, interesting and fun to watch.

Of course the highlight of the Xi‟an visit was our viewing of the Terracotta Warriors, row after row of them, on foot and with horses, all guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, which is situated just 1 ½ kms away beneath a man-made mountain. By this stage we had covered Chinese history from the first Emperor (Qin Shi Huang Di 221BC – 206BC) to the Great Cultural Revolution (1949) and were ready to move on to the next item, which was that of National Pride in the shape of the Three Gorges Dam Project on

the Yangtze River. For three days we floated along the Yangtze, but the haziness of pollution followed us, making sightseeing difficult.

The Dam Project itself was mind-blowing in size, but already falling behind in projected impact since the population and industry are increasing faster than the electricity output. We disembarked at Chongqing where we went to the zoo to see the pandas and visited a few more temples, these, however, being dedicated to Yu, the god of Water, Fish and Plenty. Did you know that ¼ of the world‟s rice crop is grown in the


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Yangtze floodplain, and that carp enjoy life in the flooded rice paddies and are harvested at the same time as the rice?

Another flight to Kunming, another colourful cultural show, and a visit to the Stone Forest. This is rather like a giant version of The Pinnacles in Western Australia and has much the same “underwater limestone coral cliffs broken down by time” history. Spectacular! We had enough time for a quick “thank you” to the Yi minority group who care for the Stone Forest and it was off westwards to Dali, to meet the Bai minority group who reside there. China has 55 minority groups, most of whom are farmers or fishermen and many of whom care for national monuments. Some minority groups have populations of less than 5000 and, unlike the majority Han group, are exempt from the one child policy.

At Dali, an incredibly fertile place where four crops per year can be harvested by means of careful crop rotation, we visited more temples and pagodas and watched cormorant fishing. Then we spent five hours in a coach driving across spectacularly beautiful mountainous country under clear blue skies to Tibet. Here we met both Tibetans and the Naxi minority groups as we visited Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. Six hundred steps down to see it and another six hundred back up again! Or, for about $A5 you could be carried back up in a sedan chair!

Still in Tibet we visited the huge Songsanlin Monastery at Shangrila. If a Tibetan family produces three sons, at least one of them is sent to the monastery by age 6. He stays there until he is 20 years old, which is when he can choose whether to stay and take the examinations to become a monk, or simply to return home to be a farmer. The golden statue of Buddha in that temple had a solid gold right hand and much of the monastery building was gilded. Most impressive.

It was at Shangrila that we discovered that our hotel mini-bars also featured oxygen canisters and while on a bus driving to a lovely lake in a National Park, we were told not to succumb to snoozing off if we felt tired because we just might wake up in Nirvana, due to oxygen deprivation. At the Tibetan Cultural Show we were offered



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traditional yak tea (which tasted like salty water), millet flour to eat and barley wine (56% proof). Then we left Shangrila at 10 degrees maximum and flew down to Guilin on the floodplains at 26 degrees minimum.

Guilin is known for its natural physical beauty, which was well demonstrated by our day-long cruise of the Li River. The water was very shallow but well-used, watering the numerous crops along the banks, but the most spectacular thing was the fantastic limestone

karsts which jut up into the sky on either side and, indeed, all around this area. To further its reputation as a place of extreme beauty, the city of Guilin puts on a most impressive display at night-time, lighting up many of its lovely pagodas, bridges and city buildings.

As we progressed eastwards through the Yangtze floodplains we passed through Hangzhou, Wuzhen and Suzhou, all of which featured magnificent gardens and/or canals. Indeed 1300 years ago one of the Emperors, Sui, had a 1794 km long canal dredged from the Yangtze floodplains linking the 5 rivers up to Beijing so he could indulge in his passion for sailing. It took 6 years to complete using 6 million labourers, 3 million of whom died in the process, and it silted up within a few years.

Finally we reached Shanghai (which means “beside the sea”) via vast toll-roads with their spaghetti interchanges on multitudinous levels overlooking mile upon mile of condominium blocks and smog. More cultural shows, more beautiful traditional gardens, more wonderful Chinese banquets for lunch and dinner and more shopping. The Shanghai History Museum is one of the best I‟ve seen and standing on the glass floored Observation Deck of the Oriental Pearl Tower, one of Shanghai‟s tallest buildings is an experience I will never forget.

Time only for a short 8-minute trip on the fabulous Maglev Train, which made it to 431 kph over its 30 km journey to the airport and our “26 Day China Panorama Tour” was over.

I would really like to thank all our friends, both long-term and new, who accompanied us on this tour. We would have gone anyway, but to go surrounded by friends adds a rich and welcome dimension to the journey and gives us some lovely shared memories.

Pat Trowbridge. NPC 219

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Breakfast in the Park

Sunday the 20th December 2009, 34 Nissan

Patrollers and family attended the annual “Breakfast in the Park”. The weather was very

kind to us allowing for a lovely get together. There was champagne, fruit, quiches, bacon & eggs followed by coffee tea, more champagne, dips, cheese biscuits and desserts such as cherries, rumballs and lots of Christmas nibbles. Members had hats decorated with Christmas trinkets. Members Gary and Jenny Thompson were down in Adelaide and enjoyed the festivities.

Dave Richards also attended on crutches due to a motorbike accident while David Foster was giving joy rides to Pat & Helen in his red MG. Our new President Colin presented a bag of lollies to all female members, in return for a Christmas hug. Some members got a big hug and one special member namely Tricia was swept of her feet. Poor David Foster in opening his bottle of champagne had everyone waiting to catch the cork. Well it popped, but not as high as David intended. Never mind the champagne went down a treat. With everyone mingling and talking Christmas Festivities it was soon time to pack up and head for home. 2009 has been a busy and memorable year. Merry Christmas Nissan Patrol Club. See you all in 2010.

Helen Richards

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BINDMURRA COUNTRY MUSIC CAMPOUT 23/10/2009 – 25/10/2009

BINDMURRA STATION near BLANCHETOWN

All 18 vehicles from the Nissan Patrol Club arrived on Friday afternoon and evening, at the vast paddock, which was the Country Music Campout campground. Following Bob Lamkin‟s directions on his mobile radio we all managed to assemble into a group.

The weather was fine and sunny and about 4:00pm a large circle started to form for Happy Hour. An inquisitive sleek Sleepy Lizard decided to check out the proceedings and after being picked up by naturalist Jeff for closer inspection, was rewarded with pieced of fruit, which it seemed to enjoy.

The music was soon in full swing and after dinner people wandered over to the stage area to enjoy the performances.

On Saturday, the property owners Arthur and Dorathy Zadow conducted a Tag-A-Long tour, starting at 9:30am. The total drive took 5 hours and visited historical water tank and

well sites; old machinery shed, charcoal burning pits, a sand challenge lookout hill, huge pivot sprinklers used for irrigating potato crops, dry land farming wheat crop, gypsum mine and eagles‟ nest. This 40,000-acre property has been acquired in stages over three generations of the Zadow family. Five generations of the family have now been involved in managing this very diverse property. Those who did the full tour had a late lunch. Then it was time to relax for a little while.

Saturday evening the Happy Hour circle was even bigger. After Happy Hour most of us partook of the delicious roast meats and vegetable dinner, which was available if you had ordered it earlier in the day. Even though the music had been presented for most of the day it was after dinner when the crowd gathered to enjoy the bands and practice their dancing skills on the dance floor provided. A slight sprinkle


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of rain sent people to the sheltered area but it was short lived. Huge fires were lit in the drums at the back of the crowd if you wished to stay around late into the night.

Sunday morning dawned with a strong wind blowing. This caused those in camper trailers some problems when it came to folding them down. A cry was heard from one not so happy camper “I want a caravan”!!!! Dave Alyward had some problems folding down his toilet tent, not because of the weather, but mainly due to lack of practice. However, with lots of not so useful advice the task was completed successfully. Most people were packed and heading for home before lunch.

Thank you Janice and Bob Lamkin for organising this trip. The music, meal and tag-a-long tour were all excellent. The fellowship of our Nissan Patrol Club group was what

made it a great weekend. If the local Blanchetown Royal Flying Doctor Support Group organise another event next year consider going along, it was good fun.

Kathy Grigg NPC 260

Pictures Jim & Kathy

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President’s Report 2009 This past year as President has been another privilege for me and I again thank you for the honour, especially during this 30

th year milestone. Where have all those years gone?

For me, being part of this club has been a roller coaster ride. I have enjoyed the opportunities of meeting new friends, visiting new and old destinations with good company and attending social activities. It has been another year where we have continued with varied activities, which I believe strengthens friendships and brings members closer together and hopefully expands horizons and leads to new introduced activities. There have been excellent 4wd trips organised during the year plus the other activities we continue to pursue, camping, kayaking, boating, fishing, walking, cycling, caravanning, theatre nights, trips to music festivals, mid year dinner, slot car racing nights and this year we contributed to a combined 4wd clubs stand at the Caravan and Camping show under the banner of the 4WDSA. The 30 year dinner celebrations in July went very well with past and present members reminiscing and generally catching up, the atmosphere throughout the night was absolutely magic and enjoyed by all. Also this year a number of our members extended themselves not only in the 4wd scene, but also with overseas adventures and I am sure those of us who did not join them envy their experiences. Our membership numbers have remained roughly static during this year and it is disappointing that there have been some members move on. But there seems to be a current trend where people don't wish to be part of organised groups. Once again it has been a pleasure working with members throughout the year, the effort put in when required is a credit to all. On behalf of the club I extend thanks to the out going committee with special mention to the following: - Chris Wenham for chairing meetings in my absence, also to those who have acted in various positions when required. Our Secretary Helen Richards for her dedication, plus her trip planning skills. Minute Secretary Chris Robinson for her efficient recording of the meetings. The Treasurer Tricia Goodrich for the excellent effort maintaining finances. Trips officer Pat Trowbridge for maintaining the trip listings and records. Fund Raiser Pauline Byfield for her effort in organising the monthly raffles. Membership officer Marg. Cunningham for maintaining our records and pursuing new memberships when required. Public Relations Officer Janice Lamkin for management of the meeting entrance and welcoming of visitors. Property Officer Brian Robinson for maintaining and storing the club equipment. Magazine Editor Jeff Schapel for “PATROLLING” our most professional magazine. Dave Richards for his time and effort put into the Driver Training Unit and for leading so many trips during the year. ALU Delegate Alan Langer for his time representing this club on that committee. Librarians Doug and Heather for looking after and maintaining the club‟s books and tapes. To Jeff and Jeanene again for making their house available for committee meetings and supplying supper for the committee. To Bob and Janice for their early arrival on meeting nights and setting up of the hall and to those who help pack the gear away after the meetings. Delegates to 4WDSA Kevin Osborn and Nick Botroff for representing our club during the year.


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Auditor Kevin Osborn again for his time and generosity to Audit the club books. To all members who have lead trips or arranged social events. On behalf of the membership I extend sincere thanks to all who have contributed to support the operation of the club, not only to the committee, but there are others who have put in as well. My congratulations to the incoming Officers and Committee and wish them all the best for the coming year and to all members a Very Merry and Safe Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Brian Cook President

Secretary’s Report 2009

D ecember is here again and so is my 4th year as secretary. If anyone would ask me which has been my best year I would have to say them all! Each year brings different and wonderful events and this year is no exception. Being the Club‟s 30th

Anniversary I would say that it is something to be proud to be a part of. The year 2009 started with Australia day at Murbko. The club had its annual Australia Day event with past and present members attending. Members dressed up as well as providing an excellent variety of Australia Day Fare. As temperatures rose, members partook in different ways to keep cool; some canoed, some fished some sat and talked. Dame Edna also appeared for a visit to do some so-called makeovers on any of the men who would like to be women. Sadly enough, hands went up, but alas, too far gone. Mostly it was a time of relaxation and getting prepared for the year that was about to begin. February was our “Sausage Sizzle and get together. This is always a great start for the New Year and was held outside, as it was soooooooooo hot. Anthony Chan from Electric Bug spoke to us in March on “Communications in the Outback”. The trips in March were Skytrek and the AGM at Burra, which was well represented by Nissan as we won a trophy for the most club members attending. In April Margaret Claughton from Red Cross came and spoke to us on Telecross, Transport, Respite, Mates, Save a Mate and Cosmetics. Trips were Cockling at Goolwa, Ngkart Working Bee, which 4 Vehicles attended, and fishing at Venus Bay. During May members attended a night at the ARB Showroom, which was an interesting night full of information and fun with raffles and supper supplied. The theatre night of Cats was one of the most attending performances with 41 member and friends. Our coffee venue has changed to Café Palazzo out at Norwood as most of the coffee places in town are closing. Peake Sand driving was also held in May combined with Central Hills and again in August as members made their way up to Peake to tackle the sand dunes. Some of our members in training capacity got their log books signed off. June long weekend was held at Loveday with 4 vehicles attending. Some good tracks even the Boob Shaker was a popular one with the girls. FOS also held their working bee in the Simpson Desert, and a trip for some of our members to Longreach, the Lava Tubes and Lawn Hill. This year being our 30th we celebrated our dinner with 90 members past and present at the Halfway Hotel. The night was a total success full of fun, food and reminiscing, catching up and telling a few stories of past and present. There also was a memorabilia table on display as well. Raffles were held; prizes of a trip to “Skytrek”, books and bottles of wine were donated. In August our guest speaker was Tony Jones from KESAB who spoke to us on many projects KESAB has introduced over the past 20 years. The Caravan and Camping Sale


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was also held at Wayville and our club had a stand there, along with another 10 clubs. Quite a good turnout and all agreed better than the 4WD Adventure Show. A day trip to Old Tailem Town was a good day out with the club and a picnic lunch followed. Many of our members travelled to China in September. Pat & Des Trowbridge organised this trip. A very fun filled and extensive trip and we all have heard it was a great success. We will have more of this to hear later on. The October long weekend Dave and I attended the Schmidt‟s Scrub “N” Mud trip to Langkoop with the Central Hills Club. We had a fun weekend, lots of winching vehicles out of mud made allowed us to makes some new friends and to relax. The Theatre night “Calamity Jane “was held in October and after the theatre we travelled out to Norwood to Café Palazzo for coffee & cake. On Saturday the 10th of October ARB held their Open Day from 8.30am -3.00pm. See the article in the December 2009 Patrolling. Approximately over 700 people came through on the day. Cleanup Australia at the 28 Mile Crossing was a huge success with 16 vehicles, 33 people, including 3 grandchildren, 19 males, 14 females attending. Approximately 30 bags collected and disposed at the Meningie Waste Transfer Station. The Country Music Campout was held on the 23, 24 and 25th of October. Bob and Janice made sure everything went smoothly. A Happy Hour was held on the Saturday night with members of the Gawler Club. The club‟s Photo Competition was held at our November meeting with Chris Wenham organizing the night. Don & Kathy Grigg, Chris Johnson, Helen Richards and Pat Trowbridge won prizes. In November John and Sue had kindly invited the Nissan Patrol Club for a barbecue and a fun night of slot car racing. 17 members and family enjoyed a great night‟s entertainment. Our Christmas Picnic was cancelled for the first time in Nissan history due to inclement weather. The Nissan Patrol Club Annual Awards at the 2008 AGM were awarded to Don Grigg “Rubber Goods” Nick Bottroff “Bogger Award”, Dave & Helen Richards “Golden Spike Award” and the “Burnt Valve,” went to Jeff Schapel Our new fishing trophy was awarded to Jim Byfield. We will be looking forward to our annual Breakfast in the park in a few weeks. This will conclude the club‟s events for the year. Well my friends that draws 2009 to a close. To our President Brian, the Committee, and to you members of the Nissan Patrol Club, thank you for your time, help, love and support, that you bestowed me this year. Looking forward to 2010. Thanks again Helen Richards Secretary 2009

EDITOR’S REPORT 2009 Here we are at the end of another successful year for the Nissan Patrol Club. We have participated in many exciting and challenging trips during the year, and to places we haven‟t been before. Who do you think is going to win the “Golden Spike” for running the most trips? Patrolling has reported on these trips and I thank members who have supplied reports and photographs. If you look at all of the photos of Club members on trips, they are all smiling. There has to be a reason for that. A special thanks to Helen Richards, who besides running many trips, has reported on trips and has become the Club's official photographer by default. Not only have we enjoyed the trips, but many members have gone the extra mile with voluntary work. As you know some of our members belong to various Friends of Parks groups and have participated in working bees for those parks during the year. Members have also been Campground Hosts, and members have joined the FWDSA working bee



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at the Ngarkat Conservation Park. More recently members have maintained the 28 Mile Crossing and done Cleanup Australia on the Coorong. While volunteering may be physically hard, those involved have always said they had a good time. So thank you on behalf of the Club. Your effort brings prestige on our Club and gives Four Wheel Driving a good name. It has been hard to choose the best magazine story for the year. From that well known anonymous member there was a three page article on the "History of the Nissan Patrol", complete with photographs. Then the Editor tried to frighten the China travel group with stories about some "hairy" flying moments in commercial aircraft flights, and the apparent lack of building regulations in China complete with a photo of a toppled multi-story building. But to no avail, they still went. Then there was the Otway Ranges trip report by Kathy Grigg and the History of the Otways by Wayne Lucas of the Otways 4WD Club. But I think I must give the prize to John Smedley for a personal technical article on maintaining the front wheel bearings on a Y60 Patrol. Thanks John. Again I would like to thank the magazine mail-out team (myself and the Editor), Peter Stewart for articles for Tech Talk, Janice Lamkin who provides recipes for Camp Cooking, Nellie B who continues to provide those useful old fashioned hints (where does she get them from?), and Adrian Kemp and Danielle of I & S Graphics, our printers, for helping make a quality magazine The cost of printing the magazine is now only partly covered by our regular advertisers who this year have dropped from four to three. Waeco Pacific has decided to stop advertising with us, a reduction of $230 in income. Please be on the lookout for potential advertisers to help us offset the cost of magazine production. Our current costs are roughly $1.80 to print each magazine and $1.10 to post it. Because of cost, many clubs have had to forego a printed magazine and now email their newsletters. I personally believe that a printed magazine is easier to read, but an electronic newsletter can include colour photographs at no extra cost. An electronic newsletter is unlikely to attract advertisers, and what would we do about members who do not have a computer? After seven years with Schapels as Editors of Patrolling (3 years for Jeanene and four years for myself), it is time for me to pull the plug and pass the baton on (to mix my metaphors) to someone with some fresh ideas. I have enjoyed doing the magazine. I have enjoyed reading the articles and reports, and seeing the photographs. I will miss that. I wish the new Editor well, and I am sure you will support him or her as you have supported Jeanene and me. So fellow Patrollers, keep up the good work, keep the articles rolling in, find some advertisers, have a Happy Christmas, and may you all have enough change in your pocket to buy what you need, enough fuel in the tank to go where you want, and enough time to do that big trip. Jeff Schapel - Editor Patrolling 3 December 2009

Origin of Roger In both military and civilian aviation radio communications, "Roger" means "I have received all

of the last transmission". The usage comes from the initial R of "received". R was called "Roger"

in radio alphabets such as the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. In writing it is often shortened

to "rgr".

In the modern NATO phonetic alphabet, R now stands for "Romeo". Contrary to popular belief,

"Roger" does not mean, "I will comply". The contraction "wilco" stands for "will comply", and is

used in conjunction with "Roger" if the speaker intends to say "received and will comply".

The Advertiser “What’s your problem?” answer 27/1/2010

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VENUS BAY WITH THE GRANDKIDS TRIP This trip was undertaken from December 8

th to 14

th and the only participants were the

Trowbridges with Alex and Amelia, and Bob and Anny Anesbury. We left at different times with the Anesburys travelling via a particularly successful overnight crabbing sojourn at Port Germein, while the Trowbridges mooched along via an overnight stop 55 kms past Kimba on the top road. Our bookings at the Venus Bay Caravan Park had been made in advance, so we had the pick of the sites along the waters edge next to the fish cleaning station.

The first thing that struck us was that none of us had thought to bring a camera, so there were no photos taken. The second thing was that someone had taken the water – the tide was out much further than any of us had ever seen it, and it stayed that way for almost the entire week. In fact there was an exposed sand bar between the sandy spit in front of our vans and the channel marker pole, which is often where lots of whiting are caught.

We tried fishing, Anesburys in their boat and the Trowbridges from the jetty, but with limited success. In fact most boating anglers were coming back from a day‟s fishing with very few indeed. The record for one day was from the jetty; the combined Trowbridge Team eventually catching ten legal trevally and five reasonable Tommy Ruffs, thus out-fishing all other anglers on the day.

In fact the week was better for wandering along the exposed beach trawling for shells, exploring the cliff-tops, driving back down to Elliston for the cliff-top drive and lunch at their wonderful bakery, and dining out at the Port Kenny Pub. It might be worth noting that the Port Kenny pub is under new management and has a new cook (the manager‟s wife, whose Salt & Pepper Squid is quite different to what we had had there before).

We played lots of card and dice games, both during the days and in the evenings. The kids swam, but as the weather remained a bit chilly we adults left it to them. All in all it was a relaxing week, unhurried and serene, with the only deadline being remembering to pick up the chips by 6 pm to go with our fish for tea.

Coming home again in suddenly stiflingly hot weather, we all stopped again at Port Germein for another try at the crabs, but surrounded by half of Port Germein‟s youth as they hooted and hollered and dive-bombed each other off the jetty in an effort to get cool, pickings were slim.

One thing we did discover by coming home via the lower Lock to Cowell road was an excellent potential overnight rest area. There is a Lions Park, beautifully maintained and well off the road, all complete with toilets, a BBQ, shelter, water and shady trees at Yeldnuckie Weir. You turn off the road 5 kms east of Cleve and 37 kms west of Cowell. Taking this lower road adds only about 20 kms overall to the trip, but the peacefulness and novelty of this weir stop more than compensates. We intend to use it next time we travel to Venus Bay.

We would like to thank Bob and Anny for making this trip more enjoyable by their presence, and to notify all club members that the Venus Bay Caravan Park is about to be sold and therefore prices may change in the future. We sure hope that fishing is better for our forthcoming April trip.

NPC Member 219.


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Bought a battery recently?

Over the past two months a couple of members have needed to replace starter and auxiliary batteries in their vehicles. My experience has been that vehicle batteries last between three and five years, in the case of the diesel 100 series Landcruiser more like three years plus or minus a month.

An exercise was undertaken to try to find the battery in the N70ZZ (or N70ZZL dependent on terminal configuration) case size L x W x H = 305 x 172 x 225mm, which represented best value.

The criteria were cost, warranty, and performance parameters. The most commonly quoted automotive battery performance parameters are CCA and RC.

Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is the constant current a battery can deliver during a continuous discharge over a period of 30 seconds at -18°C without the terminal voltage dropping to a minimum of 1.2 V/cell.

Reserve Capacity (RC) is a battery industry rating, defining a battery's ability to power a vehicle with an inoperative alternator. The rating is the number of minutes a battery, at 27 degrees C, can be discharged at 25 amps and maintain a voltage of 10.5 volts for a 12 volt battery. The higher the reserve rating, the longer your vehicle can operate should your alternator or its drive belt fail.

The results of a phone survey on 14/12/2009 are shown in the table.

For an Australian made battery the GS Yuasa (Century) Power Series Ultra N70ZZL4WD seemed to be the goods; boasting “Exclusive PlatelockTM adhesives bind the plates securely together to resist vibration, especially when your 4WD is „off road‟”. I bought one for my 100 series Toyota LC starter battery.

Your previous editor bought two of the SUPERCHARGE batteries for his GQ recently; it will be interesting to compare the service lives of these.

NPC 260

Name/Type GS Yuasa Power Series N70ZZL4WD

RAA 3112

N70ZZL

EXIDE N70EXL

SUPERCHARGE N70ZZ

Retailer Battery World RAA K Mart Conquest Tyres

Made Australia Overseas Australia Philippines

Cost $215.00 $211.00 $197.00 $140.00

Warranty (months)

24 24 12/18 24

CCA (Amps) 700 710 600 660

RC (minutes) 170 155 ? 160

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TRADING POST

Where members can buy, sell, exchange or request items.

FOR SALE

1985 TOYOTA HI-ACE VAN Rego number UCB424. 2000cc (2 litre). Auto. Transmission recently overhauled. New radiator and cylinder head gasket. Internal tool storage - good for handyman. Good tyres. Drives well, good runner. Mechanically sound. Still bears the scars from rear attack by stobie pole. $1500 ono. Contact Trevor Elze 0403036043 or 83886909 VW BEETLE & KOMBI WHEELS Early Beetle and Kombi 5 stud wheels – all with tyres. 2 – 350x13 Uniroyal Winterides 2 – 195x14 Goodyears 1 – 155x15 Michelin 2 – 175x14 Kleber M&S on Kombi rims 2 – 185x14 Uniroyal M&S on late Kombi

rims 1 – 185x14 Michelin road tyre on Late

Kombi rim 4 – standard 4 stud beetle rims 1 – 185x14 Uniroyal rally tyre (M&S) no

rim 1 – 185x14 Michelin road tyre – no rim Will sell for $5 each. Contact Trevor Elze 0403036043 or 83886909.

30th ANNIVERSARY MUGS 30th Anniversary coffee cups (Special Limited Edition) are available for $6.00 each or 2 for $11.00. See Tricia.

Marg’s Merchandise for Sale

Large circle Nissan Patrol Club stickers $2.20

Medium circle Nissan Patrol Club cloth badges $3.00

Medium circle, plastic coated Nissan Patrol Club stickers $1.20

Nissan Patrol Club Key Rings $5.00 THIS SPACE Available for your advertisement in the next magazine.

REMEMBER - when disposing of your old vehicle, please

remove your club stickers, as the person you sell it to may not be as concerned with the do‟s and don‟ts of four wheel driving as you are and therefore will give the Club a bad name.


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Happy New Year!! Look after the Kangaroo in 2010. Shuroo is in stock

and only... $499 for members

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Documents

Volume 32 Number 1 February 2010 - Nissan Patrol … · Page 2 February 2010 NISSAN PATROL CLUB OF S.A. Page 3 ... “42nd Street” ... only have eyes for you” and “Shuffle off