CAPRICORN CHAPTER - REPORT - ALL QUEENSLAND CHAPTER MEETING - 23 - 26 September, 2022
Run Report 2022 All Chapter Meeting hosted by Capricorn Chapter.
If you cast your mind back to October, 2020, the third All Chapter Meeting hosted by the Wide Bay Chapter in Hervey Bay was drawing to a close with just the delegates meeting to go. It was at this meeting that it was suggested that the Capricorn Chapter should hold the next All Chapter Meeting. At first both Phil Henry and myself (delegates for our chapter) were apprehensive but accepted the challenge following the late Peter Brock’s logic of “bite off more than you can chew and then chew like hell!”
On our return to the Capricorn Chapter when we reported what we had signed up for on behalf of the Capricorn Chapter, the same reservations were thrown at us. How do you intend to achieve that? Who’s going to do all the work? etc., etc.
Anyhow, given that we have a strong leadership committee, obstacles soon became problems and for every problem, solutions were found. Six months after the announcement we were well and truly on our way with the weekend programme sorted and were starting to source venues of interest and with each month gained more and more support from within our membership and persons outside with promises of sponsorship. Money was the biggest issue we had and with the “Mother Club” experiencing huge turmoil, we took the stance that we would need to be self-funded. We formulated a plan, worked out our costs, calculated what we need to set the registration fee to keep costs for the participants to a minimum but still have an enjoyable weekend. Our target was to get people from all over the state which entailed some serious travel for most people. In the end, we attracted participants from as far away as Far North Queensland, Wide Bay, Bundaberg, Brisbane and Darling Downs. Word had gotten out that this looked like a good weekend coming up and we had enquiries from Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. Now because these clubs are outside the Qld MGCC, I had to get dispensation from the Management Committee to allow these members to attend which was promptly granted thanks to Ken Wasley, the then Chapter Liaison Officer.
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Anyhow the rest is history, the months soon rolled by and the registrations rolled in (thanks to David and Lyn from the Wide Bay Chapter who helped immensely with organizing early registrations). It was September before we knew it and the event was about to start.
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Friday, 23rd September. The Run committee were to meet for lunch before setting up for the registrations and all was going to plan ---except no Jo Emmert. Where was she? It turned out that on her way to the luncheon, she came across Brian and June Phillips of the Darling Downs chapter who had been involved in a traffic accident. Jo stayed with them and made sure they were ok before she came to registration.
The registration went smoothly and Robert and Yvonne Holbeck and Gary Whight and his friend Doris Lisle really made our visitors at home showing them to our registration team of Gordon and Phil, Rae and Robbie and Beth and Lloyd and his friend Kym. It was really pleasing to notice the looks on the faces of the participants when they received their welcome packs, consisting of a drink cooler, a baseball cap, a leather keyring, a good quality pen and lanyard all branded with the MGCC of Qld Logo and Capricorn Chapter.
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Friday night “Nog n Natter” went off particularly well with ample finger food and people queued in a reasonable manner unlike some previous “Nog N Natters” that I have attended all around Australia over the years. Speeches and announcements were kept to a minimum and maps on the next day’s activities were on display.
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Saturday morning car display at Glenmore School. Participants were greeted at the gate by Gary Whight and Jack Cowie and later by Bill Heraghty (who collected the gold coin donations from the public that was later donated to the School’s P&C) who in turn, directed the cars down to Gary Kunst (head Marshall) and his team of Pat, Robert, Bruce, John and Gordon who soon had all the cars parked by their relevant year of manufacture in a very neat well laid out manner ready for judging. The cars were judged in the following classes, MGs to 1960, MGs 1961 -1995, MGs post 1995 and other marques owned by MGCC members. The judges were; Robert Holbeck and Pat Sullivan, Clem Hill and Bruce Acheon, John Sheppard and John Roe, Gordon Kelsey and Paul Lynam.
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The P&C had the catering all in hand with breakfast Burgers, smoko and even a cut lunch available with excellent eating facilities in the large hall adjacent to the car display.
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Our Sponsors Rockhampton Auto Group (Rocky’s MG Dealers) had 3 modern MG cars on display to add to the ambiance. The car display finished at 12 noon and so after a short break, they were lined up in their colours allotted to them dependent on which Kimber run they had elected to go on the Sunday.
After a drivers briefing they were lead out by their individual tour leaders for the scenic drive along the Capricorn Coastline stopping at Ross Creek and Wreck Point to Emu Park where they stopped and walked the ANZAC Memorial board walk to the Singing Ship which concluded the Saturday activities.
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Saturday evening was free and most elected to dine at the Rocky Leagues Club whilst others congregated at their respective motels. The Rockhampton Wine and Food Festival was also on and I suspect several people attended that as well.
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Sunday morning soon came around and all found their way to the Glenmore school once again for a “breky” roll and coffee before being allotted into their nominated Kimber run tours. The runs were Archer Park Railway Museum followed by the Mt Morgan Railway Museum, The Caves Tour, The Koorana Crocodile Farm, and the Byfield Tea Tree Farm and Eco Tour though the Byfield rainforest. The Archer Street Railway Museum Tour proved to be the most popular choice and so Tour Leader Jo headed off first followed by Clare’s Byfield Tour, then Phil’s tour to the Croc Farm and lastly the Caves Tour led by yours truly. Interestingly, I had many participants from different tour groups come up to me and said that they had all chosen the best tour, so I guess that reflects the hospitality shown to our visitors and locals alike from the different tour venues.
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Sunday Night’s formal dinner was themed Black and Gold and most people came attired that way but one couple who are renowned for their outlandish costumes came as crash test dummies, not hard to guess it was Wayne Kirwan and Megan Perrett from Gympie. This lightened up the function and before long a very delicious alternate drop meal was served. After the main meal, trophies were presented to the various winners and were; Sponsors Choice- David and Meryl Miles, MG Magnette. Peoples Choice- Wayne Kirwan and Megan Perrett, MGTF. MGs to 1960 Gary Lock (Gold Coast), MGA. MG 1961-1995- Ray Edwards and Sue Sommers, MGB. MG post 1995, Ken Wasley MG ZT260. Other Marques owned by MG Club Members, Gary Kunst 1972 Ser 3 Land Rover. It was remarked that it would be the first Land Rover in history to beat the likes of Porches, Bentley and several smart looking Triumphs in a car show, but it also gives testimony to Gary’s workmanship in restoring this vehicle. The Hard Luck Trophy had three main contenders, Bill Heraghty who started off but endured a fan belt failure after a recent Air Conditioning Repair and had to delay his departure by a day.
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Then we had Jim and Moya Haines whose MGZT stopped coming down the Mt Morgan range and was diagnosed with a faulty O2 sensor and of course none were available in Rockhampton. But the Winner was Brian and June Phillips from the Darling Downs who were involved in a traffic accident on Friday afternoon where a lane change went horribly wrong resulting in damage to his motor home tow vehicle, his trailer and his MGBGT on the trailer. To Make matters worse when Brian unloaded his MG his brake pedal went to the floor. Brian was ready to go home but a very generous offer by Gary Kunst in loaning Brain his much-awarded MGB, allowed Brian and June to stay and enjoy the rest of the week end. Several speeches by our sponsors and the Club’s Vice President followed and desert was tabled. During the evening we were entertained by talented Chris Schick who sang and played tunes to suit the demographics of the attendees.
The Monday morning breakfast was fairly uneventful although it ran smoothly thanks to the staff of the Rockhampton Leagues Club who did an excellent job all weekend for us. The delegate’s meeting was held directly after breakfast being attended by Ken Wasley, Malcom Spiden, both from Brisbane, John Fransen FNQ, Graham Leacock and Marilyn Kerrigan, Bundaberg, Clare Lynam, Jo Emmert, Phil Henry and Myself Capricorn, Lyn Hayward and David Hall, Wide Bay and Brian and June Phillips, Darling Downs with Richard Collier, Whitsunday on the phone. Most of the talk was about the weekend but then it swung over to the topic of the next All Chapter Meeting and where it was to be held. No one put their hand up but Brian and June said they would talk to their coordinator with a view to holding it on the Darling Downs. The meeting closed, we wished each other well and we said our good byes and that ended the 2022 All Queensland Chapter Meeting.
In closing I would like to thank, the hard-working committee of the Capricorn Chapter, Clare Lynam, Jo Emmert and Phil Henry. The Principal and the P&C of the Glenmore High School, Gary Kunst and his team at the car display, Gordon Kelsey for his early work and his work as an assistant Marshall and Judge at the car display, my son Lloyd who joined the club to help us all and did all the printing but most of all I’d like to thank my wife of 50 years, Sandra who stepped up and kept the ledger, managed the costs, sorted all the name tags, lanyards and the give a way bags in alphabetical order and organized the successful registration process which helped the weekend go so smoothly. I also need to publicly apologize to her for not thanking her for all her behind the scenes work in my grand dinner speech.
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