   | |||||
   | |||||
| |||||
| Home Our Club The Morris Minor Magazine Events Technical Advertising Minor Trader Contact Us | |||||
 | |||||
MINOR HEADLINES DECEMBER 2008  MORRIS MINOR Owners’ Club (Johannesburg)  NEW POSTAL ADDRESS THE MORRIS MINOR OWNERS’ CLUB (Johannesburg) PO Box 9149 Elsburg 1407 NEW MEMBERS A very hearty welcome to our new members: Dave and Lole Taylor have joined us from White River in a blue 2 door Minor. The year of manufacture is unknown. Chris Grant has become a member. He is from Glenvista and has a cream ’58 4 door Minor. Heinrich van Tonder of Bothaville in the Free State has just acquired a scrapped 4 door split screen Minor and wishes to restore it to its former glory. Good luck with your project. Membership of our Johannesburg Club has grown to 120 paid up members since the last issue. We hope your membership brings you and your families a wonderful and rewarding experience with us. Please remember that you are not obliged to arrive at outings in your Minor. If it is being repaired, please join us in “modern tin” and enjoy the friendship of our Club members. SICK LIST John Webb is due to have his next operation in January. We hope that it is successful. Heidi Bedford is back home with her parents. We hope that all the physiotherapy works well for you. Joan Marcon has had treatment so far and will soon have surgery. We all wish her well. COVER STORY Well, I bet you have never seen anything like that tattoo before! The tattoo featured on the cover has been proudly “engraved” onto the shoulder of the daughter of one of our dearly departed members, John du Toit. It was created in fond memory of her father, whom she adored. The tattoo of the convertible is on her left shoulder, close to her heart and the wings depict her Dad's Airforce days. Now that is love personified! Unfortunately, you will have to travel to the Cape to see it in person. Have any of you seen or heard of similar and remarkable usage of the Morris Minor or its emblem? ANNUAL RENEWAL OF SUBSCRIPTIONS! You are all advised hereby that the Committee will propose that the Club subs remain unchanged at R 120.00 for the forthcoming year (May 2009 to April 2010). This will be confirmed at the next AGM to be held in May 2009. The subs are to be paid by the end of April 2009. Renewal forms are included in the envelope. Please forward or hand them in to your Committee member or to Harry Meintjes, COMPLETED IN FULL. OWNERS ON THE MOVE! (i.e. MEMBERS GETTING AROUND) If you move from your present address, or change your contact details in any way, PLEASE contact Harry Meintjes on (011) 827 5168 (h) or (082) 420 5950 or email him on hsm@imaginet.co.za to advise your new details. MINORS ON THE MOVE! The following Minors are at Mike Del Frate’s workshop in Benoni, being given love and attention. Karol & Pauline Jarozynski’s 4-dr. “1000” is nearly completed. Karol just has to choose his upholstery. William Kelly’s Traveller is back on the road. Charles Gardiner’s recently acquired yellow 2 door “1000” is ready for assembly, as is his British racing green 2 door “1000” ex Dundee. Charles’ ex Colin Dettmer 4 door “1000” is in for bodywork restoration, as well as his black 2 door “1000”. The electrical work on Janet Mathews’ split screen model is 90% complete. Thereafter, the upholstery needs to be done. John Bedford’s Traveller has been in for minor work and has been returned. Aldo Marcon's Dark Green ‘57 Morris “1000’” 4 door which he bought from the Staceys, is taking shape nicely! The suspension, engine and gearbox have all been fitted, the cylinder head has been modified to run on unleaded fuel and the manifolds have been ceramic coated. The mudguards, doors, bootlid and the head and taillamps are fitted. He'll be on the road soon! MINOR OUTINGS “You meet the nicest people in a Morris Minor!”  Cars in the Park was held again this year on Sunday the 19th October at the Piston Ring Club. As in previous years, the members of the many car clubs displayed their beloved classics for everyone to admire. This year’s feature, as can be seen from the poster advertising the event, drew attention to the 60th Anniversary of our Morris Minors, plus that of the Porsche and the 100th anniversary of the Model T Ford. Our Club was given a prime spot to display our cars. It was a lovely day and apart from the cars, there were also trade stalls featuring motoring and other accessories, all of which added to the occasion. Our Club members either brought picnic baskets or bought food from the stalls. We enjoyed our lunch and the camaraderie before leaving in the early afternoon. It is always pleasant to have spent some time having fun with our friends. Those who attended were: 4 door Saloons - Dave Smith, Terence Redmond, John & Sharon Bedford, Steve & Wendy Brumfitt (first time out with their car since restoration), John Tonkin and Charles Gardiner. 2 door Saloons - Rusty & Dawn Clover, John Webb, Frederick Wilson, Lawson Flint, Albert v Heerden, Colin & Lucinda Stewart, Philip Gordon and Clive Surtees & Connie. Travellers - Chris Spinks, Lawrie Bartle, Mike & Norma Del Frate, Alex Berry, Convertibles - George Bowen Panel Vans - Tommy & Sharon Smith Pick-Ups - Gary Dodds, Harry Meintjes, John Bowes, Vernon Morton (Morris Oxford Pick-Up). Other members who either parked elsewhere or who arrived in modern tin were David Harper, Errol Myers, Sara Harper with Adam & Joshua, Jozua & Sharon Cloete, Erhard Langanke, Neil Bulley, Peter Hill and Rex Walton of Middelburg. Because a similar event is held in Pretoria during August each year and the Studebaker event tne week after this one, it would be preferable if this event was held in May or June each year, as the attendance figures are surely affected by these events being so close together. THE STUDEBAKER CAR CLUB OF SA MOTOR SHOW – JAN SMUTS HOUSE 26 OCTOBER 2008 Our Club was once again invited by The Studebaker Car Club to enjoy their special show day at the tranquil site of the Jan Smuts Museum in Irene near to Pretoria. The venue is most pleasant and everyone attending enjoyed themselves. The museum is set in a grand old house with original furnishings of the era and was open to visitors for the day. There is also a restaurant supplying excellent value-for-money breakfasts and meals. For those who attended, it was a most relaxing day spent under the trees. They were: Ken Hardwick and family, John Bedford, Rusty Clover and John Webb in their Minors, whilst John Bowes in a Rover, John Lawton in a Wolseley and Charles Gardiner in a Chevrolet also attended the event. DRAKENSVILLE WEEKEND AWAY 31 OCTOBER TO 2 NOVEMBER 2008 About 23 Morris Minors made their way to the Drakensville Resort to enjoy a delightful weekend away on Friday 31 October. There were a total of 84 Club members, family and friends who joined us, which was a fantastic turnout. For some people, the adventure began with an impromptu rally, because Mike insisted that he knew the way. A confusing turn-off left a security guard at an obscure game reserve wondering why a number of Morris Minors were all traveling on the wrong road asking about the Drakensville Resort. This left those who had not gotten lost with much material with which to rag those who came stumbling in late in the evening with the first dinner’s festivities in full swing. Aldo’s comment was, “Did they enjoy the cherries (in Ficksburg)?” I don’t think Mike will easily shake off this memory. Even those in modern tin were not immune, as the younger branch of the Lendrum family also missed the infamous turn because their mouths were open and their eyes were closed. The security guard was very amused and her comment was: “If you are looking for the resort, boy are you lost!” The resort itself was a perfect destination, with incredible views of the Drakensberg and neat, clean accommodation. It was an incredible feeling to see so many cute chalets with Morris Minors parked beside them. A real sense of camaraderie was experienced as Club members relaxed together around the pool, visited each other and swopped stories around the braai. There were some who were very zealous and were up with the birds, walking and enjoying the incredible views. As planned, every morning at 06h00, Clive led the early risers on a jog around the area. He was like lightning!!!! So much so, that most of the joggers and walkers didn’t even get to see him. Saturday 1 November was a very full day. It began with a visit to an incredible and beautiful location to enjoy some pizza. The food was delicious, but must have been delivered from a far off location in a very old Morris. Either that or the staff was just not prepared for such a large group of people. Besides that, everyone enjoyed the chance to converse and get to know one another better. After some delicious clay-baked pizza, the group made its way to the Cavern Hotel, a delightful place for tea. Although, by this time, everyone had eaten too much, the group drove back to the resort to prepare for the evening braai. An afternoon of relaxation, car care and socialising followed. In the evening, a lively braai rounded off the weekend, but was suddenly interrupted by a fierce thunderstorm that sent everyone scurrying for cover. The party for some continued in the hall. On Sunday, the Minors made their way home, with drivers and passengers who were both relaxed and happy to have enjoyed such a wonderful time in such a beautiful location with good friends. Some of us decided to see where Mike had been headed when he led his contingent of intrepid adventurers on the Friday night. However, we thought it more prudent to let him travel further back in the pack. We passed through the magnificent Golden Gate area to Clarens, where we had lunch before setting off on the way home, happy to have enjoyed a lovely weekend with our friends. (Thanks to Douglas Lendrum) I would just like to thank Lauren Edgar for her assistance and participation, especially for the memorable day on Saturday the 1st November and to the members for the excellent turnout to the event, even after having had the added cost burden of the National Rally in the same year. Thanks go also to those who attended in modern tin, because they were available to assist when required. I would just like to thank you all for a great weekend and it really gives one a warm feeling to be a part of such a great Club. An average of at least 800 kms was travelled by the Minors, with two minor problems being experienced. They were a tyre and an accelerator pedal spring, which flew off on its own mission. Well done to the half century wonders. You came out tops. Thanks also to the members who wished us well and we hope to see you at the next weekend away. P.S. Start saving. (Rusty Clover) Wedding Bells Douglas Lendrum and Shaylene Watt are getting married on 27 March. Though they would have liked all their friends in the Club to be there, they are having a small wedding for close family members and only a few friends, due to the rising cost of weddings these days. If anyone would like to attend the service, which will be a wedding talk and their vows, they can contact Douglas on 082 826 8255 for details on the time and location. The couple would like to thank those who congratulated them on their engagement at the opening dinner of the Drakensville Resort outing. Soon to be your “married couple” in a Morris, Douglas and Shaylene. YEAR END FUNCTION AT THE BOMA IN ALBERTON 30 NOVEMBER 2008 Our year end function took place on the 30th of November 2008, at the Boma in Alberton. The prices were reasonable and there were 120 dishes to choose from. Some of our members really got stuck into the food, as one could eat as much as one liked. The cost was R100.00 per person, pensioners paid R80.00 and children under 10 years of age came in for R50.00 each. Good value for money. Our Fines Master, John Bedford delighted us with a presentation which he made to Mike Del Frate of a picture showing where Mike missed the turn-off, to remind him of his excursion on the way to the Drakensville event (see the article on the weekend away). As if Mike needs a reminder! John was again on form, fining all and sundry for various “offences”.  We all enjoyed the food and friendship of our members and we welcomed our new members from Fochville, the van der Merwes. This event is the final one for the year and is always well attended. There we wish everyone a peaceful and relaxing Festive Season so that we can charge our batteries for the New Year. Our thanks go to Sharon, Tommy, Rusty and Lauren for organising the outing. MORRIS MINOR OWNERS’ CLUB OF JOHANNESBURG’S WEBSITE Have you yet had a chance to view our new look website on www.morrisminor.co.za? If you have any comments to make, please contact our website Master, Neil Bulley and Advertising Manager, Frederick Wilson on neil.bulley@tigerbrands.com or frederickwilsonuk@yahoo.co.uk. Those who wish to advertise their products or companies on our website or in this magazine should forward their information to Frederick Wilson on frederickwilsonuk@yahoo.co.uk. FACEBOOK  You may not be aware of "Facebook", which has taken the internet world by storm in the last 18 months. It is an interactive social website, where you can create a profile for yourself with a photo and by invitation only, can find friends and add friends to your profile. As your friends’ profile grows, you get up to the minute updates of what all your friends are doing, what groups they belong to and what discussions they have started etc etc. Frederick Wilson has launched a social group for our Club, which allows people to join by our invitation only and they can list stories, events and add photos of their cars etc. For those of you who are already on Facebook, please join the group, or have a look at it. He has copied most of the information from the website to the group, so that any new potential members will be able to join our Club as per the standard protocol. By doing this, he has created an extra way of attracting members to the Club. DATABASE Please will you ensure that the information provided on your renewal of membership form CLEARLY indicates what Minors you own, WITH ALL THEIR DETAILS and those sold and to whom. Harry Meintjes can then forward copies thereof to Chris Spinks for his significant database of Morris Minors in South Africa. It has risen by a further 18 cars since the last report to 651 Morris Minors. For those reading this message, if you are not a member for any reason, kindly advise the details of your Minor for the national database. If you do not have Chris Spinks’ e-mail address, please forward the info to Harry Meintjes, the Membership Manager on harryme@absa.co.za or hsm@imaginet.co.za and this will be passed on to Chris. HUMOUR WHERE WAS HE BORN? On our recent trip to the Drakensville resort, I was delighted to have Sara’s youngest son of nine, Joshua join us on our trip home. A never ending supply of comments, singing, jokes, quiz questions and chat came from the back seat all the way home.  “Out of the mouth of babes……….”. As we left the town, having just passed thorough Bethlehem and with a moment’s WEBSITE REGISTRATION How is this for an application on our website? Someone taking the mickey! From: pjbnrdsobgs pjbnrdsobgs [mailto:gmnbmu@yuzfsn.com] Sent: 21 November 2008 12:31 PM To: tsmith@avengman.com; Subject: Website Registration Form From MMOC Website: Registration Page From: pjbnrdsobgs pjbnrdsobgs Telephone Number: LbrOcAviLgo Cellphone Number: omkMTcyZ Address:eb1iN6 etbkofegqwej, [url=http://qpkkoabrcpfw.com/]qpkkoabrcpfw[/url],[link=http://tgniuqjauqgh.com/]tgniuqjauqgh[/link],http://naowbmavaapc.com/ E-Mail Address: gmnbmu@yuzfsn.com Details:eb1iN6 etbkofegqwej, [url=http://qpkkoabrcpfw.com/]qpkkoabrcpfw[/url],[link=http://tgniuqjauqgh.com/]tgniuqjauqgh[/link],http://naowbmavaapc.com/ I cried from laughing so much when Tommy asked “How do I respond to this?” Thanks for a good laugh!!!! Best wishes for a fabulous and prosperous 2009. We look forward to seeing you at all of our outings. Yours in a Morris, Clive Clive Surtees (Editor) | |||||
 |
