Spring

MINOR HEADLINE

SEPTEMBER 2008

MORRIS MINOR
Owners’ Club
(Johannesburg)

NEW MEMBERS

A very hearty welcome to our new members:

George and Rouvé Mostert of van der Bijl Park own a 2 door Minor. George is not sure about
the year of manufacture and is in the process of restoring it.
John and Nicole Spencer of Glenwood, Durban have joined our Club. They are the owners of a
white ‘59 Minor 1000 which John bought from Brian Carlsen.
Stanford Mogotsi of Diepsloot has become a member. He has a green ’57 2 door saloon.
Robin Waller has joined us in a red 4 door saloon. The year of manufacture is unknown.
Jan and Lalla van der Merwe of Fochville have recently joined the Club in a 2 door ‘60 Minor,
which Jan is busy restoring.
Corrie and Suzette Engelbrecht of Primrose Hill in Germiston are new members. They own a British
racing green ‘60 Minor. No other details are available.
Junior and Wilma de Wet are new members from Klerksdorp. They have a +- ’60 4 door 1000 and a ‘60
Traveller.
Ben de Goederen of Benoni has joined the Club in a beige ’61 4 door saloon. Last time we reported
that Ben had bought a Minor from Cape Town and would hopefully be joining our Club.
Andrew and Moi-Zanne Fensham have a red ’58 4 door saloon. They hail from Brits.
Harry and Roline Harris of Silverton in Pretoria own a lilac ’58 4 door saloon.
Marius van Tubbergh of Centurion in Pretoria has signed up as a member with a green ’57 2 door saloon.
Piet and Bettie Roodt of Vereeniging are new members. They have a blue ’56 2 door saloon. It is not
clear if this is a split screen or a 1000 model.

We are still hoping to make contact with Richard Booth and Don Walker. If they read this, or if anyone
knows them, please get in touch with Harry Meintjes so that we can record their details again.

For your information, we have members in Germany, Australia, Botswana, Namibia and from various towns
and cities in most of the Provinces of South Africa. At this time, we have 108 paid up members.

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 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 recovering well from his operation and has to undergo additional surgery in January.
We wish him well for that.

Joan Marcon has suffered a set back recently and is having treatment. Let’s hope that she has a
successful and speedy recovery.
Karol Jarozynski has undergone major surgery to his shoulder and is battling to recover. We wish
him well in getting back into shape.

Jacqueline Pearse has been in hospital. We hope that she has fully recovered by now.

John and Sharon Bedford’s daughter Heidi was involved in a serious motoring accident in the Western
Cape recently. She is still in high care and we hope that she has a full and speedy recovery. Our
thoughts are with them.

It is with regret that we advise of the passing of Anton Weingartz. We have discovered that he died
3 months ago. Our sympathies go to his family.

Similarly, we have learnt of the passing of Josias Engelbrecht, a past member from Pretoria who sold his
white Traveller to Jozua and Sharon Cloete. Our condolences go to his wife and family. Josias was known to
some of our older members from past National Rallies.

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.

It is with regret that we learn that Steve Ely is off to Brisbane in Australia in January 2009 and is
taking his newly restored Pick-Up with him. We wish him all the best in his new ventures there. Perhaps
he and the Josmans will meet again at the local club.

In addition, Bruce Cooper (a recent member) and his family are off to New Zealand, taking their 4 door
with them. It is so sad to see these Minors (and their owners of course) leaving our shores.

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 99% complete.
Steve Ely’s ’69 “1098” Pick Up has been completed and has already been loaded into a container, bound for
Adelaide.
Charles Gardiner’s 1930 Morris Minor is in for a refurb. He has collected another Minor of his ever growing
collection. This one has been painted yellow and he has taken it back for assembly. The chassis on Charles’
1936 Morris 8 Sports Car Special has been repaired and has gone back to him.
There is no progress on Mike Del Frate’s 1940 2 dr Morris 8. He is waiting for the return of the gearbox.
Tielman Karovsky’s ’58 “1000” 2 dr is standing still because Tielman is in the USA.
Janet Mathews’ split screen model is still with Charles Gardiner for electrical work.
Lawson Flint has taken delivery of his white ’61 2 dr saloon from Tommy Smith and George Bowen’s grey ’62 4 dr
is ready for collection.
Steve and Wendy Brumfitt's Sage Green ‘62 4-door is back on the road after a complete rebuild and is looking
great in its shiny new coat, with its fresh carpets, upholstery and new tyres.

Neville Josman sent an sms to say his Minor is finally sitting in his garage in Brisbane, after safely
completing its journey across the oceans in a container. All that was wrong on arrival was that its battery
was flat.

At long last, my car has been re-registered in Gauteng after some fancy footwork and perseverance. New Batas
have been fitted for the trip to the Drakensberg, which should make for safer travelling. After a long drawn
out saga, Frederick Wilson says his car should be registered soon. Sara Harper is busy with the same process.
One needs hair on your teeth to tackle these registrations!

MOTORING QUIZ

With reference to the last Motoring Quiz, it has been brought to my attention that the answers given to
questions 2 and 3 applied to UK assembled cars only and therefore was not correct for our South African
assembled cars. The source of the Quiz questions is obviously a published book, from a British author.

Question 2: What was different about the indicator lamps on the ’62 models?

Flashing turn indicators were only fitted to UK-assembled cars sold on the home market after Sept '61.
Until then all UK-assembled cars destined for the home market were supplied with trafficators. Certain
models assembled in the UK and then exported (i.e. not in CKD format) were fitted with flashers - notably
the cars exported to Canada and the USA, which had flashers, even on Splitscreen models. In South Africa, all
Minors assembled after '57, both in Durban and Blackheath, had flashers as standard.

All Minor 1000s assembled in South Africa after '57 were fitted with larger front lenses to accommodate dual-
filaments, but all these lenses were flat, rather than domed. Domed lenses were fitted to Mini-Minors and some
of our members have fitted these.

At the rear, all Minor 1000s (including Travellers and the Commercials) continued to use the same tail lamp
assemblies as were fitted previously, but a cut-out relay was fitted under the bonnet to enable the stop lamps
to flash. At the rear, all Travellers, Pick-Ups and Panel Vans had a single pair of red flat lenses, which
served the stop/tail lamp as well as flasher functions.

All 215 Minors produced here in '63 (with 1098 cc engines), were supplied with exactly the same lenses as the
previous '58-'62 948 cc models.

In '64 (some time after Minor production had ceased in South Africa), all Minor 1098 cc models were modified,
with amber flashers fitted front and rear. The front lenses for all models were comprised of large round amber
lenses, with a small clear lower segment for the park lamps. At the rear, much larger tail lamps were fitted
to Saloons and Convertibles. These had an amber upper section - used for the flashers and a larger red lens
for the park/stop lamps, all mounted on a large plinth. These rear lamps were not unlike those fitted
to V W Beetles at that time.

At the rear, the pair of flat red lenses fitted to all pre-'64 1098 cc Travellers, Pick-Ups and Panel
Vans (assembled here and in the UK) were replaced with two pairs of domed lamps. The lower domed pair
were red for the tail/stop lamps and the upper domed pair were amber for the flashers. This pattern continued
to the end of Minor production in 1971.

Question 3: What changes were made to the seats of the ’62 Minors?

Leather upholstery was not supplied in local South African production. Only Vynide was provided. Local
cars were supplied to semi-de Luxe specification, in that twin sun-visors and bumper overriders were provided
(as per UK de-Luxe specs.), but leather was not supplied and no heaters were fitted.

Two-tone seats were supplied locally as an option on a few late '58 and '59 saloons.

MINOR OUTINGS

“You meet the nicest people in a Morris Minor!”

UK NATIONAL RALLY

The 2008 Morris Minor Owners’ Club National Rally, celebrating 60 glorious years of the Minor was held in
England on the 21st and 22nd June at Stanford Hall, Leicesteshire.

I was very lucky to be able to attend the celebrations. An estimated 2 040 cars from all over the world
attended. They were mostly British, but groups from Holland, Germany, Denmark, Finland and cars from Australia,
New Zealand and not to forget the three cars that drove all the way from Cape Town were there.

It was a fantastic sight to see so many Morris Minors, Oxford, Morris Six and Wolseleys all together
at one time. I met the guys from Cape Town and friends from the North Bucks branch of the MMOC and
thoroughly enjoyed myself.
(John Webb)

AUTO CRADLE ESTATE 27 JULY 2008

Some of our Members visited the Auto Cradle Estate for the July outing. The venue is situated between
Krugersdorp and Hekpoort in the Magaliesburg area, bordering the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site.

With a name like that, one expects to find a motor museum or something aligned to the auto industry,
but no such luck. It was just a place which serves a buffet breakfast on Sunday from 07h00 to 11h00
for passing traffic.

As Lauren so gently put it, the crowd north of the boerewors curtain met at the Total garage on the
N14 south on a cool, chilly, July morning. We enjoyed a relaxing cup of coffee and introduced ourselves
to the new and first time on a run member, Hendrik Jordaan, who also went to the trouble of emailing a
map to us of the Auto Cradle Estate’s whereabouts. The other side of the boerewors curtain met at Ferreira’s
in Northriding.

At around 09h00, about 12 Minors turn up at the Auto Cradle Estate. When we arrived, we were asked to park
the Minors in a row lining the entrance to the Estate venue, i.e. an even better display than roses would
have made.

As usual the jovial M.M. crowd started rearranging the furniture in the lounge, to enjoy the homely comforts,
out of the chilly wind. A few brave ones ventured outside and actually, as the sun rose higher, had a pleasant
and warm winter sun to warm them up.

The good people, Sharon and John Bedford arrived a little later, after attending church. Others who attended
were Colleen and John Bowes in their famous blue bakkie with the cutest tent type material, khaki coloured
canopy. A great surprise was seeing Len Pearse and his daughter attend in their Morris, but unfortunately Len’s
wife Jacqueline was in hospital, so she couldn’t be there. As mentioned earlier, new members Hendrik and Cecilia
Jordaan were there and it was good having them with us. Other attendees were Norma and Mike del Frate, Dennis
and Colleen Edgar. Lauren, Cheylin and Gabriel Edgar, Sara, Paul, Adam and Joshua Harper, Sharon and
Jozua Cloete, Noeleen and Terence Redmond, Sharon, Tommy, Adrian and Ashley Smith, Dave Smith, Frederick Wilson,
Charles Gardiner, Marj and Craig Stacey and Dawn and Rusty Clover.

After a hearty breakfast and a good chin wag, a number of the members went around the corner to Maropeng, the
centre for the Cradle of Mankind. It is a truly impressive and informative museum of the formation of
Homo Sapiens, from the beginning of time.

They can say what they like, but it is proven every time that you meet the nicest people in a Morris,
give or take a few hooligans, especially the little finger brigade.
(Thanks to Rusty).

CARS IN THE PARK PRETORIA 3 AUGUST 2008

The Cars in the Park show was again hosted by the Pretoria Old Motor Club at the Zwartkops Raceway
and they acknowledged it as a special day for the 60th Anniversary of our Morris Minors. They even featured
our Morris Minor on their poster. It was also a special day for Porsches and they celebrated 100 years of
Model T Fords as well.

In previous years they have had more than 2 500 cars on display from more than a 100 car clubs. This year
was no exception, so it was most worthwhile to view the magnificent models on display. Our own Rusty Clover
was seen idling around the MG Car Club, so we will have to see what arises from that.

The marshals were well organised and we had a very central position for our cars. As usual, the place was
packed and everyone enjoyed a full day’s worth of activities. There were numerous food stalls, a beer garden,
4X4 track exhibitions, quad rides, car parades, golf carts and an Unimog with carriage to transport people
around the track. They had an amusement park for the children and many stalls selling motoring memorabilia,
which was enough to keep everyone occupied for the day.

We had enquiries from about 10 people wishing to become members. Some of them have joined the Club by now
and let’s hope the others do the same. Ben Nel of Hoopstad in the Free State joined our Club on the day and
he was welcomed in our last edition. He also owns a Renault Gordini which he is restoring.

Those who attended on a lovely warm day were Lawson Flint, Harry Meintjes, Tommy Smith, Gary Dodds, Rusty
and Dawn Clover, Marius van Biljon and Lydia Richter, John Bowes, Alex Berry, Willie and Chrissie van Eck,
John and Heather Lawton, Sara, Paul, Adam and Joshua Harper, Jozua and Sharon Cloete, Wynand Wolmarans and
Clive Surtees and Connie with Ryno and Christine.

NGWENYA VILLAGE AND GLASS WORKS – 31 AUGUST 2008

The Ngwenya Village and Glass Works is situated just south of the R28 Pretoria to Krugersdorp highway and
is off the extension of Beyers Naude Drive.

The members gathered there late in the morning to spend a pleasant time amongst their Morris friends.
Frederick Wilson thought we were meeting at the crack of dawn, so he had breakfast and left before the
rest of us arrived for lunch. The menu in the restaurant was quite unusual and enjoyed by most of us.

Some of the hooligans in our group tucked into the wares from the local brewery, but we won’t mention names
here. Gilroy’s Brewery is busy establishing itself on the site and should provide future visitors with a
relaxing day spent under the trees whilst they sample the beers and listen to the music.

The brewery has Gilroy Premium Lager, Gilroy Favourite, a superb naturally conditioned ale (according to the
landlord), Gilroy Traditional, the classic ruby ale and Gilroy Serious, a rich, strong ale for the serious
drinker. Now which one did our guys choose?

The place has a glass works which produces products from handcrafted recycled glass. In particular, it makes
custom made trophies and award items for companies and sporting institutions. For more info, you can visit their
site on www.shadesofngwenya.co.za.

There is a shop adjacent to the factory where one can buy ready made products and 12 other shops with nic-nacs,
so the ladies had the opportunity to browse around while the guys chatted.

In the afternoon, a few of us were treated to the face of our new website. Adrian Barnes showed us what to expect
from the new website, which he developed for the Club. News of this follows later in this issue.

An enjoyable day was had by all and we left along the short, dusty road towards another week in the fast lane.

Those who attended were Terence and Noeleen Redmond, Lawson Flint, Charles Gardiner, Alex and Cherryl Berry,
Jozua and Sharon Cloete, Glenys and Audrey with their family, Tommy, Sharon, Ashley and Adrian Smith, Frederick
Wilson, John Bowes in his D-Type Jaguar with Colleen and Jenny, Dave Smith, Rusty and Dawn Clover with Adrian and
Tannith Barnes and baby, Aldo and Joan Marcon on their first outing with the Club, Neil and Tam Bulley, with
friends Noel and Trix, John Webb, Mike and Norma Del Frate, Paul, Sara, Adam and Joshua Harper, John and Sharon
Bedford, Lauren, Cheylin and Gabriel Edgar, Dennis and Colleen Edgar with Dennis’ sister Elizabeth, and Clive
Surtees and Connie.

RIETVLEI DAM – 28 SEPTEMBER 2008

Our September outing was held at the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, just south east of Pretoria, which is set in the
Rietvlei Dam catchment area.

Some of the members have been there before and we enjoyed ourselves just as much, if not more than the last time.
One has to drive through the reserve and around the dam, on the way to the picnic spot. Lawson gave Rusty the
title of “Eey Ore” for all his donkey work! He was seen traipsing back and forth from the car park, helping people
to carry their picnic provisions.

We sat in a very pleasant place on the grass embankment under the shade of the trees and right next to the dam.
There were braai facilities available for those who wanted to braai. A lovely setting!

It was another pleasant day in the company of our Morris Minor friends. We enjoyed the company, food and
camaraderie, which is always present at our outings. We were pleased to welcome Eddie Oberholzer, a member of
our Club and his friend. Eddie is a student in Pretoria and has not had the time to join us before.

Those who attended were Dennis and Colleen Edgar, Lauren Edgar with her 2 kids Cheylin and Gabriel,
Lawrie Bartle, John Webb, Albert and Lorna van Heerden, Rusty and Dawn Clover, Terence and Noelene Redmond,
Craig and Marj Stacey, Eddie Oberholzer, Jozua and Sharon Cloete, Lawson Flint and Rose Dippenaar and
Clive Surtees and Connie.

About the reserve. The Dam was built by hand during the Great Depression and finished in 1934. In 1998,
the walls were raised so that it now has a surface area of 204.13 hectares and it supplies the City of
Tshwane with 15% of its water requirements. The extent of the reserve is 3 870 hectares, with 30 kilometres
of roads.

The following facilities can be found:
Yachting, which is available to club members only, canoeing and angling; there is a large lapa which is
available for hire and it caters for up to 200 people; one can take 2 hour-long bus tours around the reserve;
there are 21 kms of guided overnight hiking trails with 2 overnight rondawels; horse rides are available for
day time or for overnight rides, which cover a 36 kilometre route; night time game drives for up to 20 people
with a braai at the Fish Eagle Lapa.

There are about 1 500 game on the reserve. These include antelope, hedgehogs, monkeys, rabbits, porcupines,
hyenas, leopards, wild cats, jackals, mongooses, bush pigs, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, duiker, blesbok,
oribi, springbok, steenbok, eland, reedbuck, zebra, white rhinoceros, cape hippopotami, cape buffalo,
waterbuck and thousands of different bird species.

It was a most enjoyable day and many of us left after 16h00, which is possibly the longest time members
have stayed on at an outing. Another good event!

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

IMPORTANT STATEMENT

Our MMOC Committee extends to all members and their families and friends, a cordial invitation to attend
all our outings, especially driving your Morris Minor! Only by regular use can an investment be properly
preserved. It is a recognised fact that a car sitting around, unused, deteriorates alarmingly quickly!

Many members have their cars restored from time to time. Please join us for our outings in “modern tin”
instead of staying at home. We would love to see you there.

Dates have been provisionally set aside for our Club outings, but inevitably some last minute changes
might have to be made. If this happens, our Events Co-ordinator, Rusty Clover, will try his best to contact

members. Please contact Rusty on (012) 347 8291 (h) or 083 264 6240, or Lauren Edgar on 083 647 0569, or one
of our Committee members before the outings, to make 100% sure of the details.

Our Committee would welcome suggestions for future outings.

Our Planned MMOC Outings for the next few months are as follows:

Fri 31 Oct to Sun 2 Nov –             Weekend away to the Drakensville Resort in the Berg
Sun 30 Nov –                                End of Year Function – Boma in Alberton
Sun 24 Jan 2009 –                        Cheese and wine picnic or go – kart racing
Sun 1 Mar 2009 –                         Rotary Duck Derby at Modderfontein
Sun 29 Mar 2009 –                       The Cullinan Minor Steam Run

.

OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST:

Sun. 26 Oct – Studebaker Club – Smuts House Wheelsday, Irene
Sun. 30 Nov – Blairgowrie Toy Collector’s Fair

SCHEDULED EVENTS AT THE PISTON RING CLUB:

Sun. 16 Nov - German & Continental Cars (Focus on GM products)
Sat. 22 Nov - Annual Christmas Tree

SCHEDULED MMOC COMMITTEE MEETINGS AT THE PISTON RING CLUB:

Sun.19 Oct

DISCLAIMER

Any opinions and suggestions presented in our MMOC magazine “Minor Headlines” do not necessarily reflect
the views of the Editor or the MMOC Committee. Each reader is requested to weigh up for themselves the pros
and cons of the material presented and to make their own educated decisions thereafter. We cannot hold
ourselves responsible in any way for the consequences of these suggestions. This applies in particular to
the Minor Helpline below and any other information or suggestions in the magazine. The names of the listed
service providers have been forwarded by various members who have had good experiences with the service provider.

NATIONAL RALLY MEMORABILIA

A CD has been put together of the National Rally. If anyone would like a copy thereof, please contact
Tommy Smith on 083 308 9840 or tsmith@avengman.com. The price is R 20.00 each and comprises 2 hours and
8 minutes of footage of the whole event.

MORRIS MINOR OWNERS’ CLUB OF JOHANNESBURG’S WEBSITE

Have a look at our new look website on www.morrisminor.co.za! It has been revamped and is far easier to navigate.
It has a number of useful features, such as drop downs from the main icons. There are changing pictures and it
incorporates a full Content Management System, which allows for the deletion and updating of the website with
more relevant info, instead of having to rely on the website managers. It also features pics of the National
Rally and a short video clip of the event. Very modern!

Our website Master, Neil Bulley and Advertising Manager, Frederick Wilson have received training and they are
responsible to make the changes. In particular, they are now able to post photos of our outings with ease and
you are hereby asked to forward your photos to them 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.

Prices will be available shortly so that members can advise businesses or individuals who ask them for any
information regarding the above. Please ask the two members listed above in the interim.

COTLANDS BABY SANCTUARY

Cotlands have again expressed their gratitude to the Club members for their unselfish donations to their
cause. If you wish to support this cause, please hand bottles of Purity baby food to John Bedford at our
outings. You can view their website on www.cotlands.org.

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 13 cars since the last report to 633 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.

SAVVA MEMBERSHIP

The Summer 2007 edition stated the benefits of belonging to SAVVA. Your attention is again drawn to the fact
that you should always be comprehensively insured and that you can either obtain this type of insurance from
your own broker or from Clint Morris on 041 373 4321 or PO Box 40040 Walmer, 6065. In the article, it stated
amongst other matters:

·Insurance scheme
The insurance portfolio holder oversees the SAVVA insurance scheme. Only cars owned by members of SAVVA clubs
may join this scheme. The rates are highly competitive and a small commission is paid to the various clubs and
SAVVA whose members support the scheme.

·Public liability cover
For all events run under the auspices of MSA and SAVVA, comprehensive public liability insurance is in place.
Permits are issued by our Motorsport Portfolio Holder, who also looks after our interests at the MSA Historic
Commission.

We look forward to seeing you at the weekend away to the Drakensville Resort in the Berg. So far, 75
people have booked and it looks as if we will have a bumper turnout.

Yours in a Morris,
Clive
Clive Surtees (Editor)