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It’s all history now, but here’s a brief review of Thames Valley Centre events held in 2004. Classic Cars Live! at Alexandra Palace, London, 20th/21st March Thames Valley Centre has traditionally represented the Austin Healey Club at London’s main classic car show, and 2004 was no exception. We took “Racing Healeys” as our theme and were very pleased to have Brian Bedford’s Frogeye and Bill Rawles’ 3000 on show. A simple stand design featured both cars in a mid-corner battle for the inside line – but it’s so difficult to make static exhibits look as if they’re in motion. Nevertheless, we caught the judge’s eye and received the “highly commended” award under the Best Club Stand category. As ever, it was an enjoyable experience to man the stand and chat to visitors, but it was disappointing that we didn’t pick up a single new member over the entire weekend. Lunchtime Meeting at the Yew tree, Frieth, Sunday 25th April Our first Sunday lunchtime meeting of the year saw a small (but select!) group of members gather at the Yew Tree pub/restaurant in the village of Frieth, a few miles to the north of Marlow. This lovely old pub offers a full Sunday Lunch menu in the restaurant, but on this occasion we opted for moderation and settled for a drink or two and a selection from the bar menu – very nice too. Afterwards, a short drive through the Buckinghamshire lanes took us to the Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery where a fascinating selection of locally produced English wines and beers was available for sampling and purchase, making a very pleasant way to round off a thoroughly enjoyable day out in the Healey. In short, so good that we shall repeat the exercise in 2005 – with Lunch! New Members’ Meeting at the Shire Horse, Littlewick Green, Sunday 23rd May Another lunchtime meeting, and this time very well attended by new and existing members alike – which is, after all, the whole purpose. The Shire Horse is another picturesque pub, and the location is very central for Thames Valley members being so close to the M4 and A423 (M). We find the weather’s good in Littlewick Green, too! After last year’s treat of having a one-owner, original, un-restored 100 visit us, this year’s star turn was a very rare Frogeye coupe. It’s so good to see these unusual cars – and all the other Austin Healeys of various types and hues – taking the trouble to get their owners out of the garage for the day so that they can socialise with each other. It does those owners – and their partners - no end of good to discover new friends and enjoy the gentle art of conversation. Again, we shall return in 2005. Technical Session at Rawles Engineering, Alton, Saturday 12th June One of the recommendations to come out of the member’s survey from 2003 was that the club should seek to offer more in the way of technical guidance to owners. So, with the kind assistance of Rawles Engineering, we were very pleased to be able to offer a technical session for Thames Valley members in Bill Rawles’ workshop in Alton, Hampshire. The aim of this particular session was to examine the principles of general tuning for smooth running, but first we had the opportunity to tour Bill’s workshop and to talk to his friendly team of specialists about gearboxes, trimming, paintwork and such like. Then, after a pub lunch, Bill got down to the business of tuning, using Alan Pitkin’s pristine 3000 as the guinea pig. Alan had been suffering from a lack of performance and a propensity to run-on (the car, that is), so Bill took us through a system of checks on the ignition and fuelling systems. The ignition system turned out to be in fine condition, but a problem was identified with one carburettor – the piston in the dashpot was visibly slow to react and was not seating properly. Bill’s practiced hands had the offending item apart in quick time, and scuff marking within the dashpot revealed that it was slightly out-of-round, causing the piston to stick. A little gentle fettling in the workshop sorted that problem and then the whole was reassembled and the carbs correctly balanced. The result was a sweet running motor and an instant cure for the running-on problem. Altogether a very worthwhile day, especially for Alan! International Healey Weekend, Wyboston, 25/26/27th June The major “Centre” happening at IHW in 2004 was the Inter Centre Karting competition which was held on the Friday afternoon immediately preceding the weekend. An appeal for volunteer drivers produced the desired result and we fielded a five-man team comprising Gerald Westcott, Brian Fishwick, Richard Pearce, Rob Fenton and Nigel Unsworth. The competition took the form of an endurance race (like Le Mans!) with teams from various centres plus an international team and a ladies team. The 2+ hour duration meant there were stops for driver changes and re-fuelling, and the occasional visit to the sin-bin for over-aggressive driving. We also had stops for a puncture and a broken drive belt (twice!), but Thames Valley finished a creditable fifth; I say creditable because we normally come last! Anyway, thanks to all those who attended. It was great fun and not a little bruising. Thames Valley Day, Brooklands, Sunday 18th July We returned to Brooklands in 2004 for a leisurely day out at this historic venue, and were very pleased to be joined by a party from New Forest Centre. The objective for the day was to take time out to enjoy the superb aircraft and motor museums, and to hold an informal ‘member’s choice’ Concours; altogether a very simple formula – and a very successful day. Originally, we had hoped to offer a full Sunday lunch in the member’s restaurant, but events conspired against us and we substituted a free BBQ in the paddock area in front of the Clubhouse. New Forest members took the honours in the Concours, Jim Finch (3000) and Phil Gardner (100M) taking first and second places respectively. We also had one unexpected diversion when a Big Healey arrived in the course of suffering a failure of its front suspension turret. A crack along an assembly weld-line had opened up, causing the front wheel to exhibit an unusual degree of negative camber. Once it was spotted, the emergency services were summoned and car and family of four departed on the back of a low loader. This made for a rather unexpected end to their day out, but glad to say no harm was done and repairs were soon completed. Second European Healey Meeting, St. Moritz, Switzerland, 22nd – 28th August The first European Healey Meeting, held in Luxembourg in 1999, was a huge success, and 2004 in St Moritz turned out to be the equal of its forbear in every respect. The event was very well supported by a large UK contingent, including some members from Thames Valley – but unfortunately not myself! The verdict seems to have been “excellent in every respect”, which reflects on just how much work the organisers - the AHC of Switzerland supported by the AH Club of the Netherlands and others - put into making it all happen. Quiz Night, Eversley, Tuesday 5th October Who organises our Quiz Night? Well, the answer is Rob Fenton, as those of you who turned up to our Quiz Night will know only too well – and probably to your cost! Rob always manages to produce a really enjoyable quiz, with lots of easy questions which we all know the answers to but can never quite recall in the heat of the moment. Frustrating! This event is fast becoming a regular in our calendar, and though we had enough participants to make for an enjoyable event this time, it would be really nice to welcome even more members next year. And the winner was David Maulden-Brown and his friend Andy. TV Annual General Meeting & Skittles, Tuesday 2nd November The prospect of traditional skittles didn’t exactly draw in the crowds, but at least we had enough members present to discuss the AGM business to hand and to re-elect last year’s committee to serve another term. It’s worth remembering that the AGM offers members a great opportunity to provide feedback on the services which the Club provides, and the committee do strive to take account of members’ comments when drawing up the calendar of events for the forthcoming year. This year, for instance, there was some useful discussion on technical sessions and so the committee now feels encouraged to seek more opportunities to get their (and your!) hands dirty in 2005. Please feel free to pass your views back to us by post or email, or better still, in person. And the skittles was fun, but the AGM discussions ran on for so long that we only had time for an impromptu competition. For the record, we were pleased to welcome Brian White and Alan Cross as new members of the general committee, though Alan is really an old hand returning to the fold. The Committee for 2005 comprises:
Nigel Unsworth, Chairman. |
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Annual Review of 2001 HERE |
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Annual Review of 2002 HERE |