Our March meeting was another good one.  Surprise visitors were Rod and Maggie Chivas from TSOA NSW.  Rod is a keen supporter of the Australian Motor Heritage Foundation (motorheritage.org.au) and spoke to us briefly on its objectives.  If you’ve not heard of the Foundation, as I hadn’t, check out its website and, in particular, read the details of its origin.  A very impressive and professional beginning (from 2016) and although centred in NSW it aims to provide a basis of historical record for all Australia.

Rod was also around in the early 1980’s when the first National TSOA Meetings were inaugurated.  He was quick to acknowledge TSOA SA initiating the first 7 day National in 1981.  Auctioning the last remaining bottle of TSOA SA 1981 Port (how sweet it might be!) raised $100 for Club funds.

What a day at the Bend for Laps and Lunch (Wednesday 29 March)!   TSOA SA and the TR Register were there in force (12 cars) and had a ball.  Even behind the pace car some of the tight and blind corners on the 7.8km circuit were heart pumpers for both Julie and me.  $40 per person was unbelievable value for the 2 laps and a Michelin Star restaurant lunch.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat!  So, when the next event is organised make sure you’re there.

Our recent Committee meeting considered the forecast financial results for this year and next year.  I am pleased to advise that the approved 2023/24 budget provides for no increase in subscriptions.   Although a growing deficit is expected given no increase in subscriptions, the Committee considers the forecast deficit manageable.  Maintaining subs at their current levels will benefit all members, given increases in other costs elsewhere.

Looking forward to next year, there will be some significant retirees from Committee and club representative positions.  I will be stepping down as President and the Social Secretary (Bill and Margie Berlemon) and Regalia (Sue Smithson) positions will become vacant.  Elections occur in August, and I am asking all members to consider nominating.  The positions are important but not too onerous.  Speak to the incumbents between now and then and decide to contribute.

I’m writing this report from Perth and have been able to catch up with a few other car enthusiasts, including TSOA WA members (see above).  The beautiful Stag in the middle belongs to Ron and Leigh Marian.  Planning for the 2024 Nationals in Albany is well advanced and promises to be another great event.

With the mid-week run and Weekender coming up in May there is quite a lot to look forward to.  Check out the Social Report later in this edition.

To all members and your families, stay safe and I look forward to seeing you in May.

Kind regards,

Peter Davidge (President)

Our March meeting was very well attended and I was clearly out of practice with the microphone after missing last month’s meeting when I was in Melbourne.  Thanks to Alex Smithson for chairing the meeting in my absence.

March is looking like a busy month for club members as, by month end, we will have participated in

• the All-British Day at Echunga (5 March) – blustery conditions ruined our marquees and damaged 3 members’ cars
• lunch at the Junction Bar & Bistro, Morphettville Racecourse (8 March)- thanks to Kaye and Lawrie Placing
• life member Bob Farrell’s funeral at Centennial Park (10 March) – an exceptional representation of cars and friends from TSOA
• the normal monthly meeting (21 March) and
• Laps and Lunch at the Bend Motorsport Park (26 March)

I’ve not been to the Bend, but after some difficulty in arranging a day it’s on!  There should be 10-15 cars behind a pace car for 2 laps, followed by lunch in the restaurant.  Excellent value at $40 per head and I can’t wait to get my TR8 out on the track.

Dean Berlemon has volunteered to run the Day of Triumph later in the year (early October) and I thank him greatly for offering to take over from Ian Rigby.  Closer to the event, Dean will be looking for members to assist him on the day and I encourage you to start thinking about that.  Let Dean know if you are interested now, so he can work towards putting on a class show.

Margie (despite a fractured ankle) and Bill are in the final stages of arranging for our annual Weekender in late May.  Once again, they have arranged an unbelievable program.  Check all that out in their social report.

Victoria has come through with accommodation and program details on this year’s National Meeting in Warrnambool.  They have 97 registrants so far and I’m sure they could fit a few more in if you are interested.  Go to their website for details.

Thanks to Richard Sellers for standing in as Secretary at the March meeting.  To all members and your families, stay safe and I look forward to seeing you in April.

Kind regards,

Peter Davidge (President)

Our esteemed president, Peter Davidge, and wife Julie are currently in Melbourne, finalising
arrangements for their permanent move there in the next few months. Peter and Julie’s daughters
all live in Melbourne with their families, so this is a natural move, and we all wish them well for the
next phase of their lives. Peter will be continuing as President until our AGM in August, and will be
keeping an active role in TSOA until then.

Our club is continuing to prosper, with 15 new members having joined since the August AGM. This
is quite an achievement and has kept our Membership Secretary and Historic Registrar, Ian Rigby,
very busy. Ian is also incredibly busy at work, and has now handed over organisation of the Day of
Triumph to Dean Berlemon. Thanks, Dean, for taking on this very important role in our club. Ian has
booked Civic Park at Modbury for Sunday 15th October, and so please put this date in your diary.
No-one can say they did not get plenty of advanced notice.

At this month’s meeting we heard the exciting news from Bill and Margie about this year’s
Weekender on the 26th and 27th May in the Riverland. This is always a very popular event and is
great fun and great value. Get in quick, and I guarantee you will have a good time.
TSOA had a great turnout of members to the MSCA Picnic Day on Sunday 26th February. Thanks
as always to the tireless team of Bill and Margie for organising the run and lunch. I was unable to
attend due to a prior commitment, but understand it was a great success.

Next Sunday is All British Day, and our club representative on the ABD Committee, Geoff Ellis, has
put in a huge amount of work on our club’s behalf to help make this huge event a continuing success.
TSOA has a large number of vehicles registered for the day, and I am sure we will be very prominent
as usual at this great event. Thanks Geoff for all your work on ABD Committee over several years.
For those members who do not have a car on display, come along anyway during the day as a
spectator and see the incredibly wide range of British vintage and classic cars at Echunga Ovals
next Sunday.

We hope to have some cars on stage for the next few meetings. I encourage all members to get
involved with our club, by attending normal club meetings and runs/social events. Lawrie and Kaye
Placing are organising a mid-week lunch in March (details below), and there is a club event almost
every month, that we would love to see more members attend.

Finally, I understand that the Victorian organisers of the TSOA Nationals 2023 will be contacting all
registrants in the next week or two with further information and accommodation booking procedures.
I understand that there are almost 100 registrants, and all should get their first choice of
accommodation. No action is required prior to receiving their email.

Kind Regards,
Alex Smithson
Vice President

Welcome to 2023 (the year of the Rabbit), which with normal activities resuming, promises to be much better than 2022.  Let’s hope so but spare a thought for people living on the Murray who will be actively engaged in refurbishing properties for months to come.

Since November we have had 5 official Club functions without cancelling for Covid, which is a new trend.   The Christmas Social, the after-Christmas Run, our informal January Club meeting, the Ice cream Run to Noonies and Australia Day at Kaye and Lawrie Placing’s are all mentioned in Bill and Margie’s social report.   Once again the Royal Adelaide Golf Club demonstrated what a quality show they can put on for us for Christmas and it was great to see our most recent Life Members, Bob and Natalie Farrell sharing an ice cream at Noonies.

Well, as I suggested in November, have you made a New Year’s Resolution to get more involved in Club activities in our 58^th year.   Apart from buying another Triumph, selling or refurbishing your current Triumph (s), that would be great thing and I know you will enjoy it!

Although a date hasn’t been set for the Day of Triumph (DOT), we are still looking for someone to take over running the event from the master, Ian Rigby, as he has retired from the role.   He has documented what needs to be done and is prepared to coach a volunteer.   This is a vital Club event which demands member support and nomination from a member within the next month.  I do not want to cancel DOT for lack of interest!  Please talk to Ian Rigby or let me know if you wish to be involved.

I trust that you all had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year and wish you all the very best as we embark on another year. Enjoy your February and see you again in March.

Kind regards,

Peter Davidge (President)

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – November 2022

Highlights from our October meeting were

• A good attendance of more than 35 members
• Robust discussion on the highlights of our national meetings and why we can’t convince more members to attend the Christmas dinner at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club. After a superb effort Sue Gibson has persuaded 54 members to attend this year but in 2023 we’d like to see more.
• Return of member Andy Hill from his solo, round-the-world yachting adventure
• Attendance of new member Steve Vincent who has had Triumphs in the past but is currently the proud owner of a 1969 Lotus Elan
• Presentation on stage by Trevor Hawkins of his beautifully crafted black Jaguar XJR
• A Vote of Thanks was passed for the Chair of the successful Barossa Valley 41^st National Rally, Alex Smithson, and his wife Sue. But all members of the Committee did a magnificent job.  The President of TSOA NSW, Lorraine Mooring commented that ‘We are all still recounting details of the SA Nationals. Was a fantastic trip!’

All in all a very entertaining evening and well worth attending by all members.

Don’t forget to browse the social calendar later in FasTRak where some exciting activities are already planned for 2023.  Join us at the after Christmas Run, the Ice Cream run and the Australia Day Event at Lawrie and Kaye’s place as well as the January informal meeting.  They should all be good shows!

Thanks to the Committee for your efforts this year and all members who have attended meetings and other activities over the past 6 months.

Have a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year and make a New Year’s Resolution to get more involved in Club activities in its 58^th year in 2023!

Kind Regards, Peter Davidge, President

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – October 2022

This is a short report as I have been busy with the TSOA Nationals in the Barossa valley over the last week.  The Nationals ended this morning and close to 90 happy participants headed back home this afternoon.

The event was a fantastic success despite some major challenges and all TSOA SA members should be proud of the hard work the Committee did in showcasing the Barossa Valley, the River Murray, Monarto Safari Park and Anlaby Station to our interstate visitors. In particular, I would like to thank Alex Smithson, who led the Committee, for his magnificent effort in maintaining the momentum of the Committee during Covid and ensuring all essential details were attended to for our guests.

The challenges faced and overcome by the Committee included:

• Postponement of the Rally due to the pandemic
• The loss of 20 rooms at our venue due to renovations
• Floods across eastern Australia (Queensland, NSW and Victoria) in the week before the Rally jeopardizing the arrival of more than 50% of participants. Some had to sleep in their cars west of Broken Hill when rains shut the main highway
• Unseasonal downpours during the whole week of the Rally and finally
• A number of participants testing positive for Covid halfway through the Rally.

Despite all this everyone had a ball and those racing were able to enjoy a tricky day at Mallala.

Don’t forget to browse the social calendar later in this FASTRAK.  Bill and Margie have a very extensive program planned, well into the new year.  Join us at the mid-week Run in November or the Christmas dinner, or all of them!  And we are hoping to get a top car on stage at the next meeting.  See you there!

Kind Regards, Peter Davidge, President

Hi from Melbourne where Julie and I have been since the 15^{th of} September.  We are returning to Adelaide on Thursday 29 September.  Grandchildren duties have kept us here.  It certainly wasn’t the AFL grand final which, in any event, wasn’t particularly entertaining.

We’ve missed quite a bit while we’ve been away, in particular the Observation Run (well done Dean and Lisa) and the last Club meeting (thanks to Alex and Katherine for standing in for me and Duane).  We were, however, able to squeeze in the Club mid-week run to the Duck Inn at Coromandel Valley for lunch.  A very enjoyable social occasion and one which heralds similar events being organised by Kaye and Lawrie Placing over the coming months.

On another front, before I left Adelaide, I decided to replace the dash globes on my TR8 as I could hardly see any of my instruments when out at night (which I must admit rarely occurs).  Dismantle the dash!  Slightly unnerving but somehow, I did it.  Even more amazingly, having replaced the original globes with LED’s, I was able to perfectly reassemble the dash.  I spent quite a bit of time researching what replacement LED’s I should get and where I would source them.  Narva globes came to the rescue, and they were easily sourced from Repco.

Don’t forget to browse the social calendar later in this FASTRAK.  Bill and Margie have a very extensive program planned, well into the new year.  Join us at the Nationals Display Day in Tanunda on 22 October, the mid-week Run in November or the Christmas dinner, or all of them!  You will not be disappointed!  And remember this is the Diamond (60^th) anniversary of the Spitfire.  I am hoping we will have a Spitfire on display at our next meeting.   See you there!

Kind Regards, Peter Davidge, President

Welcome to a new TSOA Club year!  The AGM last month went smoothly with most members of the Committee including me as President, being renominated and elected unopposed.  The great news is that we have 2 new members on the Committee – Lisa Macleod taking over from Alex Smithson as Treasurer and Katherine Bradley taking over from Marg and Dean Bogisch as Trak Editor.  Both the Bogisch’s and Alex spent 9 years or more in these important roles.  We thank them for their outstanding service.  We welcome Lisa and Katherine and look forward to them making significant contributions to the running of the Club.

At the AGM it was my pleasure to award the President’s Trophy for 2022 to Ian Rigby our outgoing Vice President (Alex Smithson has now taken up the role of Vice President).  Ian does amazing work for the Club as

• Director of the Day of Triumph and manager of trophies
• Member of the Nationals 2022 Committee and
• Chair of the Conditional Registration Team

Apart from this he leads a very busy work and home life and when he gets a spare moment is busy refurbishing another Triumph (saloon I believe).  Congratulations Ian, well deserved!

Another well-deserved award was given at the AGM to Bob and Natalie Farrell, our newest Life Members.  It was an enormous privilege for me to be President when the Club recognized their outstanding individual contributions to the Club and the Nationals.  They were nominated by a Life Member, approved unanimously by the Committee, and supported by all existing Life Members.  Well done Bob and Natalie.

I would also like to thank co-founder Tony Case for his wise and heartfelt words at the AGM on the tireless work that is done in relation to the Conditional Registration Scheme and the important considerations that need to be taken into account when nominating for and awarding life membership.

Turning to the Calendar, we are now rapidly approaching the end of the calendar year.  Key events coming up are the Observation Run (18 Sep), the Show and Shine Day/Nationals Display Day (22 Oct) and our Christmas Dinner (26 Nov). Further details about these and other events are included in the social calendar later in FASTRAK.  Check it out and get involved!

I look forward to another exciting year with the Club and hope to see you soon at a Club activity, meeting or at the Nationals in the Barossa.

Kind Regards, Peter Davidge, President

Well we are close to wrapping up another TSOA SA year and interest in club activities continues to remain reasonable but nowhere near where I think it should be.

Prior to last meeting I was able, on behalf of the Club, to thank those members who actively ensure that the Club runs smoothly and continues to provide an entertaining array of activities.  They are the heart beat of the Club!  Think about joining them at our upcoming AGM next month.

Last meeting’s attendance was again solid.  It was great to see Neil Martin, Bruce Whittle, Ron Corso and Steve Moule amongst others and thanks go to Lawrie and Kaye Placing for their memorabilia presentation on a Stag meet that they attended in the UK a few years ago.

In this 60^th year of the Spitfire is there any member who would like to make a brief presentation at a Club meeting or a contribution to FasTRak on why he or she loves his/her Spitfire?  Let me know so that we can arrange it before the end of 2022.

The social calendar is humming along well and the Observation Run (18 September) and Christmas Dinner (27 November) in particular, need member’s serious consideration over the next few weeks.  They are not only important but high quality events in the Club’s calendar.  If you haven’t attended before, why not make a special effort this year.  I know you won’t be disappointed and hopefully we might achieve record attendances.

A final reminder about the AGM, which is coming up at our next meeting.  Think about what you might do to contribute to the Club and let us know at the AGM or before.  All members of the Committee are available at any time to chat about their roles.

I look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

Kind regards,

Peter Davidge (President)

This year’s Weekender was arranged in late May, around Murray Bridge.  The photos above give a tiny insight into the fun we had and the interesting venues we visited.  No doubt these will be added to in later sections of Trak.  Thanks Bill and Margie Berlemon for another wonderful weekender.

Once again at our last meeting there was a great turn up as members came along to get their logbooks signed off before the end of the financial year.  It was particularly pleasing to see the camaraderie that was displayed and the vigorous discussions taking place as members renewed friendships and common inTRests with others they hadn’t seen, due to Covid or not being able to get to meetings for a while.

The night was added to by 2 talks from members on memorabilia (or trips down memory lane).  My thanks go to Kevin Foster and John Tuohy for the efforts they put in in entertaining us.

Our Day of Triumph Mid-Year Trophy Presentation is at Mick O’Shea’s Pub, Hackham, this year on Sunday 26 June.  It will have taken place by the time you are reading this, and we hope you were able to take advantage of the Club’s subsidy and enjoyed the event.

As I’ve mentioned before, we are looking for a commitment from someone to take over running of the Day of Triumph (DOT) from Ian Rigby.  When mentioning this at the last meeting a suggestion was made that perhaps a small group (3 to 4) might be better placed to take over the role.  I believe this is worth considering and so if you would like to be included and contribute to this vital Club role, let Ian (0417 085 083) or me (0438 765 358) know as soon as possible.

Another reminder about the AGM, which is coming up at the August meeting.  A strong Club thrives because of strong participation by members at all levels.  Think about what you might do to contribute to the Club and let us know at the AGM or before.  All members of the Committee are available at any time to chat about our roles.

Some interesting Club events are coming up so check out the social calendar.   I look forward to seeing you in July.

Kind regards,

Peter Davidge (President)