Helen and her gang of caterers outdid themselves with a full on Christmas Dinner at the Golf Club this month. We were presented with traditional table decorations. lollies,? roast dinners and plum pudding – a great way to finish up on our final meeting for the year. The Sporting Register’s next meeting at the Golf Club will be in February 2015, after our summer hiatus.
With daylight saving now delaying the onset of darkness, we are able to have an informal display of sports and classic cars in front of the dining room, as well as our feature car inside. There’s enough room for 6 or 7 cars out front so if you arrive early enough for our summer meetings, park your special vehicle along the road near the practice green.
This month, Peter Witney and Wayne Eccles gave us a presentation on the exploits of Len Beadel, a surveyor, roadbuilder, bushman, artist and author, responsible for opening up the last remaining isolated desert areas of central Australia from 1947 to 1963. He was also responsible for establishing the site for the Woomera Rocket Range and many outback roads including the infamous Gun Barrel Highway.
Our display car this month was Vince Bourke’s recently restored HR Holden sedan. The car was a wedding anniversary gift to Vince from his wife, Joanne about 8 years ago. It was a restoration project that began with a complete pull down in a single weekend, then six years to put it all back together again. Vince was ably assisted by his brother on the paint and panel side of things and Wayne Eccles on the mechanical bits. The car was fitted with a new, old stock, bonnet as well as new floor panels. It runs a worked 202 cubic inch, 6-cylinder motor driving through a 5-speed Celica gearbox. Upholstery of this Premier specification HR was done by Drouin Auto Trimmers, the suspension has been lowered a little and disc brakes fitted to the front wheels – for some reason this particular HR Premier was originally running 4-wheel drum brakes. The car is beautifully painted in a BMW turquoise colour which is almost identical to the original HR turquoise colour that was matched with a white roof. It’s a stunning build that reflects the enormous amount of time and effort Vince has put into the car. Like many restorers, Vince stopped tallying up the cost of the build after a while, but it’s been a labour of love that can now be enjoyed on the road with his family and friends.
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