Report by Ken Parker

The 5th March 2019 represents 25 years since the opening of the club rooms by the Patron of the Veteran Car Club of Australia (Queensland) Inc, the then Governor of Queensland Her Excellency Mrs Leneen Forde AC. (See below for a history of our club rooms by Allan Waller and for Nairn Hindhaugh’s memories of the Clubhouse opening day in 1994).

To mark this occasion the Committee (of the VCCA(Q)) and members of all of our resident clubs were invited to a display and celebration that was held on Saturday 2nd. It is 25 years since there was a display of all vehicles representative of the clubs that call the Carindale property home. On that occasion there was over 150 vehicles on display.

Come the morning of 2nd March 2019 and I was somewhat suspect of the day, from a weather point of view. Rain during the previous evening and right up to 7.30 am Saturday morning, to the North of Brisbane. I was undecided if I should take the A30 but did and left to drive to the club rooms at 8 am. Rain had stopped and no further rain fell on us all day. Sunday was a different story. They certainly picked the right day.

I arrived at the club rooms around 9 am and entered the parking area to be greeted by 70 cars already parked up. Over 100 cars attended the day. I followed Kev and Paula in his black A90 and we parked together. Clubs were not allocated space so you parked as you arrived.

It was an opportunity to meet fellow tenants and members of VCCA Q, view several makes and models from Rolls Royce to the 1903 Oldsmobile and a couple of motor bikes. See photos below.

Morning tea was provided and a light lunch free to attendees.

The Veteran Car Club had a great display of their Veteran machines.

Brief history of the Club Rooms
By Allan Waller (AMVCQ member no: 2)

In 1981 a member of the Austin Motor Vehicle Club NSW moved from Sydney to Brisbane. He contacted the three members of the AMVC NSW who lived in Brisbane and we met one evening at his home. It was discussed and decided that we should form a 'Queensland Chapter' of the AMVC NSW. In a matter of a month or two, memberships ballooned, so we decided to forget about being a 'Chapter' of the AMVC NSW and to become the Austin Motor Vehicle Club of Queensland.

The first couple of meetings were held in Members homes, then we arranged for rental on the first Thursday night of each month to meet at the Veteran Car Club building which was located on railway land in Railway Terrace, Milton. Meetings were very popular and membership numbers kept expanding. We started organising Monthly runs (I can't remember if McLeans Bridge at Jimboomba or Petrie was the first one). The founding members of the AMVCQ served various Committee positions for many years.

As time went by, the Veteran Car Club had to give up their building at Milton as Queensland Rail wanted the land back (No doubt to add extra rail lines). We then moved our meeting venue to the East Brisbane State School located next to the 'Gabba Cricket Grounds. This was a nice centrally located meeting place for most members.

Meanwhile the VCCQ was trying to locate another property to build their Clubhouse and were very lucky in obtaining the land where the Clubhouse is today. The land was used as a work base for when the Gateway Motorway was being widened. High tension power lines ran down the Eastern side of the property alongside the Motorway, so buildings could not be built under them. This is why the existing building, roadway and car park is on the Western side. Members of many Clubs (the AMVCQ included) helped in many ways with various stages of the construction and preparation of the existing building. In recent years the overhead high tension power lines have been relocated and are now on the West side of the neighboring Church.

Saturday March 2nd was the celebration of 25 years since the Clubhouse, where we hold our meetings, was officially opened. This was a huge display of cars of all ages and types. the very oldest would of been about 1905 and had Tiller type steering, and Horse Drawn cart type wheel.

I hope that the AMVCQ is still going strong in 2031 when the 50 years of our Club is celebrated. In fact I am sure that it will be as the slogan used in Austin advertisements was "Austin, You can depend on it".

Thank you to all members who have assisted in the running, planing, catering, and all the other work involved in keeping the AMVCQ running since July 1981.

Remembering the Clubhouse Opening Day
By Nairn Hindhaugh

I was there in 1994 with my just completed restoration of my 1979 Leyland Mini 1275LS. I was representing the Queensland Mini Car Club. I just drove in the gates and they insisted I park in the front row between a Vauxhall 30/98 and a 1932 Chevrolet Moonlight Speedster, not bad for a car which was only 15 years old!. I’m not sure who owned the green A40 next to the Chev.

I just managed to get a shot of the Queensland Governor, Leneen Ford as she was being driven in the Phantom VI Rolls-Royce. I also got a shot of Allan and Margaret Waller on the day.

Ken Parker’s photos from the 25th anniversary day on 2 March 2019

Nairn’s photos Club rooms opening in 1994

Cars line up on opening day

Nairn's mini (on left) gets front row billing

Arrival of Qld Governor Leneen Ford

Allan & Margaret Waller

Here’s an extract from Wikipedia on what is considered the first mass produced automobile - a Oldsmobile. An Oldsmobile was on display at the 25th anniversary celebrations (larger photo of above, appears after the following).

“The gasoline-powered Curved Dash Oldsmobile is credited as being the first mass-produced automobile, meaning that it was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. It was introduced by the Oldsmobile company in 1901 and produced through 1907; 425 were produced the first year, 2,500 in 1902, and over 19,000 were built in all. When General Motors assumed operations from Ransom E. Olds on November 12, 1908, GM introduced the Oldsmobile Model 20, which was the 1908 Buick Model 10 with a stretched wheelbase and minor exterior changes.

It was a runabout model, could seat two passengers, and sold for US$650. While competitive, due to high volume, and priced below the US$850 two-seat Ford Model C "Doctor's Car",it was more expensive than the Western 1905 Gale Model A roadster at US$500. The Black sold for $375, and the Success for US$250.

The flat-mounted, water-cooled, single-cylinder engine, situated at the centre of the car, produced 5 hp (3.7 kW),[2] relying on a brass gravity feed carburettor. The transmission was a semiautomatic design with two forward speeds and one reverse. The low-speed forward and reverse gear system is a planetary type (epicyclic). The car weighed 850 lb (390 kg) and used Concord springs.[citation needed] It had a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h).

The car's success was partially by accident—in 1901, a fire destroyed a number of other models before they were approved for production, leaving the Curved Dash the only one intact.”