THE BIRTH OF THE CAPRICORN CHAPTER

by founding Chapter Coordinator, Gurney T Clamp

 

After purchasing my 1972 MG B in Brisbane and shipped back to Yeppoon, I started driving it on every opportunity I got in and around Yeppoon and its surrounding area.

Then, one day I came across a couple driving  in their  red MG B doing as I was, so I caught up to them and found that they were from Rockhampton and doing a cruise around Yeppoon. Their names were Dale & Margaret Volling. I told them that I was going to try to form a MG Car club in Central Queensland and asked them if they were interested in joining a club such as  I was trying to form.

 

They agreed that they would be interested, gave me their contact details and I told them that they would be number 2 members. On arriving back home, one of my neighbors, Robert Hanson, called over to  have a good look at my MG and told me that he knew of another MG owner, Trevor Williams, who lived in Yeppoon. He agreed to take me to meet him and this visit turned out to be very important as he tried unsuccessfully to form a MG car club several years ago. He had a list of names and contact details of people that owned an MG in Central Queensland, which he gave to me.

 

I returned home and started making contact with everyone on the list, asking them if they were interested in forming an MG car club in Central Queensland. The response was just what I was hoping for so then, I had to contact them all again informing them that on Sunday, 4 May 2008,  a meeting of all interested MG owners was going to be held at Beaman Park Yeppoon at 9.00 a.m.

 

On Sunday, 4 May I was overjoyed by the number of MG’s and their owners that arrived at Beaman Park. They had come from as far away as Moura, Biloela and Rockhampton. All present indicted that an MG car club should be formed. I was elected as chairman and spoke on how we should go about forming the club.

 

Jim Armstrong and Gary Kunst who were current members of the MG Car Club of Queensland, suggested that we should seriously look at becoming a chapter of the MG car club of Queensland if this club had any chance of survival. The MQCC of Qld already had two chapters operating quite successfully called the Darling Downs and Wide Bay Chapters. In doing this, we would  have the back up of the MGCC of Qld’s support in legal liability, financial matters etc., if successful and accepted by the MGCC of Qld. All present agreed that this was the path that we should take and indicated that I should continue as an unofficial chairman of this fledgling organization.  

 

On Monday, 5 May 2008, I contacted the MG Car Club of Queensland’s then President, David Miles,  informing him of the outcome of our meeting at Beaman Park in Yeppoon. I then asked him what steps needed to be done for the MG owners of Central Queensland to become a chapter of their club.

 

The response was an overwhelming “We will be glad to welcome you into our club”.  He indicated that information would be forwarded to me and he asked me to call a meeting of all interested MG car owners to attend another meeting at a time and venue suitable to all concerned.

It was agreed that a meeting should be called on Saturday, 24 May, 2008 at the Rockhampton Golf Club, and the club president David Miles would attend.

He was supported by Brisbane members, Val Horgan, Kevin Ponting, Wide Bay chapter coordinator Ian Bryant and Darling Downs coordinator Trevor Watkins, all arriving in Rockhampton on Friday, 23 May in their MGs. My wife Gloria and I were invited to attend a dinner at the motel they were staying at in Rockhampton. And of course we attended.

 

On the day of the meeting at the Rockhampton Golf Club premises, David Miles addressed all present on functioning and policies of the MG Car Club of Queensland and what was expected of the chapters that are affiliated with them.

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These discussions were well supported by the Brisbane members and the chapter coordinators, the late Ian Bryant and Trevor Watkins.

 

A vote was taken to accept that all Central Queensland MG owners become a chapter of the MG Car Club of Queensland, the result was unanimous. Next step was that we now need to find a name for our chapter. A few names were suggested but Capricorn Chapter was selected.

 

I was then elected as the coordinator for the newly formed Capricorn Chapter, the next step was to select a suitable time of each month to have a get together of members, once again a number of suggestions were put forward with the 3rd Sunday of each month be adopted, which was duly voted on and passed.  

 

David Miles indicated that the results of this meeting would have to be approved by the MG car club of Queensland and I would be notified of the result by mail, A letter dated 28 May, 2008 was received from MG Car club that the management committee of the MG Car Club of Queensland had accepted our application to join as the Capricorn Chapter.

 

After a couple of years at a Christmas function, Ian Wilhelmsen and Phil White suggested that we all should find interested members to assist in the running of the chapter, to which I agreed. Ian Wilhelmsen was elected as assistant coordinator, Phil White and Terry Dwyer as event committee members. Since then I have found that this to be of a great assistance to myself, as we now prepare the following years calendar in November of each year with suggestions of places we should tour to coming from individual members.

 

FOUNDATION MEMBERS

ARMSTRONG   Jim & Sandra - Moura / Yeppoon

BREED  Peter & Tracey - Rockhampton  Past members    

CLAMP  Gurney & Gloria - Yeppoon

CLARK  Stuart & Ada - Goovigin

DWYER  Terry - Rockhampton

FOX  Bill - Yeppoon  Past member

GUBBINS  Tony (Deceased) & Merilyn WEST- Rockhampton Past members

KIRWAN   Wayne - Biloela

KUNST   Gary & Julie - Moura / Yeppoon

MADDEN  Don -Yeppoon   (Deceased)

O’DEA       Tom & Kathy - Yeppoon   Past members

PIDCOCK  Ted & Margaret - Yeppoon   Past members

RUSSELL   Brian & Glenis - Biloela

SULLIVAN Pat & Stephanie - Rockhampton

VOLLING  Dale & Margaret - Rockhampton  Past members

WHITE       Phil & Pam - Rockhampton

WILLIAMS Trevor - Rockhampton  Past members

MGCC of Qld. Capricorn Chapter
Chapter Coordinator; Jim Armstrong 0417 544 222

Assistant Coordinator; Clare Lynam

Run Committee; Jo Emmert; Phil Henry

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Run Report, 19 February, 2021

 

Finally, a beautiful day. All the Yeppoon members gathered at the Oaks Servo at 7:50 for an 8:00 depart to Rocky that is, except one. Yours truly misread his own run sheet and was there at 7:50 so had to wait an hour for the others. It is amazing the number of classic cars around travelling the Yeppoon to Rockhampton road at that hour of a Sunday morning. Two Jags, several Mustangs numerous old Holdens and Falcon went by while I was waiting.

 

So anyhow, the Yeppoon contingent set sail at around 8:00 for an uneventful run into Rockhampton where we met the Rocky mob. Unfortunately, Clare was riding shotgun with Jo as the week previously she and husband Paul took a trip to Barcaldine and Longreach and as luck would have it, hit a huge roo in their beautiful little MGA on their return.

 

The run was a mini mystery tour with Jo and Clare leading the way through Rockhampton along the old Bruce highway to the actual location where the Tropic of Capricorn crosses the road.

 

Interestingly, Anne told us that her father had constructed the location pillars on either side of the road many years ago as he was a prominent Rockhampton bricklayer at the time. We stopped there for our first smoko and photoshoot. Quite shortly, we on the road again and to our next phase, another smoko break at the Rockhampton Botanical Gardens.

The next and last stage was led by yours truly and we travelled down towards Emu Park to the Cawarral turnoff through the small town of Cawwaral crossing the Yeppoon road and onto our final destination of the Caves Pub for lunch.

 

We arrived just before another car group did and soon the beer Garden was packed. Lunch was quickly served I think everybody enjoyed their fare.

 

The group were addressed by myself and the group were asked if there were any more takers for the Airlie Beach weekend as numbers for this upcoming trip were extremely low. Also, Clare and Jo were planning a trip to Emerald to meet the Great South Western Tour participants for their last night in Emerald before returning home and expressions of interest were sought.

 

Bellies full, one by one our little Caves Pub trip participants left for home. All agreed that they had a lovely morning and drive. 

 

Those in attendance were:

 

Jo Emmert and Clare Lynam

Terry Dwyer and Anne Burbidge

Robert and Yvonne Holbeck

Ian and Rosemary Carleton

Paul Davey

Phil Henry

Neville Funch

Gordon Kelsey

Phil White
Myself

MGCC of Qld Capricorn Chapter.
 

Evening Meal Run Report

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The rain and wind had subsided and it was a very beautiful evening for our Friday night social meeting.

 

We were all prepped up for Covid once again after a brief Brisbane lock down and Covid positive scare in Gladstone, but 19 of our members masked up and came to a pleasant evening at Beaches Restaurant Kemp Beach.

 

Our tables were all very nicely presented and ready for us on our arrival, the tricky bit was the signing in process as our friends from Telstra seem to be doing something with the NBN again. Never mind we were soon all sorted and settled at our tables.

 

It was a busy night at Beaches and beside us there was a table of 25 ladies of all ages celebrating a birthday of one of them. As the night wore on and the wine took hold it became increasingly hard to hear the conversation within our group.

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Enough whinging, after a considerable wait our group was served and soon we all seemed to be enjoying our meals. 

On completion, the group mingled and interesting conversations ensued for some time.

 

It was particularly pleasing to see Ian and Rosemary Carleton re-join us after a brief absence. Welcome back Ian and Rosemary. 

 

Another very pleasant evening and well attended by club members. 

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Those who were in attendance were:
 

Ian And Rosemary Carleton

Paul and Jo-Anne Davey

Tom and Janelle Coe

Phil and Margaret Henry

Jo Emmert

Paul and Clare Lynam

Terry Dwyer and Anne Burbidge

Jack and Rae Cowie

Laurie Chetter and Beth Dunlop

Sandra and Myself

CAPRICORN CHAPTER

Run report 5th March 2021.

Chapter Coordinator Jim Armstrong

Assistant Coordinator Clare Lynam

Run Committee Jo Emmert, Phil Henry

 

A good roll up of 18 people attended the March Friday night dinner at Cocobrew last Friday evening. The venue was very well laid out and we had the Whiskey bar to ourselves. It wasn’t long before everybody had settled and were seated. The menu was very comprehensive and before too long everybody was enjoying their meals and happily chatting amongst themselves.

During this chat Tom Coe revealed that he and Janelle will be leaving us in June to take up residence in their retirement home in Buderim.

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Whilst we are pleased for you both we are also sorry to lose you from our chapter, you have been good company. Good luck in your retirement Tom and Janelle.

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Before long it was again time to go home, another night of good company and an enjoyable night out.

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Those in attendance were:

Tom and Janelle Coe

Laurie Chetter and Beth Dunlop

Jack and Rae Cowie

Trevor Andersen and Glynis Benson

Paul Davey

Jo and Katie Emmert

Terry Dwyer and Anne Burbidge

Robert Holbeck

Phil and Margaret Henry

Sandra and Myself