Previous Events

THE MOTORKHANA AT WANDONG,
Sunday, 4th May 2008

Cars at Wandong	Enjoying the sausage sizzle
Driving blind folded	Testing in Progress

It is said that you can drive a little Ford with your eyes closed, or something like that! Well, that was the challenge set before drivers at this F.O.R.D.C.A. club event, a “motokhana” held on private land in Wandong, Victoria, a location which was within reasonable driving distance for members living in the Melbourne Metropolitan area as well as the Central Goldfields area. 

The tests were all set, marked and judged by members’ children (and an excellent job they did too!), whilst the adults took a turn at driving their Small Fords round those tests, some of them blindfolded.   For example, in one of the tests, you had to drive your car around a corner, stop, then reverse it into an area the size of a carport, stop, then drive out again - all this with a blindfold on and your passenger directing you.

Other events at the Motorkhana included driving in a straight line, again blindfolded, but this time solo and trying to get as close to a line marked on the ground as possible.  The tests kept the 20 participants amused and occupied for the afternoon, which had started with a sausage sizzle lunch and ended with some light refreshments before everyone made their way home.

THE DANDENONGS CRUISE & PAKENHAM PICNIC,
Sunday, 13th April 2008

	Fords at Pakenham	Club members at Pakenham
	Fords at Pakenham racecourse

Five cars with nine people met at the Tim Neville Aboretum in Ferntree Gully at 10am.  The weather was just what one would expect of Melbourne, nice steady rain from about half an hour before start time!  The convoy left the arboretum precisely on time, as witnessed by a small gathering of ducks enjoying the Melbourne “sunshine”. 

The cruise, even allowing for the rain, was very scenic as we wound our way from the Ferntree Gully suburbs, into and through the Dandenong Ranges, via Emerald (yes, we heard Puffing Billy’s whistle) and on to the Pakenham Racecourse grounds for the Federation of Veteran, Vintage & Classic Vehicle Clubs’ Pakenham Picnic.  There we met up with several more members who had gone directly to the racecourse.

There were approximately 175 cars on display including a very old “T-Model” Ford, which was turning 100 years old this year and still running. 

A picnic lunch was enjoyed by our club members under a threatening and cloudy sky, but the great car club Gods smiled on us and the rain never arrived.  After a wander through the displayed cars, the club members congregated at our cars for a “cuppa” and then it was time for the picnic raffle.

Each vehicle was given a raffle ticket upon entry to the racecourse and there were many prizes to be won.  Our members won two prizes between them.

EASTERN BEACH & FORD DISCOVERY CENTRE, GEELONG,
Saturday, 1st March 2008

The Ford Discovery Centre (FDC), based in a refurbished woolshed near the seafront in central Geelong, hosts displays from various Ford-based car clubs throughout the year.  The car club displays are changed on a monthly basis to give regular visitors to the museum something different to see and to give car club members chance to show off their pride and joy.

The Ford Owners, Restorers & Drivers Club of Australia Inc (FORDCA) bid for, and succeeded in getting, the March 2008 slot and we made our theme “The Evolution of the Ford Prefect”, telling the story of Ford’s small English sedans, from the introduction of the Model Y sedan in Australia in 1933 through to the final car to bear this famous name, the 107E Prefect, production of which ceased in 1961.    We were allocated space for five cars on the display stand, and to illustrate our theme, opted to display five sedans: a 1934 Model Y, a 1948 A53A Prefect; 1949 English-built E493A Prefect; a 1949 A493A Prefect and a 1960 107E Prefect.

In previous years when we had had a display at the FDC, we simply drove or trailered our cars to the museum, deposited them in the reception area, and gone for lunch in a nearby café or pub, then made our way home.  This year we decided to do something different. We arranged to drop the cars off at the museum in the afternoon, and invited other club members to join us at Eastern Beach, Geelong for a picnic lunch.  A club official took the initiative to ring someone on the local council and got us “unofficial permission” to park on the grass by the seashore, having convinced them we were not hoons intent on churning up the well-manicured grass!

It was a lovely day and we had a good time.  In addition to the display cars and back-up vehicles, we had three more Small Fords and a number of moderns, bringing a total of 25 people to this very successful event.  Ironically, the three extra “oldies” (a 1947 A54A Anglia tourer, a 1949 A493A Prefect coupe ute and 1951 A494A Anglia tourer) complemented the display cars to result in a line-up of 8 different Small Fords!

Around 220pm, after we had enjoyed our picnic lunches and had a good chat, we drove round to the museum to drop the five cars off and where those who wanted to, could have a free “sticky beak” at the exhibits, which included a nice Model AA truck and  some Model Ts, before making our separate ways home.

THE CHRISTMAS PICNIC AT WILSON BOTANICAL PARK, BERWICK,
Friday, 28th December 2007

We had a very good turnout for this mid-week event, which was held jointly with The Australian Y & C Syndicate. Eleven people attended, including five F.O.R.D.C.A. members, three of whom came “solo”.  The others brought either their spouse or family, and we had two guests from The Syndicate (Rod & Maggie Cripps).  They came in six “oldies” and “moderns” were conspicuous by their absence for a change!

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The day will be remembered as the day Eric’s cream 1950 A493A Prefect coupe ute made its debut on a club event.  Congratulations for getting so far with the restoration, Eric, and we sincerely hope that you can get the necessary parts to complete it soon.

We had a very warm day (the temperature got up to 35°C by mid-afternoon) but the picnic area we used had a cool breeze blowing through it to make things comfortable and there were also not many flies.