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At the July AGM it was suggested that we should try a different venue for our Quarterly Social Evening.

It was suggested that we try the Ferntree Gully Bowling Club in Glenfern Road, Ferntree Gully and this venue was checked out by a couple of members one day for lunch to see how it compared to the Eastwood Golf Club. The dining room was found to be adequate for our purposes and the menu was comprehensive and contained good and varied selections, including a Seniors menu.

So it was decided to give the bowling club a go, and this was our first time there. We had 10 members participate. It was a splendid night as everyone was chatting away up and down the table, and after a short time our meals were delivered by friendly staff, no complaints regarding the service, or the food. All the meals looked great and soon we were too busy for chatting. Ha ha!

All too soon it was time to depart, and out we strode into the miserable weather to go our separate ways. It was agreed unanimously that we would be happy to dine there again as we all felt comfortable and enjoyed the surroundings, and our own company.

At long last we managed to get this run happening, after postponing it several times during the “Covid Years”! We had a really good turn up (22 members and guests). It was great to see such support for this outing and the venues seemed ideal for this cold, wintery Sunday.

We started off at the Naked Racer in Moorabbin for coffee. For those not familiar with this venue it is a cafe/restaurant with an amazing private collection of motorcycle paraphernalia as well as many other vehicles, including scooters, snowmobiles, mini speedway cars and more, as you will see from the photos.

A few things to catch the eye included a jet-powered motorbike (apparently good for 250mph!!); a Flathead Sidevalve V8 bike, a pristine Vincent and several antique Indian motorcycles. This place is also an agent for new Indian motorcycles and has a service division and sells motorbike accessories.

At about 11:30am, we drove to Moorabbin/Cheltenham RSL, all of 950m away, where we had lunch.

After lunch we headed back towards the Naked Racer, but turned left up Second Street to the Moorabbin Air Museum, where we parked in a line on the opposite side of the road to the museum’s entrance. The museum has quite a diverse collection of aeroplanes and helicopters, many of them being open for you to sit in the cockpit or walk through the fuselage. There was even a Commair bus which was built by CAC (Commonwealth Aircraft Corp). The DC9 Simulator was certainly worth a look, just like sitting in the cockpit of the real thing.

After a couple of hours everyone had had enough and we all headed home.

For the record, we had 8 Small Fords, an 'alternative' classic (a Jaguar) and four 'moderns' participate on this run. The Small Fords were a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1949 E493A Prefect sedan; a 1950 E493OA/B Anglia 10hp saloon; a 1950 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1960 100E Escort wagon; 2 x 107E Prefect sedans and a 1961 105E Anglia de luxe saloon.

The weather on the Saturday (23rd) was miserable and threatening showers, so our members gave it a miss. However, on the Sunday, the weather was very good, and two of our members and a guest took their cars, a 1961 Ford 105E Anglia de luxe, a 1950 Ford A494A Anglia tourer and a classic Jaguar sedan. The little Ford Anglias stood out like sore thumbs and certainly attracted a fair amount of attention, and dare we say, relief from the chopped and channeled, modified classic cars from various other car clubs.

Considering there was no car club advertised as running the show, it was quite well organized and very well attended. No awards, prizes, raffles, etc, and cars were still coming and going as our members were leaving in mid-afternoon.

Unbeknown to them, this was to be the last car show to be held at the site, as the landlords subsequently banned the organizers of the market from holding such events.

A sign that things are returning to normal after the Covid 19 Pandemic is that we were able to hold our Annual General Meeting and Christmas in July Party at the usual time of year , mid-winter, when there isn’t much else going on in the classic car world.

This year, it was cold and quite foggy when those of us in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne left home around 9:00am and as a consequence, most of us chose to go in our ‘moderns’. The fog didn’t clear until we got to Macleod in the northern suburbs about fifty minutes later. Thereafter it turned out to be a lovely, dry, sunny day and we arrived at Wandong to find the car park quickly filling up with 'moderns' and a few Small Fords.

We had 45 members and one guest attend, which must be considered as excellent in the circumstances. We had members travelling from Warracknabeal, Western Victoria; Neerim in West Gippsland, Bendigo and Geelong. Members brought four Small Fords with them , a 1937 7W 'Ten' coupe; a 1947 A53A Prefect sedan ; a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer and a 1959 100E Anglia saloon.

Once again we had exclusive use of the venue, and after the business of the A.G.M. and the General Meeting that followed it had been concluded, we settled down to enjoy an absolutely scrumptious, three-course carvery meal in good company.

Our starting point for the garage tour was at McDonalds in Ferntree Gully. We all gathered there and warmed ourselves with steaming coffee, and a bit of chit-chat. Then our Run Co-ordinator gathered us around and handed out the running sheets for the day.

First up was a run to a garage in Boronia to see a FORDCA member's wonderful collection of Fords in various degrees of restoration. What a wonderful working garage to behold, with many interesting collections of signs, number plates, and mounted old automobile magazine covers lining the walls; tools galore and a feast of vehicles in progress.

After the best part of an hour, it was time to hit the road for the cafe in Gembrook. Well, what a splendid drive that was through Emerald and Cockatoo, and other small hamlets. All through the most scenic rainforest, ferns to die for, and gigantic gum trees, and some dubious patches of road, with a few hair-raising, tight curves.

Finally, we reached our destination, the Hairy Dog Cafe, a small, nondescript cafe in the main street of Gembrook. Half of us had to sit out the back of the cafe as it had a large number of patrons in the front section. The menu was small but perfectly adequate and most of us enjoyed our meals.

Fortunately, the next part of our day was to visit the Vintage Motoring Museum almost directly across the road. It was amazing how the museum managed to fit a couple of small buses and several very large 1920's Rolls Royce and Daimler cars inside such a small establishment, as there was so much in the way of memorabilia everywhere you turned, quite an amazing place.

Then, it was wonderful to step outside and see our old cars lined-up across the road. We had 2 x 105Es, 1 x 100E, 1 x Anglia tourer, 1 x Morris 8 Series E sedan, and an MGB, plus a collection of "moderns" in our convoy.

Then it was time to visit our second garage in Ferntree Gully. You walked up the drive to be greeted by a rather appealing rear end of an immaculate 1960's Ford Thunderbird. Negotiating the T-bird and walking inside we were presented with a marvellous afternoon tea laid on by our Run Co-ordinator's wife. Delicious scones with jam and fresh cream!

We were shown an excellent collection of model cars, and out in the garage a rather large Scalextric set-up that was quickly fired up and brought back childhood memories for many of our participants.

By now, time was moving on and it was time for us to depart, and our Run Co-orinator was thanked for organising such a wonderful run.

It was obvious that we were still suffering from the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic, despite the lifting of most restrictions, as some of our regulars had been in close contact with people carrying the virus and thus were prevented from attending this event, with the consequence that we were a little down on what has become 'the norm' for this quarterly event. Nevertheless, we had nine members participate and, as usual, had a pleasant evening and enjoyed good food in good company.

We attended the Association of Motoring Clubs (AOMC) gathering at Braeside Park to celebrate National Motoring Heritage Day.

The FORDCA committee chose to postpone our club run and support the AOMC's gathering at Braeside Park, and advised members accordingly. It proved to be a good decision, because we had 18 people participate in 8 Small Fords and two 'alternative classics'. We met up at Maccas on Cheltenham Road, Keysborough and after a coffee and a chat, departed around 9:45am, to make the short journey further down Cheltenham Road to Braeside Park, where we were able to park in a row.

There were about 100 cars at the gathering, and we had a beautiful day for it. The Dingley Village Men's Shed provided a delicious BBQ and there was also a coffee cart on site for those who hadn't brought their own refreshments.

The original plan was to take us to the Clarkefield Hotel for Sunday lunch, via a scenic route, but the hotel was not available due to renovations. So, we switched to Lancefield as our destination and, visited the farmers' market on Saturday instead.

We have only had a few Saturday runs in the past, so the Run Co-ordinator was pleasantly surprised to receive bookings from 31 members, and lunch was booked at the Lancefield Hotel. Two members stepped forward and offered to host us all for afternoon tea (and a sticky beak at their sheds!) at their residence just outside Lancefield.

We had an absolutely gorgeous autumn day for the run, which started from the Maccas Restaurant on Somerton Road, Roxburgh Park. 14 members and 1 guest in 9 cars gathered there from 9:30am. The cars were a 1952 Holden 48-215 sedan; a 1954 Ford Customline pilarless coupe; a 1959 100E Anglia saloon; a 1960 100E Escort wagon; a 1960 107E Prefect sedan; a 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon; a 1961 105E Anglia de luxe saloon and two 'moderns'.

After morning tea, we set off for Lancefield at around 10:15am. From Maccas, we rejoined Somerton Road and followed it all the way, past Greenvale Reservoir, to a T-junction, where we turned right onto Wildwood Road South,

Up to now, the terrain we had crossed was pretty flat, but then we came to the spectacularly steep descent into the valley of Deep Creek and, after crossing a narrow bridge, the equally spectacular climb out of the valley, with some of us in genuine '10hp sidevalves' having to drop down to 2^nd gear to climb it. At the next 'T' junction, we turned left on to Gellies Road and a few kilometres further on, we again descended down a steep hill to cross a narrow bridge, this time over Emu Creek, and this too was followed by another steep climb out of the valley, necessitating the brief use of 2^nd gear. A short distance further on, we came to our third and final 'T' junction that morning, and turned right on to the Melbourne – Lancefield Road. After that, it was plain sailing through beautiful countryside to Lancefield, with plenty of passing loops allowing other traffic to overtake our convoy along the way. It was pleasing to see the old trestle bridge on the Clarkefield – Lancefield railway line.

On arrival at Lancefield, we were directed onto a service road parallel to, and on the right of the highway, directly opposite the Lancefield Hotel, and parked in a long line on the nature strip between the two roads. Here we were joined by 14 more members in 8 more cars: a 1937 7W 'Ten' coupe; 1939 Ford V8 De Luxe sedan; a 1947 A53A Prefect sedan; a 1950 E83W Thames 'woodie'; a 1951 E493OA/B Anglia 10hp saloon; an Anglia Special and two 'moderns'.

We had about an hour to look round the farmers' market and admire some of the historic buildings in the town before retiring to the Lancefield Hotel for a sumptuous lunch.

After lunch, we made the short journey to our Lancefield members' spacious property on the outskirts of town. Here we were able to have a sticky beak at their sheds and the latest projects and consume a cuppa and some delicious cakes and Devonshire scones. From there we all made our own way home.

One member chose to return home via Kilmore, Wallan and the Hume Highway and Craigieburn By-pass. At Wallan, a large contingent of policemen was breathalysing motorists travelling towards Melbourne. A policeman holding a small 'lollipop' sign was either waving vehicles past or directing them to the left to be breathalysed. Unfortunately, he was directly in line with the sun when the member approached him, and couldn't see what he was wanting him to do. So, he took no chances and pulled in about 20 metres past him, where it was safe to do so. Another policeman came over to the member's car, and his passenger wound down her window. The policeman popped his head through the window and said, "Your car is so lovely, I don't think I need to breathalyse you. You can move on!". That was a really nice way to end what had been a perfect day out!

For this event FORDCA fielded four cars: a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1954 103E Popular coupe utility; a 1960 100E Escort wagon and a 1961 105E Anglia de luxe saloon.

There was the usual eclectic mix of veteran, vintage and classic cars and a smattering of hot rods which were mostly parked on the grassy eastern side of the site, between the main arena and the lake. All the sheds were open for inspection and the narrow gauge railway was operating a diesel-hauled train, but the only steam-driven stuff in action was to be found in the main display shed.

After a wander around the display cars and a look inside the sheds, we set up our portable chairs and had our picnic lunch in a shady spot near our cars, and then sat around relaxing on this nice, warm day, answering questions from occasional passers-by and chatting to friends in other car clubs.

Another great day out in good company at an interesting venue.

Two members in their red 1950 E493A Prefect sedan were the sole representatives of the Club at this event this year and, much to their delight, they walked away with the award for the Best Anglia & Prefect.

They were up against some stiff competition, like last year's winner, an E493OA/B Anglia with a V8 engine and rusty bodywork.

There were 1,350 display cars there this year, including some 105E Anglias.

Early in 2022, the club was contacted by Pip Metcalf of Blu Event Productions, who had been appointed to organize a festival to belatedly celebrate the Centenary of Essendon Airport. As part of that festival, all the car dealerships at Essendon Fields, on the western side of the airport, were to have small displays consisting of three cars of the appropriate make representing three different eras, provided by selected car clubs. FORDCA was selected from the many Ford clubs in Victoria because, apparently, the organizers had seen our website and thought our cars were 'gorgeous'!

The three cars selected to represent the club were a 1937 7W 'Ten' coupe; a 1960 100E Escort wagon and a 1961 105E Anglia de luxe saloon, which were submitted to, and accepted by, the organizers. Our instructions requested that we be at the dealership by 8:30am on the morning of Sunday, 27^th March, which didn't please the owners of the 100E and 105E, as they had to travel from Seaford and Boronia respectively, involving journies across Melbourne which can take over an hour in a 'modern' at the best of times! The owners of the 7W 'Ten' had to come from Lancefield, to the north west of the city.

We all turned up well before the appointed time and the owner of the Ford franchise turned up and allowed us to park at the front of the huge showroom, where we were visible and accessible to the public. But boy, was it windy in that location! The club's 'teardrop' banner was erected but had to be hastily removed because it was flapping about too much!

Other clubs laid on displays of Holdens, Jaguars and MGs, and there was quite a large display from the Lindsay Fox Collection.

Catering for the event was not very satisfactory with a distinct lack of food services available, but we were kept busy answering questions from family groups who were very complimentary about our cars. In fact, we wondered why we and the other car clubs had been asked to provide such small displays in an area far away from the main centre of activity of a festival which was supposed to be celebrating the centenary of the first airfield/airport in Victoria. We'd have expected to see reasonable numbers of vintage aircraft on display and participating in a flypast, etc but when we passed the aircraft display area on the shuttle bus we couldn't see any particularly interesting vintage aircraft. The lack of bunting, banners, balloons, etc associated with such historic occasions was most noticeable.

To say we were disappointed in the event would be making an understatement – we thought we'd been "well and truly had"!

By 2pm things had quietened down a lot and we beat a hasty retreat to our homes and some much-needed sustenance!

Unfortunately, the Kalorama Rally clashed with the Springthorpe Classic Car Show this year, which the Club had decided to support. Many of the participants at Springthorpe would normally have participated on the rally, but you know what they say…!

As a result, the only members to participate on the rally were a couple from Healesville, who took their unrestored 1949 A493A Prefect coupe ute 'Albert' and had a very enjoyable day.

We had sixteen members participate, bringing with them a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1937 7W 'Ten' coupe; a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1960 100E Escort wagon; two 1960 107E Prefect sedans; and three 105E Anglia de luxe saloons dating from 1960, 1961 and 1963.

The majority of the display cars parked on the Village Common at Springthorpe had no shade, but we were very fortunate in being parked against the perimeter fence, and had trees nearby for us to sit under and enjoy our picnic lunch.

The old Mont Park asylum buildings were just across the road. We were to be given a guided tour of the site after lunch. The heritage-listed buildings are now used as offices by La Trobe University.

Display cars were provided by members of many different clubs. There were displays of Porsches; Rolls Royces; Valiants – you name it, it was likely to be there! Every era of motoring was covered - from Veteran right through to Electric, and even specialty vehicles. Of special note, one of the Rolls Royces had a body made by Martin & King, which made an interesting contrast to the body of our member's Anglia tourer, made by the same firm The estimated number of vehicles at the show was around 200.

We had a beautiful, warm, autumn day for the show and thought the venue was quite spectacular.

The meeting point for this run was McDonalds on the Princes Hwy, Dandenong South at 9:00 am. On arrival, run organiser from (EFV8CV) greeted the participants with a smile and handed out a run sheet for the day. This run sheet was a great aid and essential for a run with more than a few cars. It also resulted in a situation where you could get broken up at traffic lights and not get lost. At 9:30 am. we commenced our day with 18 cars from the V8 club and 9 cars from FORDCA. Several joined the convoy along the way.

We proceeded along the old Princes Highway on some scenic country roads to Bunyip where we stopped at an EFV8CV member's house for morning tea and a garage tour. This was not a house with a shed attached, but a shed with a house attached. The cars, equipment and memorabilia made us all envious.

Following the morning tea break, we proceeded again along minor country roads to the Holden Museum at Trafalgar, for our lunch stop and BBQ. This museum is the work of a gentleman by the name of Neil Joiner. Over many years Neil collected many vehicles, memorabilia, and other GM-generated items. Several years back, when GM America made the decision to close down Holden in Australia, all Holden products became history. We all know someone who worked at one of the Holden plants, which were located in most Australian states.

The museum contains many impeccably restored vehicles, engines, a boat with a GM Detroit driveline made in Adelaide, a tram also made in Adelaide, kitchen appliances, saddlery and numerous other items. It also displays many items from the Lang Lang proving grounds, and signage from the now defunct Traralgon Holden Dealership.

Many exhibits have been donated by private persons, many from the surrounding Gippsland area, with the wish to keep Holden history alive for future generations to learn the past of a great organisation. We must also keep the old rhyme, Footballs, Meat Pies, Kangaroos and Holden Cars alive to pass on to future generations. Although privately owned, like many museums it relies heavily on volunteers.

After a very interesting and memorable stay at the museum we headed for home, but not without an afternoon tea and shed tour at another EFV8CV member's home at Warragul. And yes, what an experience. There was an enormous display of cars, memorabilia and equipment, and the owner had obviously been collecting for most of his life.

After a very interesting and memorable stay at the museum we headed for home, but not without an afternoon tea and shed tour at another EFV8CV member's home at Warragul. And yes, what an experience. There was an enormous display of cars, memorabilia and equipment, and the owner had obviously been collecting for most of his life.

Unfortunately, this was the end of a great run, one of the best of its kind to date. It was now time to head for home.

We would like to thank the organiser and the EFV8CV for including us in this tour. Also, everyone who opened their houses and displays, and everyone who attended.

We managed to muster 5 cars at this show. A 6^th had been promised, but had to drop out at the 11^th hour. This year we were parked with other British Fords in the north west area of the racecourse's car park, close to Gate A, one of five entry points to the show. This was much better than the arrangements for previous years, where the different Ford clubs had been allocated to different areas of the site, accessed by different gates.

On arrival at the racecourse, and on the instructions of the racecourse's owners, we had to produce proof of Covid vaccinations before paying our $15 entry fee and being given a complimentary show programme and directed to our designated parking area. The AOMC, who organized the show, which was sponsored by the RACV, ordered 800 copies of the programme but had exhausted them before 9:45am, demonstrating that more than 800 cars had already passed through the gates (the AOMC later revealed that 960 cars and 60 motor cycles had attended).

The day started off a bit muggy and windy, but the weather got progressively better as the day went on and it finished up being a nice day.

There were the usual impressive line-ups of British and European makes of cars, including a massive contingent of MGs which filled 25% of the site. FORDCA's contingent comprised a very dark blue 1938 7W 'Ten' sedan, the oldest Ford at the show, which was parked in a prominent position at the beginning of a long row of Fords. In the same row there was a light blue 1954 103E Popular coupe ute parked two cars away and a light blue 107E Prefect sedan was a few cars further down the line. A pink and black 1960 107E Prefect sedan and a green 1960 100E Escort wagon had to park in a separate row at the rear of those cars.

Refreshments were available from caterers based underneath the grandstand, but the queues, at times, were rather long and you had to be patient if you wanted a cuppa or a bag of chips!

We had 8 members pre-book for this, our first Social Evening of the year, but 12 turned up on the night and we had to relocate from the area we had been allocated to another area of the bistro.

Once the kerfuffle was over, we settled down to enjoy a chat and a good meal in good company. We welcomed three new members who were making their first appearance at this event. They and the 9 'regulars' made it a very good start to the New Year!

This was our first big car show of 2022. As usual, it was hosted by the RS Owners Club Victoria (RSOCV) and held at Deaf Children Australia's historic site at the corner of St Kilda Road and High Street in Melbourne. Unfortunately, due to late advertising, the numbers were about 30% down on 2019, when the show was last held at this popular venue. There had been no SFS in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

FORDCA could only muster three cars for the show this year, a 1953 A493A Prefect sedan, a 1954 100E Prefect sedan and a 1960 100E Escort wagon. The 1953 Prefect was probably the oldest car at the show, as we don't recall seeing any MkI Consul/Zephyr/Zodiac sedans there this year.

Our display was located about 30 feet away from where we have been positioned in previous years, but we were still only a stone's throw from the beautiful, historic, blue-stone college building, which formed the background to our display. It was pleasing to see that the windows of this building that had been boarded-up in 2019 were now unfettered and the building was back to looking its best. Turning through 180 degrees, there was a brand new, multi-storey building which had been built since we were last there in 2019. The black building has a distinct shape to it, rather like a modern ocean-going ship's funnel, which adds another dimension to the architecture on St Kilda Road.

We had a beautiful, warm, summer day for the show and were glad we had some shade nearby to sit and enjoy our picnic lunch and chat to other exhibitors. Our thanks to the RS Owners Club Victoria for the hard work they and their members put into organizing and running the show.

We had 20 members turn up in seven Small Fords, an 'alternative classic' (a Humber Super Snipe) and seven 'moderns' for our Festive Season Picnic. An area of the car park had been cordoned-off for us, and we were able to park our cars together in a line which proved to be a big attraction to the public. We chose a good spot under some trees to have our picnic, and only had to move to another spot close by after an hour or two when the sun had moved round and some of us had become exposed to the bright sunlight on a day when the temperature was around the 35°C mark. A nice breeze and a lack of flies made it 'comfortable' for us all on what was otherwise a rather warm day.

Our display of cars comprised a 1939 E93A Prefect sedan; a 1949 E493A Prefect sedan; a 1954 100E Prefect sedan; a 1953 A493A Prefect sedan; a 1960 100E Escort wagon; 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon and a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon.

We spent a pleasant three hours or so relaxing and catching up and after lunch, we were given a guided tour of the Gardens which resulted in most of us rubbing leaves in our fingers to identify the type of native tree, e.g. lemon scented gum.

Our Christmas Break-up was held on Sunday, 21^st November, the earliest occasion that we could have more than 50 people under one roof at our preferred venue, the Wandong Australiana Hotel, Motel and Restaurant.

Ideally located for our Victorian members, this venue has a reputation for excellent food and it has always proved popular with members. Whilst the atmosphere of the place is terrific, it is a bit of challenge for our amateur photographers to get decent pictures.

The member cost of $10 per member, made the delicious 4-course carvery meal a real bargain. Surprisingly, take up was rather slow, but we had 44 turn up on the day, which was really good. Despite the rather glum weather forecast, nine members threw caution to the wind and came in five Small Fords and an 'alternative classic'. They were a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1959 300E Thames panel van; a 1959 100E Anglia saloon; a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon and a 100E-engined Lotus Clubman. The other car was a 1952 Ford Crestline convertible

As usual, we held auctions between the courses.

Our thanks to all who attended this event and made it so successful. We were particularly pleased to see members from Geelong; Bendigo and West Gippsland in attendance.

We had 15 members attend our second Social Evening of the year, causing us a little embarrassment as we had only booked a table for 8, so extra tables were added to those allocated! This was certainly the best attendance we have had for some considerable time.

As usual, we enjoyed a chat, a good meal and a drink in good company.

As part of the National Heritage Motoring Day, members of FORDCA joined forces with members of the Castlemaine Car Club to put on a static display at the Western Oval, on the main street of Castlemaine.

We had a very good turnout of club cars, which comprised a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster, well-type utility; a 1947 A53A Prefect sedan; a 1948 A53A Prefect sedan; a green 1948 Anglia special, a green 1950 A493A Prefect coupe ute, a red 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; an ex-PMG 1954 Fordson 10/10 van; a light green 1954 100E Prefect sedan and a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon. Adding to the Fords, there was an Austin A30 giving us a total of 10 cars, with twelve cars from the other Club. A great turnout.

There were plenty of people who came through looking at the cars, and as usual our little Fords seem to get most of the attention, with countless people saying "we had one of them back years ago". It was a cold but interesting day and we certainly did our bit to show off our classic cars on this Heritage Motoring Day.

The day was cold and seemed to get colder as it went on, so by 1:00pm we decided it was time to head for home.

It was suggested that our members in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne should have a run through the Dandenong Ranges to celebrate NHMD, and we had 11 members take part.

7 cars mustered at the Tim Neville Arboretum in Ferntree Gully. The cars were a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1960 100E Escort wagon; a 1960 107E Prefect sedan; a 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon; a Morris 850 Mini and a 'modern'.

We departed in convoy just after 9:15am and made our way through Upper Ferntree Gully, Upwey, Tecoma, Belgrave and Kallista to Monbulk, where we were able to park in a line against the kerb, opposite the Friends on the Hill Cafe in the main street, where we had morning refreshments.

8 participants enjoyed a good lunch at the Club Kilsyth, before calling it a day around 3:00pm. Ironically, as we drew out of the car park, we passed a line-up of 6 or 7 Holden FJs who were also celebrating NHMD.

Despite a discouraging weather forecast, we had a cool but dry day for our enjoyable run.

Due to Covid, this was the first annual car show our members could attend since the middle of March 2020.

We had two of our Geelong area members attend in a red 1951 E493A Prefect sedan and white & blue 1953 Fordson E83W Thames 10cwt panel van. They were joined in the 'Small Ford' class by owners of an E493OA/B Anglia 10hp saloon and a 300E Thames panel van, both modified, and a blue & white 105E Anglia de luxe saloon bearing the cherished registration 'ANG 105'.

The Prefect was fortunate to be awarded runner up in the class, which was won by a modified Anglia saloon.

It was a wonderful event, and it seemed like thousands of vehicles attended, but there were also thousands of people there. A great day and very well organized and run.

Thankfully, the lockdown imposed the previous weekend had been lifted and things had almost returned to normal when we held our first Social Evening since the Covid-19 pandemic began a year ago. We had 8 members turn up to enjoy a chat, a good meal and a drink in good company.

This meet was something of an experiment, as the bistro had withdrawn its limited 'two for the price of one' menu, and so we had to order from the main menu at normal prices. Everyone was satisfied with the quality and quantity of the meals and happy with the prices charged, so we decided to continue to hold these Social Evenings at the Golf Club on the third Thursday of February, May, August and November for the foreseeable future.

FORDCA's first outing in the New Year was to be a joint run to Nojee with The Early Ford V8 Club of Victoria on Sunday, 17th January. We gathered at the service station at Officer South on the Princes Highway and departed from there at 8:30am.

Apart from a short stretch of the Princes Freeway, we stuck to country roads. At Nar Nar Goon, we joined the Nar Nar Goon to Longwwarry Road, and had a comfort break at Garfield, where we picked up the owner of a 1948 V8 Pilot who was a member of both clubs, and was to be our host for afternoon tea later that day

More joined us at Neerim, where another member of both clubs was to throw open his garage doors and laid on morning refreshments for us. His home-made fruit cake was so delicious we couldn't resist seconds! Apparently, it contained a cup of brandy in it!

His sheds were packed to the rafters with cars, parts and machinery. One shed built for four large cars actually contained five – a car had been slidden down the middle aisle on its side! Many of the vehicles were in various stages of restoration, but one vehicle stood out amongst all the others – a modified A494A Anglia coupe ute, which was tucked away in the corner of one of the sheds. It had been in a very rough state when he acquired it and has had to have a lot of work done on it. Whilst it still retains the basic shape of the ute, it has had a lot of modifications made to it. However, it should still look nice when finished!

By the time we got to the Outpost Retreat restaurant in Nojee, which involved descending a very steep hill between Neerim Junction and Piedmont, our numbers had swelled somewhat, and 36 (13 from FORDCA and 19 from EFV8CV, plus 4 who are members of both clubs) sat down to lunch, which didn't please the management, because we had only booked for 25 and they had had to move another customer to the verandah out the back! And that customer? Would you believe it was a Holden club catering for the early Commodores! As you can imagine, there was a good bit of humorous banter between us!

During lunch, the restaurant's owner had a look round our cars and chose (a) the best Small Ford and (b) the best V8, and awards were duly made to their owners just before we departed. The 100E Escort won (a) and a 1938 V8 roadster won (b). The owners of both cars were given very attractive tool boxes.

We returned by the same route as far as Neerim South, from where we continued to the Robin Hood pub near Drouin, where we joined the Princes Freeway as far as Garfield North.

This meant we had to climb that very steep hill from Piedmont to Neerim Junction (about 2kms at a very steep gradient), and one of our number stalled halfway up the hill in his A494A Anglia tourer, and had to be given a tow to Neerim, were our host for morning refreshments, who happened to be a retired motor mechanic, soon had the problem sorted – the screw that holds the cap of the petrol pump to the body of the pump was loose, allowing excess air to mix with the petrol! Once tightened, the car gave no further trouble that day.

At Garfield North, the V8 Pilot owner allowed us to inspect the contents of his sheds (which included his 1953 A493A Prefect sedan and his prize-winning 1955 103E Popular roadster well-type utility), and treated us to afternoon refreshments, including more delicious fruit cake!! From there, we all made our own ways home.

As a postscript to this story, the anonymous donor of the prizes took pity on the Anglia tourer owner and gave him a tool box, painted red to match his tourer, too!

We had a glorious summer's day for this event which was supported by 26 members and 2 guests, which I believe could be a record for this event. Nine members and a guest brought with them seven Small Fords. They were an A493A Prefect coupe utility; a 100E Prefect de luxe sedan; a 100E Anglia saloon; a 100E Escort wagon; a 107E Prefect sedan and two 105E Anglia de luxe saloons. Six more members and a guest came in 'alternative classics', namely a Morris 8 sedan, an Austin Devon sedan and an MGB GT sports car. The remainder came in 'moderns'

Several cars gathered at Lillydale Lake, to leave around 11:15am and travel in convoy to the reservoir via Lilydale, Coldstream, Yarra Glen and the long climb up to the top of the Christmas Hills.

We were fortunate to get the usual covered accommodation at the Saddle Dam Picnic Area, close to the amenities, but many chose to sit under the shade of a nearby tree. We enjoyed our picnic and 'catch up', with a lot of discussion about various members' current projects and a bit of parts swapping and loaning. It would have been around three o'clock before we all left for home.

Six of us opted to return home via Kangaroo Ground and Warrandyte, calling at the Warrandyte Stonehouse Cafe for a very welcome coffee, witnessed by a 'kookie'.

This was the first official club event to be held since the middle of March 2020, due to COVID. Also, because of Covid, we could not even have the traditional Christmas BBQ, so we opted for a BYO everything picnic at Westerfolds Park, Templestowe and it worked!

Despite it being a Saturday, we had 26 members and 3 guests turn up in four Small Fords, two 'alternative classics' and a number of 'moderns'. The Small fords were a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a 1948 A54A Anglia coupe utility; a 1949 A493A Prefect sedan and a 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon. The 'alternative classics' were a 1948 Morris 8 sedan and a 1964 Ford Thunderbird.

We welcomed two new members and two guests from Chirnside Park and two from Geelong, who were attending their first club event, and congratulated a member and guest for coming all the way from Bendigo, and another for coming from Castlemaine.

Thanks to a member who got there well beforehand, we were fortunate to get a gazebo with picnic tables for our meeting, but had to surrender it to a family holding a 21st birthday party at 2pm, by which time we had all left for home.

Having previously issued every club member with copies of the Annual Report and the motion for the proposed changes to the Constitution, the business side of things was completed very quickly without hassles and we soon got round to catching up with everybody else and enjoying our picnic.

With effect from Monday, 9th November, the Covid-19 restrictions that had been imposed upon residents of the Melbourne Metropolitan Area were eased. We were now allowed to travel more than 25kms from home; up to 20 people could meet outdoors in a public place and the rules about only making essential journeys and using our cars sparingly were scrapped. That enabled us to start using our club cars again.

Our Club had its first official run since March planned for 28th November, but some of us in the eastern suburbs couldn't wait that long to give our 'oldies' a run out to blow away the cobwebs after almost 8 months in storage. After a quick ring around the regulars a few days beforehand, we ended up with 5 cars participating on a run to the beach at Tooradin on Western Port Bay on Sunday, 15th November. We gathered at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium from 10:00am and departed from there at 10:30am and drove in convoy to Tooradin via Harkaway, Berwick and Cranbourne

Cars participating on the run were a 1934 Model Y sedan; 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a modified A54A Anglia tourer; a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer and a 1960 107E Prefect sedan.

Between Dandenong and Harkaway there are some steep hills to climb (and descend!) and it was on King Road, opposite the entrance to Kurll Park, the last hill before Harkaway (from where it was all downhill to Tooradin!), that the Model Y stalled, and her owner, after opening the bonnet, soon diagnosed a fuel problem: the pump didn't seem to be 'sucking' fuel. So, rather reluctantly, he and his wife had to call their son in Hampton Park to bring his trailer and collect him and take him home. The only snag was, the trailer was kept at his girlfriend's place near Moe, some 96kms away, so it took time to perform the rescue and, unfortunately, meant we didn't see them again that day.

The remaining four cars all made it safely to Tooradin, where we were able to park up together close to the beach. We were able to sit at a picnic table and watch the seagulls swooping and swirling and the pelicans paddling graciously by in front of us, with kids enjoying a swim in the clear waters of the creek. We all bought either a 'take-away' or an 'eat in' meal at the Old Jetty Cafe, located opposite the creek.

Apart from the unfortunate breakdown, it had been a great way to celebrate breaking out of lockdown.

Having nothing planned for the March 'long weekend', two of our members decided almost at the last moment to accept the invitation from the Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club, which had been circulated to our Victorian club members in early February, to take our cars to their 3-day event. They chose to go on the Sunday, which the weather forecasters said would be dry and sunny, and they were absolutely right! One member and his wife took his 1934 Model Y 'Stanley' and the other (and his wife) took his 1960 100E Escort and they were parked in a prominent spot close to the food stalls and the main arena, and had a constant stream of 'lookers'. They had a great day.

The doors to every shed on the site were open and you could inspect all the exhibits, from a gigantic 15 inch gauge model of a V.R. steam locomotive under construction, to a massive steam turbine from a ship and an absolutely enormous Fowler steam ploughing engine, and a lot of internal combustion engines and vehicles too! There were just a couple of dozen classic and vintage cars on display.

The Isabella & Marcus car show is a charity event held annually at the Chelsea Bicentennial Park. Money raised goes towards research and support of brain tumors in children. This year a FORDCA member attended for the first time in his 1950 E493OA/B Anglia 10hp saloon. He met with a group called the "Bayside Car Enthusiast Group" at 7.30 am so they could arrive together and get a good spot.

The weather on the day was great with around 350 cars present. There were food and coffee trucks as well as live music. All-in-all, it was a well-organized and very pleasant event.

We usually have a joint run with The Early Ford V8 Club of Victoria, and this year it was the turn of the EFV8CV to organize it. On the 23^rd February and, after considering a few different routes for the run, eventually we settled on a run up to, over and round the back of the Dandenong Ranges.

A couple from Lancefield trailered their 1937 7W 'Ten' coupe over to Boronia and, after unloading the car, joined another couple and their 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster for the short trip down to the Tim Neville Arboretum in Ferntree Gully to join the others for a hearty cooked breakfast, kindly provided and prepared by the EFV8CV's Run Co-ordinator and his partner. They were soon joined by other members in a 1936 Model CX De Luxe sedan; a 1948 A54A Anglia coupe ute; a classic Jaguar; a 1963 Ford Thunderbird and a 1948 Morris 8 sedan.

Just as it looked like we'd have no V8s join us for the start of the run, a couple rolled up in their lovely blue 1935 phaeton.

After devouring our delicious bacon and egg butties and washing them down with orange juice followed by a hot coffee, we were issued with written instructions, and set off in convoy around 9am, with the Run Co-ordinator (in a 'modern') warning us that he might shoot ahead in order to get some pictures of us "on the move".

We proceeded through Upper Ferntree Gully and Tecoma to Belgrave, where we took the Monbulk Road through Kallista. By the time we had got to Monbulk we had passed up and over The Dandenongs. At Monbulk we took the road towards Sylvan Reservoir and after a short distance, we turned right to cruise along the gently undulating country lanes, through beautiful scenery to Yellingbo, where we stopped for light refreshments (again provided by our Run Co-ordinator) and photographs.

Bearing in mind that General Motors had recently announced that they were pulling out of Australia and dropping the Holden brand, and that the Ford Motor Company had stated that it intended to continue selling cars in Australia, it was rather ironic that we should park our Fords outside the old Yellingbo Roadhouse, which had the front end of a Holden FX mounted in its roof and looking down on us!

We were joined at Yellingbo by EFV8CV members in a 1934 V8 coupe and a 1936 V8 roadster ute. Our final destination was the Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis.

Again, our Run Co-ordinator shot off to take some pictures of us "on the move" near Avonsleigh.

By the time we got to the hotel, a beautiful late summer's day had turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day, and we had no objections to being seated in the hotel's back garden, from where we had a grand view of the passing of a couple of trains on the Puffing Billy Railway, one in the Belgrave direction hauled by one of the famous Baldwin 2-6-2T 'NA' class locos, the other in the Emerald direction hauled by the huge Beyer-Garratt 2-6-2+2-6-2 'G42'.

We are most grateful to the EFV8CV Run Co-ordinator and his partner for planning such a wonderful cruise through the Dandenongs and for providing the breakfast and mid-cruise refreshments. We had 10 cars and a 'modern' (20 people) participate and had a wonderful day!

A FORDCA member attended this event, held for the second time at Victoria Park, Daylesford, in his 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon, and came away with an award!

A FORDCA member attended this event in his 1962 107E Prefect sedan. It was held at the Bosch head office in Clayton, and in his opinion, was a fantastic event. A real eclectic mix of cars, from McLarens, Ferraris and Lambos, to Aussie and American muscle cars and the weird and wacky in between (his favourite was an EF Taxi with 1.5m kilometres on its clock!). There was around a few hundred cars in attendance and the proceeds were donated to the CFA. It's normally a monthly event and is highly recommended for enthusiasts of such cars.

Once again Small Ford Sunday was held in the grounds of the Deaf Children Australia College on St Kilda Road, South Yarra, which is about a kilometre further away from Melbourne CBD from where the RACV's Heritage Vehicle Display had been the previous weekend. And once again, the pre-1965 4-cylinder Fords were given exclusive use of the 'island' in front of the heritage-listed college building, and the five vehicles entered by FORDCA members plus a dark green 105E Anglia de luxe 'interloper' were parked on the eastern side, with a large contingent of 105Es, a 307E Anglia panel van, a couple of 100Es and a modified E4930A/B Anglia 10hp saloon from the RS Owners Club Victoria (the hosts of this show) filling up the remainder.

We had a lovely summer's day for the event and some shade was provided by a large tree. We had a constant stream of visitors to our display, which comprised of a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1960 100E Escort wagon; the 105E Anglia de luxe saloon 'interloper'; a 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon; a 1960 107E Prefect sedan and a 1959 100E Escort wagon disguised as a police car, which had been driven all the way from Adelaide.

On the way home, most of the FORDCA members stopped in High Street, Armadale for a coffee and a cake at a cafe none of us had been to before. The owners were very accommodating and the food very good. It was a nice way to end what had been a great day! Our thanks go to the RSOCV for the hard work they put into organizing, publicizing and marshalling this show.

For the past three years, the annual Heritage Vehicle Display in the Kings Domain Gardens in Melbourne CBD has been organized by the RACV, who were authorized by the Department of Premiere & Cabinet to have up to 120 vehicles in the display this year. Each year they have chosen a theme for the display; last year it was 'Vintage cars' to commemorate the centenary of the first vintage car on 1^st January 1919 and this year the theme was 'Made in Australia', which effectively restricted exhibits to post-war vehicles, as Australia didn't start building complete cars until after the war. Before the war, cars were imported in chassis/cowl form from Europe, North America and the U.K. to be bodied by coachbuilders in Australia.

Two of our members had their cars accepted for this year's display. One had his 1937 Model CX De Luxe roadster, straight-sided ute accepted as an entry, as an example of a pre-war, partly-Aussie built vehicle. Unfortunately, his trimmer let him down and didn't finish it in time for the display, but the RACV graciously allowed him to take his 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster, as an example of an Australian designed and built body on an English chassis/cowl, which turned out to be the oldest car in the display, and attracted a lot of attention. 

Surprisingly, the RACV had a struggle to fill 50 spaces, let alone 120, and as far as we are aware, there was only one other pre-war car - a 1938 Cadillac limousine, which apparently turned up without being booked in and, despite being a wholly-imported car (i.e. not built in Australia) was allowed in, probably because it added a bit of glamour to an otherwise pretty boring display of fairly modern cars!

The other member's car, and the only other 'Small Ford' in the display, was a very smart 1953 Aussie-built 1953 A493A Prefect sedan, which also attracted a lot of attention. However, a third FORDCA member managed to secure a place with his green 1952 Holden FX sedan, representing the first fully-Australian-built car.

The 'CX' and 'Prefect' owners travelled to the city together and parked up in Linlithgow Avenue before being given permission to proceed to their allotted positions in the display further down the road.

We had a very enjoyable day, sat by our cars, talking to people from all over the world, many of whom had come to watch the tennis. The RACV treated all exhibitors and their passengers to a buffet lunch, an ice cream and free coffees and soft drinks.

Having checked the weather forecast for the following Wednesday, the Club's Secretary found it was good and with a bit of luck, maybe there would be less smoke about from the horrific bushfires in East Gippsland. So, just after lunch on the preceding Monday, he sent out an email to our Victorian Members:

"Thought I might have a coffee in Belgrave on Wednesday, for any that would care to catch up. Be at the car park behind 'The Earthly Pleasures Cafe' by 10 am. It is on the left as you enter Belgrave from the Melbourne direction."

By 10 pm that night he had had 7 responses and the next day there were more, both by email and phone. He had intended to visit one of the smaller coffee shops in the main street, but it looked like he would have to have a re-think.

Just on 10am he arrived at the car park behind the Earthly Pleasures Cafe to see that several people were already waiting. Several were in their classic cars and others in their moderns, but all apparently keen for 'coffee'.

We quickly decided that the Earthly Pleasures Cafe was our choice (the only one big enough) and the staff put a table for 13 together for us. Shortly after ordering, three more members walked in and the table expanded to 16. This meant we had members from Garfield North, Frankston, Badger Creek near Healesville, and McKinnon, as well as from Balwyn East, Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Glen Iris, Hallam and Kilsyth.

The coffee and food were good and the conversation lively as Christmas and New Year exploits were shared. Looking back, our Secretary could only come to one conclusion - people are really desperate to get out and have a coffee!

We had a beautiful day for our picnic at Lower Eltham Park, and in the days leading up to the event we were expecting as many as 22 members to attend. However, on the day only 9 turned up in seven cars (5 Small Fords, an 'alternative classic' and a 'modern').

There was nothing else happening in the park that day (e.g. the miniature railway wasn't running), but that did mean that we could pick and choose where we parked for our picnic, and we were able to 'bag' an area we've used before. We parked facing the second of the two sports ovals with some trees behind us to provide some shade. We spent a relaxing few hours there enjoying our lunch and catching up, and chatting to the occasional passer-by.

The cars brought along by members this time included that seemingly ever-present 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a 1950 E493OA/B Anglia 10hp saloon; a 1951 A493A Prefect coupe ute; a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon and a 1963 Ford Thunderbird sedan.

We had a gloriously sunny day for this event, which was attended by 38 members and two guests, who mostly came in 'moderns', but twelve came in six Small Fords and an 'alternative classic', comprising a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a 1939 E93A Prefect sedan; a 1951 A493A Prefect coupe ute; a 1960 107E Prefect sedan; two 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloons and an Austin A40 Devon saloon.

We had members travelling from Bendigo; Frankston; Lancefield; Morwell; Seymour and Strathbogie.

The club provided the pre-cooked chicken, bread and butter, desserts, hot water for drinks and picnic plates and cutlery, and members brought a variety of salads. It all combined to make a first-class BBQ-cum-picnic lunch in lovely surroundings and in great company.

Just getting to the venue was a bit of a challenge for our Small Fords, as there are long, steep climbs to negotiate from all directions. A convoy of two Small Fords, the Austin A40 and a 'modern' mustered at Lillydale Lake and travelled via Yarra Glen. The continuous climb up from there to the summit of the Christmas Hills (with absolutely breathtaking views from the passenger's side) can result in some drivers having to drop down to 2^nd gear before reaching the summit.

After lunch, there was an auction of bespoke metal signs made by a member with all proceeds going to the club, followed by the presentation of the Club Personality of the Year Award to our President.

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