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On the 8^th January it was a lovely Melbourne summer's day and 11 members all gathered at the Naked Racer Bar to kick off our first club event for 2025. The date had to be changed for January due to New Years Day falling on the first Wednesday of the month.

Being the summer holiday period, it was quieter than usual at The Bar. We soon seated ourselves at the large table and placed our orders for sustenance then proceeded with lively chatting amongst ourselves. There were 3 club cars present, and being quiet on the street, no one had difficulty parking.

All in all a great way to start the New Year.

At our previous coffee and chat on the 14^th December, we had 9 members at the Naked Racer Bar on what was a very nice, warm summer day, all enjoyed a good catch-up and some light refreshments. 

We were able to park in our usual spot at Jells Park, which appeared to have had the road markings repainted white since last time. Otherwise, the oak tree we sat under was a little older and we were a little wiser!

We had another good turnout. 17 members plus two guests from Brisbane, Queensland turned up in 9 small Fords, dating from 1934 to 1960, two 'alternative classics' and three 'moderns'. It was good to see two members come all the way from Lancefield to join us; it seems a long time since we had any members outside Melbourne attend this event, and we’re sure they enjoyed it as much as we did. They brought with them the news of their new acquisition - a green 105E Anglia de luxe saloon that originated from South Africa via W.A. and Bendigo. From pictures, it looks very nice and we look forward to seeing it at a club event in due course!

The day was overcast and warm but windless and was ideal for our picnic. We had lots of people come and chat to us and take photographs our cars.

A member chose to bring his very tidy blue 1954 Zephyr 6 sedan, which was making its debut at a club event, and had many admirers.

We wish to thank all who participated for making it such a great day. It was a lovely way to end what has been a fantastic year for club events.

This was our penultimate event of 2024 and we had a beautiful summer day for it. 39 members and two guests attended, and brought with them 7 Small Fords, two ‘alternative classics’ and a plethora of ‘moderns’.

A number of members gathered at Lillydale Lake that morning and travelled in convoy to Sugarloaf Reservoir via Coldstream and Yarra Glen.

The picnic area we used is in a beautiful location and was occupied by another, multi-make car club when we arrived there. Thankfully, they had just had a ‘breakfast run’ and were to leave soon after we arrived.

As is the normal practice at this event each year, the club provided everything except the salad and desserts, which members were asked to provide, and we all ended up having a delicious chicken salad with all the trimmings!

Despite the remoteness of our picnic site, we had a constant stream of visitors admiring our cars and asking questions about them and our hobby.

We had a great day catching up with everyone, especially our country members, who had come from Beaconsfield, Benalla and Geelong. We packed up around 3pm and made our own way home.

14 members attend the last Social Evening for this year. Many of us had recently been participants in the Rally of the Valley, so this was the main topic of discussion!

A young member from Castlemaine also attended and we were very glad to see him. He had recently begun working in Melbourne, and is hoping to attend these meetings regularly in future.

A very pleasant evening was had by all present, and the food was good too!

The November meeting at the Naked Racer Bar was held a week later than usual, due to some of the regulars returning from Shepparton on the usual date (the first Wednesday of the month). It was a very wet morning, and most participants came in their moderns, but a husband and wife team braved the weather and brought their 1936 Model CX sedan and 1956 100E Prefect sedan respectively. And yes, this was because it was a special occasion – it was their wedding anniversary! And 10 more members were there to help them celebrate.

As usual, we all enjoyed a good catch-up over a cuppa and in some cases, a delicious cake, sandwich or toastie.

The Rally of the Valley was held over the period 1^st to 5^th November inclusive and hosted by the Goulburn Valley Motor Vehicle Drivers Club (GVMVDC) and was based in Shepparton. It was the first time our club has ever participated on this rally, which is held every three years.

The GVMVDC is one of three clubs that take it in turn to hold a rally over the Melbourne Cup Weekend each year, the other two being the East Gippsland Historical Automobile Club (EGHAC) based in Bairnsdale, and the West Gippsland Historical Automobile Club (WGHAC) based in Warragul. We had no trouble in persuading 19 club members to attend the GVMVDC for a fun event in north central Victoria.

Our long weekend away was to cover five days, from the Friday to the Tuesday inclusive, with the first and fifth days to be devoted to driving to and from Shepparton. However, four couples opted to stay an extra night and came home on the Wednesday to avoid the holiday traffic returning to Melbourne on the Tuesday.

We had wonderful weather for the duration of the rally. A short thunderstorm early one morning did not affect the day's play.

The itinerary was as follows:-

Day 1 (Friday): Six members in three cars gathered at Lillydale Lake and drove up to Shepparton in convoy via the Melba Highway with a lunch stop at Yea. The rest made their own independent way to Shepparton.

That evening we went to the GVMVDC clubhouse to register, collect our 'goodie bags' and have drinks and nibbles.

Day 2 (Saturday): The first run of the rally took us northwest to Deniliquin via the C358 Barmah – Shepparton Road and the B75 Cobb Highway. We had morning refreshments at Barmah, in a park close to the Muray River, opposite the Barmah Hotel, which is the only pub in Victoria located north of the latter river!

In Deniliquin, we visited The Depot, a reasonably new museum devoted to all forms of road transport. Vehicles were mostly of American design, with only a handful of British cars on display. We had lunch at this venue, and afterwards, we returned to Shepparton.

Early that evening, all FORDCA members had dinner at the Shepparton Club.

After 7:30pm, there were special presentations at the GVMVDC clubrooms that evening, one of them about Oscar Piastri, the new Formula One star.

Day 3 (Sunday): Our run this day was via the Goulburn Valley Highway to Tocumwal, passing through Numurkah and Strathmerton. We had morning refreshments at the Tocumwal Aviation Museum before a self-guided tour of the museum, which contained four full-size aeroplanes, including a 1930s De Havilland Dragon Rapide air liner, plus a large-scale model of a B-24 Liberator bomber.

We then drove to Barooga, still in N.S.W., which seemed to be full of golfers, where we had lunch at the Barooga Sporties Club. We then drove back over the border and visited Cactus Country, near Strathmerton. By this time, it was quite hot and some of us had a struggle to walk round the huge site.

We returned to Shepparton by the Goulburn Valley Highway and had the evening free to do what we wanted. Again, all FORDCA members chose to dine together, and had dinner at the Shepparton RSL.

Day 4 (Monday): We met up at the GVMVDC clubhouse first thing before setting off on a comparatively easy day.

We visited Southern Rod & Custom on Provincial Crescent, Shepparton and the MOVE museum in Kialla, 5kms south of the city centre. The former specialized in restoring cars to an extremely high standard, at an unearthly cost (up to $500k), for very wealthy owners.

We had lunch at the MOVE museum, which has been given a huge facelift in recent times, before being allowed to roam freely through the exhibits and Barclay's Antiques and Collectibles next door.

We had the rest of the afternoon to do what we wanted before attending the rally dinner at the Peppermill Inn Hotel, which was quite close to our motel. A FORDCA member's 1964 Ford 500 'Compact' Fairlane was voted the 'Car of the rally' by participants, and a FORDCA couple won the award for the best pre-war car with their 7W 'Ten' sedan. A lot of our members won raffle prizes. It all helped to make it a very enjoyable evening and a memorable way to end the rally.

Day 5 (Tuesday): The GVMVDC laid on a fabulous farewell cooked breakfast at their clubhouse, after which most participants returned home. Of the four couples that stayed the extra day, one couple spent the entire day touring the 'Moooving Art' cows spread throughout the city and did not come on our run to Colbinabbin via lunch at the Rushworth Hotel to see the painted grain silos later that day.

We celebrated that night with a special 'pizza party' at the motel.

Day 6 (Wednesday): One couple returned home early 'solo ', the rest of us waited for a member to collect a repaired wheel/tyre before setting off for home at 9:15am via a refreshment stop at Seymour.

In the week leading up to this event we had quite a lot of rain and, as a consequence, the grassed area at the National Steam Centre was quite soggy on the day before this event. However, the oval on which the dragline stands was still firm and usable, thank goodness, and the event went ahead.

The day of the event dawned cloudy but warm and bright and was deemed to be 'just right', as evidenced by the large number of participants we had on the day. It is estimated that we had 120 'standard' cars and about 50 hot rods/customs.

There was a big turnout by The Early Ford V8 Club Victoria, and good turnouts from the Model T Ford Club, the Model A Ford Club, our guests the Zephyr – Zodiac Club Melbourne and FORDCA. FORDCA had 21 members turn up in 9 Small Fords.

A good time was had by all, looking round the wide variety of cars and catching up with members from other clubs.

We had a glorious spring day for the October 'chat' and this no doubt contributed to the fact the Bar was very busy and parking nearby was at a premium.

Thankfully, we had reserved our table and we needed it as we had a record attendance of 14 members who came in 4 Small Fords, 2 'alternative classics' and 5 moderns.

Again, we enjoyed light refreshments in good company and attempted to sort out the problems of the world.

A FORDCA member offered to hold a BBQ at his premises in Garfield North. So, we tied it in with the monthly coffee and chat meet held at nearby Garfield on Sunday, 22nd September and our host also invited some of his neighbours and some members of The Early Ford V8 Club (of which he is also a member). Combine it all with a beautiful spring day and the result was a very enjoyable day out!

We gathered at the services at Officer South on the Pakenham By-pass from 8:30am and around 9am set off in convoy for Garfield via the by-pass and the Nar Nar Goon-Drouin Road.

When we got to Garfield, we discovered that the road through the township was packed on either side with cars of all types and makes and it was a case of finding a space to park your car wherever you could. Some were able to park their cars relatively close to the centre of town, others weren't so fortunate and had to park at the Drouin end of town.

We were allowed about 90 minutes to look round all the cars and enjoy a coffee and chat with other exhibitors before our host appeared in his two-tone brown A493A Prefect sedan to collect us. He took us on a short tour of the local area which resulted in us joining the Princes Highway at Bunyip, travelling in the Melbourne direction. It enabled us to move over to the right-hand lane in plenty of time for the right-hand turn to Garfield North. Had we gone direct to that turn, there is only a very short distance between the exit from the Garfield road to the Garfield North turn-off, and it can be quite dangerous to move over to the right-hand lane in such a short distance with so much fast-moving traffic on the Highway. Going via Bunyip was a very clever move on our host's part.

We parked in a paddock close to our host's home and made our way to his garage area, where our host had arranged a display of four horse-drawn vehicles. He was to give us an interesting talk on those vehicles before inviting us to partake of the BBQ which had been cooked by his grandson. We were also provided with hot or cold drinks. After a couple of hours socialising, we all made our own way home.

FORDCA had 20 members and two guests attend this event in 6 Small Fords, 4 'alternative classics' and 2 moderns. Our host's other guests brought with them a variety of cars including a Maserati sports car.

We had 10 people attend the monthly morning coffee one who came on his classic Norton motor cycle, very appropriate, considering the venue.

Parking outside the venue was at a premium again, the problems with the grassed area on the opposite side of the road having not yet been resolved.

We all enjoyed a good catch-up over a cuppa or two and, in some cases, a delicious cake or sandwich!

It turned out to be a great day at Marong for the Federation Picnic. Despite the warnings of severe weather to come, we had one member drive all the way from Melbourne with his A494A Prefect coupe ute, which he left on the trailer as the weather looked quite menacing. Another couple from Bendigo brought their similar ute on the back of a 1966 Ford 700 truck, and a couple from Lancefield brought their beautiful 7W 'Ten' coupe. The Smith family also had 4 of their cars there as well. They were an Austin A30 saloon; an A493A Prefect sedan, a 100E Escort wagon and a 1937 Ford V8 sedan.

All the vehicles were set up around the outside of the oval. There were also about 40 veteran and vintage cars ready to commence their week-long rally around central Victoria called the 'Golden Oldies Tour'. We were allowed to leave the oval earlier than usual as the storms were approaching, but overall, it was a very good day.

There was a traditional start to the Club run with an initial meeting point at Ferntree Gully Maccas, which was unusually busy there that morning. Five minutes after the appointed time of 10:45am, we made our way through the car park traffic jam and headed off along Burwood Highway towards Belgrave and on towards the car park at the Puffing Billy Railway's trestle bridge at Selby for a photo opportunity.

After Puffing Billy had passed (amid much waving) we set off again and veered right at Selby towards Aura Vale Lake. Shortly we were stopped again at the level crossing waiting for Puffing Billy to pass (more waving and tooting!), then proceeded onwards to end up at Cardinia Reservoir.

The plan was to pass through the reservoir grounds and exit onto a back road but unfortunately the back gate was locked. You know what they say, "The best laid plans of mice and men……" So, after a bit of a detour, we picked up our planned route and arrived at the Pine Grove Hotel for lunch.

After lunch we all headed home with various members peeling off to head their own separate ways.

We thanked the Run Coordinator for organizing an enjoyable and scenic drive, which once again was well patronized with 21 members attending.

We had 17 members present at the event. The food selections were very good and allowed for all tastes. We had a minor celebration this evening as one of our members was retiring from the workforce the next day!

A most pleasant evening was had by all present, and after a good two and a half hours of socialising we all went our separate ways home.

Back in January this year, we had a very successful run with The Early Ford V8 Club Victoria to the Mornington Tourist Railway, and the railway in appreciation of our car display, asked us to bring our cars to their Rock 'n' Roll Day later in the year.

We had three members turn up their classic cars. The Early Ford V8 Club were also there and had a good attendance, so there were plenty of classic cars on display.

The Victorian Railways steam locomotive No. K163 had been fired up and was waiting for us to board its train for a very comfortable and smooth ride to Mornington and back, which was lovely on such a beautiful, sunny day.

When we returned to Moorooduc, the rock 'n' roll band on the platform had fired up and we stepped from the carriages onto the platform in the middle of rock 'n' roll dancers swinging away to the music.

All in all, it was a great day - well organised and enjoyed by all.

Our monthly 'Coffee & Chat' sessions on a Wednesday are growing steadily and seem to be getting bigger each month. August boasted 12 members around the big table.

We had a lively session and it was excellent to meet our newest members. Our cars were parked up on the street wherever they could, as the grassed area opposite the venue was still soggy and cordoned off.

FORDCA's combined Annual General Meeting and Annual Dinner was held in Wandong on Sunday, 14^th July. The AGM was held in the beautiful Public Hall in Rail Street, Wandong and the Club hired a private caterer to provide our three course lunch, which was delicious. We had a record attendance of 51 FORDCA members, which included a couple who joined us on the day. Members travelled from as far away as Castlemaine, Geelong and Strathbogie to attend.

As usual for mid-July, it was a day of frequent showers, interspersed with bright sunshine and only one FORDCA member brought a 'Small Ford' that day. With all the white utes and SUVs in the car park, it resembled the car park at a major building site!

The annual reports had been circulated to participants beforehand, so the business of the AGM, including the election of officers (no changes!) was over quickly, and there was a brief interlude before a General Meeting was held. In that interlude, a member was presented with a special Certificate of Appreciation for donating some car parts to the club. A few points were raised and discussed during the General Meeting. We were soon tucking into the self-service lunch, which was ably served by some of our lady members. After lunch, it was great to catch-up with members from far and wide.

Despite it being a very cold morning, we had six members and a guest turn up at this event in four Small Fords (an E4930A/B Anglia 10hp saloon; two 105E Anglia de luxe saloons and a 107E Prefect sedan) and a FX Holden.

It was a great coffee 'n' chat and one member commented that it was a great opportunity to have a chat with members that would be hard to do at an event or car show.

The difficulty in planning a run during Melbourne's winter months is catering for the weather.  It can be fine and sunny; it can be cloudy and/or windy and it can be wet or all of the above in the one day.  One guarantee is that it will be cold. With this in mind, I decided that our destination really needed to be inside and this was a good fit with the suggestion to visit "Charlie's Auto Museum" in Arthurs Seat.

A late notice informed our members that we could meet at the café at the top of Arthurs Seat for a coffee and chat at about 10:15. Progressively members arrived, got a coffee and settled in for a chat.  Thankfully the sun was shining but the air and breeze were freezing.

We had 18 members participate on the run. Three members attended in a Small Ford (two in a 1934 Model Y, one in 1960 107E Prefect sedan).  Six more came in 'alternative classics' (two in a 1952 Ford Crestline convertible; two in a 1970 MGB GT and two in a Datsun 1200 coupe). Nine members came in 'moderns'

By 12:30 it was time to round up the group. Only a few hardy members were still in the museum in the cold, with most having retreated to the cafe area near reception where the heaters were running flat out.  Our lunch venue was the Rosebud Hotel, about 10 minutes down the road in Rosebud.

We moved out to our cars to find that the sun had disappeared and there was rain threatening.  Together we headed off, but within a few kilometres we had been split up by other traffic at roundabouts and traffic lights.  Most of us arrived at the Hotel in a timely manner, but four members were missing.  A phone call from a member advised that the Model Y had suffered an "episode" but repairs were underway and they would be at the Hotel soon.  Half an hour went by and still no sign.  After a further phone call, we ordered our lunches and shortly thereafter, our four missing members arrived, minus the Model Y.

Food, conversation and company was great and after lunch, as the weather had become worse, it was decided that we would all make our way home.  A couple of members went with the owners of the Model Y, where they awaited a tow truck.

Overall, for a winter run it was a good day, the museum was interesting and the food and company at the Hotel was good.  What happened to the Model Y? Well, would you believe it – it turned out to be nothing more than a piece of rubber from a fuel hose that had obstructed the needle jet in the carburettor!

We met at The Naked Racer Bar in Moorabbin on the first Wednesday of the month. and we had a great, warm meet-up which was attended by four members who brought with them a 1950 E493OA/B Anglia 10hp saloon; a 1954 100E Prefect sedan; and a  1954 103E Popular coupe utility.

This was organized by our Club President and because the plan was to visit the railway museum near North Williamstown station, a Saturday run because the museum is only open to the public on Saturday afternoons.  So, we met at Champion Road outside the station  at 11:30am, then moved a mile or so to the foreshore along The Strand, overlooking the Yarra Estuary with Melbourne CBD on the horizon, where there was more free parking and some of us had a picnic lunch. Others drove into town for a cooked lunch, the favourite being 'seaside' fish & chips.

Around 1:00pm, we all gathered on The Strand and drove back to the station, parked up and visited the museum.  It was pleasing to see that some of the steam locomotives housed there had recently received some cosmetic attention, particularly as, being located so close to the sea, keeping rust at bay is a major concern. The collection contains examples of most Victorian Railways' steam locos, big and small, and a few early diesel and electric locos and carriages, but the star attraction was undoubtedly the unique V.R. 4-8-4 express passenger loco No. H220, known affectionately as 'Heavy Harry'. 'He' was the largest locomotive ever built in Australia and the largest non-articulated steam locomotive to run on Australian railways. 

Along with some other locos in the collection, 'Heavy Harry' recently received a much-publicized roof over 'his' head (but the sides and ends of the building are still open), but a goodly proportion of the collection is still stored in the open air, like V.R. 'Hudson' 4-6-4 express passenger loco No. R704. 

After a foggy start to the day in some parts of Melbourne, the sun came out late morning and turned it into a beautiful, but cool, autumn day.  We had 22 members attend this event.   However, we had only two club cars on this event, a 1951 E493OA/B Anglia 8hp saloon and a 1960 107E Prefect sedan, the rest of us came in 'moderns'

We had to find a new venue at the eleventh hour for our quarterly social evening on 16^th May, and ended up at the Knox Tavern in the Westfield Knox City Shopping Precinct, at short notice. Encouragingly, we still had 18 members turn up.

We found the new venue and the food they served to our liking and a good night was had by all.

We had a nice, sunny autumn day for the annual Scoresby Picnic, hosted by the Dandenong Valley Historic Car Club on behalf of the Federation of Veteran, Vintage & Classic Car Clubs and held at the National Steam Centre, Scoresby.  Nine FORDCA members attended in three Small Fords, an 'alternative classic' and a 'modern'. The Small Fords were a 1954 103E Popular coupe ute, a 1954 100E Anglia saloon, and a 1960 107E Prefect sedan.

A member who had brought his A40 Devon convertible parked elsewhere on the site. There were around 400 cars of a wide variety of makes and types present on the day.

Sixteen members and two guests participated on this event in 5 Small Fords, one 'alternative classic' and 5 'moderns'. The Small Fords were a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1954 100E Anglia saloon; a 1960 100E Escort wagon; a 1960 107E Prefect sedan and a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon.

We assembled outside the Ambulance Historical Society Victoria's museum in Barry Street, Bayswater from 10:00am. At 10:20am we were admitted to the building and given an interesting audio-visual presentation about the Society's history, before being offered light refreshments and the freedom to look round the museum. There were many makes of ambulance based mainly on Ford and Holden chassis dating from 1916 to relatively recent times. A group photo was taken from the mezzanine floor before we left for our picnic around mid-day.

Around mid-day, 10 members participated on a drive through the north eastern suburbs. It had been intended to take us to Pound Bend Reserve on the Yarra River in Warrandyte, but on discovering that a major festival was being held there, we were forced to relocate our destination further upstream to Jumping Creek Reserve in the Warrandyte State Park.

Our small convoy departed from the museum and at the end of Barry Street, we turned left onto Dorset Road, which we followed for almost 9kms before bearing left onto Exeter Road and crossing the Maroondah Highway.  A short distance later we turned right onto Lyons Road, which changes its name to Brushy Park Road, and after some distance, again changes its name to Homestead Road. 550 metres down this road we turned left onto Jumping Creek Road and followed this for nearly 4kms before turning into the road leading to Jumping Creek Reserve.

Surprisingly for such a remote place, we found the car park was quite full and we had to park wherever we could.  However, there were some picnic tables free so we commandeered them and settled down to enjoy our picnic lunch and some took the opportunity to have a stroll down to the Yarra River.

The Kalorama Rally combines a mystery run through the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges from the Manhattan Hotel in Ringwood to Kalorama, on top of the Dandenongs, with a static display of vehicles at the Kalorama Oval. 

We gathered at the Manhattan Hotel from 9:00am and set off from there at 9:30am. We had 5 members in 4 Small Fords (a 1954 103E Popular coupe utility; a 1954 100E Anglia saloon; a 1960 100E Escort wagon and a 1963 105E Anglia saloon) participate on the run from the Manhattan Hotel, which passed through Wantirna, Rowville, Upwey, Belgrave, Kallista, Sassafras and Olinda. 

The route took us up some very steep hills in the Upwey area and between Kallista and Sassafras, which sorted the men out from the boys!! At Kalorama, we were joined by two more members, one in a 1939 E93A Prefect sedan and the other with a guest in his in his 1959 100E Prefect sedan.

As usual, the Kalorama Oval was packed with pre-1965 vehicles and there was a notable absence of post war American cars (they were all at The Manhattan!). There were impressive line-ups of cars by the Vintage Drivers Club (who organized the event); and the Austin Seven, Riley and Wolseley car clubs. After enjoying our picnic lunches, cars began to drift away around 2:00pm.

A few other cars of note:-

The Rowville Men's Shed invited FORDCA to provide a display of Small Fords for their open day on 23^rd March. Six members were each to provide a car on the day.

The cars that they provided were a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a 1948 A54A Anglia coupe ute; a 1952 Ford Crestliner convertible; a 1954 103E Popular coupe ute; a 1954 100E Anglia saloon and a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon. It was a small but varied display and was much appreciated by our hosts, who kept us supplied with hot drinks and lovely BBQ sausages whilst we were there. They also gave us a 'goodie bag' containing, amongst other things, two jars of honey produced by their own bees! 

​​Surprisingly, we had a lot of admirers of our cars and they kept us busy for the 3.5 hours we were there.  We all enjoyed what was a somewhat different day out with our cars!

Two of our Geelong area members represented the Club at this major event.  One took his 1951 E493A Prefect sedan and the other took his 1953 Fordson E83W Thames 10cwt panel delivery van.  The Prefect was to win an award for its owner.

There were no other Small Fords in the designated area, which the organizers had provided with a new sign specifically for our club.  However, there was another Small Ford on site, amongst the various trade stands.  It was a 100E Prefect de luxe sedan fitted with a home-made '3-bar' grille, which appeared to be promoting various cleaning products.

As usual, there were large numbers of the bigger Fords to be seen.

Held on the Village Common, Macleod, this show was attended by 6 FORDCA members in five Small Fords (a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1954 103E Popular coupe utility; a 1954 100E Anglia saloon; a 1956 100E Prefect sedan and a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon).

The five cars, as always, drew plenty of attention from onlookers.  The show itself was well-attended with over 200 cars of all denominations from a 1914 "Bull nose" Morris to a brand-new Ferrari. It was a mix of hot rods, classics and 'exotica'.

A photographer with some models in costume made use of the Model Y for his background and promised to send some professional pictures (we're still waiting for them!).

Anyway, a good time was enjoyed by all with the weather being the telling factor.

The starting point was the Maccas restaurant adjacent to Diamond Creek railway station and we gathered there from 10am. We had 24 members and two guests turn up in 11 Small Fords, an 'alternative classic' and two 'moderns'.

The Fords participating on this run were as follows: a 1937 7W 'Ten' coupe; a 1950 E83W Thames 10cwt 'woodie'; a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1951 A493A Prefect coupe utility; a 1954 100E Anglia saloon; 1953 A493A Prefect sedan; a 1959 100E Anglia saloon; a 1960 100E Escort wagon; a 1960 107E Prefect sedan; a 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon and 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon.

After coffee and a quick catch-up, we set off on the short trip to Hurstbridge around 10:20am. The market was being held adjacent to the local primary school and we had to use a nearby public car park, so we couldn't park up together, making photographs of our cars there nigh on impossible.

We left the market around 11:45am on the last part of the run, to the Bridge Inn at Mernda. This part of the trip was mainly through farmland and we made a brief stop to pay homage to Peter Brock, renowned racing driver, who lived nearby. The last mile or so to Mernda, on Bridge Inn Road, was affected by roadworks and all of a sudden we were back in suburbia, passing under the new railway station before stopping at the traffic lights immediately in front of the pub. There were plenty of parking spaces at the rear of the large pub.

After tucking into a delicious meal and catching-up with everybody, we started to leave for home around mid-afternoon. It had been a very-well attended and enjoyable day out in our old cars.

On this occasion, we had had a lovely, relaxed and sunny day in Garfield. There were 9 FORDCA members there in 5 Fords and a modern. The Fords were a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1948 A54A Anglia coupe utility; a 1952 Crestliner convertible; a 1960 100E Escort wagon and a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon

There was a wonderful and varied collection of classics and hot rods parked along the length of the main street of Garfield. It was a very good turnout and brought good trade for the local cafes.

Three Small Fords represented the club at this event this year; a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a 1954 103E Popular coupe utility and a 1954 100E Anglia saloon. As has become the norm, we were parked with other British Fords in the south western corner of the site with plenty of shade available. What started as a dull morning was to become rather warm and sunny by lunchtime.

Also in our designated area was a large gathering from the Zephyr-Zodiac Owners Club Melbourne, a smattering of Cortinas and MkI Escorts and a rare Buckler Special, with 109E (Consul-Capri) drive chain.

The featured marque this year was Fiat, and the Fiat Car Club had a massive display in what we now regard as the 'concours area'. There was a lovely line-up of veteran and vintage Fiats.

Elsewhere on the site were big displays of Austins, Austin-Healeys, BMWs, Bentleys & Rolls-Royces, Rovers, Vauxhalls, Wolseleys, to name but a few.

There were 1,008 cars, 23 motor cycles and 1,368 paying spectators at the show (stats from AOMC).

Six F.O.R.D.C.A. members brought with them four cars, a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a 1954 100E Prefect sedan and a 1954 100E Anglia saloon and these formed the basis of our club's display at S.F.S. this year. As usual, we were parked under some shade close to the historic bluestone college building

We very much appreciated the shade this year because we had the hottest day of the summer so far for the event, the temperature reached 37°C in Melbourne CBD.

The hot weather obviously put a lot of potential exhibitors off attending this year, particularly from those clubs representing pre-1965 cars.

As usual, there were big and very colourful displays of Capris, Cortinas, MkI and MkII Escorts, Fiestas, Focuses and Lasers. Fortunately, prize-giving was brought forward to 1:00pm, allowing us to escape from the heat and return home around 1:30pm.

The designated meeting place was the McDonald's restaurant in Kangan Drive, Berwick at 9:30am for a 10am departure. Upon arrival, there was already an impressive line up of cars from both Clubs.

The weather gods looked on us favourably with a light cloud cover and sunshine. The forecast top temperature was 26 degrees with a light breeze. Not too hot or too cold, just right for our little cars.

At the meeting point at Maccas, we had from our Club a 1934 Model Y sedan; a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1952 Ford Crestline convertible; a 1954 100E Anglia saloon; a 1960 107E Prefect sedan; a 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon and a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon. One member came in his 'modern'.

Promptly at 10am, we were all called together for a brief talk on the route to Moorooduc and the protocols for convoying, and then it was "start your engines" and follow me (Aaron in his 1947 Ford Super Deluxe sedan).

We formed up in Kangan Drive, big and little cars mixed together, and proceeded in convoy to the Moorooduc Station and we parked up opposite the station on the grass.

At the station we were joined by another FORDCA member in his black 1936 Ford Model CX De Luxe sedan as well as several other early V8s.

We had an hour to wait before our train ride, but that was quickly consumed with more socialising and chatter. At 11:45 we all made our way onto the platform in readiness for our train ride to Mornington. Unfortunately, the train was to be powered by the historic diesel-electric loco T411 rather than the steam locomotive K163, as the steam loco was out of service for some much-needed maintenance.

Upon our return to Moorooduc, a small party went over to the maintenance sheds and viewed several coaches that were under restoration and the steam loco K163. As members of the Mornington Tourist Railway explained, there were a number of significant repairs and maintenance issues being attended to with the steam loco. We wished them well with their work and then returned to the other side of the tracks to join in the picnic and discussions.

In all, there were 20 historic vehicles and 46 people in attendance, making this trip a very pleasant day for those of us there. About 2pm, people started to drift off, and so we said our goodbyes and hit the road for the drive home.

This was an all-makes car show held in the beautiful grounds of Cruden Farm, the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch's home. All profits from this show went to the charity, Beyond Blue.

One member took his 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster, another took his 1963 Ford Thunderbird and was accompanied by his pal in a 1969 Ford Mustang and a third member came as a spectator in his 'modern'.

Most cars at the show were displayed on club stands, and there were some fantastic displays by one-make clubs like those for the Austin-Healey 'Frog-eye' Sprite; Ford Model A; Rolls Royce & Bentley and Rover, and all-make clubs such as the Southern Peninsula Classic & Historic Car Club and the Veteran Car Club.

However, there were just two more Small Fords seen at the show: the RACV had their 1953 A493A Prefect coupe utility displayed with two more vehicles from their heritage fleet, and a couple from Rosebud had their immaculate 1950 A494A Anglia tourer on display with other cars from the SPC&HCC.

We had a beautiful summer's day for this event.

We had 17 members turn up in 10 small Fords, dating from 1934 to 1963, an 'alternative classic' and a 'modern'. The Small Fords were a 1934 'Longrad' Model Y sedan; a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a 1936 Model CX De Luxe sedan; a 1939 E93A Prefect sedan; a 1950 E493OA/B Anglia 10hp saloon; a 1953 A493A Prefect sedan; a 1954 103E Popular coupe ute; a 1954 100E Anglia saloon; a 1960 105E Anglia de luxe saloon and a 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloon.

The day was warm but windless and a little cloudy, ideal for our picnic. The same oak tree as last year provided the shade and we all gathered underneath it and enjoyed our food in good company. We had lots of people admire and photograph our cars.

We all enjoyed the picnic and it was a lovely way to end a fantastic year for club events.

This was our penultimate event of the year and we had 42 members attend. Those travelling from outside the Melbourne Metropolitan Area this year were a couple from Lancefield, who deserve a medal for bringing their 7W 'Ten' saloon, and a couple from Geelong, who came in their 'modern'.

We had 15 more members bring 8 more Small Fords with them. They were a 1936 Model CX De Luxe roadster; a 1939 E93A Prefect sedan; a 1951 A494A Anglia tourer; a 1954 103E Popular coupe utility; a 1954 100E Anglia saloon; a 1960 107E Prefect sedan and two 1963 105E Anglia de luxe saloons. The remaining 23 members came in their 'moderns'.

We had an impressive line-up of nine Small Fords parked just outside the main entrance to the gardens.

It had rained every day for the previous seven days and we feared the gardens would be waterlogged, but come the day the ground had 'stood firm', there was no sign of puddles, and the clouds parted to make it a lovely day for the party. The club provided roast chicken, tea, coffee, sugar, milk, bread rolls and butter, plus cutlery and paper plates, and all we had to do was bring a salad or a dessert. So, we had the ingredients for a perfect picnic in the gardens and boy, what a delicious spread we had!

A member who used to be the head gardener, gave a guided tour of the gardens, which are devoted entirely to native plants.

We assembled at the IGA supermarket's car park in Castlemaine ready for an 8am start.

The morning's occasional shadows but mostly sunshine, made for very pleasant travelling through the rolling hills of Chewton, Faraday, Sutton Grange to Redesdale before crossing an historic bridge over the Campaspe River.

The Redesdale bridge is one of the oldest iron lattice-truss bridges in Victoria, and its interesting history can be gleaned by clicking on the link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redesdale_Bridge.

On arrival at Heathcote, we sought out Gaffney's, the busiest bakery in town, for morning tea. There were too many goodies to choose from inside the bakery, and many samples were selected for morning tea.

As is so often the case when we arrive somewhere, we got the odd passer-by give us historic anecdotes or advice from their past about our unique cars. After a few of these, we noticed the member from Lockwood South and his passengers pass by on the main road and pull up abruptly, to spin around and join our gathering. The couple from Bendigo soon followed. As for the catching up and bigger motors, it's just as well, as they seemed to have taken a much more scenic route to get to Heathcote than we did!

After we had eaten, we made our own ways home, some travelling via Eppaloch Weir to view the devastation caused by the floods in 2023, others going back via Redesdale to get some pictures of the historic bridge.

All in all, it was a successful and enjoyable day out.

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