Most members have now paid their subscriptions, and we ask that all get their payments into our account by 30^th June. It really makes our treasurer, Lisa’s job so much easier if she does not have to chase late payers. Remember that all logbooks need to be stamped or replaced if 3 years old by 30^th June, or else vehicles are not legally registered. If you have not got your logbook stamped by then, you should not drive your vehicle until this has been completed.

Natalie Farrell organised another great run through the Adelaide Hills to Beach Road Winery at McLaren Vale on Sunday 19^th. We were blessed with good weather and had a strong turnout of members and Triumphs for what was a most successful and enjoyable day.

I am organising the next run, being Christmas in July, and we will cover some of the same ground as last month. Now that the countryside has had rain and is green again, I am sure no one will begrudge seeing some of it again. If you would like to get in to the spirit of things, please decorate your vehicle and/or yourself in traditional Christmas decorations or clothing. There will be Christmas gifts for all at lunch at the Old Noarlunga Hotel.

We are also having a mid-week run to the Green Man Inn, Ashbourne on 10th July. The drive to Ashbourne is great, this time of year, so please let Lawrie and Kaye Placing know if you can attend.

We had another well attended club meeting this month, which is, no doubt due in part to members bringing their logbooks for stamping. Our Registrar, Ian Rigby had a very busy time last Tuesday, and I know he was very pleased to see assistant registrars Kevin Foster and Graham Dean arrive to take some of the load off him on the night. For those who are not regular attendees, I trust that you enjoyed the night and hope to see you again soon at a club meeting or other event.

We once again two member’s cars on stage at our June meeting. Steve Hickingbotham had his TR7, which looked great after he and son Hunter polished it for the night. Steve has only owned the car for 10 months, but he and Hunter are greatly enjoying it. Dan George then showed us his Dolomite Sprint, which he has taken over from his father David, after a nasty prang at Mallala some years ago.  Dan has repaired this damage and has also just about rebuilt the car from end to end, and it is now looking like new, and probably driving much better than new. Dan plans to get the car back on the track, which is great news as our competition group is currently quite small.

Finally, the Annual General Meeting is now only 2 months away, after August general meeting. All positions in the club will be declared vacant. Please call me (ph 0412 823789) or email me (alex.m.smithson@outlook.com) if you wish to stand for any position in the club or are prepared to help. We have numerous jobs within the club and would welcome new faces.

Regards

Alex Smithson

President

Now that subscription notices are out (you should have received a generic notice by email dated 10th May 2024) and payments are being received, updating logbooks is in full swing. Our Concessional Registrar, Ian Rigby was away on an overseas holiday for our May meeting, but other committee members Duane Kaak and Graham Dean did a great job in his absence. We had a very high turnout of members at the May meeting, and although logbook updating may have been one of the reasons for the strong attendance, I hope that all those members who attended enjoyed the meeting and hope to see more of all of you at other meetings during the year.
Geoff Ellis has advised me that he is resigning from All British Day committee. He has been our club representative for 11 years, and although he has greatly enjoyed his involvement with the ABD committee, he now thinks it is time to have someone else take on this role. Thankyou Geoff for your great service to the ABD committee as the TSOA representative. Stephen Wade is still on the committee but he is also a member of two other car clubs. It would be great to have another TSOA member on this committee, and I would be happy to help any potential applicant with his/her nomination.

Stuart Ghent is resigning from TSOA as from 1st July. Stuart has been a member of our club for many years and has been on the Conditional Registration team for over 20 years. Thanks, Stuart for your efforts over such a long period.

We had two cars on stage at our May meeting. Steve Farrar, who is a reasonably new member to TSOA, but has owned his car for around 30 years, had his very attractive GT6 Mark 1 on display. He has had it on periodic registration up until now, but with retirement approaching, wants to use the car more. The Mark 1 is like hen’s teeth, and it is great to see another one in our club.

Vin Anderson was a last-minute call up and had his lovely TR3A with him on the night, and graciously agreed to put it on stage. Vin told us the history of him acquiring the car more than 50 years ago, in his characteristically entertaining style, as well as his and brother Bob’s foray into importing an E Type from Britain. Vin clearly has a great love of the TR3A and it was nice to see it on stage, along with Steve’s GT6.

There have been some great club events since our last meeting. The MSCA 6-Hour relay was run on Sunday 5th May. The driver team of Neil Martin and Duane Kaak from TSOASA were supplemented by a TSOA Victoria contingent of Ian Cowie, Ed Ferguson, Brian Watson and Michael Kip. Our team placed 8th outright, and as always, Team Manager, Roger Lange, and Team Caterer Cherri Lange made sure we were well organised and well fed. Thanks to members who came out to help with time keeping and pit crew support. As always, this day is a highlight of the club year.

We had a mid-week lunch organised once again by Lawrie and Kaye Placing at The Rex Hotel, Marleston on the 9th May, and of course, the annual Club Weekender was held from Friday 17th May to Sunday 19th May, based at the Goolwa Motel. This was, as always, a most enjoyable weekend for all those who attended, and Bill and Margie Berlemon have continued to excel at providing an interesting and varied program at a very reasonable cost. Dean and Lisa, as well as Kate Berlemon provided great support, and it was also pleasing to see some local members including Ian Burman, Bill Galler and Phyllis Rutter join us for some of the events.
Our next social run is on 16th June, when we are going to the Beach Road Winery at McLaren Vale for lunch – Pizzas and/or salads will be on the menu. See the TSOA Calendar for more details.

Due to concerns about winter weather, we have postponed the Observation Run to November and there will be an Adelaide Hills run on the 21st July with lunch at Old Noalunga Hotel. Details are included in FasTRak.
Finally, the Annual General Meeting is now only 3 months away, after August general meeting. All positions in the club will be declared vacant. We have a large membership of some 250 people, and yet only a small handful of members make the club work by volunteering for positions or assisting to organise club events. I ask members to consider helping spread the workload beyond that small group of volunteers. Please call me (ph 0412 823789) or email me (alex.m.smithson@outlook.com) if you are prepared to help. We have numerous jobs within the club and would welcome new faces.
Regards
Alex Smithson
President

Our busy year is continuing with attendance numbers being very good at club meetings and events.

There was a good representation of members of TSOA and TR Register at the McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic 2024 on Sunday 14th April. This is a great event, and we will think about incorporating it as a club event next year, as all who attended had a great time.

We welcomed our secretary, Duane Kaak back at our April meeting, and had two more cars on stage. Errol Murray told us about his TR4 which he purchased last year from Collectible Classics at Strathalbyn. Errol is new to the Triumph world, although wanting one for many years, and we are very pleased he finally took the plunge. His Four is a particularly nice car and I am sure he will get great pleasure in owning it.
Rob Hanna has a great looking 2500TC Saloon which he purchased reasonably recently to add to his fleet of two other Triumph saloons. Rob lives at Greenock, so he had quite a distance to drive to and from the Sporting Car Club at Unley.

We had a committee meeting prior to the April club meeting, where we accepted our treasurer, Lisa Macleod’s recommendation to maintain subscriptions at $50 for full members, and $25 for social members for 2024/25. The club is in a strong financial position, and the committee believes that it would be appropriate to use some of these funds to subsidise subscriptions for another year. Subscriptions in 2017/18 were $75 for full members, and were reduced at the time of COVID, due to normal club activities being suspended. We have reduced some operating costs such as mailing out hard copy newsletters, and have operated at around break even since the end of COVID. We are budgeting operating losses over the next two years, and therefore, next year, subscriptions may to have to increase.

Thanks Lisa for her careful management of club finances, which has allowed us to keep subsriptions at such a low level for another year. Lisa will be sending out renewal notices shortly. Please pay these promptly, and by 30th June at the latest. All club committee positions are voluntary, and following up slow payers is a time-consuming exercise for an already very busy person. As we have to report non-financial members on the concessional registration scheme to DIT, and they then have registrations cancelled, there is significant responsibility and high workload that Lisa, Ian Rigby have, and late payers make their task that much harder.

Our most recent social event was a run from Burnside Town Hall to Riverbend Park at Clarendon on Sunday 21st April. This was a most enjoyable day, being a scenic run through the Adelaide Hills, and ending at what really is one of Adelaide’s hidden gems, a lovely park at Clarendon. We had excellent attendance, most in their Triumphs, and enjoyed a gourmet BBQ by Bill and Margie Berlemon, and icecreams provided by Lawrie and Kay Placing. Lawrie and Kay helped social secretary Natalie Farrell organise the run, and Natalie also excelled in arranging perfect weather. I know all who attended had a great day.

There is still a room left for the Weekender on the 17th to 19th May, based at the Goolwa Motel. This promises to be one of the highlights of the club year, and for anyone (particularly any new members who may not have thought about it until now) who would like to attend, please contact the Berlemons (Bill ph 0409 894 314 or Margie ph 0438 836 837) to secure this last room.

Our next social run is on 16th June, when we are going to the Beach Road Winery at McLaren Vale for lunch – Pizzas and/or salads will be on the menu. See the TSOA Calendar for more details.
Finally, congratulations to Tim and Carolyn Wachtel who’s lovely GT6 won “Best British Car” at the Swan Reach Classic Auto River Run 2024, against stiff competition from a range of Britain’s finest.

Regards
Alex Smithson
President

We have had a busy and successful start to the year with two significant events, being the MSCA picnic (reported in the last Fastrak) and the All British Day at Echunga Oval of Sunday 3rd March. Both events had a great turnout of Triumphs, and again thanks to Roger Lange for his work with “Triumphs in the Pits” at MSCA, and our ABD committee members, Geoff Ellis and Stephen Wade, for helping organise such a great ABD event.
We had great weather, and no repeat of the 2023 gazebo disaster, albeit that this year, everything was tied down to vehicles, just in case. Stephen put a lot of work into arranging our display in model order, and we had an impressive row of TR2 to TR7 inclusive in the front row. The TR Register and the Stag Club were adjacent, so there was a very strong and visually impressive Triumph presence. Special thanks also to all those who assisted with marshalling, to make sure we were one of the most organised groups at the event.

A small but jovial group joined Lawrie and Kay Placing at The Junction Bar and Bistro, Camden Park, for a mid-week lunch on Tuesday 12th March. There was great food and company, and thanks Lawrie and Kay for arranging these get togethers.

Our March meeting was well attended, although Secretary Duane was missed. Vice President Richard Sellars did a great job deputising for Duane. Due to various mechanical issues with the two scheduled cars on stage, I organised for Bob Kretschmer and new member, Hayden Burge to bring their cars along when I was at the mid-week lunch. Due to having a senior’s moment, I had forgotten that I had also asked Dino Vettese to bring one of his fleet along whilst we were both at the ABD. As a result, we had three vehicles on stage.

We heard about Bob’s long association with his TR4A, from when he first owned in in the 1960’s, to repurchasing it after restoration by Richard Sutherland around 2015. Hayden has recently purchased his immaculate Stag from NSW, having been a Stag owner in his younger days, and had only got it though Regency Park a few days prior to having it on stage. Dino’s magnificent TR6 was also on show, and Dino retold the tale of purchasing it from the owner of Classic and Sports Car Boutique, Geoff Mockford. Thanks to Bob, Hayden and Dino for bringing their cars along, and sharing their stories with club members.
The Weekender is being held on the 17th to 19th May, based at the Goolwa Motel. Bill and Margie have an exciting program organised, and it is now close to being fully subscribed. I urge anyone who has not booked their spot already, to contact the Berlemons (Bill ph 0409 894 314 or Margie ph 0438 836 837) to get your name on the list. By the time you read this, all places may have been taken, however it would still be worth being on the waiting list, as the Weekender is always one of the highlights of the club year.

Natalie Farrell has got two excellent social runs planned. We will be heading to Riverbend Park at Clarendon on Sunday 21st April, for a club-sponsored BBQ. We meet at 9.45am for a 10.00am departure at the Burnside Town Hall car park. Bring out your Triumph for a great Adelaide Hills drive to a most picturesque destination and enjoy a great BBQ on us. Phone Natalie on 0455 250 990 for more details and to confirm you are coming, as we need this for catering purposes. On 16th June, we are going to the Beach Road Winery at McLaren Vale for lunch – Pizzas and/or salads will be on the menu. See the TSOA Calendar for more details.

The Sporting Car Club of SA has its 90th Anniversary “Old Crocks’ Run”, starting at Victoria Park Grandstand and proceeding down to Wigley Reserve, Glenelg, on Sunday 5th May 2024. A display of vehicles along with food and drink stalls and other entertainment for the whole family and car enthusiast is planned at Glenelg. There may be an opportunity for TSOA to be involved in this event. More to come shortly.

Regards
Alex Smithson
President

We are back into the swing of things with normal club meetings resuming for 2024. We had a good turnout of members to our February meeting, and we had two cars on stage, both of which had been winners at last year’s Day of Triumph.

Firstly, Chris Marshall displayed and told us about his lovely “French blue” 1974 Stag. He purchased it from NSW about 5 years ago, and we heard about it being impounded upon delivery by the police, because it did not have an engine number stamped on the block. It did seem a bit of an overreaction by Motor Registration, but I suppose “rules are rules”. Luckily, this is now a distant memory for Chris, who is enjoying driving this very nice car whenever possible.

We then heard from Life Member Roger Lange about his TR7V8 which he also had on display. Roger purchased the car from another club member, Dino Vettese, and after lots of work previously by Dino, and then by Roger, this is now a really great Wedge, of which Roger is justifiably, very proud.

Bill Berlemon also gave us details of an exciting Weekender program for the weekend of 17th to 19th May, based at the Goolwa Motel. The club executive has increased the subsidy for the event to make its cost within the reach of all members, at only $260 per head (twin share) all inclusive. Bill and Margie have already put in a huge amount of time developing and fine tuning the program, and with only 15 rooms available, these will fill very quickly. If you have not booked in with Bill and Margie yet, I strongly suggest you do so as soon as you read this report.

The MSCA 50th Anniversary picnic was held at the Mount Barker Oval on Sunday 25th February. We had a record number of club members and well over 20 Triumph vehicles attend, and it was a most enjoyable day. Thanks to Roger Lange’s efforts to establish the theme of “Triumphs in the Pits” with lots of props, race numbers on cars etc, TSOA were runaway winners of the “best display” of any car club at the picnic. MSCA also made various presentations to drivers who had completed through the year, and as well as winning his class, our own Neil Martin won the prestigious “Sprint Driver of the Year” award. This is a great achievement, considering the amount of competition in MSCA, and it is the second time Neil has been awarded this trophy. Congratulations Neil, for doing our club proud on the racetrack.

Lastly, a final reminder that the All British Day is at Echunga Oval of Sunday 3rd March. If you have not registered, please still think about coming along as a spectator. It is always a great day, and this year, we plan to have our gazebos firmly tied down to heavy objects (e.g. Triumphs) to avoid a repeat of last year’s debacle. Stephen Wade has allocated specific parking for each TSOA entrant, so please look at Stephen’s email to know which spot you have been allocated.

Regards
Alex Smithson – President

I trust all TSOA members had a great Christmas and New Year and are looking forward to getting out in their Triumphs in 2024. We have not had formal club meetings in December and January, and so we will be getting back to business in earnest at our February meeting.

We had a great run to Gumeracha at the beginning of December, with a good turnout of members, and coffee enjoyed at a new café in Gumeracha. Members could then choose to go to either Torrens Valley Orchard or Kenton Valley Cherries. After the heavy rains a week or two earlier, we thought that supply of cherries might be limited, but at Kenton Valley Cherries at least, there were plenty available, and these were very reasonably priced. Thanks to Bill and Margie Berlemon for organising another great day.

The “Apres Run” was on the 28th December. I was unable to attend this run, but I understand that it was well attended with over 30 members and partners present. It was, as I understand, great weather, and the Macclesfield Hotel put on good quality and generous sized meals. Thanks to Roger and Cherri Lange for organising this ever-popular event.

I was also unable to attend the January informal meeting, and thanks to Duane Kaak for standing in for me. I understand that there was only a reasonably small number in attendance, however they were entertained and informed about model yacht racing by our multi-skilled racer, Neil Martin. Neil retired from work at Christmas and is now an even more dedicated competitor in classic car racing and his new passion with model yachts.
A small group of members had a very enjoyable picnic lunch at Lawrie and Kaye Placing’s house for Australia Day. The Placings provided ice-creams for all those there, in lieu of the traditional January ice-cream run to Noonies. Weather was good, and those of us who attended had a great time and an overload of ice-creams. Thanks Lawrie and Kaye for your ongoing hospitality.

The MSCA 50th Anniversary picnic is being held at the Mount Barker Oval on Sunday 25th February. We are making this an official club event, and hope that there will be a strong turnout. Roger Lange is organising a club display, and we have been successful in the past in winning the award for best club display. The venue is the shady western end of the Mount Barker Oval complex. Assembly of cars in club display groups are to be in place by 11.00 am. BYO everything for a picnic lunch. Talk to Neil Martin, Duane Kaak or Roger Lange if you would like more information or encouragement. Lots of us are going, so please, come along and enjoy the camaraderie.

Lastly, the All British Day is at Echunga Oval of Sunday 3rd March. There are 800+ people who have entered for this year event. Registrations closed some time ago, however if you have not registered, please still think about coming along as a spectator. It is always a great day, and this year, we plan to have our gazebos firmly tied down to heavy objects (e.g. Triumphs) to avoid a repeat of last year’s debacle.

I look forward to seeing as many members as possible at our February meeting. I believe supper may even include ice-creams for a lucky few.

Regards
Alex Smithson

President

The after Christmas run on Thursday 28th December was a delightful affair, with in excess of 30 members enjoying a wonderful jaunt through the Adelaide hills that are remarkably green for this time of year. Our group showcased around 20 Triumphs with Stags and TR4s and 6s the most prevalent.

We gathered at the rear car park of the Feathers Hotel and took off around 11.00 am through the upper reaches of Burnside, past the Glen Osmond Golf Club, on and off the freeway quickly to take in the old Princes Highway and past The Eagle on the Hill, on and off the freeway once again and then taking a left turn before entering Stirling and on to Mylor, Echunga and finally Macclesfield.

Lunch had been arranged at The Macclesfield Hotel which has undergone substantial renovation and extensions over recent times. Several benches had been reserved for us under the outside shaded area, the meals were reasonably priced and substantial, and everyone enjoyed the friendly chatter over a cold beverage or two. All rated the Hotel highly for ambience and service.

The weather treated us kindly, with perfect conditions for roof down Triumph cruising. All in all, a great run – if you missed it, too bad. Maybe next time?

The 42^nd TSOA Nationals were held in the last week of October, and were very successful, despite the less than perfect weather. The week-long event was at Lady Bay Resort, Warrnambool. The “Shipwreck Coast” as this locale is known, is one of the most stunning parts of Australia. TSOA Victoria organised a great week which was thoroughly enjoyed by all those attending.

I have done a full report of the event, and this is available on the TSOASA website. Some noticeable highlights were, however as follows:

Show and Shine winners: 1^st– Trevor Norris (Dolomite Sprint) Vic; 2^nd – Ron Farrugia (TR5) Vic; 3^rd  -Dino Vettese (TR6) SA; 4^th – Lisa Vettese (Stag) SA;  5^th – Geoff Byrne (TR6) NSW; 6^th – Alex Smithson (TR5) SA.

Movie watched at Port Fairy’s historic Reardon Picture Theatre – early 1970’s Australian cult classic, “The Cars that Ate Paris”. Reviews mixed.

Ironman Trophy winner – Western Australia. (Controversial as team only comprised two people, Ron and Leigh Marian).

It was a fabulous week of great food, great company, great events, and of course, great Triumphs. There were attendees from all mainland states, with a South Australian contingent of 17 attending. We are now looking forward to Albany next year.

I understand from the WA organisers, that Albany is already fully subscribed, however TSOA members can still place their names on the waiting list. We know, from previous experience, that as the event gets closer, there will be inevitable cancellations and I strongly recommend anyone interested to get their names on the waiting list post-haste, as offers will be made when cancellations occur on a strict order of initial application. Register at: https://tsoa-wa.com/triumph-tsoa-nationals-2024/.

Our Christmas dinner and trophy presentation night was on Saturday at Royal Adelaide Golf Club. Sue Gibson has yet again, done a great job organising this event and the club is greatly indebted to her for her ongoing hard work in making this dinner a real highlight of our club year. Special congratulations to Larie and Kaye Placing for winning the Clubman trophy.

At our November meeting, we also had three cars on stage. Firstly, Peter Bogatec had his TR7V8 displayed.  This car is in great condition, and Peter recently ran it is the Adelaide Rally.  This was not planned, as he had a race car entered, but was not able to use it due to mechanical problems.

Don Richards had his TR250 on display. Don is in the process of restoring two TR6’s and came across this car when sourcing parts for the TR6. Roger Lange commented that Don got it from under his nose, and that he was next in line if the sale to Don had fallen through.

Finally, our secretary, Duane Kaak had his TR7V8 race car on display. This car has had a new motor relatively recently (out of a Range Rover). Duane has had this car for quite a few years, and it has great sentimental value to him. A spur of the moment decision to advertise for a travelling companion to accompany him and share the costs of driving it back from Melbourne to Adelaide all those years ago resulted in him meeting Meranie, who fell in love with the man and his car.

We do not have a meeting in December, and the January meeting will be an informal gathering at the Sporting Car Club. Trevor Hawkins has suggested that we make this a “swap meet” where members bring any relatively small and easily carried parts along to find potential new homes. I will send out an email to all members before the January meeting as a reminder and confirm more details.

Regards

Alex Smithson

It has been 50 years since the establishment of the MSCA for the purpose of providing an entry level motorsport  activity opportunity for members of affiliated clubs, mostly established marques such as MG, Triumph, Healey, Alfa, Jaguar, Mini, Datsun etc. There are currently 18 clubs affiliated with the MSCA here in South Australia.

To celebrate this milestone, a gathering of all the clubs involved is planned to coincide with the annual Picnic and Presentation Day on the last Sunday in February 2024. A special shout out to past competitors to attend and reminisce how things were back in the day and to share some stories about their experiences.

TSOA has been a big part of the MSCA motorsport scene for many years – it was not unusual to have up to 15 or more Triumphs competing on the track at a Mallala sprint event. Interest has waned over recent years as the drivers and cars aged, but the memories of past adventures prevail.

It would be great to have a big turn out of Triumphs and club members to support this event. Talk to Neil Martin, Duane Kaak or Roger Lange if you would like more information or encouragement.

The venue is the shady western end of the Mount Barker Oval complex. Assembly of cars in club display groups to be in place by 11.00 am

BYO everything for a picnic lunch

Feb 18th         (Tuesday Evening) General Meeting at the Sporting Car Club 8.00 pm

Feb 23rd        (Sunday) MSCA Picnic / Presentation Day – Virgara Winery, 143 Heaslip Road, Angle Vale . . . from 11.00 am

Mar 2nd        (Sunday) – All British Day

Mar 16th      (Sunday)  MSCA Super Sprint 

April 6th      (Sunday)  TBA Monthly Run instead of the 20th because that is Easter Sunday