After over 7 years in planning, the 44^th TSOA National Meeting which ran from Friday 17^th to Friday 24^th October 2025 finally happened, and it was well worth the wait. As many may know, this event was originally planned for 2020 but was cancelled due to COVID.  However, having already negotiated a fantastic deal with management at The Anchorage resort at Port Stephens, the NSW team was able to lock in 2025 at a fixed room price only 15% above that agreed for 2020. As a result, we had exceptional accommodation at a price way below current room rates. We all had great views over the marina and Port Stephens Bay, with balconies and terraces to soak in the view.

There were 110 registered participants (over half from NSW) with SA having 14 members attend.  Due to being in NSW, where there are over 400 TSOA members, and the exceptional value offered at The Anchorage, registrations were filled within a few days of release to the market, with a long waiting list. Due to the inevitable withdrawals as the time approaches that happens every year, almost everyone on the waiting list were able to be included in the final numbers.

Most of the SA contingent drove over, with Lawrie and Kaye Placing leaving a day before the rest of us, to catch up with friends in NSW en-route. Sue and I took the soft option and trailered my TR5 there, borrowing Neil Martin’s car trailer. Stephen Wade, Duane Kaak and Ian Rigby all drove their Triumphs and Roger and Cherri Lange decided at the last minute to take the Porsch Boxter rather than the TR7, due to the forecast hot conditions. Air conditioning in cars is a wonderful invention which is noticeably absent from many Triumphs.

Disaster struck between Tailem Bend and Lameroo, when Ian Rigby’s saloon had electrical problems. Ian had recently replaced the distributor, but the replacement still failed. The combined expertise of Ian, Roger and Duane concluded that there was no easy fix, and so Ian organised for the RAA to truck it back to Adelaide, and for his wife, Raelene, to drive her car to the breakdown spot, with their son in law picking her up from there to take her back to Adelaide. Ian then drove Raelene’s BMW on to Port Stephens, having a night arrival in Hay, our first overnight stop.

I also had problems between Balranald and Hay, when the inside wheels of the car trailer clipped a large steel object on the side of the road (thought to be a dropped road train trailer coupling) and I managed to wreck both tyres and rims on that side of the tandem trailer. Having only one spare, I limped into Hay, with the second flat tyre totally disintegrated by the time I got there. Luckily, we were staying next to a tyre shop, and I was able to get two new rims and tyres, bright and early the next morning. Fortunately, there appeared to be no damage to hubs or wheel bearings from this incident.

We all enjoyed a second, incident-free day and night in Dubbo, before driving through to Port Stephens on Day 3. Ian’s wife Raelene flew to Newcastle, Duane’s wife Meranie and daughter Indy flew to Sydney and then caught the train to Newcastle, and Dino and Lisa Vettese trucked their Stag to Sydney and then flew there and drove to Port Stephens.

As always, everyone had a great week renewing old friendships, making new ones, and celebrating our love of Triumph cars. There were quite a few “first-timers” attending, as well as a lot of us who make it an annual pilgrimage.

Our first event was the welcome dinner on Friday which had a “beach” theme, bringing out the best of the creativity of the rally delegates. The main function room was not available on this first night due to a wedding at The Anchorage, and we were in the breakfast room, which includes under cover verandahs. There was a massive thunderstorm and heavy rain which required some people to relocate so as not to get wet, however the lightning show was spectacular.

On Saturday we all washed and polished our cars and headed into the d’Albora Marina in Nelson Bay for a show and shine. This was a great venue (at least the equal of last year in Albany which was until then the best S&S venue in living memory), and there were many locals who came out to see our vehicles, and with lots of food and coffee options around the marina. No trophy was awarded, however there was a “people’s choice” as well as casual judging.

Peter Wards, who is well known to many TSOA members as a now-retired professional Triumph restorer was judged in first place with his superb TR6. This car had also won this year’s TSOA NSW Concours event. Trevor Norris from Victoria’s immaculate TR7 V8 was second, and our own Dino and Lisa Vettese’s Stag was third. The popular vote was a tie between a far from standard TR6 with a 3.9 litre TVR V8 motor, owned by Steve Ralston from NSW, and Ron Farrugia from Victoria’s modified TR5 .

Dinner on Saturday night was at The Anchorage, with happy hour drinks on the Sunset Terrace. This is a facility built out on the breakwater where we had dolphins putting on a show right in front of us, as they did every night we had drinks at this venue. The shared plates meal was exceptional, although far more food than anyone could do justice.

Sunday saw us drive some 50km to Ringwood Park hill climb, a facility owned and operated by the MG Car Club of NSW. This is a neat little loop track, with cars doing individual timed runs, and no CAMS licence was required to drive it. Duane and Roger took their Stag and Boxter respectively around the track, however both exercised commendable restraint, knowing each vehicle had to get back to Adelaide. After lunch, spectators also were able to drive the track in parade laps behind a pace car.

The first “Ironman” events were then held at Ringwood. For the uninitiated, there is an annual competition between the states, of essentially novelty events, with the winning state taking away the perpetual “Ironman” trophy. This is very large, quite unattractive, is hard to transport in cars with limited space, and must be brought by the winning state to the next Nationals. Naturally, it is keenly fought over, with each state hoping to win this highly sought-after national trophy.

There was a competition for cars getting as close as possible to a pole marker without touching it, and then driving through cones with a ball placed on the car bonnet, without letting the ball come off. Dino, Lawrie and Duane flew the flag for SA in this event. (Editor’s note – Lisa navigated for another driver who eventually was declared the winner – well done Lisa!)

Monday was a 60km drive to Newcastle and a tour of Fort Scratchley, the primary defence for Newcastle against invasion by potentially the Russians and others in the 19^th Century. We were then encouraged to explore Newcastle including the “Bathers Way” walk and beaches. We enjoyed a meal that night at Nelson Bay Golf Club.

Tuesday saw us drive some 40 km to Lemon Tree Passage on a peninsula in Port Stephens, to have a lunch cruise on the “Wangie Queen”, a 100-year-old former Sydney Harbour ferry. Port Stephens Bay is some 134 square kilometres in size, much bigger than Sydney Harbour, and so there is a lot to see and do.  We had good weather for this cruise which was very enjoyable, with no sea sickness. That night was free, with some of us going out to dinner in Nelson Bay.

Things were heating up weather-wise by Wednesday, with the temperature reaching 39 degrees. The organisers decided to change the original program to make this a free day and allow everyone to cool off as best they could. There are some great beaches in the Port Stephens area (both in the bay and on the ocean side) as well as two swimming pools at The Anchorage. Some of us went to visit the “Fighter World” museum at Williamtown RAAF Base, some 25 km from The Anchorage. We were treated to seeing take offs and landings of the RAAF’s new F35 Joint Strike Fighters on the runway right next to the museum, and well as close up looks at retired aircraft including an F111 and an FA18 Hornet jet fighter. (Editor’s Note – a small number found a slot car track and did some laps!)

We went to the Nelson Bay Bowls Club for dinner that night. As many may know, in NSW gaming machines are in sporting clubs rather than hotels, and as a result, these are often huge facilities, most unlike the modest bowls clubs in South Australia. Nelson Bay boasts several bars, gaming areas and large dining facilities. Our 110 people were easily accommodated in one of their function rooms.

Our final day was Thursday, and we drove some 65km to the quaint town of Morpeth, where we had a series of “observation run” questions to answer. Luckily a cool change had come through, and we all enjoyed spending time in this historic township. (Editor’s Note – Morpeth is the birthplace of some noted Aussie companies, notably Soul Patterson, Arnotts and Brambles)

Before dinner, we had the final Ironman event at the Nelson Bay Golf Club driving range, which was a timed event for radio-controlled model cars, including slalom and motorkhana.  Our driver was the youngest attendee, Indy Kaak who put up a mighty performance. She found reversing a bit tricky but otherwise was right up with the best of the older and more experienced drivers.

Our final dinner was at The Anchorage, with the theme being “dress to impress”. The only perpetual trophy on offer was the Ironman trophy, and sadly South Australia could not repeat last year’s famous victory. With 60% of the attendees, NSW had a Melbourne Cup field of Iron people to select from for their teams and were crowned the winners. SA vowed to come back stronger than ever next year and try to wrest back this much sought-after trophy.

The week was fantastic, and I doubt whether anyone else will ever be able to match the standard of accommodation and meals provided by The Anchorage at future National meetings. The organising committee, headed by convenor John Stokes, did a fantastic job of making sure the week ran very smoothly, and everyone in the NSW club really pulled their weight to make it such a great event. It was encouraging to see a lot of new faces to the Nationals, and I am sure that, after such an enjoyable week, many of these people will be planning to attend next year.

On the last night, Peter Connor from Queensland gave a presentation on next year’s Nationals to be held at “The Platinum International Hotel” in Toowoomba from 10^th to 17^th October 2026. The program looks great, and whilst we won’t be in a beachfront resort, we all agree that the heart and soul of the TSOA Nationals is the camaraderie we enjoy at each event, and the fun of visiting new places that we would otherwise be unlikely to see. Expressions of interest will be sought shortly, and registrations will be opening early in 2026. Demand is expected to be high.

No major dramas were reported on the way home, although I can report that Duane, Stephen, Sue and I had a meal at a pub in West Wyalong, and I won the meat tray raffle. Read all about it in last week’s edition of the West Wyalong Gazette.

Thanks again to TSOA NSW for putting on such a well organised and enjoyable week, and we look forward to seeing the Nationals family again next year in Toowoomba.

Alex Smithson

Prior to the July club meeting we had a thankyou night pizza meal for members who have helped the club during the year. The club does not run itself, and we have a range of people who make things happen, including the executive committee of Richard Sellers (Vice President), Duane Kaak (Club Secretary and Competition Secretary), Lisa Macleod (Treasurer), Natalie Farrell (Social Secretary), Katherine Bradley (Newsletter Editor) and Dean Berlemon (Committee Member, as well as Regalia and Display Day co-ordinator).

Other key club members include Ian Rigby as Membership/Concessional Registration Secretary and his committee of Duane, Kevin Foster and Graham Dean, mid-week run organisers, Laurie and Kaye Placing, Weekender organisers Bill and Margie Berlemon, Web Master Roger Lange, and Librarian Greg Page. Margie and Lisa also greet us at the door each meeting and organise the raffle, and Bill and Margie also organise supper rosters, and do much of this catering. Sue Gibson has for many years, organised the Christmas Dinner, and she and Rory remain very involved with our club. Various other club members also help out at events, including motor sport, Day of Triumph and organising individual runs.

I am very grateful for all club members who contribute to the running of our club, and hope that other members will give serious thought to becoming involved in some of these tasks at our AGM in August. Without members taking on these roles, our club will cease to function, despite being 250 strong.

There were no cars on stage at the July meeting, Unfortunately, the members who I organised to bring their vehicles were unable to do so, however cars on stage will resume as from our September meeting.

Our 60th Birthday Lunch at Dimples, Tea Tree Gully Golf Club was on Sunday 20th July, and was a great success and enjoyed by all who attended. A special thanks to Sue Dowden who is Business Manager at TTG Golf Club and was able to get us a special deal. We had around 80 attend the event, with more booked in, however there were some last-minute apologies for health reasons. Our Secretary, Duane Kaak was MC for the event, and as well as telling some very amusing jokes, up to the high standard he sets at our club meetings, also wrote and recited a great poem about our club which was arguably even better received by the attendees than his jokes. Life Member Roger Lange gave a great talk about the life of our club over 60 triumphant years of our history, and Life Member Bob Anderson cut the cake to celebrate the occasion. All attendees were able to take home an etched glass with our 60th logo, a printed placement/poster and a piece of birthday cake.

I would particularly like to thank Noel Schmidt who did the artwork for the 60th Logo, and also worked until midnight, one night getting the 250 or so photos for the slide show properly formatted, Dean and Lisa for organising the glasses and getting them etched, Duane and Roger for making the day so entertaining and enjoyable, Natalie and Sue Gibson for doing seating plan, Lawrie and Kaye Placing for manning the welcome desk, everyone who brought along memorabilia, trophies and supplied photographs, and. Last but far from least, my wife Sue for doing many behind the scenes tasks too numerous to mention.

The display of Triumph Cars did not go completely to plan, due to the excess of vehicles to parking spaces at TTG Golf Club on a Sunday morning and particularly around lunchtime. Whilst there was a spot on the pitching green reserved for us, it was not signposted, and lots of others at the Club who could not find anywhere in the car park, decided to park in our space. Ian Rigby has agreed to direct our vehicles to this area, but by the time most TSOA cars arrived, the pitching green was full of TTG members’ cars.

Victor Harbor Rock ‘N’ Roll Festival is returning for its 16th year from September 19 – 21, 2025. Cars will feature in Shannon’s Show ‘N’ Shine across Warland Reserve and Albert Place, and registration is free. Register now at rocknrollfestival.com.au via the Vehicle Display.

Alex Smithson
President

I would like to thank all club members who have assisted to make this club year very successful. We have had a hard-working committee, supported by various appointees, who have put in a huge effort to keep things on track and allowed the club to prosper and grow.

Although Vice President Richard Sellars was not called upon too often, he was always willing to step up, including taking meeting minutes in Secretary Duane’s absence. Richard has prepared guidelines for nominating Life Membership, based on his research and experience with kindred organisations. This has been adopted by the club and we are grateful to him for his work in this regard.

Secretary Duane Kaak continues to be a tower of strength within the club and provides us with great service. It is hard to imagine the club running successfully without Duane.

Our treasurer, Lisa Macleod maintains the books very efficiently. Having had this role for the previous 10 years, I know what a time consuming and at times complicated job this is, and the club owes Lisa a debt of gratitude for her hard work. We had budgeted for a deficit for the club year, however managed to finish at close to break even. Lisa and I also attended a Federation, one-day workshop with the ATO regarding tax return requirements to which all not for profits must comply. Again, Lisa was able to lodge our tax return on time, and we did not incur any tax liability.

Katherine Bradley as Fastrak Editor position two years ago and continues to produce an excellent publication each month. Again, we are very grateful for all she does in this production.

Neil Martin relinquished the role of Competition Secretary last year, and Secretary Duane Kaak has taken on this role in addition to his other secretarial duties. Unfortunately, we did not have a team to compete in the MSCA 6 Hour Regularity Relay this year, and we have only small number of members participating in competition events.

Life Member, Natalie Farrell as social secretary provided a great range of monthly events which continue to be well attended. Several members have assisted Natalie by organising individual monthly runs. Lawrie and Kaye Placing continue to arrange mid-week lunch runs which have a small but keen following. Thanks to all who have contributed to the varied program.

Ian Rigby has, as he does every year, carried a heavy club load, and worked tirelessly as Conditional Registration Scheme Registrar and Membership Officer. Ian has a band of helpers on his committee, and I thank these members for assisting Ian in this major role. Ian is also our representative on the Federation of Historic Motoring Clubs and has been instrumental in gaining grants from the Federation for our Day of Triumph.

Bill and Margie Berlemon ran the Weekender again this year, this time based at Burra. This three-day, two-night event was highly successful and enjoyable, and is always a highlight of any club year. Bill has been on the sick list this year, and the club hopes that he is now over the worst and can get back to normal activities as soon as possible. Margie, along with Treasurer Lisa, has also been the stalwart on the door, and, together with Bill, organising the raffle and supper at club meetings. A particular vote of thanks to both Margie and Lisa, and other club members who have assisted for suppers.

Dean Berlemon was again the convenor of the day of Triumph Display Day, as well as Regalia sales. Dean, assisted by wife Lisa, did a great job and team Berlemon/Macleod remains integral to club operations and success.
Dean also joined the club executive committee this year . This came about because of there being no dedicated Competition Secretary in 2024/25. Our constitution provides for this position to be “Competition Secretary or Committee Member”. An anomaly of our constitution is that one of the most important roles in the club, that of Concessional Scheme Registrar is not a committee position. Altering the constitution is a laborious process, so I have proposed that the position of “Committee Member” be reserved for the Concessional Scheme Registrar if there is no separate Competition Secretary.

We had a great turnout of Triumphs at the All British Day in March and Stephen Wade was our club representative on the ABD Committee. Thanks to Stephen for all his effort albeit as well as being a member of TSOA, Stephen is also a member of several other British car clubs, so is representing more than just us on the ABD Committee.

Our Christmas Dinner continues to be our largest and best attended annual function of the year. Life member Sue Gibson, along with Natalie, is the main organiser of this event, as she has been for many years. Thanks, Sue once again for making this such a successful and enjoyable event.

This year has been very special as it is our 60th Anniversary. A TSOA club in South Australia was proposed by a then youthful Tony Case, together with the late Ron Fergusson. The first meeting was held on 22nd January 1965 at Ron Fergusson’s house to discuss the constitution and aims of the new club. To celebrate this milestone, we had a birthday lunch at Tea Tree Gully Golf Club on Sunday 20th July. This was a great event attended by around 90 past and present members. Secretary Duane Kaak was MC, and Life Member Roger Lange gave us great talk about the club through the years. The birthday cake was cut by life member Bob Anderson. Thanks to everyone who assisted in the organisation, helped on the day, provide photos and memorabilia, and attended the lunch.

We have maintained membership numbers at around 250 in total despite members leaving each year due in most cases, to having sold their vehicles. New members are joining, and our challenge is to get these new members involved with our club, which offers so much more than just the concessional registration scheme. I have encouraged new members to attend meetings and bring their vehicles for “cars on stage” which continues to be a key part of each meeting.

Storing and transporting our club equipment remains a significant task, and Ian Rigby and the Berlemons (Bill and Margie, as well as Dean and Lisa) continue to do most of this work. It would be great to see another club member take on some or all of this role as Ian, Dean and Lisa are already heavily committed to working for the club in many critical areas.

Our club has two awards for service made each year. The President’s Award is made to the Committee member who has made an outstanding contribution to the running of the club, and the Vice President’s Award is to a club member, other than a committee member. The committee is a small group, and all do a fantastic job. Our secretary, Duane Kaak is always ready and willing to take on any additional tasks asked of him, including this year, Competition Secretary, and MC of the 60th Birthday lunch. He is also on Ian’s Concessional Registration Scheme committee and does a lot to assist Ian in this regard. Duane’s joke telling is legendary, and he is always there to talk with me about any club issues that may arise. I am therefore very pleased to announce that Duane is the winner of the 2024/25 President’s Award.

Regards
Alex Smithson -President 2024-25

Thanks to Graham Keynes and Richard Sellers for bringing their Stags along to this month’s meeting and having them on stage, for a club “Stag Night”.

Richard has recently sold his TR8 to an interstate buyer and purchased a very tidy white Stag from Collectible Classics at Strathalbyn. Unfortunately, Richard has been through bit of a bad patch, health-wise, and has not driven his new car more than a handful of times but is very happy with how it drives.

Graham has a Tahiti Blue Stag which was at some time previously, owned by past club member, David Treen. I have been going through old photos of club events for a slide show at the 60th Birthday lunch and have seen this car is in several of those photos, when in David’s ownership. Graham is also greatly enjoying the Stag experience.

I am pleased to advise that we have over 80% of members financial as at the writing of this report. If you have yet to pay your subscriptions for 2025/26, please make sure these are paid prior to 30th June and save a lot of unnecessary work for Treasurer Lisa.

The Conditional Registration committee of Ian Rigby, Kevin Foster, Duane Kaak and Graham Dean were once again, hard at work stamping logbooks at the June meeting. Remember that you need to have your logbook stamped and signed by an authorised signatory by 30th June for your vehicle to be legally registered after that date, so please contact one of these committee members to arrange this if you have not already done so. This obviously can only be done if you are a financial member.

Bill and Margie Berlemon organised a fantastic weekend away at Burra from Friday 6th June to Sunday 8th June. We were not blessed with great weather (Saturday in particular, was very cold, wet and windy), however despite this everyone attending had a great time. Bill and Margie have a knack of finding very interesting places to visit. We had dinner at the Burra Bowls Club on both nights and enjoyed great home-cooked meals provided by bowls club members, and Paxton Cottages were very cosy and comfortable, and provided very good-value accommodation.

We are close to 100 people booked for the club’s 60th Birthday celebrations which will be on Sunday 20th July, at Dimples Restaurant and Function Centre at Tea Tree Gully Golf Club. If you have not done so, already, please do this as soon as possible, so we can lock in numbers. As previously advised, this will be great celebration of an amazing 60 years of history and should not be missed. Please see the flyer in FasTrak regarding booking for this very special event. There is a $10 discount for the first 100 registrants which is still available. Get in quick as there are only a small number of places left at this discount price.

Noel Schmidt is putting a photo slideshow together, to run during the lunch. If you have any photos of the early days of the club, could you please contact me ASAP so these can be included in the presentation. We also will be having a memorabilia table and again, please contact me if you have any items that you think would be suitable for display. We will have club perpetual trophies and the like, but I am sure there are other items of interest that we could display on this table.

Orders have now closed for the special shirt being offered to members to celebrate our 60th Birthday and will be delivered at the July meeting, so those with shirts will be able to wear them to our 60th birthday lunch.

Alex Smithson
President

Thanks to David O’Loughlin for bringing his TR3 to have on stage at our May meeting. David’s car was an original Triumph company demonstrator and press vehicle in the UK and was fully optioned from the factory. David has much original paperwork for this special vehicle, which is in fantastic condition, and is probably the only “Salvadore Blue” TR3 that most of us will see in our lifetimes.

David is a passionate Triumph side screen owner (he also has a TR3A) and we are very pleased that he has decided to be a member of our club, as well as being actively involved with the TR Register.

As advised at the April club meeting, the executive committee has decided to increase subscriptions for 2025/26 to $60.00 for full members and $30.00 for social members. I am pleased to note that we have over 50% of members now financial for 2025/26. Hopefully we can get all renewing members to pay subscriptions prior to 30th June and save a lot of unnecessary work for Treasurer Lisa.

Unfortunately, our conditional registrar, Ian Rigby was a late apology for the May meeting due to coming down sick after his recent overseas holiday. Thanks to Ian’s fellow committee members, Kevin Foster, Duane Kaak and Graham Dean for all their work stamping logbooks at the meeting. The team will be available again at the June meeting. Remember that you need to have your logbook stamped and signed by an authorised signatory by 30th June for your vehicle to be legally registered after that date.

Thanks to Roger and Cherri Lange for organising the run to Middleton Tavern on Sunday May 18th. The event was well attended, and we had a great meal at Middleton.

Bill and Margie Berlemon have organised a fantastic weekend away at Burra starting on Friday 6th June through to Sunday 8th June. As always, this is packed with visits to interesting places and great meal venues. We are staying at Paxton Cottages and Bill has suggested to those attending, that bringing a small fan heater for the bathroom may be wise. Thos attending are really looking forward to a great weekend away.

Lots of members have booked their places at our 60th Birthday celebrations which will be on Sunday 20th July, at Dimples Restaurant and Function Centre at Tea Tree Gully Golf Club. If you have not done so, already, please do this as soon as possible, so we can lock in numbers. As previously advised, this will be great celebration of an amazing 60 years of history and should not be missed. Please see the flyer in FasTrak regarding booking for this very special event. There is a $10 discount for the first 100 registrants which is still available.

Orders close for the special shirt being offered to members to celebrate our 60th Birthday at our June meeting. This costs $55.00 and must be pre-ordered. Please see details in FasTRak and on our website. These will be delivered at the July meeting, so those with shirts will be able to wear them to our 60th birthday lunch.

Finally, Dean Berlemon gave us the exciting news that this year’s Day of Triumph will be held at the National Motor Museum, Birdwood, on 21st September

Alex Smithson
President

The year 1959 was a great year for cars. The Mini and the Ford Anglia were both launched, but the show was stolen by the advent of a remarkable little car that would sell around the world and form the basis of a whole breed of popular saloons and sports cars; the Triumph Herald.

The Herald was unveiled in its original 948cc saloon and coupe versions at the Earl’s Court Motor Show in April 1959. A kitten-healed Miss Triumph demonstrated the front-hinged bonnet, revealing the whole of the engine and front suspension, while a coupe revolved enticingly on a turntable, showing off sleek Italian styling with large areas of glass and two-tone paintwork. It would herald (pun intended) the start of the 1960’s.

More spectacular still was a night at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Bob Monkhouse. Four specifically trained Standard-Triumph apprentices appeared carrying pieces of a Herald. In less than four minutes, they had assembled a fully working car and driven it off stage. The audience was stunned into an astonished silence before rapturous applause brought the apprentices back on.

The amazing assembling act was refined down to three minutes, repeated at European motor shows, and the Herald was launched in style. A newspaper critic asserted that “the Triumph badging sets it in a class above the outgoing Standard 8 and 10 range, which always conveyed an air of ration books and boiled cabbage”.

There was nothing “boiled cabbage” about the Herald. This was the sleekest of Italian chic, distilling sporty glamour of Ferrari and Maserati into an everyday four-seater saloon and delivering it to British buyers as a practical and affordable car.

It has been designed by Giovanni Michelotti, who was commissioned by Standard Triumph to produce a totally new model to set the style of the forthcoming decade. His prototype body shell arrived in Coventry on Christmas Eve, 1957. When the directors saw the almost unbelievably pretty coupe on their studio turntable, they were so delighted, they downed tools and went out to celebrate.

There is an industry legend that the car was named Herald after the Managing Director’s yacht. There was certainly no design by committee. Production models scarcely differed from Michelotti’s concept, showing the excellence of his design and willingness of his employers to accept original genius. Michelotti’s monogram would appear on the chrome bonnet-release catches of all Heralds and the Vitesse, Spitfire and GT6 models that followed.

Prototypes were driven the length of Africa from Cape Town to Tangier, generating much publicity and showing the reliability of then new cars. When they appeared in Britain’s showrooms, they caused a clamour of excitement. At just over £700, the Herald was priced above some of its competitors but embodied an enviable cachet of sportiness and modernity.

Despite the rakish body, huge rear window, all-round independent suspension, white rubber bumpers, distinctive fins, hooded headlamp covers and overall “swept wing” appearance, the Herald was not as modern as it looked. Standard-Triumph had decided to take what many considered to be a retrograde step of building their new car with a separate chassis rather than use the monocoque style of construction like other major manufacturers.

The idea was to facilitate assembly of different variants including saloon, coupe, convertible, estate car and van using a common chassis. The benefits to future generations of classic car enthusiasts have included superb accessibility giving ease of working and comparatively simple repair and restoration. If a car’s body can be unbolted from its chassis, every panel and component including the chassis itself can be repaired or replaced and many Heralds have undergone more than one “body-off” rebuild to keep them going today.

The gigantic, 1,000-feet-long factory was built at Canley in the West Midlands with a state-of-the-art paint shop and three parallel assembly lines. It was completed in 1960, cost £2 million and built more than 500,000 Heralds along with all the Triumph Vitesses, Spitfires and GT6’s.

The earliest Heralds were slightly underpowered, and their interiors lacked refinement, but subsequent models were given bigger engines, better carpets and wooden dashboards. Sales took off. The cars were especially popular in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand: some were even built in Italy for the European market. A version called the Gazel was successful in India.

The now much- sought- after coupe was discontinued in in 1964 – it was deemed to be in competition with the Spitfire, but Herald saloons and convertibles were produced through several upgrades until 1971, the final 13/60 model being the most powerful and best equipped.

I have had a long and happy relationship with the Herald. After learning to drive as a boy on disused airfields, a yellow Herald was the first car in which I “went solo”. In the early years of the 21st century I bought a 1962 Herald 1200 and shared it with my mother as a four-seater running mate for my Spitfire 1500 which had been bought new in 1980. Its dazzling red and white paintwork led some fellow enthusiasts to dub it “Santa Claus’s Herald. It was a stylish and lovable car, and I understand it is still on the road with its current owners. When I drive my Spitfire today, I know it would never have existed without the Triumph Herald.
You’ll always smile when you see a Herald. It has the air of an English Sixties girl smartly suited in Italian clothes with a dash of Fifties glamour. It is rightly valued as a pretty, practical and affordable car.

Note: this article was published in “This England” magazine, Winter 2019 and was provided to TSOA SA by Tom Olthoff.

Thanks to David Stephens and Ivan Powell for bringing their immaculate, but very different TR2’s to have on stage at our April meeting. David’s car was restored over more than 3 years in Victoria, starting as a relatively small engine bay project, but ending up as a full restoration. This must now be one of the best TR2’s anywhere and has a high degree of originality. It has won several awards at national TR Register meetings.

Ivan’s TR2 in contrast, is a tribute to its racing heritage in the Mille Miglia in Italy and is quite heavily modified. It is also in great condition and turns heads wherever it goes.

As advised at the April club meeting, the executive committee has decided to increase subscriptions for 2025/26 to $60.00 for full members and $30.00 for social members.

We are forecasting a modest operating loss for 2024/25, and we have budgeted some $2,000 for subsidies and other costs associated with our 60th birthday lunch and related celebrations in July. We expect other costs such as hire of Sporting Car Club rooms, and administration systems and insurance to rise next club year, so a modest increase in subs seems appropriate.

Our subs in 2018/19 were $75.00 for full members and were reduced during COVID, as many club activities were suspended at that time. We have managed to keep subs at a low level since then however we now believe a small increase is appropriate. TSOA is still one of the lowest cost car clubs in South Australia, and my thanks go to our treasurer, Lisa Macleod who has been able to keep operating costs down and subsequently, maintain low subs.

You should have received an email advising that these subscriptions are now due, and we ask all members to pay these promptly, and by 30th June at the latest. Lisa has a big job in keeping track and receipting 240 members’ payments, and it is unfair if she needs to chase late payments. Please try to make her job as easy as possible.

We had a great run to Stockwell in the Barossa Valley on Sunday April 6th. Thanks to Katherine Bradley and husband Derek for organising such a great run, which was very well attended. Unfortunately, I had mechanical problems on the North South Motorway coming home and spend some 3 hours at the start of the exit ramp to Port Road, waiting for a tow truck. A new alternator has however now fixed the problem (I hope).

Also, thanks again to Lawrie and Kaye Placing for arranging another well attended mid-week lunch to The Green Man Inn at Ashbourne on 10th April.

Lots of members have already booked their places at our 60th Birthday celebrations which will be on Sunday 20th July, at Dimples Restaurant and Function Centre at Tea Tree Gully Golf Club. Although still a little way off, we are looking to lock in attendees, so please book early. This will be great celebration of an amazing 60 years of history and should not be missed. Please see the flyer in Fastrak regarding booking for this very special event. There is a $10 discount for the first 100 registrants, so get in quickly.

There is also a special shirt being offered to members to celebrate our 60th Birthday. This costs $55.00 and must be pre-ordered. Please see details in FasTRak and on our website.

We now have a workable proposal for the 2027 Nationals, and after the 60th Birthday is behind us, a committee will start the planning for this event. Thanks to those who have already volunteered to join this committee, and please see me if you also wish to be part of the 2027 team.

The Weekender will be in Burra in the first weekend of June. This is always a great event, and Bill and Margie Berlemon have, as usual, arranged an exciting and full program at an amazingly reasonable price. I believe there are still a couple of rooms left, so please contact Bill or Margie if you would like to attend.

Alex Smithson
President

Thanks to all TSOA members who attended All British Day on Sunday March 2nd. It was very successful with a good turnout of Triumphs from our club, as well as TR Register and The Stag Owners’ Club. We had good weather and no incidents, unlike a couple of years ago.

Special thanks to ABD Committee member Stephen Wade for all his work on the organising committee and the layout of the TSOA display on the day. Also thanks to Dean Berlemon and Lisa Macleod for being marshals from the start, and Lisa for bringing the gazebos, cones etc. She overcame major (modern) vehicle problems with her car being stranded on Saturday with electrical problems, and she had to borrow her mother’s car to bring all the gear. This was dedication from Lisa above and beyond the call of duty.

Numerous members helped on the day with the setting up and dismantling of gazbos, and this was greatly appreciated.

Planning of our 60th Birthday celebrations are well under way with a 2-course lunch planned for Sunday 20th July, at Dimples Restaurant and Function Centre at Tea Tree Gully Golf Club. Member Sue Dowden, who is also the financial controller at the Club is helping with organisation of the event and giving us an extra special deal. We are aiming for a big turnout of existing and past members for this very important event.

Noel Schmidt has used his creative flair to design a logo for special regalia for the event, as well as a great poster. I hope that all members will try to get to this lunch, celebrating an amazing achievement of 60 years. Please see the flyer in Fastrak regarding booking for this very special event. There is a $10 discount for the first 100 registrants, so get in quickly.

Vice President Richard Sellers has circulated the new Life Membership criteria to all members and has made some minor changes as a result of this feedback. The document will now be adopted by the club and will be available on the club website.

As previously advised, the 2025 TSOA Nationals in Port Stephens NSW are fully subscribed, but there is a waiting list. Please see me if you want any further information. I have also been advised by TSOA Queensland that planning is well advanced for the 2026 Nationals, at a location is west of Brisbane.

Our turn to organise the TSOA Nationals comes up again in 2027, and although this seems a long time away, we need to start planning now to make sure we can put on a high-quality event. We have limited options, as we need a venue with 50 rooms, and with access to a range of activities and dining options for 100 people, at a reasonable price. As many attendees tow their cars on trailers, secure parking for tow vehicles and trailers is also a necessity.

I am looking for volunteers to join an organising committee. We have some “old hands” already on that committee, as well as some newer members who have volunteered, however new ideas and enthusiasm would be gratefully appreciated. Please see me if you wish to be part of the 2027 team.

The executive committee will consider the budget for 2025/26 prior to the April meeting and set subscriptions for next club year. Subscriptions will be open after the April meeting.

Alex Smithson
President

We are back to our regular club program in 2025, with a well-attended February club meeting. There were three cars on stage, and thanks to members Charlie Onody, John Golding and Ron Corso, for bringing along a Mark 3 Spitfire, Herald coupe and TR3B respectively. Each of these cars are somewhat of a rarity in our club and it was great to hear their respective histories and be able to look at such well-presented cars close up.
As advised at the meeting, the new life membership criteria policy document has been reviewed by existing life members and will now be circulated to all club members for any further input. My thanks to Vice President Richard Sellars who has done a great job in instigating this initiative and preparing the document.

The committee has decided that the comparatively low numbers at the informal January meeting does not justify the expense of hiring the room at Sporting Car Club, and that we will look at having an off-site location for future January informal club meetings.

At the time of writing this report, the All British Day is scheduled for next Sunday, 2nd March. I know that our ABD committee rep, Stephen Wade has done a lot of work in the layout of the ovals, and the Triumph marque clubs (TSOA, TR Register and Stag Club) display area in particular. I am sure this day will be a great success, and I thank Stephen for all his work with ABD on our behalf.

The committee has agreed in principle to having a celebration lunch to commemorate the 60th birthday of TSOA SA on Sunday 20th July, and we will shortly form an organising committee. More details are to follow, but I would like to see this as a major celebration, and hope that many of our club members who we don’t see regularly these days will attend.

The date of the Christmas dinner has now been set for Saturday 22nd November, and we plan to again hold this function at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club. More details to come closer to the event.
Unfortunately, registrations have filled for the 2025 TSOA Nationals in Port Stephens NSW in October, and there is now a waiting list. Previous Nationals attendees were given the first opportunity to register, and all spots were taken by these previous attendees within a few days of release. If you are interested in being placed on the waiting list, or would like to know more about this event, please call me on 0412 823 798, or log onto the TSOA NSW website.

Social Secretary Natalie Farrell continues to organise great social functions, ably assisted by Lawrie and Kay Placing who are organising mid-week runs. The MSCA picnic on 23rd February and All British Day at the start of March has curtailed other club activities for this period, but we will be getting back into the swing of things on the 6th April. See Fastrak or the website for more details.

We have two of our life members, Bill Berlemon and Rory Gibson on the sick list at present, and both were not able to attend the February meeting. Both Bill and Rory have been stalwarts of our club over many years, and I know all TSOA members will join me in wishing them both speedy recoveries. We hope to see Bill and Margie, and Rory and Sue back at club meetings in the near future.

Alex Smithson
President

Welcome, all members to another year of TSOA. Although 2025 has well and truly started, this is our first Fastrack since November. We have already had several club events, including the After Christmas Run on 30th December and Ice Cream Run on 19th January. I was unable to attend either of these events, however I understand from our social secretary, Natalie Farrell that both events were well attended, with around 30 or so members and partners attending each event. The After Christmas run finished at the Blacksmith’s Inn at One Tree Hill, and the ice cream run finished at Fasta Pasta, Port Adelaide. The night of the ice cream run in particular, was quite hot, however I have not heard of any major car problems from any participants caused by the hot weather.

Thanks to Secretary Duane Kaak for chairing the January informal meeting, again in my absence. Due to a communication fail with Sporting Car Club, their management was not expecting us, and our normal barman, Jordan wasn’t there. Duane managed to get into our room, however wasn’t able to open the side gates to allow a car on stage. Ron Corso was going to show his Morgan however it had to remain outside. There was only a select (i.e. small) number of members present, so hopefully Ron can bring it along again when we can have it on stage and shown to a large group.

We are very grateful to Dino and Lisa Vettese for having members to their house on Australia Day, 26th January for a lunch put on by Dino and Lisa. There we around 25 members and partners in attendance and we had a great BBQ meal. Thanks to Dino, Lisa and son Andrew as head chef. It was Dino’s birthday and we were also able to celebrate this in fine form.

We look forward to the club’s continuing success in 2025, with numerous social events planned up until our AGM in August. Stay tuned for information about a celebration of our 60th birthday.

Alex Smithson
President