The Mighty MGs en route to Port Elizabeth - V8, MGs at rest in Lalibela Game Reserve. 1936 MG VA of Bill Daly from KZN in the Concours
MGC with Twin Cam on trailer on Tradouws Pass.
The Gala Dinner was again held at the Pine Lodge Resort, the
venue for the theme night. All the overseas guests gave
presentations, and Mike Allison gave a talk on his experiences at
Abingdon. Mike is a very good speaker, and was well received by
the international audience. I was a very worried bunny this evening,
as I had picked up a kind of throat/chest bug, which almost
rendered me speechless. I know a lot of you will find this difficult to
believe, but the show must go on! I presented 30th Anniversary
plaques to the Border and Northern Centres, and a 60th Sysum Junior doing a laid back Natal type Flower power in the Concours
Anniversary plaque to the Cape Town Centre. I also presented the
repair to the MGA exhaust. Comique – Cheri Deutschman
from Border.
African Nuffield Trophy to Port Elizabeth, and officially announced
the formation of the South Cape Centre. My voice just about held
out! Roger Lewis gave a presentation on the 2010 Indaba to be
held in Oudtshoorn – well away from the World Cup football!
The farewell breakfast on Monday morning was not the end of
my MG duties, as Ross & Antionette Lawson (Chairman South Cape
Centre) with Anne Allison in their double cab works bakkie (LDV),
Mike Allison and I in the MGB GT V8, and George & Liesel Winter
in their MGB Roadster hit the road towards Knysna. George & Liesel
had very kindly offered to put me up for a couple of nights so I could
see a bit of Kynsna, and attend the first official meeting of the South
Royston Goodman of JHB giving his TD some welly in the Driving Test.
Cape Centre as a Centre in its own right. Mike and I spent some I really found this trip rewarding for the amount of ground I
time on this trip wondering why our paths had not crossed before, covered, and the number of old contacts I re-established. It was
and as Mike said in his speech at the inaugural meeting, it was fitting rewarding to finally meet the Allisons, to see the Bushs, the
that it should be a truly international meeting. Prior to the meeting Holloways, the Martins, the Thomas, and the Charltons from
we were taken out on the Knysna Lagoon to see the Heads which England, the Wongs from Malaysia, Betty & Gerhard from Holland,
guard the Lagoon. Knysna used to be an important port for timber the Godwins from the Gold Coast of Australia (sorry I was a bit
which was shipped to Cape Town – this was until Lloyds of London slow on the recognition uptake there guys), and of course Marcus
refused to insure ships making the dangerous passage between the & Ursula from Switzerland who I had only seen at the Swiss 60th
Heads. On the way out to the Heads we witnessed seals with young Anniversary in Zug three weeks before this event – congratulations
feeding on a shoal of fish – magic! once again on being married! Many thanks on a personal level to
Wednesday morning saw me driving the 500kms to Cape Justin & Caroline Moore for their hospitality, beer, gem squash, and
Town on my own in Justin Moores’ V8, which is a really nice car loan of that lovely maroon V8, and to George & Liesel Winter for
that I have known for many years in the ownership of the late Ted their hospitality in Knysna.
Young (JHB). The weather started out glorious, but as I got nearer South Africa to me is still just like going home, and if you have
to Cape Town, it deteriorated rapidly. Just before Sir Lowry’s Pass, not been then start saving now for 2010 – you will not regret it!
I had an exciting moment in driving rain when a very large male
baboon ran out into the road, and started dancing in front of the Brian G Woodhams
traffic. His sheer bulk would have made a mess of any car, but
fortunately he left me alone – some kind of protest or a death wish?
That evening I attended the Cape Town Natter in Pinelands, and
re-presented, in front of some very familiar members, the 60th
Anniversary plaque to Chairman, James Reinhardt, who
unfortunately for business reasons could not attend in PE.
On Thursday I had lunch with old friends – Ralph & Hilda
Clarke. Ralph is the former Leyland South Africa General Manager
and former owner of the Doreen Evans R Type. Ralph took me
for a ride in his beautiful MG NA that I had last seen as a rolling
chassis, and showed me his workshop in his new home.
Sysum Coupe in its new very environmentally green livery!
www.mgcc.co.uk NOVEMBER 2008 Safety Fast! 69
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