At 10am on a cool winter’s morning, some 30 AMOC members and guests assembled in the carpark of the Crafers Primary school in the Adelaide Hills. A variety of Aston Martins that spanned 60 years of Aston Martin production were present including two new DB11s and two not-so-new DB4s. Three other members (including Area Rep Terry Jones) drove ‘improper cars’ due in two cases, to mechanical problems with their ‘proper cars’ but there were no complaints from the friendly group.
Drive sheets had been emailed to allow members to print their own – a safer COVID 19 practice than handing them out on the day. Terry reminded members to maintain physical distancing and noted that in South Australia we had been very fortunate to have very few cases of the coronavirus while our colleagues in neighbouring Victoria had not fared so well. For many days now, many hundreds of new cases had been reported and several deaths, especially in nursing homes had been reported. It is a stark reminder to all that any slip in ‘safe operating procedures’ can allow the virus to gain a foothold and spread.
Our drive started in Crafers, then headed south on some lovely Adelaide Hills roads that afforded views of the hills and valleys that extended down to the sea. We drove through Ironbank to Clarendon where we ‘picked up’ local members Andrew & Brenda Paterson then we drove on to Meadows. We then turned north on Battunga Road that, being flatter and straighter, should have allowed a more spirited drive than the twisty, undulating roads that we had traversed thus far but there was some traffic that slowed us somewhat. Worse was to come when our route was blocked by a police vehicle and we were required to take a detour. Fortunately Adelaide Hills resident, Phil Moore was in the lead and his knowledge of the local roads was sufficient to get the convoy back on track just before Mylor. A final turn onto the narrow, twisty Aldgate Valley Road led us to our luncheon destination, the Aldgate Pump pub. We had done this run in March, just when the COVID pandemic was starting. Our anticipated numbers were dramatically reduced as a consequence but the Aldgate Pump were very understanding and Terry thought the run should be enjoyed by more members and the pub should have more of our custom. We had a room to ourselves and conversation flowed freely, the a la carte menu was good and the local wines and beer were enjoyed also. Terry thanked all for attending and advised that the next run would be in 4 weeks time. He also proposed a vote of thanks to Phil for returning the convoy of lovely Aston Martins to the planned route after the road was blocked – we learned later that there had been a fatal accident on the road that required a road closure.
Assistant Area Rep, Terry Holt joined us later (after attending the Bentley Driver’s Club run) and he asked members sign a get-well card for AMOC member Conrad Fletcher who had had surgery in recent days. We were happy to hear he was progressing well.
We had a set time slot (because of COVID restrictions) from 12.30 to 2pm but that was adequate for our needs and as the clouds started to descend, we naturally disbanded to head for home after a lovely run. Many noted that we were very fortunate to reside in South Australia where we have virtually zero COVID cases, where we have close proximity to the lovely Hills with its great drives and where we produced some of the best wines and beers available. And Terry suggested we drove some of the best cars and had some of the most congenial AMOC members to share our common interests.
