Author: Terry Jones

On an unseasonally wet, cold and windy November 14th, the South Australian area of the AMOC held their penultimate run & lunch for 2021.

The forecast had been poor for days before and was also poor for several days ahead with daily maxima in the teens when the average for November is in the mid 20s – strange weather indeed.

This did not deter the hardy 22 members and friends who braved the weather to meet at the Burnside Council Car Park at 10am. The run had been organised by members Harley and Annette who provided detailed run sheets. We were joined by member Matthew who advised he was currently ‘between Astons’, having sold the one he had owned and he was now looking for another. Unfortunately Matthew couldn’t join us for the run but he did introduce a friend, Phil who had recently purchased his first Aston Martin, a V8 N430. We were also joined by well known and respected DB7 owner, Trevor who was accompanied by his navigator, Alan, who had the distinction of previously working for Aston Martin at Newport Pagnell in the late 1960s!

We started our run at 10.30am, heading up Greenhill Rd and we were soon into the lovely Adelaide Hills, driving on twisting roads through Summerton and Uraidla and then onto Lenswood, Cudlee Creek and Williamstown before reaching our destination, Lyndoch. Our lunch destination was the Lord Lyndoch in the lovely Barossa Valley town of Lyndoch. The Hills were a lovely shade of green, perhaps not surprising given the recent rains and cool weather but the damage from the horrific fires that started near Cudlee Creek almost 2 years earlier were still very evident. We certainly have very varied weather in South Australia.

Our run was a little shorter than some and hence we arrived at our lunch venue a little earlier than usual but this gave us time enough to get seated, order our drinks and chat before lunch arrived.

Area Rep Terry Jones thanked Harley and Annette for organising the run & lunch and the group applauded their efforts – all agreed it was a good run and the lunch venue was very much ‘up to expectations’. Terry congratulated members for their hardiness as he and Harley suggested members could bring any ‘significant other’ they had in their garage but most drove their Astons! Terry welcomed visitor Phil to our group and he urged members to make him feel welcome. Phil advised he had been made most welcome already and that he intended to join the Club – this was warmly greeted by all.

Terry went on to advise our final meet for the year was to be held on December 12^th and the venue was to the Saltram winery – the venue we were supposed to enjoy at the Stately Affair that had to be cancelled due to COVID outbreak in Victoria. This meeting was to be our annual AGM and Terry advised he would be standing again for position of Area Rep at that meeting.

Terry also advised we should be soon receiving notification of an EGM that would afford us the opportunity to vote on the most significant changes to the AMOC Committee of Management in very many years. He encouraged all members to examine the detail and lodge their vote as the Club needed sound management desperately.

The final piece of business was the James Bond movie and dinner that Terry H had organised. The group were advised to get their menu selections into Terry H asap as he needed to advise the restaurant tomorrow. The dinner and movie was being held on Thursday the 18^th and was a ‘black tie’ affair with a two course meal after which we will walk into the Wallis cinema and enjoy the movie that has already grossed over $700million!

The business over, we all enjoyed our food and wine for which the Barossa is justifiably famous. Terry H and Terry J, both drivers of 70s Astons made sure they chatted to Alan, former draughtsman at Aston Martin, who shared a few stories of his time working with David Brown and Tadek Marek. They both hope to have further opportunity to hear more of his time at the ‘spiritual home’ of Aston Martin.

After a very successful meeting, we all made our way home as the afternoon sun shone through the grey clouds.

On October 1st 1946, a tiny, three line advertisement was posted in the Times newspaper, London.  It was headed ‘High Class Motor Business’ in the ‘For Sale’ section and this tiny advert changed the course of motoring history.

David Brown saw the ad and after a period of negotiation, he took ownership of the company in February 1947.  He invested a lot of money and energy into the company that could have become yet another British Car maker to ‘bite the dust’ in post war Britain.  Under his ownership, the company introduced new models, achieved significant racing success, especially at Le Mans in 1959, became James Bond’s favourite car and the initials DB became an integral part of the company’s car line-up.

It appears that the 75th anniversary of this sentinel event had been largely forgotten but South Australian Area Rep Terry Jones remembered.  He initially intended that the anniversary would be the focal point of the Opening Dinner for the Stately Affair that was planned for the October long weekend in the Barossa Valley.  Unfortunately, the event, that is an annual event held between South Australia and Victoria, had to be cancelled due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in Victoria.  It was too late to organise an alternative event and so he advised members they should celebrate the event in their own inimitable way and then take a photograph and provide a back story and enter it into a competition.  Terry  couldn’t decide between two entries and so both were declared equal winners.

Members Sally and Neville were presented with a framed copy of the page in the Times that contained the ad and members Andrew and Brenda were presented with a numbered bottle of limited edition Chardonnay that was made for Sir Stirling Moss by Tony Parkinson of Pennys Hill Winery.   Sally and Neville’s entry was of them holding a copy of the advertisement in front of their Aston Martin Vantage while Andrew and Brenda’s entry was of Grandad and Grandson looking in the engine bay of their Aston Martin vantage for any sign of ‘DB’ (see photos).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry had an offering of his own that was not eligible for a prize due to him being the Area Rep and adjudicator.  Terry advised the assembled members at the October 24th run to the Pretoria Htel in Mannum that he had written a poem.  Terry cautioned members that this was his first poem and would likely be his last and members were generous in listening as he read it.  The poem appeared to be well received and most members actually applauded – see below for the poem.

 

Terry’s poem entitled ‘The three line advert that changed our lives’

On October the first in late 46

An ad appeared, it read like this

“High Class Motor Business” for sale

But of the marque, there was no detail

 

Many saw it and a few wrote in

The answer they got was ‘it’s ASTON MARTIN’

David Brown was but one, keen to see

A racer himself, he thought ‘It could be for me’

 

To Feltham he went to visit the factory

He thought the Atom, & staff most satisfactory

The engine was weak but he’d fix that later

By answering an ad in a later paper

 

But pay 30k? – not this man from up North

Huddersfield, where they know what money is worth

He offered twenty no more would he pay

His rivals vanished and Brown won the day

 

Brown set his sights on victory no less

In ‘59 at La Sarthe came his greatest success

The Ferrari’s broke down leaving Aston the prize

Shelby and Salvadori won Le Mans by miles

 

Aston was sold due to shortage of loot

The cars dropped ‘DB’ and bore ‘AM’ on their boot

DB was revived after two decades

By the new owner, Ford, thanks to Gauntlett and Hayes

 

Aged 89 in Monte, David Brown he did die

Went to the ‘High Class Motor Business’ lounge in the sky

But DB lives on in the names of our cars

Excepting the ones it doesn’t, of course

 

So DB describes our 2s to 11s

I suspect the Great Man himself admires them from heaven

He’s proud of the part he played in the story

Of James Bond, Will & Kate, and Le Mans glory

 

The High Class Motor Business goes on and on

Building cars in Wales, entering Formula One

Electric is next, not sure its for me

Without a V8 sounding ‘surly’

 

Seven decades later and the ad was forgot

Except those South Aussies, the colonial lot

They remembered the ad and raised a glass

And recalled those 3 lines from 75 years past

On Sunday October 24^th, 28 members and friends of the South Australian Area of the AMOC met at the Bridgewater Inn for the regular monthly run & lunch. The weather was fair with just a few drops of rain in the morning but periods of lovely sunshine increasing as the afternoon progressed. Several members took the opportunity to grab a coffee and/or toilet break from the Inn while others chatted and admired the assembled 14 cars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The former Area Rep, Chris had organised the run with ‘ a twist’ – namely that he had chosen two runs – one shorter and the other longer so that those members who wanted to ‘stretch the legs’ of their cars, as well as those who were happy to ‘cruise’ along were both catered for.

At approximately 10.30, Area Rep, Terry Jones called the members to order and invited Chris to tell us about the run. In addition to the shorter and longer routes, Chris also advised there was a particularly nasty cross road where visibility was very restricted. Chris had arranged for Terry to act as ‘traffic cop’ at this intersection to ensure members did not come to grief. Chris also advised of a potential speed camera that he had noticed the previous week (well done Chris!).

Members set off with odometers zeroed for the 120km (long) vs 80km (short) run, at first through the twisty Adelaide Hills that later became flatter and straighter as we approached Mannum, our destination spot located on the majestic River Murray.

We had reserved car parking at the Pretoria Hotel, on the riverbank that was more than adequate for our needs and from where there were lovely views over the river with a few speedboats towing skiers, a large houseboat and a few pelicans sunning themselves.

Our dining venue was on the outside balcony that overlooked the river and it was separated from other diners by heavy plastic curtains that did a good job of sound deadening and keeping the heat (from the overhead gas heaters) in. After scanning-in with the obligatory QR codes, we ordered drinks and our meals and Area Rep Terry welcomed all, including new members Garry and Cici who had only recently joined the Club and were on their first run. He also bid a very warm welcome to long-time family member, Christiana, who had not been on a run with us for some months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next Terry thanked Chris for organising the run & lunch and the group warmly applauded his efforts that all considered excellent. Finally, Terry presented the winners of the competition for the best celebration of the Times ad from 1946 with their prizes. The competition had been designed to celebrate the 75 anniversary of the advertisement that had appeared on October 1^st, 1946. Members had been asked to take a photograph and provide some background to their entries and Terry advised he was not able to decide a single winner and so he decided to make two presentations. The first prize went to members Sally and Neville who had obtained a copy of the advertisement and photographed themselves holding this across the bonnet of their Aston Martin Vantage. Sally and Neville received a framed copy of the very page in the October 1^st 1946 edition of the Times that held the advertisement. The second prize went to Andrew and Brenda who enlisted their grandson in a vain search for the ‘DB’ in their Aston Martin Vantage. Andrew received a numbered bottle of limited edition Chardonnay made for the late Sir Stirling Moss by McLaren Vale winemaker, Tony Parkinson. Both winners thanked Terry for their prizes and Terry thanked them for their ingenuity and for entering into the spirit of the occasion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry then advised members that he had created an entry into the competition but as adjudicator, his entry was not eligible for a prize. He advised the entry was a poem and that he had never written a poem before and probably never would again. The members were happy to let him read this and they generously applauded at the end. Terry advised members that the poem and other entries would be posted onto our webpage in the next few days as well as submitted to the UK for potential publishing in the AM Quarterly magazine.

 

Members then enjoyed their meals and conversation. Terry advised the next run that was only 3 weeks hence, on November 14^th. He also advised he was awaiting information from Solitaire Motors about a possible celebration of the latest James Bond movie, No Time To Die.

At about 4pm, members dispersed after another very successful meeting.

 

After several months of thanking the ‘weather gods’ for great weather for our Sunday runs, we had no reason to offer thanks on this Sunday 12th September 2021.

The weather through the week had been great with maxima in the mid to high 20s and so Area Rep Terry Jones watched with a sinking heart as the forecast for Sunday got progressively worse each and every passing day. On the morning of the event, the forecast was tragically accurate and we suffered cold winds, a maximum temperature of 14 degrees, squally rain and even hail – the worst by far for the whole year.

With this in mind, Terry was very pleased that not a single member cancelled and we had 18 members/guests in 10 cars assemble on Maryvale Rd, Athelstone. Members Tony & Lynette had organised both the run and lunch and after thanking members for attending, Terry handed over to Tony to talk to the run. Tony advised us that there was a good mix of winding, Hills roads followed by open, straight roads before we reached our lunch destination, Angus Plains Winery just outside Langhorne Creek. He advised the final 1km or so of gravel road was in good condition and it was good to see the owners of all, including the newest, Aston Martins accepting this without even a shrug.

We set off on our 80km run but within a few minutes, the rain hit, followed by small hailstones and a strong, cold wind that persisted. The run took just over an hour and we were all glad to reach the winery and enjoy the warmth of the log fire and gas heaters. We had one problem with the directions, namely where Eckert Rd, as described on the map and run sheets, was signposted Cheriton Rd but this merely delayed our arrival by a few minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a tasting of the local wines followed by entree and main course of pizzas. Our lunch room was imperfectly shielded from the elements unfortunately but Terry found rotating between the heaters was sufficient to keep toasty warm.

Terry thanked members for attending (including 6 members who met us at the winery) and reminded them that the October event (the Stately Affair between Victoria and South Australia) had been cancelled due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in Victoria. Fortunately, former Area Rep, Chris offered to organise a run and he proposed the 17^th (later changed to the 24th) October as the date. Terry also advised members that he had started discussions with Solitaire (the local Aston Martin dealership) about a premiere screening of the much anticipated (and delayed) James Bond movie, No Time to Die. The movie was now set to launch in Adelaide in mid November and Terry advised he was hopeful we could arrange a black tie event with Solitaire Aston Martin to celebrate Daniel Craig’s last Bond movie.

Members then enjoyed the food and wine tasting and several bought a bottle or two to take home. The weather for our return journey was much milder and the sun even broke through on occasion!  Another enjoyable AMOC South Australia event.

On a cool but dry winter’s evening, 27 members of our Area met at La Tombola Restaurant on Unley Rd to enjoy each other’s company, food and wine, and to  hear of ‘developments’.

We were very lucky to have in attendance our youngest member, James, with parents Mathew and Liz.  James is but a few months old (see pic) and he was VERY well behaved. James attracted a lot of attention from’ older’ members and many took the opportunity to say ‘hello’ up close – we all hope that he continues his ‘membership’ for decades to come.

After a welcoming drink we ordered our food and then Area Rep, Terry Jones, welcomed everyone, noting the very good turn-out for a mid week winter meet.  Terry reflected that we had been very fortunate in South Australia to have been almost unaffected by the COVID pandemic when most of the other Areas of our International Club had not fared as well and this was very evident from the AM News reports from around the world. He also noted that we were so fortunate to also have, on or doorstep, the lovely Adelaide Hills to drive through and many restaurants & wineries who made us so welcome.

He did however note that we were not immune to loss and that in the last 6months, we had lost two of our longest serving and most loved members in the form of Pam Dyson-Harvey and Phil Moore. We had said our collective farewells to Pam at an earlier meeting but this was the first time we had been together as a group since Phil had passed and Terry asked Chris Harris to say a few words about Phil’s life. Chris told us of their friendship and of Phil’s modesty despite being the Australian Sporting Car Champion back in the 70s. Everyone who met Phil noted on his ‘trademark’ smile, good humour, love of cars, food, wine and family. We drank a toast to Phil’s life and the impact he had left.

Terry then advised of upcoming events including the Stately Affair and advised that rooms were running out quickly (19 of the allotted 25 already taken) and he encouraged members thinking of attending to not delay in booking at the Lyndoch Hill Hotel. He also called for anyone interested in organising a run to ‘put their hands up’ as there were a few slots left in the year that he had yet to organise.

Finally Terry briefly advised members on the outcomes of the Resolution signed by all members present at the same meeting 12 months earlier and the AGM votes that we had lodged approximately 3 months earlier. Terry advised that our Australian Representative, Bill Griffiths had been reinstated as a member of the Committee of Management (CoM) to which there was much applause and that Peter Saglietti had been voted on the CoM also. He advised this was good news as Peter had been charged with reviewing of the Articles of Association that contained the offensive clause that allowed the CoM to expel any member from the Club at any time without giving the member an opportunity to defend themselves. Terry also advised the former Chairman had been voted out and that the new Chairman was Anthony Oade and this was also positive. Terry did note however there were some areas of concern including that 2 CoM members who had been voted off the CoM had been co-opted back onto it by Anthony and that the CoM had effectively increased in size to some 24 members, many/most of whom were not elected.

Recognising that most members weren’t overly interested in the ‘politics’ of the Club and not wanting to spoil their evening further, Terry ended the discussion at that point but advised he was happy to answer any questions members might have on a 1 to 1 basis later.

 

The food and wine we received next was excellent and the conversation flowed freely. Through the large glass windows of the Restaurant we noticed the forecast heavy rain had arrived and that the view was now decidedly wintery. We departed for home at approximately 9pm