Christmas Gala - Tuesday, December 10th, 2019
The 2019 annual GBBCC Christmas Gala was considered a great success by all 66 people in attendance. A number of recently joined members as well as long time members enjoyed a very nice sit-down turkey dinner provided by the newly appointed catering firm.
Again, this year Wayne Buttery provided superb music which resulted in an extremely busy dance floor. Graeme also prepared a continous slide show with about 400 photos of some 19 past GBBCC 2019 events. Draw prize winners were Paul Hurst, Erna Holgate, Ann Smith, Martina Shaw, and Henny Bimblich (accepted by Joe).
The food donations and money to the Salvation Army Food Bank was a great success (best ever) and it took four of us to deliver it all next day to Major Evenden.
Ear Muff Run - Wednesday, October 30th, 2019
24 GBBCC members took part in the final cruise event of 2019 - the annual Ear Muff run.
The event began with a gathering of ear muffs and other unusual head attire, as well as motor cars, in the harbour at Thornbury.
PC Bill and Prisoner Sharon showed us their handcuffs, whilst Don and Cathy fashioned the latest “bee-style” head gear. David Niven (aka Paul Green) also joined the team, whilst Graeme scooped the trophy with his devilishly different head gear.
Led by Mike and Gillan, we took a short but rainy drive from Thornbury to Walter’s Falls. Whilst the weather was disappointing, everyone enjoyed some good conversation over a fine meal at the Walter’s Falls Inn.
We attracted 5 Jaguar cars on the day, and a sole MG, as well as more regular daily drivers. No one was brave enough to lower their convertible tops - not even the German soft top that managed to slip in
Fall Colours Tour – Thursday, October 17th 2019
John and Scott organized a great car tour to see the wonderful fall colours. Despite a damp start to the day, a group of 21 members with a total of 12 vehicles (7 British cars) met at the Edenvale Aerodrome.
The weather improved and the tree colours were magnificent. We were led by John, with Scott at the tail end, on a lovely drive of about 60 miles along beautiful, quiet backcountry roads through the Oro-Medonte area.
We ended up at the Amiche Restaurant in Craighurst, where we all had a good lunch. Many thanks to John, Erna and Scott for this very enjoyable cruise.
Adopt A Road Fall Cleanup - October 6th 2019
Twenty five members turned out to assist in the cleanup which was completed without incident. While we had an unfavourable weather forecast, the rain held off and no one got frostbite! At the conclusion, several members gathered at our meeting place and we were entertained by a number of hilarious stories regarding the pieces of trash that had been found in the ditches. The judges chose stories from Ian, Fred and Paul who each received appropriate prizes. Many thanks again to Bill and Sharon for all their work in running this event.
We then proceeded to the Arkless' beautiful home and thoroughly enjoyed a "Cake and Coffee" apres cleanup soiree. YUMMY! Many thanks to Gillian and Mike for opening their home to us and being so hospitable.
Chartwell Georgian Traditions - September 11th 2019
Our show and shine visit to Chartwell on September 11 was very successful thanks to Jim. Jim led a convoy of 12 beautiful GBBCC cars (7 with co-drivers) to Chartwell and we arrived all together before 4:00 pm and stayed on display until after dinner was served at 6:00 pm. The event had been well advertised at Chartwell and many residents took advantage of the sunny weather to visit our group.
Thank you to all of the participants. Chartwell was very pleased and have "threatened" to make this an annual event!
King Place Retirement Living, Midland - September 8th 2019
Bud, Wayne, Jane & Graeme met behind Tim Horton's in Collingwood. Led by Graeme, they made their way to Elmvale where Jim joined them for the drive to Midland. They entered Midland by driving through the very beautiful Little Lake Park and met other members (Tom & Lin, John, Fiona, and Barry & Judi) beside the Midland Curling Club. Our 8 British cars joined many North American classics including several Corvettes at King Place Retirement Living where we were met by our past, long time GBBCC member Basil. We were made very welcome by the residents and ate a delicious BBQ in the grounds of the home. Basil's daughter Tracy and her friend David joined us and we had a most enjoyable afternoon. After leaving King Place, several members went with Tom to see his wonderful collection of Austin Healeys, including Tracy's old Bug Eye Sprite which he had procured several years ago.
GBBCC Annual BBQ - August 18th 2019
Our annual BBQ was held at the home of Kate and Doug Simpson. A smaller than usual crowd was in attendance. Still, 41 members and guests enjoyed a wonderful sunny and warm day.
Brian Wootton was on hand once again to conduct the Corn Hole Challenge. The challenge was won this year by 'Team Healey', which consisted of Yvonne Pryor and Mike Arkless. This keeps the title in the Arkless family for one more year! Many thanks to Brian for being there again to provide leadership for this event.
Burger Bob and Dianne did a great job ensuring all were well fed. Thank You!
Thanks also to Bill Rogers for again being the official photographer. Please note, the group photo is not a true representation as we had a number of members who wandered off to the parking area inspecting our LBCs (Little British Cars) during the group photo time-slot.
Gathering of the Classics (Edenvale) August 10th 2019
Early morning on August 10th, about 18 GBBCC members with their British cars met at the Community Centre parking lot at Sunnidale Corners. The group, led by Bill Rogers then left in convoy and travelled to the Edenvale property where we were directed to a parking area near the east-west runway. A number of additional GBBCC members joined us at the site. We were also joined by a number of cars driven by members of the Toronto Triumph Club.
The weather was bright and sunny, but there were very strong gusty winds out of the southwest which we were advised may have been responsible for a lower number of small aircraft in attendance. In any event, there were a number of very interesting miscellaneous aircraft and open cockpit airplanes on display.
The star of the show was the presentation of the replica AVRO ARROW RL203 which looks monstrous when you get up close to it.
It was a great day and we suspect that attendance records were broken for the number of classic cars attending as well as a record for the high number of spectators.
2019 Blues Fest Car Show July 13th 2019 by the Kincardine & Area British Car Club (KABCC)
Paul (1965 MGB) led Don (1976 TR6) and Graeme (1967 MGB) from Collingwood to Kincardine early on Saturday morning, arriving in time to register for the Blues Fest Car Show on the main street. There was a great collection of British classic cars, varying from a Lotus Espirit, Jaguars (including an E-type), Morgans, MG TD, MGA, MGBs, MGB GT, MGB V8, Morris Minor Traveller, Triumph Spitfires, TR250, TR6, TR7, GT6, a Bentley Continental Coupe, etc.
We had a very enjoyable day chatting to the various owners, visiting the various displays on the street, listening to the wonderful Blues artists performing at different stages throughout the downtown area.
Paul and Donna with Graeme and Jane stayed after the car show and took part in the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band parade in the evening which was friendly and very enjoyable. The pipe band, founded in 1908, is believed to be the oldest street band with unbroken service in Ontario and has led the renowned summer Saturday night parades since 1948.
July 8th 2019 – GBBCC July Monthly Meeting
With great weather, over 20 members showed up with their British vehicles for our "Show & Shine" in the parking lot at the Blue Mountain golf club. It was a great display of cars although there were a couple of “For Sale” signs. Many members enjoyed a good “Burger Bob” buffet supper before our meeting which started just after 7 pm.
OPP Constable Martin Hachey gave us a very good presentation of some of the issues of driving in our area and then he opened up to an active Q&A session. He is quite a “gear head” himself and actually he brought his beautiful yellow Mustang. Following his very interesting talk, Mike showed us photos of great vintage cars, many being British classics, taken at the VARAC 40th Anniversary Vintage Grand Prix at Mosport last month.
We had our regular agenda items including the introduction of two new members to our club. There was a photo review of five successful past events (see description and photos below). The club calendar is busy for the summer and should prove to be great fun.
July 8th 2019 – GBBCC July Monthly Meeting
With great weather, over 20 members showed up with their British vehicles for our "Show & Shine" in the parking lot at the Blue Mountain golf club. It was a great display of cars although there were a couple of “For Sale” signs. Many members enjoyed a good “Burger Bob” buffet supper before our meeting which started just after 7 pm.
OPP Constable Martin Hachey gave us a very good presentation of some of the issues of driving in our area and then he opened up to an active Q&A session. He is quite a “gear head” himself and actually he brought his beautiful yellow Mustang. Following his very interesting talk, Mike showed us photos of great vintage cars, many being British classics, taken at the VARAC 40th Anniversary Vintage Grand Prix at Mosport last month.
July 3rd 2019 - Headwaters British Car Club Hill Climb Re-enactment
Eight GBBCC members made the trek down to HBCC territory on Wednesday, July 3rd with clear skies and warm temperatures. We travelled by convoy towards Hockley, but the convoy broke up quickly as two vehicles had to stop for a bathroom break at Poplar S.R. and #124. After the break, the two freshly dewatered cars then took off east on Poplar rather than join the convoy patiently waiting on #124. The convoy then proceeded on the predetermined route towards Rosemont where the two dewatered cars turned up, and once again joined the convoy.
The convoy leader then proceeded south on the concession which runs from Rosemont to Hockley remembering that it was paved, but there was no pavement to be found (an unpaved road but with not a lot of loose gravel). The GBBCC convoy met the HBCC group at the school and then after a brief drivers meeting, headed out to the hill climb site. Not as many cars as in previous years. Peter almost got run off the road by a big black dump truck.
We then proceeded in a large convoy to the home of Ed, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch on Ed’s back patios. Ed has a large piece of property, and away out back was a clearing which would be about 100’ x 200’ onto which we found a dirt path in the shape of an oval with an old Dodge diesel pick-up truck. Visitors were invited to drive the truck around the track to see who could do it the fastest. Much fun! Then, the drivers were invited to drive across the ”X” trails in the center of the track forming a figure of “8”. More fun! By this time, we had to head on home but when we were leaving, the remaining group were preparing to do some timed runs on the track, in reverse! We made it home in time for dinner.
Canada Day July 1st 2019
The Canada Day Parade in Clarksburg/Thornbury was undoubtedly the best attended ever with 19 GBBCC member vehicles. A temperate day meant that all finished without incident - also a record! Following the parade, approximately 14 members reconvened at the Thornbury Harbour to watch Gord Price's incredible air show.
Mike and Gillian invited all back to their house for some 'nibbles and libations' - well attended and much appreciated! Thank you Mike and Gillian
June 27th 2019 - Cruise and Tour of Heritage Estate Winery
Six cars drove from Collingwood on some interesting backroads to meet up with other members, including our leader, Jim at the Elmvale Community Centre. Jim led a total of 11 cars (17 people) on a very enjoyable cruise to Heritage Estate. The weather was very good and the convertibles had their tops down.
At Heritage Estate, we were given a tour of the facilities by a young Guelph student. This is a fairly new winery (founded less than 5 years ago) and we sampled some of their ciders and wines. We were shown their processing facility, including the pasteurization equipment which Peter (the owner) describes as his "Lamborghini" due to its high cost. Jim then led us on a short cruise to the Amiche restaurant in Craighurst where a dozen of us enjoyed a very good lunch.
Many thanks again to Jim for organizing and leading another great event.
June 22nd 2019 - Cruise and Visit to Model Railway Club
Bob led eight British cars on an enjoyable morning cruise from Thornbury, south along Beaver Valley, across the causeway at Lake Eugenia and back on the Pretty River Road ending up at the Nottawasaga Model Railway Club, headquartered at Bygone Days on Sixth Street in Collingwood.
Three other GBBCC members joined us there and we spent a great time with some of the Model Railway club members looking at their marvelous reproductions. The club’s HO scale setup has its emphasis based on CN’s Meaford sub-division which ran from Allandale in Barrie to Meaford. This features the Collingwood area and its shipyards during the era of 1955 to 1965 when CNR transitioned from steam to diesel. Many familiar buildings and businesses are included in the model railway setup, including the Collingwood Terminals, the Craigleith Depot, as well as the fish ladders in Thornbury. The technology of the new model railway systems has certainly advanced, since many of us had model layouts back in our younger days.
Many thanks to Bob for a very good and enjoyable event.
Visit to Micro Cars – June 15th 2019
Despite the weather, 8 people gathered in Collingwood and drove to Elmvale where we were met by our leader, Jim. Six cars (including two Jaguars and one MGB) had a lovely cruise to near Coldwater for a great show of microcars and minicars. Fortunately, the rain held off and we had a wonderful time looking at these great vehicles and talking to their proud owners.
A microcar / minicar is typically a small vehicle with less than 850 cc engine displacement or fewer than 4 cylinders or fewer than 4 road wheels. We then had a lovely drive to Craighurst, where we were joined by Jim’s wife and friend and we all enjoyed a good lunch. After lunch, some of us then visited Chelsea Chocolates and purchased some amazing treats.
This was a very enjoyable outing and many thanks to Jim for organizing it.
Adopt-A-Highway Spring 2019 Cleanup - May 5th 2019
It was a bright and sunny morning with a moderate outside temperature which made it comfortable for 18 members attending this Spring Cleanup. There was some concern early in the week that there would not be enough attending, but our cries for help were answered. A fair amount of roadside litter was picked up including a kitchen/bathroom sink with all of the taps, etc. A few prizes were handed out to members who had found some interesting items. This is a great event for our club to participate in helping the local community.
First Event of 2019 – April 25th Evening Cruise to Eugenia
18 GBBCC members and partners took part in the first cruise event for 2019 - a drive from Thornbury harbour through the Beaver Valley to the Eugenia Falls, followed by dinner at The Flying Chestnut Kitchen. The weather was quite splendid and the warm temperature ensured that roofs were lowered and sun glasses worn! Following from the recent heavy rain and with additional contributions from the snow melt run off, Eugenia Falls showed at its very best - almost like a small Niagara Falls. Some local members noted that they had never seen so much water coming over the falls - it was quite the sight, as the photos show.
The service and meal at The Flying Chestnut Kitchen was excellent and there was a good level of social activity. Altogether a most splendid evening - many thanks to Mike and Gillian for arranging the weather, the drive and the restaurant !
The British Car Council developed the Order of British Car Enthusiast’s (OBSE) award for member car clubs to nominate one of their members for this recognition annually. The club member should have demonstrated great enthusiasm for, and robust knowledge about British cars, as well as much enthusiasm for club meetings and club events at the member club level.
At our January meeting, Mike Arkless made a presentation of the British Car Council’s OBSE Award. The GBBCC Executive had petitioned to have a dual award presented, and this was granted. After a summary of their contributions, both in the creation of GBBCC and of its ongoing operation, Mike presented OBSE Medals to Graeme Wallace and Bill Rogers. A warm round of applause and good wishes came from all those in attendance.
Last year, the OBSE Award was presented to Brian Bailey.