Holden Retirees Club

 

The GM-H Motoring Clubs

Motoring Clubs were setup at most GM-H sites during the 1950's, but perhaps the most active were at Fishermens Bend and Woodville.

GM-H Motoring Club at Fishermens Bend

The GMH Motoring Club at Fishermens Bend was one of a variety of social organisations which evolved at Holdens during the post-war period. Clubs ranged from a very active RSL branch, sporting interests such as bowls, football, cricket, golf, basketball, skiing, recreational activities, angling, photography, theatre group, and many others.

A quick scan through the early People magazine reveals an amazing diversity of social activity. Regular dinner dances were held in the Fishermens Bend Social Centre under the umbrella of the company sponsored Sports and Social Club and catered for by the company canteen. 

The GMH Motoring Club commenced life at Fishermens Bend in 1951. 

Engineering and manufacturing engineering people were prominent in early club activities.

People records the first President of the Motoring Club was Gordon Eastwood, Engineering Technical specifications, followed by Bob Archer. Bob was the product engineer in charge of Frigidaire product based at the Bend until 1956 when the Frigidaire operations were consolidated at Dandenong. He features in the December 1953 issue of People introducing a group of famous Redex rally drivers at a motoring club meeting.

Club activities included 8 or 9 navigation rallies, treasure hunts and Motorkhanas, Concourse D’Elegance, a variety of social meetings and annual interstate economy runs between South Australia and Victoria.

The Dandenong Motoring club evolved as a separate group but we seemed to do most things together. South Australia and Sydney were completely independent clubs but we did get together at Easters, the first visit to Woodville may have been as early as 1955.

Stuart Dobbyn was FB President in the middle fifties with John Bey as Secretary. They were also club rally champion driver and navigator.

Easter 1957 two young couples from Engineering participated in the Mobil sponsored Economy Run from the Bend to Adelaide hosted by the very active GMH SA motoring club.

L to R, Noel Dight, Julie Grenfell (Dight), Jill Saddington (McInnes), Marc McInnes. 

Noel Dight left Holden to become a very successful Holden Dealer, Noel Dight Motors in Lilydale.

In early 1958 Marc McInnes became the next president, John Bey remained secretary with Jim McAuliffe Treasurer. The club membership grew to over 500 with the incentive of discount fuel from Mobil leading to the introduction of durable membership cards:

Membership numbers were also boosted by Motoring Club members being given complimentary RACV road assistance coverage. At its peak, the club membership was near to 1000.

The June long weekend was reserved for the annual GMH Alpine Trial, first recorded in People August 1957. Photos have come to light indicating 1956 was the first of what in those days was a trial of drivers and cars as well as navigators. From 1958 years the event was renamed the Mountain Trial to distinguish it from the venerable Light Car Club of Australia's annual Alpine Rally.

Marc McInnes and secretary Jim McAuliffe were club rally champions in 1958/9.

Competition became more serious and the club became affiliated with CAMS and the One Make Car Clubs and engaged in combined activities with other clubs such as Volkswagen and MG.

In the early sixties with Tony Roberts as president with enthusiastic support from Bob Watson, Jim McAuliffe and Peter Haas, the club members became more engaged in open rally events and were assigned a Holden Dealer EH S4 rally car for the last 3 events in 1963 and the 1964 season. With Marc McInnes, they alternated in the HDT car and their own for all the state championship events. Roberts, Watson and McInnes were all classified in the top 8 rally driver for the next season.

The rest is automotive sports history, Tony and Peter were State Champions in 1966, Bob and Jim went on to win three successive Victorian Rally Championships and become National rally champions in 1970; and Tony and Bob scored the new Holden Monaro’s first race win at Sandown in 1968 in Tony’s privately owned car and finished third outright in the Bathurst 500 in the same year. 

Gary Hawkins and John Rosengrave continued Engineering’s leadership of the club during the sixties.  Bob Watson and Jim McAuliffe were made Life Members of the club in September 1976.

(Contributed by Marcus McInnes and Bob Watson)

 

 

The GM-H Woodville Motoring Club.

 

 

The GM-H Woodville Motoring Club was instigated in November 1954. 

The following notes are recollections from S.A. members, mainly Graham Gibbs and Glen Virgin.

A wide range of events was held, mostly non-competitive, as even back in those days members were conscious of probable effect on insurance policies if there were any damage claims as a result of participating in motoring club events. 

Some of the events were: Treasure/Scavenger hunts (find how much a block of ice weighs, collect a pine cone & other unusual items).  Also, Navigation runs involving travelling from point to point using given six digit locations on Army Ordinance survey maps, and Fuel economy runs with a few driving skill tests on ovals or beaches. 

In one of the regular Easter Motoring Club events, (around 1963), members of the South Australian Motoring Club travelled to Melbourne to join the Victorian Club for the long weekend.  The SA participants used the trip over as an economy run, which Ashleigh Ford is believed to have won.  On Saturday night, a cabaret was held in the GMH Dandenong canteen in conjunction with other sports groups from both states.  On Sunday, a Motorkhana was held on an oval somewhere in Melbourne, with the group travelling back to Adelaide on the Easter Monday. 

In the mid 50’s, Woodville Motoring Club members included - Bob Stephenson, Johnny Oye, Don Cook, Bill Kemke, Fred Kerr, Rex Nicks, Ira Phillips, Ted Beerworth, Ken Virgin, Neil Cruishank, Merv Coad, Ken Davey, Mick Adams, Dick Simpson, and many others. 

In the early-mid 60’s members also included: Trevor Beythien, Des Trowbridge, Terry Simon, Trevor Hicks, Ashleigh Ford, Graham Gibbs and others.  Also said that Ted Beerworth’s son Pat, also participated in some events.  Membership numbers had grown significantly to this time. 

Ken Virgin was a South Australian Volkswagen Racing identity, racing regularly at Mallala, competing against the likes of Norm Beachy, Bob Jane, Clem Smith, & Harry Firth.  Ken also competed in car trials, gymkhanas and drags.  Ken’s son Glen, also was very competitive in drag racing, clocking impressive times during the 1970’s.  Ken was a keen member of the GM-H Woodville Motoring Club in the 1950’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Contributed by Darrell Thomas)