I trust you have all recovered from the Xmas and New Year festivities.  Mairi and I spent this time with our grandchildren, our daughter and her husband in Singapore!  Hot and sticky, but very pleasant none-the-less.

In the last Newsletter I reported that Watt Gray had had a heart attack.  I am delighted to report that since then he has had by-pass surgery and is doing very well.  Another cardiac casualty was our Hon Vice-President Alan Carlaw who, over Xmas, developed heart problems requiring the insertion of stents.  Fortunately, he too is now doing well.  Everyone, I’m sure will wish Watt and Alan both a speedy and complete recovery.

On a lighter note, I have just received information from member Jack Davidson who has just created a new website, which went live on 28th January (see below).  It contains images Jack has taken over many, many years.  He has accumulated in the region of 50,000 negatives – mainly of motor sport, and more recently something like a further 50,000 digital images which are NOT motor sport.   Not all of his 100,000+ photographs appear in the new website.  Have a look, apart from the sections on Motor Sport there are many very interesting images.

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Some of the other items of news this month –

New Members

Death of Members

V.S.M.A. Members’ Database changes

Other interesting sites to visit

2014  A.G.M.

More on the 2014 Reunion

2015 Highland spring Run

YouTube Clips

Amusing Bits and Pieces

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New Members:

I am delighted to welcome the following to membership of our association.  Some details on these members can be found on clicking their name –

Rosemary Smith from Dublin
Anthony Reid from Oxford
Ken Wallace from Edinburgh
Robin Wallace from Edinburgh
Raddy Sarafilovic from Bearsden, Glasgow
Rob Wilson from Yarm, North Yorkshire

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Death of Members:

You will remember from the email I sent out from Singapore that David Black had died just six weeks before his 100th birthday.  I am pleased to report that a few of our members were able to attand his funeral in Perth. Thanks are due to Barry Crichton who provided an obituary on David.

Thanks are also due to Graham Gauld who also kindly provided information on JockRussell for writing Jock’s obituary.

Another death to report was that of Bob Flockhart from Bearsden who died on 11th August last.

Details on all of the above can be found in  the Past Veterans Section.

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Changes:

Below are changes members have submitted –

    Tom Coffield,jr has changed his address
    John Clark moved from Aberdeenshire to Fife
    Brian Park has moved to Alford
    Bob Baillie has moved AGAIN back to Mauchline !?
    Jack Davidson’s has a new email address
    David Robertson has a new email address
    Jim Murray has a new email address

All these changes can all be found in the Members and Details section or by clicking on the member’s name.

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Interesting Sites to visit:

Apart from Jack Davidson’s new website, there is another site which Jimmy McInnes apparently has spent a few hours visiting on line –  Philadelphia Motor Museum , which he highly recommends.  Great details of many vintage and veteran cars.

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Annual General Meeting, 28th November:

Again this was held in Boyd Tunnock’s premises in Uddingston.  We were delighted to welcome a few stalwart members to swell our numbers!  As you would expect from such an event it passed without any upsets or outbursts.  Indeed the main topic after the election of Directors and Office bearers, was the quality of the spread Boyd had again provided – truly excellent.  Bob Baillie would certainly recommend the pies!  There were no changes in  the Directorate – McInnes, Chairman; Baillie, Vice-Chairman & Treasurer; Parker, Secretary;  Board Members – Adele & Duncan Paterson, Kenny Allen, Hugh MacKinnon, Andy Watson, Charlie Young, Barry Crichton and Donald Gordon.  Boyd was duly thanked for again allowing use of his premises.

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2014 Reunion:  

Shortly after the last reunion I posted a review of the Reunion on the November 2014 Newsletter, and as usual, urging them to have a look!.  After reading the report John Stuart kindly emailed to say that he found the report interesting and the named photos very useful.  He regretted that he had met very few of those present but it was good to put faces to names.   He also said that he had competed in stage and road rallies in the 70s and 80s, he would go back to historic stage rallying tomorrow if he could afford to.  Just now he has had to content himself with an annual outing to the 4 day Rally Costa Brava Historic, a ‘regularity’ rally likened to Motoring News events of old!   2014 would have been his 5th time but the event moved from April to October and he could not make it that time.   Good to hear John that you are still active.  Below is a snap of John in his vintage Austin on the event.

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2015 Highland Spring Run, Friday 27th to 30th April:

In case you have deleted or misplaced the email with the details of this event, here they again-

 Entry Form

Bob’s Letter

ASRs

Hotel Booking Form

Click on one of the above to upload its PDF

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YouTube Clips:

Just a few, which are best viewed in Full Screen and maybe with the sub-titles on.

Cheap Flights   –   a lament!	Click here
A few minutes of undiluted joy!	Click here
Southwest Airlines Safety Presentation  –  certainly NOT from Ryanair	Click here
Not sure what this fellow’s up to but………..  It will make you smile!	Click here
Finally, one for most of our older members  –  or maybe those not so old!	Click Here

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Amusing Bits and Pieces: Just a few this time probably from our Chairman, Jimmy McInnes (I think).

Bird Strikes

Researchers for the Ministry of Transport found over 200 dead crows near greater Manchester recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone’s relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu.
 
The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts. However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colours of paints appeared on the bird’s beaks and claws. By analysing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with lorries, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.

MoT then hired an Ornithological Behaviourist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills. The Ornithological Behaviourist very quickly concluded the cause:  — when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.
 
They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout “Cah” “Cah”, not a single one could shout “Lorry.”  !!!

[At least now Jimmy wont be able to use this one on the Spring Run -one hopes.]

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Snow Ploughing in Dublin

On a bitterly cold winter morning an Irish husband and wife in Dublin were listening to the radio during breakfast. They heard the announcer say, “We are going to have 8 to 10 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the even-numbered side of the street, so the snow ploughs can get through” so the good wife went out and moved her car.

A week later while they are eating breakfast again, the radio announcer said, “We are expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow today. You must park your car on the odd-numbered side of the street, so the snow ploughs can get through” The good wife went out and moved her car again.

The next week they are again having breakfast, when the radio announcer says, “We are expecting 12 to 14 inches of snow today. You must park….” Then the electric power went out. The good wife was very upset, and with a worried look on her face she said, “I don’t know what to do. Which side of the street do I need to park on so the snow ploughs can get through?”

Then with the love and understanding in his voice that all men who are married to blondes exhibit, the husband replied,  “Why don’t you just leave the car in the garage this time.”

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Blonde Handy Woman

A young girl in her late teens, wanting to earn some extra  money for  the summer, decided to hire herself out as a “handy woman” and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighbourhood.   She went to the front door of the first house and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do. 
“Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint the porch” he said.  “How much will you charge me?”  Delighted, the girl quickly responded, “How about £50?”

The man agreed and told her that the paint, brushes and everything  she would need were in the garage.  The man’s wife, hearing the conversation, said to her husband,  “Does she realise that our porch goes ALL the way around the house?”  “That’s a bit cynical, isn’t it?” he responded. The wife replied, “You’re right. I guess I’m starting to believe all those dumb blonde jokes.”

A few hours later the blonde came to the door to collect her money…. “You’re finished already??” the startled husband asked.  “Yes,” the blonde replied, “and I even had paint left over so I gave  it two coats.”
Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the £50 and handed it  to her along with a £10 tip.

“Thank you,” the blonde said, and, by the way, it’s not a Porch,  it’s an Audi.”

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That’s all folks………………. !

Stuart Parker, February 2015

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