The
Proprider - Page 3
“Proprider” is
the registered name of the Victorian Speed Boat Club monthly magazine.
EDITOR/SEC:
Raymond W. Loon
Commodore: Keith Jenkinson
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COVER PICTURE … By courtesy of Bob
Wilmot
VULTURE, owned
and driven by John Lewis is seen in what is probably one of the best action
photos taken of this hydroplane since it has come on the scene.
This picture
may have been taken during the last Kilo trials held by the V.S.B.C. when
John earned his 100MPH badge by recording 105.8 MPH during his run which
is not too bad an achievement for a 5 litre motor.
This also makes
VULTURE a force to be reckoned with in the BP UNLIMITED CUP on the 28th
October at Lake Eppalock, which is the first Major race of the new season
and promises to be quite a hotly contested event.
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If you have
managed to read this issue of the Proprider so far, it will mean that
after you have finished reading it, do not let it go out of your sight,
you have a valuable property in your hands…
It’s
the October 1973 Issue which will probably become a collectors piece,
because it is the first time that the Proprider has been printed on our
own Offset Printing Machine.
True! …
At last we have one that is technical minded, a Multilith 1250, obtained
for the Club at a very reasonable figure by our genial Race Secretary:
Ron Willshire, who put in an unbelievable amount of work to get it for
us.
Getting the
machine tuned out to be the easy part of the job, but trying to get it
shifted into my office at my home was impossible.
Never the less,
we did get it in, but only by the valiant efforts of Ron Willshire, Ron
Hull, Alan Dick, Max Bullen, John Lewis and with myself playing the very
important role of showing them where to place the machine.
At the very
least, it would have to weigh something like half a ton, and I called
for assistance from these boys on a Saturday night, (The Proprider
– Page 4) around 8pm, when just starting to relax after
returning home from a working bee (making the playground equipment).
I would not
be telling the truth, if I said they agrees to help with good grace, because
the phone turned purple with the shocking oaths and phrases that were
uttered, why I don’t know, because it shouldn’t have been
that much trouble. After all, Ron Hull was only just about to sit down
to have his dinner, and I just caught Max Bullen as he was about to get
into the bath after which he was going to waste time by going straight
to bed…
Anyway , when
they arrived, they only had to lift it off Ronnie’s trailer, up
six steps, around through the passage and into the office. As I said before,
it wasn’t easy, but they did it. Thanks again to all you guys.
As well and
the printing machine, the Club now has an IBM electric typewriter, with
which this issue is being typed on, and also through the kindness of Tom
Barnes, we now have a WET Copying Machine, which will enable me to make
all the plates that may be necessary to cope with all the Club’s
printing requirements.
Maybe you don’t
think we should have got all this equipment, but at let me tell you why
we have.
Last financial
year, the V.S.B.C. spent close to $3,000 on printing alone. This was made
up by such items as the Proprider, envelopes, letterheads, pit passes,
invoices, programmes (including the Griffith Cup), social tickets, etc.
With our own
machine, I should be able to chop that figure down to a reasonable amount,
as we will be paying for materials only, and I am hoping to be able to
include a bigger photographic content in future issues with the help of
Tom’s copying machine.
The only thing
al this equipment will not do, is compose articles that can be printed
in the Proprider. That has to be done by you chaps. Once again I must
appeal for help in this department, you’ve let me down again…
nothing from Formula Ford… 100 ci… 225 ci… 266 ci…
5 litre… and Unlimited (John Lewis is excused this once, with a
new arrival expected any time… but only just this once John).
After all,
this is supposed to be a racing club, and people expect to be able to
read racing news or topics, they should not have to put up with me filling
up space like this.
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The
Proprider – Page 4 A
MEMBERSHIP
DRIVE………..John Lewis
Whilst the
Club membership has not been reducing over the last five years, it has
not increased anywhere nearly as rapidly as we would like to see.
The V.S.B.C.
are conducting all the major Unlimited racing held in Victoria, which
is without doubt the best racing to be seen anywhere in Australia.
We also run
Club meetings, and now Aquacross to cater for quick Ski-boats and newcomers
to the sport.
Our home waters
at Albert Park and Eppalock are without doubt the best available in Victoria
for the purpose for which they are both used.
The other meetings
we conduct at Yarrawonga and Nillacoote are both well known and followed
by boaties from throughout all States.
Our Clubrooms
are centrally situated and are being used more often by our enthusiastic
Social Committee; who are now holding excellent evenings with a wide variety
of appeal to everyone.
The Club also
has an excellent and active Ladies Committee, who have been of tremendous
help to the Club, and have assisted in such things as: Working on the
gate and ticket box at Eppalock, raising money and running Social Evenings,
preparing and selling food at race days and social events, etc. etc.
We also have
an excellent camping area at Eppalock, which has been improving rapidly
over the last two years, and now boasts the addition of a Diesel powered
Electric Generator to supply permanent electric power to the area.
Eppalock is
an excellent area to get away from it all on weekends other than race
meetings, when water skiing, fishing or just plain camping may be enjoyed.
We need, as
a Member, that friend or friend of yours; you know (The Proprider
– Page 5 AD) those friends that follow all our events,
both social and racing. The one’s that should have been members
years ago.
How about putting
a little bit of pressure on them to join up?
Each month,
in the Proprider, a new tally will be shown. There are now 225 ? ? ? members
as of the 20th October 1974 (note to reader – this was the date
mentioned but it is obviously not correct). Each of us should be
able to gain at least one new member, so let’s give it a big push.
How about twenty
new members to be shown in next months Proprider?
Enclosed with
each Proprider in future, will be a Nomination form for your use.
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NEW MEMBERS
Here is a list
of new Members who have joined the club over the last few months:
Phillip Walker, Neil Northfield, George Cogdell, Alexander Trevascus,
John Egar, Standley Grunden, William Miller, Ian Jarvie, Alan Denham,
Keith Livesay.
Welcome aboard
chaps.
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After complaining
about John Lewis earlier in this issue, re no articles from him this month,
(He did tell me that he couldn’t write articles and have babies
at the same time), he shows up last night with a stack of material which,
he insists, must go in the Proprider.
So, the call
goes out “Stop the presses”, so we stop and start again. Next,
our Commodore has something, “that must go in the Proprider”…
Stop again, restart.
“We must
have Crashboats for the BP UNLIMITED CUP, put it in the Proprider”
is the demand from our Vice Commodore, Stop etc. This is why some pages
are numbered AD (after deadline)
The
Proprider – Page 5
EPPALOCK
REPORT..............John Lewis
The last working
bee at Eppalock was again very successful, with approx. 12 workers on
the Saturday, and more than 50 on the Sunday.
All work that
we hoped to have done during the day, was actually completed by 1.30 pm.
Then we started on work that wasn't even listed; then we even reached
a stage where we had to find work.
The result
was excellent, and to all of the 60 or so Guys who assisted, goes a big
thankyou. The workers names are too numerous to mention in the Proprider,
but a special thankyou is due to Jack Long who used his own 15 yard Semi-Tipper
to transport all of the equipment and gear to Eppalock. Special thank-you
also to Roger Andrews, who used his own Concrete Mixer Truck to transport
approx. 5 yards of concrete from Melbourne to Eppalock.
Coming up,
we have another working bee on Saturday 27th October, the day prior to
the BP UNLIMIMTED Race Meeting. The work to be done is as follows:
1..Install chain wire mesh on 540’ of fence line. (Poles are installed)
2..Installation of flags, bunting, banners and signs.
3..Installing the buoys for the race course.
4..Installation of Generator (if possible)
On Sunday 14th October, the
club purchased a second hand Diesel driven Alternator for supplying Electric
power to the site. The single phase 10 HP Alternator set is complete with
Diesel engine, drives, generator, switchboard etc., and is mounted on
a heavy steel frame and weighs half a ton.
Previously used at a lodge
by a ski-club who had no further use for it, with the installation of
SEC power. We were able to purchase it for $620, complete with spare engine
bits.
At this early stage, the unit
appears to need a few minor repairs, and we have hauled it to Keith Jenkinson's
factory in South Melbourne, so as to be available for a working bee on
it and also for Bob Bell to take a quailied look at the Electrical side
of things.
The alternator produces 9 K.V.A.,
which in laymans' terms, is "a Bloody lota juice", and is equal
to what the SEC would have provided at a cost of nearly $6000.
Because of the
size and noise of the generator, we believe it best to install it in a
specially constructed shed, well away from the main Camping Area, probably
adjacent to the top toilet block. (The Proprider – Page
6) This will then mean, that we again require the services of
several good Electricians and a further working bee to install the generator,
shed, overhead wirin and poles etc.
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OFFICIAL 1973/74
A.P.B.A. RACING CALENDAR ...... John Lewis.
There are now
86 Boat race meetings to be conducted between September and June. How
can we expect an amateur sport to carry this many meetings and still be
successful?
There are probably more Race
meetings, than there are race boats. Is it any wonder that smaller boat
clubs are ceasing to exist, or have cancelled any further race meetings.
(Such as Nagambie and Bendigo) Also many country clubs are trying to hold
a meeting with only 7 or 8 boats participating.
Obviously, there are at least
four times more meetings than we could comfortably afford to have, that
is, if we would like to see interesting and competitive racing.
All clubs must share the blame
for the current situation, although the V.S.B.C. appears to be the main
offender with 17 dates on the calendar. Melbourne Runabout Club = 8, Hazelwood
= 6, Geelong = 7 etc
The large number of meetings
held by the V.S.B.C. has been enlarged by the addition of the new Aquacross
meetings. Whilst Aquacross is worthy of a position on our racing calendar,
added to our presently overcrowded calendar, it may bust at the seams,
The V.S.B.C. has already received unfriendly letters and complaints from
other clubs in regard to this matter.
Perhaps it is time the A.P.B.A.
had the power to limit each club to a maximum number of race meetings,
that is if they are able to stop fighting amongst themselves, long enough
to be able to see what is happening to us boaties.
Perhaps if there were only
one meeting, three weeks apart, we would see a worthwhile races, instead
of 2 or 3 meetings each weekend spread over all of Victoria.
On a brighter note for the
V.S.B.C., we are the only club in Victoria conducting major meetings,
now that Bendigo have dropped the Kimbolton Cup. These are: The BP Unlimited
Cup, Yarrawonga (2.), Nillacoote, Griffith Cup, and Gold Cup.
The only big race meetings
ether than those above, are the Victorian and the Australian Championships,
which usually turn out to be an all (continued on page 15) |