It was an early start for the members of the NSWTC who were displaying their Torries at All Holden Day 2007 at Clarendon, opposite Richmond Air Base. Previous years have shown the later you arrive, the longer it takes to enter the gates, so we thought arriving extra early would alleviate this problem. Alas, it was not to be! With over 750 Holdens entering this year’s show, it took a long time and overheated a lot of the old girls whilst waiting to enter this event.

Luckily, our members’ Torries entered with no problems, until James Davidson, Scott’s son who was driving the red LJ, went to reverse into his allotted spot. With lots of hand gestures towards the steering wheel and nothing happening, it was discovered that the steering coupling had broken right there and then; how lucky was he that it didn’t happen on the way to the event? It was thought another one would be easily come by via the swap meet, but it was not to be, and with a bit of nous and ingenuity, a temporary fix was made so that the Torrie could at least be driven to Mick A’s at the end of the day for proper repairs to take place when the appropriate part had been secured (isn’t it amazing what a couple of hair pins and stockings can fix? How Scott came across these items is a bit of a mystery).

It was very cold in the morning to start with, but soon warmed up to allow some layers of clothing to be removed, and even though a cool wind persisted throughout the day, it was a perfect day.

Michael Muller was a late arrival after having to pull out of the waiting queue to enter and have a cuppa. Apparently, the queue went back to McGraths Hill, so we’re told. After a beautiful reversing manoeuvre in his LC XU-1 (Michael’s a truck driver), we were all in place.

There was a huge range of Holdens on display and with over 750 entrants, it was the biggest All Holden Day ever. The beautiful weather brought a large spectator crowd and our Club’s Torries certainly received a lot of attention. It was also good to catch up with our friends from other clubs, ie the Sydney Torana Club, the President of the Canberra Torana Club, Laurie, and the Central Coast Holden Club.

We were joined by some mates of Dean Byrnes:-

• Sam & Brett in an orange HG Monaro.
• Thommo & Craig in a silver HK station wagon.
• Corey in a blue LX Torana.

Members who popped-in during the day to say hello were:-

• Reno Emanuele.
• Lisa Aldridge + ¾ of a baby Aldridge.
• Rick & Sharyn Longdon.
• Mark & Michelle Warren.

Thanks guys for stopping by and supporting your Club.

Congratulations go to Ian Williams, who didn’t display with us on the day, but managed to pick up a trophy. Well done Ian! Also, congratulations are extended to Craig who was in the HK station wagon, who also was a trophy winner on the day. Good one Craig!

James Davidson joined as an Associate Member on the day; welcome aboard James. Hope the LJ is repaired and on the road again.

Exiting the event following the trophy presentation was a nightmare and most of us elected to hang around and wait until the bulk of the crowd had left. It made for a long day, but a good one and we look forward to an even bigger and better All Holden Day 2008.

Those members who displayed their Torries:-

• Michael Aldridge in Michael Velo’s purple GTR.
• Les Wilson in his blue LJ.
• Bob Byrnes in his barbados green L34.
• Scott Davidson in his chrome yellow LH SL/R L32.
• James Davidson in his red LJ.
• Michael Muller in his red LC XU-1.
• Dean Byrnes in his blue 308 SS Hatch.
• Greg & Lexa Hawkins in their white/black SL/R 5000.

Pics can be seen in the Gallery Section.

Greg.