Parades & Displays
Some of our parades and displays include the All MG Day, Concours, Christmas and Australia Day Parades and others.
Parades & Displays Coordinator
Lynden Burns
Coordinator
Email: lynden052@gmail.com
Our Club on display at Adelaide Oval
Our club was recently contacted by the Port Adelaide Football Club asking for 2 suitable vehicles to participate in the retired players parade at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, March 22nd for the Port Adelaide, Richmond game. Popular players, Charlie Dixon, Trent McKenzie and Tom Clurey were the players nominated by PAFC for the event which included a new MG Cyberster and 2 MGBs.
We were given very short notice for the event and finally settled on 2 of our newer club members and regular members’ meeting attendees, Keith Willsher and Julian Stevens to uphold the club’s reputation in front of a large Adelaide Oval crowd.
Both drivers commented on the crowd participation and felt that most of the people were in fact cheering on the 2 MGBs and not the important passengers they had on board. The cars entered the stadium from the eastern access point and completed a full lap at walking pace before farewelling the passengers at the river end.
Many thanks to Susan Smith, Senior Partnership Account Manager of the Port Adelaide Football Club for the invitation to participate in such an important event.
Parades and Displays Happenings
Our year has certainly got off to a flying start with members out in their droves driving their MGs while the sun is still shining.
Our first major event, the popular All British Day at Echunga was held on Sunday, March 2nd with a strong MG Car Club representation covering most models. 56 members entered for the event but due to a clash of dates with other club events, some people were unable to attend. The weather was perfect even though early morning showers threatened but became a minor sprinkle as the entrants began to arrive. Our usual marshals, Steve Spong, Ken Burke and Leigh Albertson did a sterling job supervising the cars with our new “trainee”, Adam Kretchmer watching intently before he gets his marshal’s badge next year. Sadly, my MGB was a late withdrawal as the starter motor failed just after I had finished packing for the event but luckily, it happened at home. It was a typically well organized event with no traffic congestion and our thanks go to the organisers for arranging a very interesting family day in the Adelaide Hills.
The next major event, the Jaguar Drivers Club British Picnic Day at Birdwood on Sunday, April 27th Is proving to be very popular as well with over 200 cars currently entered with the strong possibility of the event reaching it’s capacity of 250 prior to entry closure on March, 30th. If you want to be included, I suggest you enter quickly to avoid disappointment. Our club already has 40 cars entered. The easiest way to enter is via our club website and simply enter and pay $5 online. You will receive your entry pass on completion followed by an emailed receipt. It is a family event where even the family dog is welcome. As we are still awaiting a decision on barbecues, I will notify entrants after the closing date on March,30th with that decision and complete details on our club’s planning for the day, including traffic and entry details prior to entering the Motor Museum premises.
As most members will know by now the committee has established a Process for Parades and Displays format whereby all registered members will have an opportunity to be a part of parades and displays where a limited number of cars are requested / invited. This is due to restrictions being put in place by some councils and organisations as to the number of vehicles that can be accepted in parades. Information has been published in the magazine and website to register if interested, and those people will be invited to participate in a “first in, best dressed” for each event. I currently have 22 registered members who will be a part of the pool.
by Lynden Burns
Registration of Interest
Periodically the Club is invited to provide MGs – usually half a dozen – for various displays and parades. The Committee has decided to create a pool of members who are interested in taking part in these. If you’ve been involved in this way before or not, please register your interest by notifying our Parades & Displays officer, Lynden Burns, via email lynden052@gmail.com. This invitation is open to all MG Car Club SA members.
Lynden will then seek relevant information from each Pool member such as preferred contact details, car details etc. When an event invitation has been approved by the Committee, Lynden will send details via SMS each member of the pool asking if they want to take part. Responses must be via email and will be accepted strictly on a first in – best dressed basis.
There’s no simple way of selecting six cars from a membership of nearly 1,000 and the Committee spent a lot of time on this before agreeing that the above process is best and fairest.
Stephen Marlow, President.
Wow… What a month November was… Runs, Rallys and Races!
The month was a combination of Runs, Rallys and Races with significant attendance from our club. First up was the famous Kimber Run on November 3rd, hot on the heels of the Bay to Birdwood in late October. A number of club members entered the Bay to Birdwood including the special appearance of Joy and Anthony Pearson, in commemoration of Joy’s exploits at the Mallala Ladies Day event in August. Numerous club members unable to enter were seen along the route happily cheering on the MGs as they headed off from West Beach.
The Kimber Run, was again meticulously organized by Ken and Heather Burke. Their planning took the run from West Beach to the Aldinga Football Club for morning tea and then through the picturesque Fleurieu Peninsula to the Encounter Bay Football Club for lunch. A total of 180 members and guests in over 100 MGs participated in the much loved annual event. Plans are already underway for the 2025 event.
The popular Adelaide Rally 2024 was held from November 8th to 12th encompassing some of the state’s best competition stages. The MG Car Club was again one of the most recognized volunteer groups involved in the Regroup divisions of the event. There were around 400 rally entrants from across the State and beyond and over 350 volunteers. Our sections under the leadership of Leigh Albertson and Neville Daniel, Regroup Managers, carried out numerous positions during the event including traffic control, parking control, entrant directions into and out of the short regroup breaks, timing and recording of entry and departure times for crews. MGCC volunteers were…Heather and Ken Burke, Neville Buttler, Alan and Sandra Cardnell, Michael Dilliom, Lynden Burns, William Doudle, Mike Greenwood, John Illingworth, Jeff Jeanes, Graham Lehman, Dick Manning, Stephen Marlow, David McNaughton, John Roach, Stephen Spong, Berry Treffers, Mark Whibley, Willem Daniel, Neville Daniel, Geoff Glasson, and Leigh Albertson. From all reports the event went very well and will be again supported by our club in 2025. If anyone can spare a day or two next November, your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
On November 10th the rising classic motoring event, the Yankalilla Classic Motor Show was held at the Yankalilla Showgrounds attracting a large contingent of over 200 classic cars of various makes and models. The family orientated event in only it’s 4th year is rapidly becoming a must go-to event in the busy month of November. Unfortunately this year it clashed with the Adelaide Rally but organisers were still rewarded with large crowds and a great display of classic cars. There were a number of MGs in attendance and we will continue to promote the 2025 event.
Again our club was well represented at the Vailo Adelaide 500 with a magnificent display of 13 of the club’s V8 powered vehicles in the V8 Nation section, just opposite Bartels Road and within close proximity of the notorious Turn 8 into Dequetteville Tce for the Supercars. The event was organized by Laurie Houghton and brilliantly executed at short notice with assistance from the club participants. The colourful new MGCC marquee proudly promoted the exhibition of some of the club’s finest vehicles.
Next up on November 24th was the Onkaparinga Christmas Pageant, a journey of about 700 metres along Beach Road to the Esplanade at Christies Beach. Unfortunately, since Covid, councils have reduced vehicle numbers and increased restrictions on these events resulting in only 6 MGs being able to participate. Regardless, the parade was a spectacular success for the community with thousands of families lining the route. Members and passengers were, Ken and Heather Burke, Arthur Ruediger, Keith and Wendy Willsher, Vera Robjohns, Adam Kretchmer, Callum Marshall and Lynden and Christine Burns. The cars looked resplendent with top marks going to Vera who spent many hours decorating her MGB and travelling to the event from Coromandel Valley in it’s full Christmas attire. A well earned lunch in Port Noarlunga followed for the weary group after the gruelling parade at walking pace.
MG Car Club Display at Acacia Park, Brooklyn Park
On a gloomy Thursday morning in June the MG Car Club responded to a request by Bev Waters to show a small selection of MGs at the well appointed Acacia Park Retirement Village. We were welcomed by an enthusiastic group of residents who were participating in a village event to support Men’s Health Week. It wasn’t just the men interested in the display, but a number of ladies attended and surprised us all with requests to go for a “Run Around The Block” in the cars following lunch. To read the full report Click Here
VAILO Adelaide 500 Report 2024
One of the highlights of the Club’s celebration of the MG Centenary must surely be our participation in the VAILO Adelaide 500 Supercars event at Victoria Park in November.
We had 32 cars in the Driver’s Parade on the Wednesday, and nearly 40 on permanent display for the four days of the event, Thursday-Sunday.
Adelaide turned on perfect weather for the Driver’s Parade, with one Supercar driver as a passenger in each immaculately turned out members’ car. The route from Victoria Park took in Hutt Street, Wakefield Street (great to see those CBC kids on the footpath waving), Pulteney Street, North Terrace and Gawler Place to Rundle Mall for the traditional signing ceremony. With a police escort and synchronised green traffic lights the parade was a real head-turner, featuring a range of cars from Arthur’s 1934 ND through to moderns and racing vehicles. To view a YouTube video, Click Here
Thursday’s weather was . . . wet! Put a dampener on things but not the enthusiasm of the Club volunteers who engaged with the public, handing out our MG Centenary Stickers, information leaflets about the history of MGs and our club, MG Racing SA posters prepared by John Illingworth, and membership application forms.
Things brightened up for the remainder of the event and there was certainly strong interest from the public, ranging from those with no knowledge of the marque through to other current and former owners and one gent who once worked at Abingdon on the ZS assembly line.
Our location was between two main gates – Halifax Street and Angas Street – and while there were some comments that we could perhaps have negotiated a better position, that’s a lesson for next time and it was agreed that there was no shortage of foot traffic throughout the four days. We had a gazebo as our information hub and the display was enhanced by our teardrop banners and a variety of MG flags, all adding to the overall impact.
So what did we get out of it?
It cost us nothing – but that’s not the most important thing.
We celebrated the Centenary; we drew public attention to MGs by displaying a representative range of members’ cars across the years and representing both road and race vehicles; we met a lot of people who shared our love of our cars; we may have enticed some new members; we promoted MG Racing in SA; we attracted some media interest; in the planning phase we built up positive relationships with the VAILO Adelaide 500 organising team which will prove invaluable if we ever come to take part again; and we had fun as a group.
Yes, it rained a bit. Yes, it was a bit dusty. But it was a four-day motorsport event preceded by a parade through city streets and it was an appropriate and successful way to celebrate 100 years of MGs.
Congratulations and thanks to the organising committee, the volunteers who helped set up our presence, staff the position throughout the event, and pack it all up at the end – and, of course, to all the members whose cars featured in the parade and the display. Job well done.
Mike Greenwood’s comments on his experience of the driver’s parade:
The photo shows the MGC with me waiting for the V8 race driver, David Reynolds to join me as I was one of the 40 MG owners in the display at the Vailo 500 in Victoria Park over the weekend. The organisers had allowed the MG CC SA to have this display as part of the MG Centenary celebrations.
David was a very pleasant chap, very keen to wave to lots of waiting fans along the way as publicity is part of their contract. Rundle Mall was packed with a huge TV screen with media people telling the crowd each of the drivers names as they stepped out of the MG’s to do their publicity ‘meet and greet”. Apparently this is the only time this happens, none of the other cities or towns the V8s race do this, one of the reasons why they all like coming to race in Adelaide.
One of the points I asked David about when racing here was how do all like the notorious TURN 8, he said they all hate it but if they get their line through right, it’s great! I took David from Victoria Park into Rundle Mall under Police escort through the Streets of Adelaide with every set of lights green all the way. That never happened normally! Thank goodness the temperature was relatively cool and the MGGC coped quite well.
