CENTENARY KIMBER RUN REPORT

On the cool and cloudy but mainly fine morning that was Sunday the 12th of November, the 27th Annual Australian Kimber Run got under way, this year celebrating 100 years since Cecil Kimber produced the first of a line of modified Morris Oxfords that he named MG’s. The event produced a field of 126 MG cars entered with some 230 participants. The entry list reveals that this year, for the first time in many years, there were no non marque vehicles entered.
Everybody gathered at the Showgrounds carpark by the SAUCNA netball courts starting about 7.30am for the early risers with continued arrivals up until the 9.00am drivers briefing. Just to prove that nothing ever runs completely smoothly, Johns Coffee Run machine broke down after the first cup of coffee was served, and despite his best efforts to get it running, the two year old generator refused to co-operate, leaving the punters hanging out for their morning coffee fix. Well done to the “psychic?” couple seen refreshing themselves from their own thermos.
Our thanks must go to the SAUCNA committee for allowing us the use of their toilets for the morning.

The run started in a quite orderly fashion about 9.20am getting out onto Greenhill Road and up Unley and Belair Roads to Belair. The run along Sheoak Road to Crafers produced mixed comments, the negative ones possibly due to the six single lane “slow down” zones along its length or maybe its suburban speed limit, and the positive ones enjoyed the scenery with comments like “I didn’t know it had been sealed” and a nice change from using Upper Sturt Road all the time. From Crafers, a chance to blow out the cobwebs along the South East Freeway and Onkaparinga Valley roads to our Morning tea stop at Mount Torrens oval, where Karen Clark and her team of volunteers provided Tea and Coffee and an amazing array of cakes in such quantities that they called for anyone wanting second (or third in some cases) helpings to come on up. Our thanks go to Karen and her crew.

The second half of the journey from Mount Torrens to Evanston featured a convoy of MG’s so long that the tail end could not be seen from near the front on even the longest bits of straight road. A most impressive sight.

Arrival at “The Terrace” function centre provided another opportunity to mingle over the various products on sale at the bar until lunch was called a little after 12.30. The dining area was set up with 19 tables, each laid out for ten people, which we pretty much filled to capacity. The meals were served table by table in a well regimented fashion so that each table of ten got their meals, and later desserts, almost simultaneously via a group of five staff carrying two plates each. Most Impressive. Never heard a negative word about the lunch and I would happily recommend this venue to anyone considering a similar dining experience.

After lunch the mingling continued over coffee until about 3.00pm when most started heading homewards, looking forward to next year’s 28th Kimber Run. Many MGs sighted along the Northern Expressway heading back to Adelaide. I believe that everyone who started the run actually finished with no known breakdowns along the way.

I will take this opportunity to thank those who assisted in presenting this event. Firstly, my wife Heather, who got all the run bags sorted and numbered and packed with plaques, run books, morning tea and lunch vouchers etc, and then distributed on the morning, Oh, and putting up with me for the last three months, John Roach and Dick Manning for their assistance in preparing the route, Laurie Houghton for getting the PA gear to and from the start, Steve Bowra for getting the PA system up and running on the morning and Lynden Burns for assistance with setting up at the start and the morning tea venue with Neville Butler, and Leon and Faye Rosenzweig for getting all the right bags to the right people at the start. Without such assistance events like this just don’t happen and I sincerely thank you all.

On behalf of the MG Car Club of South Australia Inc. I thank all those who entered and trust you all had a most enjoyable Day.

Report by Ken Burke with Pictures by David McNabb.