The Chevrolet Car Club of Victoria Inc.
Celebrates its thirtieth birthday!
By Carl L. Kelsen, Founding Member #1
On Sunday 30'" May last, in what has developed into a tradition
over recent years, a number of our membership met at Castlemaine to enjoy
lunch together, but perhaps more importantly, 10 celebrate our club's
birthday.
This year would be memorable in that it is our 30'" year.
At these events I have, for some years had the honour and pleasure of
saying a few words about our club's early history and in particular reminiscing
on just what those early years were really like.
Our first meeting took place on a cold and damp Sunday, the 26 May 1974
in a park just off Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Upper Ferntree Gully.
Melways street directory reference for those interested is Map 74 H 5.
For three weeks prior to this first meeting, I had run advertisements
in the used car section of Melbourne's Saturday
Age newspaper.
In the early 1970s publications like Unique Cars magazine did not exist
and apart from the well-known Restored Cars magazine about the only other
'collector car publication' was the used car section of Saturday's Age.
These advertisements attracted approximately 25 enquiries from persons,
who wanted to join a Chevrolet Car Club if one was established. The first
enquiry came from Frank Connelly who was enquiring on behalf of his son
Larry Connelly. Frank was trying to encourage an interest for his son
Larry who was then fast approaching 'driving age'.
At the time, Frank did not realise it, but Frank Connelly would become
member number 'two' and even more importantly our club's first president.
One of the respondents to my Age advertisements asked me what year model
Chevrolets would be covered by my proposed club.
To this question I replied all models of Chevrolet, regardless of model
or year including 1940's Chevrolet Feetmasters 10 Chevrolet Corvettes.
The caller was disappointed to hear that I intended to include 'modern
Chevrolets' which he defined as being anything built after 1940's!
Ioften wonder if this same person would today consider 1950's and 1960's
Chevrolets as being modern cars?
When our club started, the American car situation in Australia was very
different to the one that exists today.
Two-door coupe and convertible examples of early 1960's Chevrolets were
rarely seen on Australian roads.
You should remember that it had been only 3 or 4 years since General Motors
Holden had stopped local assembly of Chevrolet and Pontiac passenger car
vehicles.
Holden had nevertheless, actively commenced its push to alienate itself
from its parent company General Motors and in particular its involvement
with Chevrolet and Pontiac as its flag ship luxury passenger vehicles.
Many Holden dealers particularly country dealers however still displayed
the words Chevrolet and Pontiac over their spare parts' counters.
Probably the last example of this can still be seen at the rear of a Leongatha
Holden dealership located in South Gippsland, Victoria. Although faded
you can still read the words Chevrolet and Pontiac quite clearly.
In the mid 1970s many 1967 and 1968 Chevrolets and Pontiacs were still
regarded as high priced prestige luxury vehicles that in many cases were
still owned by the original owners.
Our club boasted an active representation at the early annual GM Days
where we would typically attract 200 to 300 Chevrolets, while Cad iliac,
Buick and Oldsmobile numbers were lucky to total more than 40 vehicles.
Of course, this trend has almost reversed in recent years.
In the early years of our club, Email or Fax facilities were not available
so ordering parts from the United States required writing numerous letters
and sometimes a wait of many months before securing that valued part.
How times have changed!
Holden's continuing desire to distance itself from both Chevrolet and
Pontiac did however have a positive note. Many of the workshop manuals
in our club's library were originally donated by General Motors Holden,
as Holden cleared out what it regarded as unwanted or unneeded Chevrolet/Pontiac
material.
Annual membership fees in our early years were just $6.00 per annum.
Our first Monthly General Meeting was held at the Dandenong Town Hall
and this continued to be the venue for our monthly general meetings for
many years.
We later moved to Camberwell, then rented premises and finally purchased
the current building in Moorabbin East.
In 1975 we obtained our present 'GPO' post office box number, and have
retained this box number ever since.
By the end of our first year, we had 70 members and had a bank account
with a credit balance of $200.00. Our first major purchase occurred before
the year's end. It was a typewriter.
How we run and operate meetings and even our annual club Concol1rs event
became established in that first year.
We can proudly say that from the very first day we have had female members.
In fact, we started with three female members and please remember that
in the 1970s motoring clubs were in the main male-dominated.
So in many ways the Chevrolet Car Club of Victoria was ahead of the times
and progressive in its thinking.
By the end of the 1970s the energy crisis had really taken effect and
you needed to be very careful admitting to anyone that you actually liked
large American V8 cars such as Chevrolets. However, this was about to
change when personally imported coupes and convertible Chevrolets were
about to arrive in Australia during the late 1980s and early 1990s in
numbers never considered possible.
This trend would increase even further with the relaxation, in recent
years of requirement to convert early manufactured left hand drive imported
Chevrolets and other North American vehicles to right hand drive.
These trends have changed considerably the make up of a typical Chevrolet
Club member in the year 2004 from his or her counterpart in the 1970's.
Strong rumour suggests that the Cadiliac brand will be reintroduced to
Australia in 2005 and that Holden is also considering marketing the Chevrolet
Tahoe here, but under the brand name Chevrolet rather than Holden as it
did with the Chevrolet Suburban a couple of years ago.
These events might well shape the typical Chevrolet Car Club member in
the future.
Our club has developed a proud heritage over the past 30 years and it
is a club of which I am proud to be member.
Over those 30 years, many members have given generously of their time
and money.
Some of those members are no longer with us and some stand out in their
personal contribution, but every member can share that pride, for if you
were not a member we would not have a club and the Chevrolet name would
not be as well represented in Australia as it is today.
In concluding may I propose a toast to past, present and future members
of the Chevrolet Car Club of Victoria Inc.
Happy 30th Birthday!
Carl L. Kelsen, Founding Member #1.
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