HISTORY OF THE VETERAN AND VINTAGE CHEVROLET ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA - VVCAA
The VVCAA was established in June 1967 as a result of the growing dissatisfaction of a number of Chevrolet owners with the operation and outings of one of the larger all-make vintage and veteran clubs popular at the time. The issue was that the mix of car types and sizes (e.g. Rolls-Royces and Austin 7’s) on outings, and the lack of focus and discussion due to the vast diversity of models and makes, caused some Chev owners to think that forming their own club might be the way to go!
As a result, a meeting of interested owners was held in Parramatta Park in March 1967. This meeting decided that a club should be formed and set the date for the first General Meeting (GM) of June 4, 1967. A temporary committee was also formed and met in May to establish arrangements for the forthcoming GM. That first GM was held at Trevor Long’s house at Cabramatta in June 1967, and a first committee and a constitution were agreed to. The first President was Ted Cleary, and the Vice President was Ian Maris.
From there, a journal was commenced - the first edition was produced that June and the title of “The Royal Mail” was decided upon. This remains the title to this day. That first edition was priced at 20 cents, with membership costing $1 and a magazine subscription costing another $2!
The Club’s first run was held on 23 July 1967 with six cars attending, commencing at Parramatta Park and ending at Mulgoa Park. The Club’s Anniversary Run for the next 53 years continued to be a run ending at Mulgoa!
Meetings soon commenced to be held in a hall in Marsden St, Parramatta, from about July or August of 1967. A club emblem was developed by Ken Robinson, Member No.14 at the time, and this was quickly adopted. By September 1967, there were 28 members on the books, with 60 journals being mailed to all then-known interested Chev owners seeking their membership.
As a one-make car club, the VVCAA took off, so to speak, and quickly gained more members. At the first anniversary run at Mulgoa in 1968 there were 12 cars attending, some then on concessional registration, which was introduced during that year. The first weekend away run was held in February 1969, to the Jenolan Caves. There were about 45 members in the club at that time.
Also, in 1969, a division, or branch, of the Club was established in Queensland. At that time, all members were in the ‘national’ club, thus, the first Queensland member was Bryan Cantrell, with membership #50, with Harry Burton being the first Qld ‘Director’. A first half-way run with NSW and QLD members was held in April 1971 at Urunga. There were about 360 members in both branches at the time. A half-way run was held again in 1973 - and these Easter runs continued on the events calendar for many years. A well-attended 50-Year Anniversary Halfway Run was held at Urunga in 2021, with many of the 1971 crew attending again.
With the success of the Qld division, a new division was then established in South Australia in May 1975. At the first meeting 65 potential members attended, indicating the strong level of interest at the time – and which remains very strong in that state today.
In 1977, the VVCAA turned 10, and a major rally to Mudgee had been in the planning for almost two years previously. A week-long rally, which had several days of country runs, a concourse and numerous social events that cemented the national nature of the Club and fostered many friendships among interstate members. There were about 700 members nationally at the time, and of those, over 340 attended that Mudgee Rally in 169 vehicles. It was subsequently decided that a major rally would be held on each five-year anniversary.
This rally boosted the club and fostered membership, as did the number of cars under restoration. Club cars were well regarded at the then CVVTMC Concourse Days on several occasions, reflecting the high standard and accuracy of the club members’ restorations.
In 1981, a branch of the Club was formed in Western Australia, with Harry Stephens as the first President. The WA members remain a staunch base to the Club and are the ‘travellers’, most notably when they travel to the east for the big rallies. The Beazley family, for example, is to be commended for their many trips across the Nullarbor in one old Chev or another to attend East Coast anniversary rallies.
A second week-long national anniversary rally was held at Parkes, NSW in 1982. Over 200 old Chevs attended, with about 430 members, spouses and children. At the time the VVCAA had about 880 members in total.
In the five years that followed, the Club decided that its coverage of vehicles should increase. Having been founded with an upper cut-off date of 1942, it was decided that this could be raised to 1948 because Chevrolets up to this time were, in fact, a continuation and refinement of vehicles made in 1942.
In 1987, the Club’s 20th year, the national anniversary rally was held in Nowra. Over 180 Chevs attended, around a very picturesque part of the world. “Highlights” for every driver on that rally included the arduous trip up to the Kangaroo Valley from Nowra, a testing, long and steep climb that saw many vehicles boil and stop part-way up! The following national anniversary rally in 1992 was to Cowra, NSW with about 180 cars attending that rally as well. The great encouragement to the organisers of these rallies was the large number of members who were prepared to attend, bringing with that the feverish work for many to finish the restoration of their cars to the standard required for a longer-distance rally.
During the next few years, the Club decided not to hold concourse events – that is, to not judge the best-restored cars for each year. The emphasis was to be placed on using one’s cars, not in just having a showpiece. While high-quality restorations were always appreciated in the Club, the high cost and a reduction in the number of new restorations led to the desire to foster the use of the Club members’ cars rather than seek their 100-point restoration.
The 1997 national anniversary rally was to Forbes, NSW: over 200 old Chevrolets and over 500 people attended for the week. There is nothing more satisfying than touring at a gentle pace in an old car in the beautiful NSW countryside. This, and the camaraderie of these rallies, provide the incentive for members to attend, growing the club and the car movement simultaneously. A subsequent national anniversary rally was held in Goulburn in 2002. About 150 Chevs made the journey this time and proved yet again that a good rally could generate much enthusiasm and interest in the old car movement.
An issue that was raised and debated extensively on many occasions was whether the Club should open its books to include later-model Chevrolets. This would allow new members to join with younger cars and existing members who had bought later model cars to further enjoy their hobby by attending Club outings in those cars. The VVCAA was not alone in this debate – it was good for the Club to discuss its future, given the developing nature of the hobby itself. Thus, after much discussion, the Club’s constitution was amended to allow full membership benefits to cars with a rolling 30-year age cutoff. This is consistent with historic registration rules for vehicles in NSW and is popular for those wanting “modernity” in their motoring.
National Anniversary Rallies continue to be held every five years. Planned and organised by the NSW Club, these rallies remain very popular with members. Attendance is open to all members of the VVCAA and affiliated clubs. That is, the NSW, Queensland, South Australian and Western Australian clubs have links to the VVCAA in one form or another. These national anniversary rallies were held in Wagga Wagga in 2007, Taree in 2012, and Gunnedah in 2017. The 55th Anniversary rally in 2022 was a return to Forbes NSW.
In addition, the QLD Branch (since reconstituted as a separate Club to the VVCAA) has organised several very successful anniversary rallies to celebrate its own formation in 1969. These, too, have been very popular, with attendance from many members across the country. In 2019, the QLD chapter reconstituted itself as a separate club from the VVCAA. This gave the QLD members greater say in their club’s financial matters yet allowed them to retain connections to the National Club and its members – which remains strong at both the Club and at personal levels.
During all of these years, the popularity of Chevrolets when new and the ready supply of parts has ensured that cars can be restored and kept operational with relative ease.
In 2022, the VVCAA celebrated its 55th anniversary; the Club still has a solid support base to this present day. A very large number of members of the VVCAA have exceeded 30 years of membership in the Club, and there are several 50-year-plus members! This is quite amazing and demonstrates the loyalty and friendship values embodied in the Club, as well as the enthusiasm for the mechanical and aesthetic interest that comes from owning Chevrolet vehicles. And we cannot not mention that old cars are not just for men. There are more than several women who own old Chevs in the club, and of course, those men enjoy the support of their partners in their interest and enthusiasm for the VVCAA and its activities.
VVCAA has members all over Australia, including many spouses, partners, and children, owning 350 classic Chevrolets. While many of these cars remain unrestored, it provides an indication that the old car movement, and especially old Chevrolets, still evoke a desire to preserve our motoring heritage.
The VVCAA is open to all –you don’t have to own a Chevrolet; you just have to have an interest in their preservation and use!