MX5 Club 20th Anniversary.The club celebrated it's 20th anniversary last weekend.
Almost 200 club members and friends were in attendance, and a
cavalcade of MX5's.
The venue was Centennial Vineyards in Bowral. Not far for us to
travel, so naturally we were among the stragglers!
I remember when this place was first built and it has certainly come a
long way. It's a very upmarket restaurant normally, so Club members
were really in for a treat, particularly given the low price of admission for members!
Not only were we treated to some gourmet soups, local meats and pasteries,
but each attendee received a commerative pin, and a small newsletter commemerating the event.
There was also a flyer detailing a brief history of the club, with some fascinating anecdotes within.
- For instance, we have Mazda Racing Team manager Alan Horsley to thank for the initative to form the club, back in 1991.
- The club's first day was a free lunch held by Mazda at a vineyard in Luddenham, June 24th, 1990.
- In 1997, the club played host to Toshihiko Hirai, the original chief engineer for the Eunos Roadster
project. 80 cars and 120 club members took him for a run through the Kangaroo Valley. Nice.
So, all very appropriate that the club celebrate at a winery!
There are many who have commented to me about the 'generation gap' that
exists between the new world of car clubs, being online forums such as
this one, and the 'old' Incorporated car clubs, with their newsletters and elected committees.
Sure, we were probably among the youngest people there. It need not matter, in my opinion.
Not only do you quickly realise that there are many faster and more experienced drivers
than yourself in the room (or at your first club track day
) but more importantly, age is
kind of irrelevant when you encounter a club whose common thread is the enjoyment of
a driver's car such as Mazda's Roadster. Everyone here is an enthusiast!
You also realise that your fanboyism, no matter how great, will probably be eclipsed by the next person you meet.
Take Bruce for instance, who we met over lunch. He lived in Alaska for 14 years, where he bought
his 1991 NA6. The car held such fond memories for him of his time in Alaska, that when he moved back to
Australia, he bought it with him. After all, plenty of room in the container for a little Miata.
It has since been an 18 month wait for the car to be converted to Right Hand Drive.
That's dedication! Possibly the only(?) MX5 in the country that can legitimately wear Miata badges and plates?
After lunch we took a quick wander to catch up with more people and take some shots.
Such a variety of cars considering this is a club for just a single model of car.
Being a social even, and being that it was rather cold out, we didn't take all that many photos.
Full set of SLR and iPhone shots
here.
