S1 EP 9

[00:00:01] Speaker A: The best music from the 60s to today. IPL radio. [00:00:07] Speaker B: Hey, good afternoon everybody. Welcome to another episode broadcast of Talking Talk. Today's broadcast, it's wet and woolly in Rockingham WA today. [00:00:21] Speaker B: And it's cold like Melbourne weather. Fantastic. [00:00:28] Speaker B: So stay tuned, tune in, rug up, get yourself a cup of tea, coffee, Milo, some hot chocolate. And we've got some great guests on today. And our first guest. [00:00:43] Speaker B: On talking talk is Mr. Ron Simmons. Ron's a. There's so many facets to what, what Ron's done. [00:00:55] Speaker B: Junior light car club racing, Minis, commentator of historic events, car dealer, went to England, race, Billy carts, the whole thing. So with further ado, Ron Simmons. How are you, mate? How are you today? [00:01:12] Speaker C: Yeah, going pretty well, thanks, Darren. Not a very cold day here in Wangaratta in Victoria and snow on the hills not far away from here. [00:01:20] Speaker B: Well, it's, it's, it's cold here and it's raining and it's coming down sideways off the ocean. [00:01:29] Speaker B: Which was, I was pretty much astounded when I walked out the front door because it was blowing a gale down the street and we just live like four houses from the ocean, so. And it was windy and it was dark and I'm thinking, well, here we go. [00:01:47] Speaker B: So it's great to have Ron on. And look, where do I start with Ron Simmons. [00:01:54] Speaker B: He's been involved in motorsport, car racing, the whole lot. So without further ado, Ron Simmons, Tell us a bit about yourself, Ron. [00:02:06] Speaker C: Okay, Darren. [00:02:07] Speaker D: Yes. [00:02:07] Speaker C: You're coming over a little bit scratchy there, but anyway, we'll just keep pressing on. Okay. You asked me some questions, you sent me out a little email with all the, the questions that you would like me to try and answer. [00:02:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:02:23] Speaker C: So we'll start where you said, number one. Was your family involved in motorsport when you were growing up? Well, no, not really in motorsport, but my father was the production manager and director of a company called Diecasters. Yeah, diecasters were down in Collingwood in Melbourne. [00:02:41] Speaker B: Yep. [00:02:41] Speaker C: And they were one of the main suppliers to Ford and Holden and other companies with all the die castings, chrome work, a lot of plastic works and things like that for Ford and Holden. [00:02:55] Speaker B: Okay. [00:02:56] Speaker C: So. [00:02:58] Speaker C: They would used to bring home parts and bits of pieces of cars that were going to be produced and I would get involved with that in being interested in it because as a little kid I like a lot of guys had my set of dinky toys and oh, fantastic things like that that I used to play with. I was always a bit keen myself on cars. Yeah. Even as A little tacker. But so as I said I was a bit privy to in early days of some early ideas that GMH and Ford had. [00:03:29] Speaker B: Yes. [00:03:29] Speaker C: And just on the side of that diecasters were going to import into Australia in CKD form, which is a knockdown form. [00:03:40] Speaker B: Yes. [00:03:40] Speaker C: A car called an Adler. [00:03:44] Speaker C: German car. Great little motor car looking very similar to a Citroen or DKW of the time. Front wheel drive as those two cars were. [00:03:54] Speaker B: Yep. [00:03:55] Speaker C: And we had a sort of a sports car one, a couple of vans, a couple of sedans and my dad had the. This sort of a sports car thing. [00:04:07] Speaker C: And, and it was a great little motorcycle. Very smart looking car. If anyone has the time they want to look up Adler cars on the Google and you'll see exactly what I mean. A very nice motor cars in a day. [00:04:18] Speaker B: So that's fantastic. [00:04:20] Speaker C: Unfortunately of course World War II was intervening and of course anything German was deemed not a good idea to have something to do with those. So unfortunately the Adler car from then on never continued on here in Australia. But a great little motor car, as I say if you google it up you'll see what I mean. Very smart. I think the thing we had was called a. An Adler Jr. Yeah. So a little faucet on the car, excuse me, two seater with two seats in behind the driver and passenger and a very rakish little car that was slightly interest was opposing cars in those days. And a little sideline of that of course is unfortunately my dad sold the Adler to an uncle of mine who had the car for a while and he traded that in on an Austin A30. That's as much as I know. Well, and the Adler disappeared to never be seen again. I've asked a number of different people that are involved that style of car and no one knows where they went. So that's. [00:05:27] Speaker B: Yeah, that's unfortunate. [00:05:28] Speaker C: Really. [00:05:29] Speaker B: That's pretty fascinating. That's pretty fascinating stuff, Ron. [00:05:33] Speaker C: So. So you moved along with asking a couple of other things about growing up in Baldwin. [00:05:38] Speaker B: Yeah, Baldwin. Tell us about, tell us about that. And the famed Billy Cart races. [00:05:44] Speaker C: All right. Yes, the famous Billy Cart races down what was called the Baldwin Road hill from an intersection of Belmore Road. If anyone knows Melbourne, they'll know where that corner is. [00:05:54] Speaker B: Yes. [00:05:57] Speaker C: And in Yongala street where I lived, there were a number of people that were involved with cars in some particular way and the main person involved there was Stan Jones. Now Stan Jones was a neighbor of mine a couple of doors up and of course his son Alan who was a Couple of years younger than me. We used to muck around as kids so we knew each other pretty well. We still do in fact. So that led us around to these billy carts you're talking about. Helen was very fortunate. He had one of those really nice Austin pedal car. I suppose it was. Yeah. Handbrake on the side. [00:06:38] Speaker B: Yeah, the Pathfinder. [00:06:42] Speaker C: Not dissimilar to the ones they use at Goodwood when they do the kids race there. [00:06:46] Speaker B: Yes, they are. [00:06:47] Speaker C: Actually look more like an Austin A40. But this thing looked a bit like a Brooklyn's type car. [00:06:52] Speaker B: Yeah, no, he had a. It was actually an Austin Pathfinder. [00:06:58] Speaker B: And I actually know the gentleman who owns that particular car and that particular. That particular car still survives. [00:07:07] Speaker C: It's really fantastic. [00:07:08] Speaker B: It's in a Melbourne collection. [00:07:12] Speaker B: I haven't spoken to the gentleman but a very close friend is in contact with him and he's actually got another trying car that Triang made for Christian, Alan Jones's son. And as we know, Alan Jones was the last Australian world champion Formula one. So it was interesting that you say that because that car came up in conversation with some collectors in the past week. [00:07:43] Speaker C: Oh really? [00:07:44] Speaker B: Which is a bit uncanny but not so much. But yeah, that, that car still. That car survives. [00:07:51] Speaker C: Right. That's amazing. So. So those runs down at the Baldwin Road hill were actually run by the local Baldwin RSL auxiliary group. Yeah, and very well attended. The kids came with everything from a. Literally a soapbox with wheels on it and things like that. A bit of string to steer it. Yeah, I was fortunate. My dad and a very good neighbor of ours put their engineering heads together and they actually built me a so called go kart if you like, without a motor. [00:08:25] Speaker B: Okay. [00:08:26] Speaker C: There was a nice little tubular frame and all that sort of stuff and it was pretty quick because another neighbor of ours was a member of the tramways board in Melbourne and he furbished to us tramways. Ball bearings. Wow. Ball bearings on a tram. You can imagine a fair size. So anyway, about 4 inches or thereabouts in circumference I suppose A fairly big wide sort of ball bearing. So this thing really get up some speed. Well, Alan had his racer car and I won all my heats up until the final heat. And I came across Ellen because we had to go through heats to get to the final and he beat me by about half a wheel, would you believe. [00:09:13] Speaker B: Wow. [00:09:14] Speaker C: And with that he won a year's supply of topper ice cream. [00:09:18] Speaker B: Topper ice cream? Yeah, there's those topper ice cream tins. [00:09:22] Speaker C: And another Little thing because obviously we would go down the hill and we'd have to get back up. Well, the Austin 7 Car Club were the people that came along and they had two or three Austin Sevens with a great long string or rope, I should say with knots on it. So you would hang onto this, this rope to get pulled back up the hill. [00:09:44] Speaker B: Fantastic. Wouldn't happen today, but that's. [00:09:46] Speaker C: No. I think Owen H and S would probably get into it. [00:09:53] Speaker C: The police would follow me down on his aerial four square. That's how far back we go. Yep, down the hill. And I was doing 40 miles an hour. Wow. They were breaking a fair bit of pace and unfortunately some of the young people had accidents, they got wobbly and lots of stuff and they ended up skidding themselves pretty badly. I've got to show you. But. So that was all the hill, that was all the. The stuff there to do with the therapies. Baldwin Road State School. I went to Baldwin Road State. [00:10:26] Speaker B: Yep. [00:10:26] Speaker C: Up on the hill in Baldwin there. So I went from grade one right through to grade six at Baldwin State. [00:10:34] Speaker B: Yes. [00:10:35] Speaker C: And so that was a good place to be. I enjoyed my time at school there. I went on to Mont Albert Central School in Montalvan mainly because I lived on the wrong side of the road as it was in those days for the demarcation to go to the Bourne High School, which I would prefer to have gone to. [00:10:54] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:55] Speaker C: So that'd be a long ride on my bike all the way up to Mount Albert, but never mind. Yeah, so that was enjoyable and I. [00:11:06] Speaker C: A lot of history and board. I love the place. It was really good to work and live around Baldwin. Did all the things the kids did. Have my. [00:11:16] Speaker C: Newspaper round and sold newspapers on the corner and jumping up and down on trams as it's moving along and stuff like that. [00:11:24] Speaker B: Fantastic. [00:11:25] Speaker C: Not allowed to do today. [00:11:26] Speaker B: And there's another well known person that I knew very, very well. And you also knew him. Buzz Buzzagloo. [00:11:36] Speaker C: Buzz Buzzogloo. Good old Buzz. Yes, I know him very well. I didn't know him like he's a good friend but I didn't know him personally really. He was actually. His mother was very good friends with my mother and they were on the. The school council together or something like that. So they knew each other and. And Buzz I bumped into years later when he was a Penfold Mazda selling Mazdas and I was at Ringwood Mazda. So we sort of knew each other through that really. [00:12:08] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:12:10] Speaker B: Just a fantastic person. I mean I met him when I was the Chef at Ricardo's in Albert park. And you know, he brought in some cars and some people. And one of those people was the late Anton center mechanic Jose Fernandez. [00:12:27] Speaker C: Right. [00:12:27] Speaker B: And he engineered Ayrton's last win at the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. [00:12:33] Speaker C: Right. [00:12:35] Speaker B: And I met, I met Jose and He was with McLaren at the time, before he retired. And unfortunately, Buzz is, unfortunately passed away and. [00:12:47] Speaker B: It'S very sad, but memories that you have of these, these people and I always wanted to have sit down with Buzz and maybe record something back then, but just never had the opportunity. Never had the chance. [00:12:59] Speaker C: Well, he's a. He's another one of the Australians that went overseas to become the Formula one champion, like myself. [00:13:04] Speaker B: Yes. [00:13:05] Speaker C: And. But he went on and made quite a mark and a name for himself in early sort of Formula Ford racing and other categories. [00:13:14] Speaker B: Yes. [00:13:15] Speaker C: But nothing ever said of it back here at home, which was very similar to Alan Jones, of course, in early times, not getting much recognition as well. So. Yes, that's the way it was in those days. And of course the media and, you know, telephones and emails and things like that weren't around in those days. So. Yes, the news you used to get was, you know, a month old by the time you got to see it. [00:13:40] Speaker B: Yeah, it's like it. It's very. In those days, I suppose it was a ship. It was a. Was a. Was a ship over to England, wanted to take a month or so. A lot of. A lot. There'd be a lot of people, especially motoring guys or a lot of people, they saw the big lights in England and they went to England to try their luck. Buzz ran Formula Ford, Formula 3. He had a couple of good sponsors. He was actually. He was a bouncer at the Revolution Club in London. [00:14:18] Speaker C: I can't imagine that he wasn't all that big a sort of a guy. [00:14:22] Speaker B: He wasn't, was he? But he could talk. Apparently he could talk. And one of the. One of the. [00:14:29] Speaker C: Coming in. [00:14:29] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right. One of the great things was the late Sir Frank Williams went up to Buzz because he thought he owned the nightclub so he could get some sponsorship. But. [00:14:39] Speaker C: Yeah, really, that's one of the. [00:14:41] Speaker B: One of the stories that old Buzz used to. Used to talk about you. So you left school. You. [00:14:48] Speaker C: Okay, so I left school now, as you used to, unless you're wanting to go on a university or there's something, you could leave school at 14. Well, I left school at 14. That was sort of. [00:15:00] Speaker C: Where we got the sort of form two, I think you call it. In sort of the intermediate sort of stage in your certificates of things. And I actually went and started working with my dad and because I was quite interested in artwork and I took a bit of a shine to the drafting room because we had a big drafting area down at diecasts. And so I sort of started to go through the. A couple of different sections of die casting, not so much in the hard metal part or pouring castings and pressings to things, but in another section we had, which was called Metalcraft. And Metalcraft used to make door furniture, like door locks and things like that. So I got a bit involved with the assembly lines, all those sort of places, and did a bit of time and motion management for dad to sort of see if we could streamline things a little bit. So I stayed there for quite a long time and then. [00:15:58] Speaker C: Whatever reason, someone thought, why don't you try a bit of hairdressing? I was a bit arty, I suppose, as it was the work of either set. So one of Dad's managers wife used to go to a place called Reedy Henry's on the ninth floor of the Manchester Unity building in the city. [00:16:18] Speaker B: Yes. [00:16:19] Speaker C: So a bit of worse, I'm not sure what, but I started a ladies hairdressing apprenticeship and I can actually tell you, I'm just reaching over here some stuff I've got in the. In my study certificate of qualification to enter into an apprenticeship. Ladies hairdressing, 20th of the 4th, 1960. [00:16:39] Speaker B: Wow. [00:16:41] Speaker C: So that goes back a fair way. Anyway, just to quickly. I won't go on too long with that, but I'd been there for a little while and I was sort of aware that a couple of the chaps there were quite friendly and I mentioned this to Mum and Dad, all these chaps are quite friendly or take me out for lunch and all that sort of thing. Probably a bit older than I was because we worked out quite quickly what was actually going to happen there. So, Dad, I think you better come back and work for me. So I didn't continue on with my hairdressing apprenticeship. [00:17:15] Speaker B: Pretty funny. [00:17:15] Speaker C: And I was quite proud of my name. I was called Mr. Ronald. Everyone had a name. I was Mr. Ronald. I thought it was pretty flash. But anyway, so it was quite an interesting place to work. Rainey Henry's was well known for the society people of Melbourne. They did a lot of Channel nine personalities, Evie Hayes and all those type of people that were around at the time. Yep. So anyway, so off back to diecast as I went and stayed there for a short time again and fortunately the chap next door to us, a chap of the name of Dick Thompson. Now Dick Thompson was the used car manager for Kevin Dillon Holden in Ivanhoe. [00:17:59] Speaker B: Okay. [00:18:00] Speaker C: And he knew I was like cars and fiddling around with the cars. He said, look, why don't you come and work for us or set you up in one of the used cars apartments up on the high side of Heidelberg there and you can start working your way through to go to sales. Because he knew I should have had the gift of the gab and all that sort of stuff. Anyway, so off I went with Dick Thompson. So at the time I had a little feed 1100 TV. Now it was a bit of an unusual car at the time, quite a quick little gizmo and I used it in a few motor cars and things. I did well with it. But he said, you know, these new Mini Deluxes are coming out and I've got a good contact with these, the Mini people. And I said, oh yes, that'd be very nice. So he got in touch with a place called A.F. hollands. [00:18:49] Speaker B: Yes. [00:18:49] Speaker C: Now anyone that's around the motorsport that are here will know what AF Hollands is all about. And so AF Hollands of course were the premier people in and around Malvern and Prahran for the high polluting type. People that had Rolls Royces and Bentleys and other nice cars, MGs and things. And the main people there of course was Gib Barrett and Alan Ashton. [00:19:12] Speaker B: Yes. [00:19:13] Speaker C: So cut the long story short there. I bought this Mini from them and sold a little Fiat off and bought the Mini and a week later they offered me a job. [00:19:23] Speaker B: Fantastic. [00:19:23] Speaker C: Same deal. We'll start you off on the floor and we'll get you through into sale. So I thought that sounds pretty good as I watch. I preferred it actually to the holding place anyway. But so off I went to do that and started in the sort of the detailing part and then a little bit in the workshop learning the old fashioned lathes. Those that have been around enough will remember the big lathes were operated by leather straps whipping around on big pulleys and things like that. That was all that AF ollens were a bit old school by gee, they put out some lovely work. But so then I, I stayed on there for a while and they sort of encouraged me to say, why don't you have a run in the miniature hill climb or a race or something? Oh, how do I get onto that? So anyway, so they helped me get the cams license and do all that sort of stuff. They weren't sponsoring me or anything, but they wanted to look after the car a bit because they were actually gurus on getting performance out of a sand. A motor car, so to speak. [00:20:23] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:20:24] Speaker C: So I. [00:20:26] Speaker C: Loaned the car for about a week. They gave me another car to drive around. And when I got the car back, it had a chrome rocket cover on it. It had a single carburetor but with nice chrome pancake air cleaner thing on it. And it seemed to go a little bit quicker when I first had it. So with that little car, I then entered sound and I was at the time the youngest driver there. I was about 20, I think there was. Everyone else was much older than I was at those age anyway. So 20 and most of the annoyance of those that had hollowed up 850s with we became extracted and all the things. I was going past them down the streets and I almost had a, you know, a darn it with a couple of these guys. Want to see what the engine was? What was this? Bought out. It's all that. I said, no, no, it's 998. There it is. Have a look. So that's how we went on from there. So I did all right and actually won my first handicap race with that particular car at Sandown and won it just by a whiskey, I will say, because Bob Jane in the Mustang was the last man. Often he'd gone past everybody else. I'm coming under the old Dunlop sign at Sandown. I know he's behind me somewhere. He certainly was. As I got across the line, he went pass me to maybe 100 mile an hour quicker than what I was going. And anyway, that was. That was good fun to be able to actually get a trophy for the. My first event that I ever actually went in. [00:21:57] Speaker B: Is that how you. Is that how you joined the junior light Car Club? [00:22:03] Speaker C: I may have. I was actually in the junior light Car club before that. Now quickly tell you how that started. That started because Ron Deary, who was then the president of the light car club, was my father's sales manager. [00:22:16] Speaker B: Okay. [00:22:17] Speaker C: So I was sort of working in the sales area of diecasts at this stage. He came up to me one day and he said, ron, we're thinking about starting a junior like car club because like a lot of clubs of the day, they were getting older and they were needing younger people to come into. Into all these different clubs. So they said, we need some younger folks. So what they did, they put an advertisement in what was then called the Young sun in Melbourne and advertised that they were Having a theater night and a food. Finger food sort of night at the Shell Theaterette in the city. Well, I think at the time about 300 people turned up. [00:22:56] Speaker B: Wow. [00:22:57] Speaker C: And you know, mostly young people with their parents and lots of sort of things. So they had films and things like that. And out of all that 300, about a hundred sort of actually showed up, you know, to sign up to be a Junior like Car Club member. But like a lot of things that then dwindled down to maybe 50 or thereabouts. [00:23:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:20] Speaker C: And we used to actually, when this all got going, we actually then met at the old Light Car Clubs up in Brunswick street in the city. [00:23:29] Speaker B: Yes. [00:23:30] Speaker C: And because the Light Car Club still owned that building then, because they were actually renting it out to the Austrian Club, which. It is still the Austrian Club. [00:23:38] Speaker B: It is still the Austrian Club. [00:23:40] Speaker C: Yes, yes. And the Light Car Club had their reunion back there just last year. So that's where the Junior Lockhart Club were going. We had lots of events, motor cars, hill climbs and social events and things like that. In fact, we lost one of our inaugural members just the other day. And that was Roger Baker. [00:24:00] Speaker B: Yes. [00:24:00] Speaker C: And Roger Baker was later on in life to do with the communications and things for rally. So he's right into that sort of stuff. So. [00:24:12] Speaker C: We had, as I said, a good social activity with the Junior Light Car Club. And the idea of the Junior Light Car Club as well was because the Light Car Club was a licensed club, you couldn't go in if you were under 21. [00:24:26] Speaker B: Yes. [00:24:27] Speaker C: So you could go in if you were signed in. And the Lovely old man, Mr. Bill Double Dan, who used to be on the door at the Low Car Club. [00:24:36] Speaker B: Fantastic. [00:24:37] Speaker C: And he would greet you there and he said, oh, you haven't got your tie on. Just a moment, he's covered. And pull out a tie. And you ended up with a tie for the night. [00:24:47] Speaker B: Okay. [00:24:47] Speaker C: So that was. And so we would. Well, Friday nights was the. The meeting place really for most people the my age anyway, the Light Car Club, they later on tried getting younger people there with having a disco and a few other things like that. The Light Car Club, of course, at that stage was running Lakeland and they needed the young folk to help run that. So the Junior like Car Club ended up pretty much organizing all the track side officials and the star officials and all those sort of things. So if it hadn't, it would not have kept going for. If it hadn't been for the Junior like Car Club. [00:25:28] Speaker B: Yeah, that's fantastic. And tell us about Lakeland I know, I know some brief history and I know the history of the famed Pbrake shoes. [00:25:43] Speaker C: Right, okay, so we're going back to Lakeland. Yeah, the Lakeland was originally started by the late Jim Abbott and called Lake Land because it was literally a lake at the bottom of the hill. And he was going to make that into like an adventure playground type thing. He had little trains running around. He had a boat on the, on the dam. And also he incorporated a hill climb because it was right into. Into race cars. Yeah, they built the first hill climb which was a bit shorter. I forget what the record was. We'll say it was 30 seconds or something like that, maybe, which I think Tim Shinkin actually had the original outright record there in the. The white 1000, which was virtually a go kart with a pretty fast machine. But anyway, they wanted to extend the circuit and Jim couldn't really afford to do all by himself. So my father, Ron Deary, who moved on from diecasts and then he was with, it was Blackwood Hodge, the big earth moving equipment people. Yes, they wanted to have a, a field day mentioned. My father had moved on and retired really from diecasts, but he had been picked up by the McDonald's, the diesel roller people and other roadmaking equipment. So with a couple of other different earth movie equipment people, Blackwood Hodge. [00:27:14] Speaker C: And McDonald's, they had a field day or a few field days at the site there at Lakeland. And that's how the second edition of Lakeland came about. And all the viewing. Viewing terraces at the back. Yeah, so you can see the whole circuit. So that's how the second version of that actually came. If you read Bob Watson's book, he has a slight, you know, talk about that. He mentions my dad's name a couple of times. So that was how Rob. Sorry, how the Lakeland came across. [00:27:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:27:50] Speaker C: And unfortunately, of course, Jim passed away and Mrs. Abbott didn't want to continue on with it. It was picked up by the Mark Sports Car Club for a while and they ran a few events there. Yes, until such time as the circuit just, you know, started to get a bit rough. They were filling up holes with the, with the concrete and stuff like that to try and keep it all going. But the undergrowth was coming in on the edge of the track. So it, it went away completely after probably about after two or three years, I think, after Mr. Abbott died. So. And then of course. [00:28:28] Speaker C: Later on I was running also at Templestowe Hill climb. Yes, Templestowe was probably my favorite hill climb. It was a real driver's circuit. [00:28:36] Speaker B: Yes. [00:28:37] Speaker C: And. [00:28:39] Speaker C: Other cars were quicker. I know. But if you could break 60 seconds at. [00:28:45] Speaker C: Templestowe, you were going pretty hard. So I managed to get the 60 seconds under 60 seconds actually in many Cub races and stuff like that. [00:28:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:53] Speaker C: But Bruce Waltons and those sort of people, they were in the 50s or something. [00:28:58] Speaker B: Religion. Very, very fast. [00:28:59] Speaker C: A fantastic circuit. You can still walk around Templestow. That's been taken over by a housing estate of course, but they've left pretty much all the track is still there and it's a designated walking track and a push bike track. So. [00:29:15] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:29:16] Speaker C: With parks all around the circuit showing what it was and talks about all the different corners of things. So that was a favorite place of mine to go to there. Then of course that started to peter out as the neighbors were getting annoyed at the din that was going on. So that's pretty much when. [00:29:39] Speaker C: What happened after that I think rightly. And then the Rob Royer came across. They wanted to do something with Rob Roy because like Car Club had really wished they're interested in Rob Roy altogether. [00:29:53] Speaker B: Yes. [00:29:53] Speaker C: So the MG Car Club came along and said we'll start running events at Rob Roy. So you asked about the PBR brake shoes. Yes, they were at Rob Roy and then with the help of quite a few other different companies the brake shoes were taken down and delivered over to Rob Roy where they lay in the grass for quite some time. [00:30:17] Speaker B: No, those days very strong. [00:30:19] Speaker C: Yeah. So then eventually they got some money together and I think maybe sponsors like PBR actually came on board again. [00:30:27] Speaker B: They did help them with that. They did. [00:30:29] Speaker C: And yeah. So then, so they got. Got erected again at the Rob Roy. [00:30:35] Speaker B: It's fantastic. Yeah, it's. No, they are fantastic. And, and also kudos to the MG Car Club because they, they started another fund the Friends of Rob Roy and they got some money and then they, they had two friends of Rob Roy. There's a lot of the older guys were part of the first. I was a friend of Rob Roy in the second batch and there was too. Yeah. And there was money for the brake shoes and, and certain things. And the track was, you know, was, was actually Rob Roy. Gipps Lane Park, Mount Lura, Camperdown. My. Probably my favorite, my favorite hill climb tracks when we were competing. But I love Rob. I love Rob Roy to this day. It's, it's just a fantastic atmosphere and. [00:31:23] Speaker C: It didn't like you too much. [00:31:24] Speaker B: Oh, I had a. Oh yeah, I know that. That one time we had, we had a, A Rear suspension failure at 145 kilometers an hour. Yeah, I did a. I've. The rear suspension broke after I finished, after I crossed the finish line. [00:31:42] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:31:42] Speaker B: And it sent me into the trees, into the undergrowth, into the barbed wire. [00:31:46] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:31:47] Speaker B: But I still managed to do a 21, 25. [00:31:51] Speaker C: Oh really? That's very fast, which is pretty quick. I've actually seen the video. [00:31:57] Speaker C: Not long ago. [00:31:58] Speaker B: Yeah, it's pretty quick. I mean it was a pretty, it was a. It was very, very quick because in the Nola Holden I was doing very quick times. [00:32:08] Speaker C: Well, that's a very quick time even today. I mean some of the, you know, the other sort of open wheelers and that sort of stuff are still doing around about that time, I think. Yeah, Mike Barker's got himself down to a 9 or something like that. [00:32:21] Speaker B: Mike's good. And the dollar holding. I was doing 20 mid 24s and you know, you know, used to have a great battle with our old late friend Leo Bates. [00:32:32] Speaker C: Yes, yes. [00:32:33] Speaker B: So it's another, another champion of. Another champion, champion driver sadly, sadly gone. [00:32:39] Speaker C: I have no idea, honestly. Just getting onto Leo there for a moment why no one has wanted to buy his cars. He's got some terrific motor cars there. I managed. The family asked me if I would. [00:32:52] Speaker C: Take on, you know, trying to get rid of some of the cars and yes. [00:32:58] Speaker C: I managed to get rid of the lovely little clubman. The Lobeda Club. [00:33:01] Speaker B: Yes. [00:33:02] Speaker C: And that's gone to the young chap Sigley who was related to Ernst Egley from way back. [00:33:09] Speaker B: That's right. [00:33:10] Speaker C: And so that, that car's gone but the little Formula 3 car is there. Beautifully made motorcars. Everything that Leo did is still there. [00:33:18] Speaker B: It's amazing. [00:33:19] Speaker C: There's these sort of a conformative 5000 style over Wheeler with the, the big Rover motor in the back. Yes, that is beautifully made. Leo even just said to me, not long time before he died I suppose but when he was getting a little bit of dementia and things like that, he said that really frightened me that car. And that was with him only doing probably about a 26 or something up the hill. [00:33:46] Speaker B: Yeah, we spoke about it because I was building the Dallara at the time and he goes, oh, would you have a drive? I said, dad looked at me and I gone look like I don't want to, I don't want to bend it on you. The Nola Holden sports car, I suppose we were doing like 24s and Leo was always. When he ran that F3 car, he was so quick and he. I Think he won like 10, 10 historic events at Rob Roy. [00:34:17] Speaker C: Oh, yes. Yeah. [00:34:18] Speaker B: He was super, super driver and super, super person and him and Lorraine and sadly missed Leo and Absolutely. [00:34:27] Speaker C: I keep in touch with Lorraine from now on and she's on Facebook, so we talk a bit. [00:34:32] Speaker C: And the, the, the stuff that she's got on those cars, I mean, she documented everything. Unbelievable that they've got, you know, a library full of stuff. [00:34:44] Speaker B: She's got every time sheet. She took everybody's times, I reckon we started the hill climbing 95 and obviously she was doing it before that, but she had a meticulous spreadsheet before spreadsheets. She had a meticulous sheet of every time. [00:35:08] Speaker B: That was that. Even Leo did. I did. And she would say. [00:35:16] Speaker C: Very, very meticulous. [00:35:17] Speaker B: Meticulous. So meticulous. Unbelievable. So, Ron, what led you to go to England? [00:35:24] Speaker C: Okay. Well, like a lot of people, I probably had aspirations to become the Formula one champion. [00:35:29] Speaker B: Yes. [00:35:30] Speaker C: Off I then went with my, my, Then my ex wife. [00:35:34] Speaker B: Yes. [00:35:35] Speaker C: And we went on the fun ship, this Feast Star. And in those days, the Suez Canal was shut, so we had to go via the Panama Canal. [00:35:44] Speaker D: Oh, wow. [00:35:44] Speaker C: It was six weeks on that boat. [00:35:46] Speaker B: Yes. [00:35:47] Speaker C: And other drivers came with me. Andy McIntyre was one, Andy was my other cohort in, in mini racing. [00:35:55] Speaker B: Yes. [00:35:55] Speaker C: We had. Well, we ended up with a business called Uptune Automotive. But so Andy and I and a few other guys, as you did in the sort of 70s, there were lots of people going overseas to the UK. [00:36:07] Speaker B: Yes. [00:36:07] Speaker C: It was relatively cheap to travel. [00:36:11] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:11] Speaker C: And going on the boat, of course, everything's found. You've paid your money and all your meals and other bits and pieces were there. [00:36:18] Speaker B: Yep. [00:36:19] Speaker C: So we arrived in England and not with greatest aspirations, what we're going to be doing, but. [00:36:28] Speaker C: We ended up, my wife and I ended up taking a house in a place called East Finchley, which is North London. Anyone that knows that. And we set up, with the permission of the owner who lived a couple of doors up, we took over this quite large house and sublet the rooms for accommodation. So it became a bit of a little Australian house. So. So virtually we would. My wife was a teacher, so she went off teaching. I did all sorts of odd jobs which I could actually get home during the day sometime, do cleaning up and that. We were sort of like Mum and Dad in, in the house. Yep. And we'd been overseas in England for a while and our first daughter was born, young Carly. So as I say, we were pretty much numbered in the place. But the Idea was if you were going overseas or going to Europe somewhere, you would have to arrange for someone to come and take your room. For how long? Because it was a bit of a, you know, moving, nomadic sort of tribe that we had there. [00:37:30] Speaker B: Yes. [00:37:32] Speaker C: So. And I would take these jobs at. I could easily say to the people, I won't be coming in anymore. Because my wife was teaching in. [00:37:43] Speaker C: A consulate school. Children belong to the consulates. And they would get all sorts of holidays because if the parents were going away, they'd take the kids. The school was in a place called Camden. Camden. So we would have time off ourselves, two or three weeks at a time to go and have a look at Europe and Scotland, all those sort of places. Every time, too. All that sort of stuff. Traveling in various modes of transport that I bought for very cheaply along the line. Like an old Bedford van we had, which we set up as a camper. [00:38:20] Speaker C: Which also leads me to the fact that this is what Alan Jones and I did for a while. We bought old Bedford vans and old Commer vans and things. And particularly they had windows in the side. That was better because you could make it up as a bit of a camp. You go down to the local place by a little camp stove. You get. Go down the rubber supply place, get a mattress type of thing and few camp chairs and stuff like that. Suddenly you had a little camper which you would. We would ploy our trade around Australia House. [00:38:51] Speaker B: Wow. [00:38:51] Speaker C: And the unsuspecting tourists would come along. They buy the thing for. I don't know, we'll say it was 200 pounds. And with the idea of buying it back and. Because we'd give them £50 when they came back with it, because usually they would keep it up to about the day they were about to leave to go back home or to wherever else they live. So it was quite a good little thing there for a while. [00:39:15] Speaker B: Fantastic. Did you race in England? [00:39:19] Speaker C: No. So, okay, so I'm getting around to what we were doing. We had a little. [00:39:24] Speaker C: Introduction letter to the RAC from CAMS here in Melbourne to be allowed to get a license to go racing. I got as far as being asked by the British Racing Drivers Club to try out at Thruxton Raceway down in Southampton, down south of England. And so I went down to Thruxton, which, if anyone knows, is a great big old airport race circuit. Very fast, big sweeping corners, all that sort of stuff. Yeah. And they had a couple of cars, a couple of Lotus Cortinas, and they had a Formula Ford ready for me. But after I'd been doing the practicing runs and I was saying to you, going pretty good. Well, we like your times, everything else. And there was a gremlin in the formula Ford so we couldn't get it started or something. I forget what it was to have it. So then they said to me, look, we'd like to enter you into some races and things like that and these are the dates it's going to be. And I said, you're not going to believe this. He said, I have just booked a non refundable airfare back to Melbourne. And so that was the end of story. It's one of those if stories, I suppose. [00:40:34] Speaker B: Yes, there's many of them. [00:40:36] Speaker C: My wife said, look, you know, you stay on because what had happened because the family back here in Melbourne had the scene, young Carly, they hadn't seen him because he was born over in England. [00:40:45] Speaker B: Yes. [00:40:46] Speaker C: So. So anyway, very reluctantly sort of said, okay, well we better get on home and do the right thing. I suppose. So it's one of those if stories. But I enjoyed the time I was there and most anxious to, to have me on board but didn't continue on, unfortunately. So to answer your question, I didn't actually race. I was fortunate enough to get. I had a few drives around some circuits just in an ordinary car, on invitations. Drove around. [00:41:17] Speaker C: The nerve ring, those sort of places. [00:41:19] Speaker B: Fantastic. [00:41:20] Speaker C: Just make a lot going around so far. [00:41:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:24] Speaker C: But no, I didn't get the race. But I did get involved in the motor industry over there a little bit. [00:41:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:30] Speaker C: Then buying and selling a few cars myself on the side of the road. [00:41:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:33] Speaker C: Which was pretty easy to do. Yeah. Providing the car didn't have too much rust in it. Yeah. So we had some interesting cars there as well. So no, I didn't actually get to race but of course coming back to Australia. [00:41:47] Speaker C: Rallycross was all the go. [00:41:48] Speaker B: Yes. [00:41:49] Speaker C: That's a cheap way to get into it. And I, I saw an Austin Lance of the Full House MGB Motor for sale. It was owned by the Hughes brothers. They were quite well known around the rallycross circuits. So I bought this thing and funnily enough they said to me, look, if you go at this particular lap times, you'll be the quickest car in Division 3 because I had the three divisions there. So I did that and it's about the best paying bit of motorsport I've ever been involved with because that's what it was. It was a quick Division 3 car. If I went into, if I went any quicker, you get put in Division 2, it would have just been a midfield runner in Division 2. So, yeah, that was an interesting exercise to go there. Then when Rallycross stopped, they actually opened up a category in hill climbing for Rallycross cars. So we ran that car a couple of times, I think, at Lakeland and finally I dismantled the car, sold the MGB motor to another chap and where the body went might have gone near the chip, I think, I'm sure. [00:42:53] Speaker B: Oh, probably, yeah, yeah. [00:42:55] Speaker C: Rusty at that stage. So that was sort of the UK and coming back to Australia and when I came back to Australia. [00:43:06] Speaker C: I had forgotten in between time to tell you that about 1966 I left AF Hollands and was picked up by MW Motors in the city. The Alfa Romeo dealer. [00:43:19] Speaker B: Yes. [00:43:20] Speaker C: Where Alfa Romeo Skoda dealers. So I worked there again in the workshop detailing and then would come in on a Saturday dressed in my suit to have a go at selling the cars. And so Murray Wright said, look, you know, we'll keep going as a salesman. So I started with. Along with another well known motoring identity was John Emery. Yes, John Emery was my sales manager and we're still in touch. Still living up at Benyong up near Ballarat there. [00:43:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Be cold up there today. [00:43:53] Speaker C: Sorry again. [00:43:53] Speaker B: It'd be called updated. I have been. [00:43:56] Speaker C: Oh, I reckon it would be. It would be too. Pretty cold up in the flats there. [00:43:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:00] Speaker C: So. So we had a bit of involvement there with that. I managed to get a steer of their Alfa Romeo GTA which Murray Wright had brought out. Those that don't know Murray Wright, he's not the Murray Wright that was involved with Peter Mountain Motors. They're two different people. [00:44:14] Speaker B: Yes. [00:44:15] Speaker C: Murray was a bit of a keen racer in the early days with little forward side valve engine specials. [00:44:22] Speaker B: Yes. [00:44:22] Speaker C: So he liked cars as well. So he brought out this Alfa Romeo and the lightweight version, the gda. [00:44:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:30] Speaker C: And it was right hand drive, one of the only very few right hand drive ones made. And we went to do a 12 hour endurance at the Sandown and we had the two drivers. The main drivers were Sid Fisher, who was the service manager at MW Motors. [00:44:48] Speaker B: Yes. [00:44:48] Speaker C: And the late Frank Porter. Frank Porter, of course was quite a well known driver at the day. [00:44:53] Speaker B: Yes. [00:44:54] Speaker C: And myself as the third driver, as a relief driver, if you like. So, because I had to practice the car. [00:45:00] Speaker B: Yes. [00:45:01] Speaker C: And, well, it's a long story, but I practice the same times that Frank Porter could do. Sid was just a little bit slower, but. [00:45:12] Speaker C: He was the boss, so he got the drive. So I ended up getting to hang the board out each Time they come with the electronics, I'd say. Anyway, that was another one of those if type things. In fact, Alan Hamilton went on to drive their car. We got Alan Hamilton to drive it. [00:45:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Legend. [00:45:28] Speaker C: And that car is still around. I've seen it a couple of times now at the. The Grand Prix garage. It comes out for a display with MW Motors written down the side. So that's. I've got to say that I've been at MW Motors. So. [00:45:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:45:44] Speaker C: And then I'd gone overseas from there. So. [00:45:46] Speaker B: Yeah. So when I came. [00:45:50] Speaker C: When I came back from overseas, Murray Wright said, look, I'm wanting to start up this new Jeep business, the American Jeeps, like we know today, the Jeep cars here in Australia. [00:46:01] Speaker C: So these Jeeps were made by Shoot Upton up in Queensland and they're virtually Ford Falcon engine cars. [00:46:12] Speaker C: Looking very much like a World War II jeep. And so that's where I came back into Australia and was doing that for quite a while until I got really quite tired of the city driving. Going in and out from Baldwin, where I was still living. [00:46:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:27] Speaker C: To. [00:46:29] Speaker C: Ended up going to Box Hill to Fisk Brothers Motors. [00:46:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:34] Speaker C: The. Well, they became a Leyland dealer. BMC dealership. [00:46:37] Speaker B: Yes. [00:46:37] Speaker C: Before that, but there. So that's another little story. Yeah, that's the other questions you asking me. [00:46:42] Speaker B: I'm unbelievable. Look, it's been. This is like. It's like a part. This is a part of Australian. This is for the. For the listeners, a part of Australian motoring history. You never ever get somebody like Ron on the radio. You never ever like these stories. [00:47:05] Speaker B: And I love hearing the stories and it's not for everybody, but it's a part of our manufacturing business that we had. It's part of the car trade that we've got, but it's also part of the fabric of. [00:47:24] Speaker B: Australia because Elizabeth Street Melbourne was car dealer left, right and center. [00:47:31] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. It was a very golden mile of car. [00:47:34] Speaker B: It was. [00:47:34] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:47:35] Speaker B: It's fantastic. It's a fantastic. [00:47:37] Speaker C: Ask me a little bit where we go known for the. The Mini. We race well, Minis, as I said. I started originally with that car from a. Of Hollands. [00:47:46] Speaker B: Yes. [00:47:46] Speaker C: And had that. Then in between time there, I actually, when I was with MW Motors, my good friend Andrew McIntyre, his father Omagh and Tire traded a very nice feed 1100 Mark II on an Alpha Julia. Super. [00:48:03] Speaker B: Yes. [00:48:03] Speaker C: And I'd always like these Fiats and they were pretty right at the time in touring car racing. [00:48:09] Speaker B: Yep. [00:48:09] Speaker C: So I bought the Fiat and. [00:48:14] Speaker C: Went on with that. I then got sponsorship From Willys Motors. Willys Motors were the theater and Jeep dealers in Melbourne at the time. [00:48:22] Speaker B: Yes. [00:48:22] Speaker C: Down on south bank which is now crank or something so. And they used to supply me with it with a Jeep but you believe the tow car and a trailer and a mechanic and so we ran this Fiat 1500. Now the 1500, the stage was quicker than a Cortina GT. [00:48:41] Speaker B: Yes. [00:48:42] Speaker C: Had better brakes, better handling. Right. From, from word go. I mean not absolutely standard cars. So the Fiat had been lowered down a little bit. I think Bo Magotire tricked the motor somewhere along the line but I'm never quite sure. But it went fairly well if anyone knows those Fiat and very stupid little column gear change. Yes, good, good brakes, good handling. But of course with the forwards you could go down your local hardware shop and just about buy a good hot up bit for it. And the Fiats were a bit scarce getting their hot bits unless you had some in into inroads into our bath or something like that. [00:49:17] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:49:18] Speaker C: Anyway, so I could sort of beat the, the Fords here for quite a while. There was a number of guys ran Fiat 1500s. Harry Firth ran a Fiat 1500. [00:49:28] Speaker B: Correct. [00:49:29] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:49:29] Speaker B: So fantastic. [00:49:31] Speaker C: All those sort of guys. [00:49:32] Speaker B: Yeah, they were, they were a bit, they were a bit different but they were a quick car. How did you get to Ringwood Mazda? [00:49:40] Speaker C: What? Sorry? [00:49:41] Speaker B: How did you get to Ringwood Mazda and selling cars at Ringwood. [00:49:45] Speaker C: I'll just finish off the story there with the Fiat. Then I saw the light and I thought these other cars are going quicker now. A Mini Cooper S and so that's where I got my first Mini Cooper S and that's the one we ran. It's an the long distance races there, a couple of three hour races and things like that. So yeah, that's where the Minis came in and then there was a string of different Minis, sports sedan Minis and all sorts of other stuff right up to the end and right up until a few years ago when I had a fully restored little Mini Cooper actually with a 1275s engine in it. Yes, that was a good little car. Now it came along to Ringwood Mazda. Now at that stage I had. [00:50:31] Speaker C: Gone to. How did I get involved with that now through a connection of someone, I got into the car detailing business in Car City. [00:50:42] Speaker B: Okay. [00:50:43] Speaker C: So along with another chap who's known to the mini racing guys, Keith Spark. [00:50:48] Speaker B: Yes. [00:50:49] Speaker C: In Queensland, we bought this, this business and it was just. I actually bought it off a well known racer at the time, Tony Stewart. [00:50:59] Speaker B: Yes. [00:51:00] Speaker C: And Tony Stewart, he was running, what, Formula Twos, I think, at the time. [00:51:05] Speaker B: Yeah, Formula 2, Formula 3, yep. [00:51:07] Speaker C: So he was quite a quick driver at the time. Unfortunately, one of those sort of guys that gave it away never came back. But he was a brilliant driver at the time. Anyway, so Tony and I knew each other, so we did a deal on this car detailing business and changed it into called Showroom Shine Car Detailing in Ringwood Car City. We had a particular spot there in Car City. So we did that for quite a while. And Car City people came to me, said, look, we really. Your lease is just about up. We want to finish up the lease and make your area into another car yard. [00:51:40] Speaker B: Yep. [00:51:41] Speaker C: So I was pretty much ready to give it away, to be honest with you. So I just literally walked across the road, I don't know Car City, but walked across one of the roads in Kassady to a good friend of mine, Ernie Nicholson, who had a place called Michael Graham Motors. And I then started under his license and bought my own cars and sold my own cars from there. And I did that for quite a little while. And I was actually buying little cheap, you know, 29, 990 specials out the back of Ringwood Mazda. And so I got to know them fairly well. They came along to me after a little while and said, look, would you like a job in our used car division here? We know who you are, we know what you do. I said, okay. So pretty much. [00:52:29] Speaker C: I ended up rocking up the Ringwood Mazda. And they said, oh, we'll have a car ready for you. I said, oh, that'd be nice. I think I was driving a Ford Fairlane or something at the time. And I put that back in the yard and so you guys could sell the car. And when I got to come and pick this car up, it was nothing else but a Mazda 929. You know, Mazda 929 at the time, a pretty flash little motorcycle. [00:52:53] Speaker B: They were. [00:52:53] Speaker C: Yeah, good. Is this. Where's all this been all this time? So there I started up and I eventually became the used car manager for quite a while and enjoyed myself with Ringwood Mazda. And that's where I retired out of the. Or so they say. I'd retired out of the used car game. [00:53:11] Speaker B: Yes. [00:53:13] Speaker C: Been known to buy and sell a few myself. [00:53:17] Speaker C: So that was the Ring of Mazda story. And I really. And they helped me along with my Mazda RX7. They put sponsorship on that a little bit, paid for all the servicing and entries and a few other bits and pieces. So I enjoyed myself at Ringwood Mazda. And. [00:53:33] Speaker C: From Ringwood Mazda, you asked about something else there. I went to. I retired, came back to Ringwood Mazda when we relocated from the. [00:53:45] Speaker C: Central Ringwood spot up towards Croydon on the Maroondah Highway. They've got a lovely big place there. [00:53:50] Speaker B: It's fantastic. [00:53:51] Speaker C: Yes. I went there to help set the place up, drove a spare parts truck, did all the courtesy car driving, sold a few cars, sort of stuff, and by that stage, I'd actually moved to a lovely property we had up at Alexandra. So I would sort of be down in Melbourne for a week, staying with my very good friend, the late David Foggy, and then come back up to Alex on the weekend. So Margaret was thinking, he seemed to be such a good idea. So we really was going back to Ringwood Madison. So that was good. Now, the next question you asked me there, Darren, number nine question, if you want to know what it is, was commentating at hill climbs and historic events. [00:54:33] Speaker B: Yes. This is. [00:54:35] Speaker C: I can tell you exactly how I started. I was standing near the start line at Templestowe Hill Climb. [00:54:41] Speaker B: Yep. [00:54:42] Speaker C: And there was a pill box there, like a concrete box where the commentator would sit. And they had. At the top of the hill, they had another commentary box up on top of what was called the wall. [00:54:51] Speaker B: Yes. [00:54:52] Speaker C: So when the cars went out of your side and what they used to call Monk's Corner, you would hand over to the check up the top. Anyway, I'm standing there and I sort of knew the late Ken MacPhail. A lot of people know Ken McPhail, or Fumbles McPhale, as we used to call him sometimes, but he was an interesting sort of guy, he and his wife Shirley, and he was the main commentator and he sort of knew me from, you know, hanging around lots of stuff. He said, look, you've got a nice speaking voice. Would you like to do a bit of commentary? And he pretty much gave me the microphone. He said, I've got to go up to the top because the other guy hasn't arrived. And you're on the bottom and I'll be at the top. Mind you, I was still running my car at this time, so I had to for a couple of runs. There was nobody on the commentary down the bottom. So anyway, so that's how I got started. [00:55:42] Speaker B: Yep. [00:55:42] Speaker C: And then I got to know Kerry Luckens and a few of those sort of guys quite well. So I was on the fringe of those sort of guys doing commentary for a while. [00:55:52] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:55:53] Speaker C: And then it just seemed to evolve into. [00:55:57] Speaker C: When I wasn't racing anywhere to Be on the commentary team. [00:56:01] Speaker B: Yeah, it's, that's, that's. [00:56:02] Speaker C: I've been doing that for nearly 50 years now. You asked me on one of the questions here at the very bottom, the winter meeting coming up the long track in August and next weekend. In fact they have decided in their wisdom that myself, Bob Morrow and a couple of other guys that have had 50 years of experience doing all these sort of things that we don't know anything and they want to get a professional team to do it because it is being live streamed I believe. So I have done plenty of television work and live streaming work and everything else. But anyway, probably new brooms come in and they said well you guys are out. So. So we won't be commentating. Raceway. [00:56:44] Speaker B: Yeah, that's. [00:56:44] Speaker C: This time unfortunately. [00:56:46] Speaker B: That's pretty sad. I mean. [00:56:49] Speaker B: You know, I mean everyone that I've spoken to on for the car clubs and the sports, historic sports thing guys, the Formula Ford guys, the, the historic, what they call themselves Group Q, Group R, the Tin Tops. They're all very surprised that the VHRR so called commentary team won't be commentating. But I mean, you know, your, your commentary at Rob Roy. Historic Rob Roy. [00:57:21] Speaker B: There's another gentleman there who. My name. [00:57:24] Speaker C: Who. [00:57:24] Speaker B: His name escapes me. Phil Memory. Phil Memory. Oh yeah, yeah, you guys, you guys have been commentating for, for so many years. So much knowledge and also I'm sure if the late Don Kinsey was around the dulcet tones of Mr. Roper T. [00:57:42] Speaker C: Tripping over in his grave. [00:57:43] Speaker B: Todd will be chuck a chuck in the middle. [00:57:47] Speaker C: I have no control over it. I've been on the committee of those big things for a while but never mind, that's moving on I guess. But you never know what I'd be interested to sit back and just see what happens. [00:57:58] Speaker B: Yeah, that's what, that's what. I suppose we're all interested all. Well, everybody's sort of. I've sort of had a few messages this past week. [00:58:09] Speaker C: You asked also on going up to number 10, the Australian Grand Prix historically space. [00:58:15] Speaker B: That's correct, yes. [00:58:16] Speaker C: Always very interesting. I enjoyed doing that. That was because I had actually been involved with the Grand Prix right from the first one in Adelaide. [00:58:24] Speaker B: Yes. [00:58:25] Speaker C: As a sector marshal. I was. I had also been a camp steward and things like that at my time. So I got picked to become a sector marshal right back in what, 1985 I think it was. Yeah. So I did about 12 Grand Prix there and then for business reasons I couldn't go anymore. And when it started up here in Melbourne they asked me to come on board again but this time could I help with the historic garage? [00:58:54] Speaker B: Yes. [00:58:54] Speaker C: And both Don Kingsley and myself would introduce people about their cars, give a bit of a talk to the passing parade going by. [00:59:01] Speaker B: Yep. [00:59:02] Speaker C: And so we did that for quite a long time and was great when David Jones, the late David Jones now had organized it as the Tattles Garage. [00:59:12] Speaker B: That's correct, yes. [00:59:13] Speaker C: And that was fantastic. I mean we had air conditioned marque. I mean it was, it was something we didn't get after poor old David passed away. But anyway. Or not when he passed away but when Tattersalls had to pull out. So anyway that's, that was a good thing and I've done that in the last couple of years. But I have to be very honest with you. [00:59:34] Speaker C: Just on 82 years of age now and I am not too keen on the getting out of bed at 5:00 in the morning, getting organized, drive down to the circle. I usually stay with my stepson in, in Blackburn so it's not that far to go, but. And then have pretty much the whole day there and getting home again. It was. And doing it for what, four days? [01:00:00] Speaker C: I think I get to do it. [01:00:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Four days. Yeah, four days weary for me and. [01:00:04] Speaker C: And I was doing sort of commentary there, but it's not quite the same. But that's about it in a nutshell. I suppose you asked what am I doing now? Is one of your questions. [01:00:16] Speaker B: That's correct. What's Ron doing now? [01:00:19] Speaker C: Okay, right. Enjoying retirement as I have done for the last few years now. [01:00:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:00:23] Speaker C: But Marg and I are well entrenched here in Wangaratta. [01:00:26] Speaker B: Yes. [01:00:27] Speaker C: Got a lovely home we managed to buy here which as we had moved up from a nice townhouse we had down in Hillsville and we came up here and we've actually got family up this way as well, which makes it nice for Margaret. She can go and visit her friends and things. Part of the family. [01:00:43] Speaker B: Yes. [01:00:45] Speaker C: I joined the Northeastern Car Club up here which is a fantastic little group of guys. [01:00:52] Speaker C: They were the instigators in the running of the old Tarawinji racetrack. Yes, Tarawindji. And that's where the club rooms are actually situated at Tarawindji. And you can actually walk out into near the part of the golf course and football ground that's there and see part of the old circle which in the finish was originally, it was bitumized. Prior to that had been a dirt track with oil put on it to bed down the dirt and all that sort of stuff. So. [01:01:21] Speaker B: Awesome. [01:01:23] Speaker C: So that's what I'm doing now. I've got involved with the club. They thought, I don't know why, but they said, we need you on the committee. Would you come on the committee? So I got straight away, I'm on the committee. [01:01:35] Speaker B: Fantastic. [01:01:36] Speaker C: And I'm organizing a couple of things for them. I organized last Friday. You might have seen on Facebook. I did see that Friday coffee run. [01:01:43] Speaker B: Yes. [01:01:44] Speaker C: To Myrtleford, which was good. And everyone seems to enjoy it. It's like a lot of people too, you know. You mentioned something, they say, oh, we, we've been thinking about doing that for some time. [01:01:56] Speaker B: Yes. [01:01:59] Speaker C: Instigated to get it going. It's easy work. It's easy for me anyway. I seem to like doing that sort of stuff. So, yeah, that is having done a lot of stuff for the BHR with our, you know, Christmas in July functions and things like that. [01:02:11] Speaker B: But that's, that's, that's very true. You know, we've been thinking about it for some time and that's like how we. I instigated to start the early Falcon Car Club here, the XK to XP Falcons at wa. They were thinking about it for years and I go, we need a club. So now we've got over 50 odd members and yeah, we're just rolling along nicely. So awesome stuff. Great talking to you, Ron. We've actually, it's actually been a really informative. Nearly an hour and 15. [01:02:46] Speaker B: Yeah, it's been unbelievable. Like I've gone, look at the time, it's 4:03. So an hour and a bit. And I've got some songs to play for Ron. But I can't thank. [01:03:00] Speaker B: Ron for coming on and off because I always. Even though we, we'd spoken at racetracks and stuff like that, you were busy commentating and I was, I was busy driving and dad was there and we'd always, we'd always pass, say hello. And I think the, the most conversation we had was when we were at historic Winton. [01:03:25] Speaker C: You got a couple of photos taken. [01:03:26] Speaker B: Yeah, we had some photos takers. We never had time to take photos, so. So it was an awesome event. Yeah, it's, it's, it was great. It was just fabulous talking to you, talking to you. [01:03:38] Speaker C: Today we kind of. Probably what we say in the old, the old thing is that we waffled a bit, but that's the idea. [01:03:45] Speaker B: Well, the whole thing. Yeah, you're right. [01:03:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Look, I mean, at the end of the day, you know, growing up in Melbourne, Baldwin, those people The Billy Cart races never happen again, you know, Alan Jones, the, the Pathfinder, you know, the, the history, you know, the opportune Mini, the. Yeah. Racing around. You never actually hear those stories and you never actually hear from those people. And then once they pass on, it's. [01:04:19] Speaker C: Lost to time unfortunately, isn't it? Of who we are, I suppose. [01:04:26] Speaker C: Johnny shepherd passing away yesterday. [01:04:31] Speaker B: Yeah, it's, it's, it's quite terrible. [01:04:33] Speaker C: John was a very good friend of mine. I'll just get on that for a second. He was one of our Wednesday group which we started up years ago for the vhrr. Yes. [01:04:44] Speaker C: It come along which unfortunately has been diminished quite a bit because as people have passed on. But John used to make. I, I didn't know him all that well until, you know, the last 10 years or so and for some reason he would make a beeline to come and sit next to me at. [01:05:03] Speaker C: Honestly, I just didn't ever write them down or stuff but like that. But the stories he had to tell me. I'll tell you what, he cracked me up every time but he had a very good sense of wit and dry set to it as well. [01:05:16] Speaker B: Yes. [01:05:16] Speaker C: And I said, are you writing a book? Well, yes, he said, I've got some pages written out, all that sort of stuff. But of course it never come to fruition, unfortunately. [01:05:26] Speaker B: Yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's another sad passing. It's another sad passing. [01:05:31] Speaker C: This week. [01:05:33] Speaker C: We might, might find those papers somewhere and get someone to collate it into some sort of a story. [01:05:40] Speaker B: I'm sure they were like. Somebody like Aaron Noonan would love to do something like that. Or you know the guy who wrote the book on Ellen Moffat's David Hassell. [01:05:51] Speaker C: Oh yes, I see. I know him pretty well. [01:05:53] Speaker B: Yeah, so he, he's, he's probably the one to do it, David. I mean, you know, some of the things that he's written, some of the things he's researched, that Alan Moffat book with the Mustang, some of the, some of the myths that's been debunked. It's been fantastic. So, you know, he's probably the one to write a book on. [01:06:12] Speaker C: Mentioned that to Susan, one of his daughters that we've been talking with. [01:06:15] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:06:18] Speaker C: I've really enjoyed my chin wag. [01:06:20] Speaker B: Thanks, mate, much appreciated. [01:06:23] Speaker C: It was a bit of interest to somebody and haven't nodded off too much. [01:06:26] Speaker B: No, it has, it's been fantastic. And we'll play you some Pharrell Williams and some Frank Sinatra you've requested. So it's one of those odd things. We don't really get much for our Williams or Frank Sinatra but. [01:06:44] Speaker B: Very, very good. Thanks Ron. Much appreciated for your time. We'll catch up to you. [01:06:49] Speaker C: Thank you. [01:06:50] Speaker B: Thank you mate. Bye bye. [01:06:53] Speaker A: The best music from the 60s to today. IPL radio. [01:07:00] Speaker B: Well, that was one hour and ten minutes with Mr. Ron Simmons. Unbelievable. The knowledge that this man's got the people who he's dealt with, the people who he's worked with, what he's seen, what he's achieved just opens the door to anybody who loves cars. Australian history. You know, we really did make stuff in the day. Collingwood Baldwin, the Billy Cart race. I mean it's only legends like Alan Jones Pathfinder. That car is actually in a collection in Melbourne. Awesome. And also there's Christian Jones's car is in the same collection. So we'll endeavor to get that collector on the air. I know him, I don't know him but I know people who know the gentleman and you know we'll, we'll endeavor to get that to, to have he have Steve on the air now. The next guest is Adrian from the Morrowa Speedway. [01:08:13] Speaker B: Adrian, welcome to Talking Talk. [01:08:18] Speaker D: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here, mate. [01:08:21] Speaker B: That's awesome. Adrian. Where is Morawa Speedway? [01:08:26] Speaker D: Marwa Speedway is 350km kilometers northeast of Perth. So it's only a short three and a half hour drive for spectators and for competitors alike. [01:08:36] Speaker B: And how old is the club and the facility at Borrower? [01:08:41] Speaker D: The club was first made by Western Mining. Not too sure exactly when but it closed down in 1969. [01:08:47] Speaker B: Yep. [01:08:47] Speaker D: And started back up again in 1979. It's been running ever since. [01:08:51] Speaker B: Okay, how big is the facility and what events do you guys run at the speedway? [01:08:59] Speaker D: We run burnouts as well as actual speedway events. And we're at the last one trap which means we're allowed to run from sprint cars right through to every division there is of speedway. [01:09:10] Speaker B: Wow, that's, that's a pretty big gamut of. Of dirt track racing, sprint cars. I mean sprint cars and dirt cart racing in Western Australia is massive. You know we've spoken to Ron and about you know the, the, the, the circuit tracks in Melbourne but with only one circuit track in Perth. Wanna Roo Carx Stadium they call it. Barbagello they used to call it and there's another a motorsport complex down south. But speedway is massive in Western Australia and you, you just cannot go anywhere in the summer months without seeing dirt track cars being towed. Dirt truck transporters, Kwanana Motor Speedway. But you know, we're talking about Morrow. This is a country town who's got their own speedway track, they've got their own association and it's the life, it's the lifeblood of that community. So I, I saw. [01:10:19] Speaker B: I saw an advert on Facebook about Borrower Speedway and it made me thinking, well, I need to have a chat to these people. And I saw Adrian's name come up and you know, and I saw the. [01:10:40] Speaker B: I saw the stuff about the Midwest Masters at Mirawa Speedway, Saturday 11th October. So mate, what are the Midwest Masters and tell me all about it. [01:10:57] Speaker D: Midwest Masters, that's. That name was around before I've come to the club and became a part of the club. [01:11:02] Speaker B: Yes. [01:11:04] Speaker D: That's what I've been running under for a few years now. [01:11:06] Speaker B: Yes. [01:11:06] Speaker D: For some of their events this year we've decided to put $5,000 up for the street stocks on this particular event. [01:11:15] Speaker B: Yes. [01:11:16] Speaker D: And we plan on doing that for each, each one of our events for different divisions as we go along. So it's not going to be the same division all the time. [01:11:25] Speaker B: Yes. [01:11:27] Speaker B: So you've got say, street stocks. [01:11:34] Speaker B: So. [01:11:36] Speaker B: What is a street stock? [01:11:40] Speaker D: Street stocks a division in speedway where the car's supposed to remain ultimately street stock. So you're not allowed to do too many modifications compared to the other cars. So you're supposed to run like a stock suspension fitment. [01:11:53] Speaker B: Yes. [01:11:55] Speaker D: Components and stuff like that. [01:11:57] Speaker B: Yep. [01:11:59] Speaker D: Well, with the other cars with modifieds and productions, you allow to change your suspension around and your geometry and that of it. [01:12:06] Speaker B: Okay. And. [01:12:09] Speaker B: $5,000 as a prize is a massive incentive for the club to give. [01:12:19] Speaker B: Dirt track guys to come and bring their cars out to race. That's, that's, that's a 5,000. I've never ever heard of that in circuit racing, but in wa it's, it's bigger than Ben Hur, this speedway, speedway racing and dirt track. What's the emphasis of the 5,000? That's a massive, that's, that's fantastic for the club to do that. [01:12:42] Speaker D: It's to try and get more competitive to come to Morrow. [01:12:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:12:47] Speaker D: A few people think we're just a little bit too far away. So we've put 5,000 up across the first five positions for the Street Stocks. [01:12:54] Speaker B: Yes. [01:12:55] Speaker D: To try and entice a few more competitors to come. [01:12:58] Speaker B: Yeah, that's, that's unheard of back east and I suppose. How many members does the Morawa Club have? [01:13:07] Speaker D: I think we've got 50 odd members overall. [01:13:10] Speaker B: Yep. [01:13:11] Speaker D: But we're, we're really supported by the community, as we said before, without, without your volunteers and that makes it hard. [01:13:19] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:13:20] Speaker D: We've got a little coffee shop run by the Speedway Club to help with fundraising and that. [01:13:27] Speaker D: There's a massive shout out to go with Jason Irwin for the use of his shop, Ricky Lee, who run the shop mainly, and then all the local teenagers that pitch in to help out. [01:13:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:13:38] Speaker D: With having the coffee shop running, it's allowed for the track to have new lights put in, along with a lot of grants, new generator, fence walls and that. We've just. Last year we installed $130,000 worth of LED lights. [01:13:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:13:53] Speaker D: The premises. [01:13:55] Speaker B: Wow. [01:13:58] Speaker B: That'S fantastic. I was, I've actually been talking to Shirley Katona, the president also of the club. [01:14:06] Speaker B: Excuse me. And I talked to her this afternoon actually and she rang me. She goes, I'll just finish work at the cafe. And I go, what's the cafe? She goes, oh, it's how we. It's how we. It's hell. It's for the club. So I said, answer, answer. Obviously she was on the roster for this Sunday. Is it just Sundays and Saturdays or just Sundays, Adrian, for the cafe. [01:14:28] Speaker D: Satellites and Sundays. Now originally we just started off on a Sunday because there was nothing here on a Sunday. And then the other local shop decided he wants to have the satellite off as well. So you come and see us and see if. So the whole. Like I said, it's a whole community event. [01:14:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:14:45] Speaker D: To try and work together to progress. [01:14:48] Speaker B: Fantastic. What other speedway classes does the club run? Does. Is the club run over summer and winter or is it predominantly summer or. [01:14:58] Speaker D: Pretty much every month, every season apart from winter because it's a bit too wet and cold. [01:15:03] Speaker B: Yep. [01:15:04] Speaker D: We run all divisions, like I said, from the sprint cars. Genius street stocks, super mod, super sixes, pro mod speed cars, Formula 125s. Anybody that's willing to come. [01:15:15] Speaker D: Where I let her to have them run, it's fantastic. [01:15:19] Speaker B: Do you have any visiting. [01:15:22] Speaker B: Blow ins from the east come and race? [01:15:26] Speaker D: Not really. [01:15:28] Speaker B: Excuse me. Well, that's. And, and basically all your competitors are. Are from the Morrow district or are they? Are they? You know, because I was, I was thinking that you guys, your bread and butter would be the area that you're from, but sounds like some of the improvements that you've done to the track. [01:15:49] Speaker B: Like with the LED lights and the lighting and you know, you run sprint cars. The sprint cars are fantastic. I mean, it's a show on its own, but seeing all these other classes Is just an eye opener for anybody that wants to get involved in the speedway. [01:16:06] Speaker D: It is. It's very community based with everybody that gets involved and it's good. Like when we do get the visiting pedals and that. It is really good. [01:16:16] Speaker B: Yes. That's fantastic. So what other events. So we're talking about the Midwest Masters. What. What events are on the day though? Yeah. What events are on the day? [01:16:30] Speaker D: It'll consist of whatever divisions wish to come along. [01:16:35] Speaker B: Yes. [01:16:36] Speaker D: And there'll be three heats and a feature for each division. We'll also have. We'll have a Burnett demonstration and show on. [01:16:43] Speaker B: Yes. [01:16:44] Speaker D: Mario. Speedway has the only active Burnett pad in the Midwest region. [01:16:49] Speaker B: Unbelievable. [01:16:51] Speaker D: And it's 24 meters by 27 meters with a 16 meter tip in sheet. So it's a rather large pad to get out and have a spin. [01:16:58] Speaker B: Massive. [01:16:59] Speaker D: And the local burnout guys put on a good show. Every year they do a burnouts only two day event. [01:17:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:17:06] Speaker D: Which is quite spectacular with the blind V8s and everything that come in for that. [01:17:11] Speaker B: Yeah. Is that just a local event? Do you guys. Obviously from now on we'll be pushing the morrow with speedway events and we'll be notifying people who listen to talking talk and we'll be promoting on our Facebook page. Talking talk. So like. And follow our Facebook page for all the latest stuff that's coming up. The burnouts. So tell me a bit about the burnout. Is it any cars? Is it? Because that's, you know, that's a pretty good position for you guys to have a massive burnout donut pad. How did that come about? [01:17:49] Speaker D: That was here before I come along to the group. [01:17:52] Speaker B: Yes. [01:17:55] Speaker D: Bit over a year ago, I suppose we expanded. Extended the pad and the tip in sheet. [01:18:00] Speaker B: Yep. [01:18:01] Speaker D: There's. I think there's about eight or nine local V8 and six cylinder burnout cars. [01:18:07] Speaker B: Yep. [01:18:07] Speaker D: For motor alone. [01:18:08] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:18:10] Speaker D: So yeah, they used to be two separate entries and we've combined them as one to try and advance the club all together as one unit. [01:18:18] Speaker B: Oh, fantastic. I mean, you know, I mean it's better than. It's a safe way if you want to destroy your tires. It's a safe way to actually compete in the burnout comps instead of doing it down your street. You know. [01:18:32] Speaker C: All right. [01:18:32] Speaker B: It's three hours away. But you live the atmosphere of that. That town for the event. So you live the atmosphere of Morawa for the event. You spend a bit of money in the hotel, Spend a bit of money at the pub. You know, have a dinner here. [01:18:50] Speaker B: Excuse me. Have a dinner here, have a dinner there, you know, drive up on a Saturday, compete on the Saturday night, have. Have a coffee on the Sunday and then drive back home. I mean, that's a weekend away. That's, that's fantastic. [01:19:07] Speaker D: With the, with the prize money that on offer, we're hoping that'll draw more people to come and enjoy what we have here. [01:19:14] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:19:16] Speaker B: That'S, that's, that's fantastic. It's. It's great to see. [01:19:23] Speaker B: Excuse me. It's great to see an association and it's great to see a small town like Moroa come together. You've got the association, you know, local businesses, everybody reaps the support and everybody reaps something. [01:19:47] Speaker B: When they come and compete. So you've got a small town, you know, your pub's busy. Yeah. You pump petrol into your car. Driving there, you have a. You're having a bite to eat. So it actually galvanizes the community and galvanizes other people who want to. Not to race speedway or to do burnouts in your car. And it's a safe, It's a safe area and you're not going to get picked up by the local police, tog or whatever. And instead of doing it in the car park, wherever you're doing it, it's a safe. It's a great, safe place. And you have a car show there also. At the same time, Adrian. [01:20:33] Speaker D: Yeah, a few of the guys show their cars and that often. There's another guy that's trying to get a cars and coffee show and all that up and running for Eddie as well. [01:20:43] Speaker B: Fantastic. That, that is. That is. That is fantastic. How many, how many cars. How many cars will you be getting at the Masters event in October? [01:20:57] Speaker D: At this present stage, we're not. Not too sure. [01:20:59] Speaker B: Yep. [01:21:00] Speaker D: Our nominations will hopefully get organized to open up on Wednesday, Thursday next week. Yes, but it's so fun. I think suppose has been put up. There's been a lot of. [01:21:11] Speaker D: A lot of people. [01:21:14] Speaker D: A lot more interest in it. So. [01:21:15] Speaker B: Yeah, no, that's fantastic. [01:21:17] Speaker D: It's gonna. We're hoping it's gonna be a good show and a good amount and people turn up. [01:21:21] Speaker B: Yeah, that's fantastic. I mean, we're gonna push the Morrow Speedway events from now on. Obviously talking talk. We haven't been around that long, but where the width. We. People listen to the radio show. The width of breast of WA and also the rest of Australia, because I know there's people listening all over. [01:21:44] Speaker B: And what car do you have? [01:21:46] Speaker D: Adrian offered a Falcon in production Sedan? [01:21:50] Speaker B: Yes. [01:21:52] Speaker B: Awesome. What sort of. [01:21:54] Speaker D: Shirley runs a Sigma. [01:21:56] Speaker B: Oh, okay. [01:21:58] Speaker D: There's an FG Falcon that's local in town here. Falcon. [01:22:04] Speaker D: So there's about five local cars that all production sedans and there's two local dining guys. [01:22:10] Speaker B: Wow, that's. That's amazing. That's like first for a small town to even have five or six cars. I know it's not. It's not. It's not speedway, but the guys at the Gippsland Car Club in Victoria. I mean, there's cars everywhere. There's cars. [01:22:29] Speaker B: You'd think that a little town. [01:22:33] Speaker B: In Gippsland would not have a hill climb track. And Bryant park is probably one of the best hill climb tracks in Australia, if not the whole of Australia. It's just an amazing facility that that club has actually put together. [01:22:50] Speaker B: And without these clubs, society doesn't function. Society functions when everybody's working together for 1. 1. Cause, you know, there's the ladies in the. There's the ladies in the lunchroom, there's the ladies in the canteen, there's the guys at the gate. When you got a. When. When you got a great. [01:23:13] Speaker B: A great lot of passionate people. It does wonders. It does wonders for everything. And I suppose that's what. That's what drew me to that. The first time that I rang you was because I saw this moral speedway. Where's that? Looked it up. Oh, that's in the middle of. [01:23:30] Speaker B: Nowhere, so to speak in my language. And I've gone, yeah. And we spoke. And you go, who's this guy? This guy rings. Who is he? Because I know the conversation you had with Shirley and was. This guy's called out of nowhere. So I'm pretty happy that you took my phone call. [01:23:49] Speaker B: And I'm pretty happy that you guys have been. You've been great communicating with me and Shirley. The president has been outstanding. And I know Shirley is. She worked the coffee shop this morning. So she'll be, as she said to me, I'll be doing some housework. I'll have the phone on, listening to Talking Talk. So well done, Shirley, and well done, Adrian. And I've got some songs for Shirley to. These are songs that I've picked for Shirley. So I'm not a country or western person. So I'll pick some Slim Dusty. [01:24:28] Speaker B: Adrian, thank you very much for coming on. It's been a pleasure to have you guys. And the Morrower Speedway association. [01:24:37] Speaker B: Will be pushing on our Facebook page the Morrower Speedway and the Midwest Masters for the 11th of October, I believe. And if you want Any more information please go to the Morrower Speedway Facebook page. There's all the information about the the Midwest masters there on October 11th. And we'll play some songs for Shirley. Thank you very much Adrian. Have a great afternoon. Thank you very much for coming on. Immoral. What's the weather like? Immoral, mate. [01:25:11] Speaker D: It's raining at the moment so it's a bit wet to do anything. [01:25:14] Speaker B: Yeah, it's raining here in Rocco too so it's, it's pretty wet all around. And even talking to, to Ron Simmons it's raining out east at east West Victoria so at least the ground's getting a bit of a drenching. So thanks mate, appreciate your time. Thank you Shirley. [01:25:34] Speaker B: And we'll play some Slim Dusty for the guys and gals at Morrower. Thank you mate, appreciate it. [01:25:41] Speaker D: No worries. [01:25:42] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. [01:25:44] Speaker A: The best music from the 60s to today. IPL radio. [01:25:49] Speaker B: There we go. Some songs for the team at Morrower Speedway. Some Slim Dusty and some Jimmy Barnes Working class man and some Slim Dusty. Some great songs for the country guys at Morris who run Morris Speedway. We'll be keeping in touch with Adrian and Shirley and the team there. [01:26:10] Speaker B: In times come when they, when they have an event we'll be promoting it on talking Talk and. [01:26:17] Speaker B: We'Re gonna catch up with some people in the next few weeks but Our Motorsport Correspondent Mr. Corey Horder and has been racing this weekend at Winton, a cold wet Winton in Victoria. And you all know Corey, he's been on the radio, he's been on the program a number of times. He's our new motorsport correspondent and Corey's been driving the Greg Beecham prepared Formula V Beecham Racing and ticked off one of their goals for this season in finishing in the top 10. So well done to Corey Horta and the Beacham Racing team. Greg Beacham putting together a great car for Corey. No, it was wet. They've had some issues over the weekend, has had a couple of spins but he is, he's done well young man, well done. So that's. So we'll have Corey in the next couple of weeks coming on to talk talk about the event at Winton also. Winton a couple of weeks. As Ron Simmons pointed out, the Winton. [01:27:28] Speaker B: Historic speed event will be on next week I think And Mark Sully from the historic sports sedans. [01:27:38] Speaker B: He was on a couple of weeks ago. He's the proprietor of old car radios Fixed Mark does all the PR work and a lot of the Facebook page. [01:27:52] Speaker B: Stuff of the historic sports sedans and that's on next weekend at Winton Motor Raceway also. So a big, a big, a big week at Winton. So yeah that should be, that should be another great event. Also our friends at the Western Australian Historic Touring Car. [01:28:22] Speaker B: Had an event at Barbagello Car Track Raceway this weekend. Our good friend Don vets in the magnificent Ford Galaxy he's coming on the next couple of weeks so that should be good. And they, they had their event at Winton, they had their event at Barbagello in Western Australia a couple of weeks ago. So that's, that's awesome. And you know there's some great cars getting back to Winton and Mark there's some great cars that will be running at Winton. [01:28:59] Speaker B: John McCormick's Jaguar XJS. One of them. [01:29:04] Speaker B: Marks Tarana, another one of them, our good friend Ernie Corey out of Gippsland will be running. There'll be a Scotty Hoskin and Peter Finch powered HQ Monaro will be running. So all these guys, the Winton, the Winton event is one of their, one of their events that they'll be running. You know there's the sports sedans, there's Formula V but it's really a tin top event you know so that should be good. And they've got some great sponsors for the Winton Festival of speed. [01:29:45] Speaker B: Steel edge constructions. [01:29:48] Speaker B: Jackie at Dan Murphy's Octopus Grip you know so that should be a good thing. You know they, they present well they, everybody loves a historic sports sedan and you know there's going to be the ex Peter Fowler cars that were built in Shepparton. The, the VW and the Mercedes. The Mercedes was run by John Bow, was run by. [01:30:16] Speaker B: Brett Jones in the day another spectacular looking car Mercedes the Volkswagen is a recreation but was built by Peter Fowler of Shepparton and he's, he's done a magnificent job. Another entry for the sports sedans for the John McCormack's Historic Sports Sedans Australia will be Rod wood in the 202 powered FJ Holden. So that's another fire breathing sports sedan that should be great. And there's a lot of other guys that are actually preparing their cars for the event. So yeah and these people also Winton Festival speed Kim Durbridge in the Nissan powered Holden another FJ with a RB30 Turbo that should be a wild looking car. John Oliver the recreation of the Monaro another fantastic car. Nick Crockin chitty in the 57 Chev. The car needs to be seen to be appreciated and the fine detail work was another great car. So all These guys are just you know Bob Forbes, grave of Crabtree in the Ford Capri but it's running in the historic sports sedans. That's another good looking car. You know these guys are going to put on a great show. It'd be great to go to Winton. You know Jason Moros in the Clem Smith powered Valiant Charger. The like Clem Smith who owned. [01:31:59] Speaker B: Malala Raceway, car dealer extraordinaire. Another fantastic car, you know well worth just going to see the restoration of this, of this Clemsmith car. Just fantastic. You know the boys are the, the boys are putting a great deal of effort. Another person who I know I've known in the past, Damien Johnson. [01:32:25] Speaker B: Well known to historic sports sedan guys and he's racing his ex Doug Clark 202 powered Toyota Celica. So that's another car that's, it's wild, it's just wicked. It's 202 powered. It's very, very good. You know these guys are going to put on a great show at Winton next weekend you know and they're all enthusiastic, they're all enthusiastic about their cars. And there's a guy called Peter Hillman in an Oldsmobile V8 powered Hillman implement. So that's another weird and spectacular car that should be seen to be believed. You know there's guys and tires. Another entrant Graham in the 13B rotary powered Mazda RX2. RX2 Mazda is so popular in the day under 2 liter sports sedans. So these guys, Ernie Corey as I said in the, in the E Eh no I don't think the EH is going but another Toronto. So that's a very quick car. And we've got Ian Baird driving the X. Barry Bray Datsun powered a 30, another wild looking car in something like what Peter Brock used to drive in sports sedans back in the day before he became famous. So that's, that's, that's a fantastic, that's a fantastic thing. You know we've got. [01:34:03] Speaker B: Another driver in the elite class. [01:34:07] Speaker B: In another humpy. So these guys are exceptional. Their car control of, of old cars is, is unbelievable. I know that they're all, they're all gunning at the bit for next weekend's event. Ernie Corey as I mentioned in the 202 powered HB Tirana the big man, the Moe Mauler all the way from Moe in, in Gippsland. So yeah there's the ex Charlie Milner chef powered HB Tirana. Max Carter is a driver. Another these cars they're part of Australian history. So they should, you know, wow the crowds. [01:34:48] Speaker B: And yeah they're fantastic. There's another guy, Bevin Edmonds in the super cheap auto 13B rotary powered Ford Anglia. This is probably one of the earliest cars that has had super cheap auto signage. Another, another fantastic car. [01:35:08] Speaker B: And Greg Jock Painter in the Peter Ferrari Fowler built Recreation Chev Type 3 Volkswagen. This is in the day. This car was the fire breather of the fire breathers. It was unbelievable. The original was raced by Brian Thompson, the late Brian Thompson and Peter, Peter Fowler built it in Shepparton. Peter Fowler an amazing car builder, engineer also he drove some cars but known for his engineering excellence. So you know these guys are good. Mark's got a great Facebook page. Historic sports sedans and that round is at Winton 1st to 3rd of August which is next next week. Graham Harlow another, another. [01:36:04] Speaker B: Different sort of car. You know Nissan 2 liter twin cam powered Datsun 510 1600. You know these guys are, these guys are awesome you know and there's another guy who builds model historic sports sedans. Graham Calnan, you know he's done some, some of the work he does is absolutely fantastic. John Oliver again a doyen of the historic sports lens Group U and Mr. Fitzner who's the president of the club. [01:36:43] Speaker B: Gearbox extraordinaire. Another, another fantastic person. And we're going to have, we're going to have, we're going to have Mr. Fitzner on but that rain is absolutely belting down on the studio roof. I've got Caden looking up in the, in the roof seeing hopefully we don't have any, any leaks. But if you go to the historic sports stand page and see Graham Kelman's work on the models. [01:37:17] Speaker B: Unbelievable. Just superb, superb work and superb, superb workmanship from Graham. So. [01:37:29] Speaker B: All those guys are getting ready for their cars for next weekend. So that's, that's great And I suppose the next, the, the next lot of music. [01:37:42] Speaker B: The light great Mr. Aussie Osborne of Black Sabbath just a legend passed away only on Friday or Thursday. Friday. [01:37:55] Speaker B: Just an amazing musician. Had the stage presence. [01:38:01] Speaker B: Excuse me, had the stage presence. And we'll be playing a few songs from the late great Mr. Ozzy Osbourne. [01:38:11] Speaker A: The best music from the 60s to today. IPL radio. [01:38:17] Speaker B: Well, well, well there you go. Some Aussie Osborne passed away this week. He only played his last show a couple of weeks ago. And true gentleman Hellraiser without, without people like Ozzy Osbourne freedom music would not be what it is today. So played four songs from Aussie so Hellraiser was the last one. So that's awesome. You know, I mean talking. Talk is all about playing different things and talking to different people. Which in actual fact puts me on to next week's broadcast. So next week's broadcast will be having. [01:39:05] Speaker B: A gentleman who owns Ferraris. Now. [01:39:11] Speaker B: It'S a beanie. It's an interesting story on Walter and how he got involved with owning some really nice Italian machinery. [01:39:24] Speaker B: And we'll be having him on the line. We'll have a reel of his cars and his garage next, next around the middle of the week, we'll, we'll start playing some reels on, on Walter's cars. But some amazing red Ferraris. Some, some amazing cars. And the other person we'll be talking to is Ashrael from the Red Dust Revival. And Ash is the president of the Goldfield Variety Club charity who. [01:40:07] Speaker B: Organizes all the event for the guys who run the cars. So they organize the showers, they organize the, the, the camping site. They organize the whole thing for the guys who. [01:40:24] Speaker B: Excuse me, run their cars. So Ash will be coming on next Sunday also and it should be a really interesting, interesting conversation with Ash because it's another charity and we love talking to people who run charities, run charitable organizations because as you know, IPL is inspiring passionate lives. We talk about mental health. Part of the biggest thing that we do here is we have mental health days on a Monday where Tristan talks and guides you through mental health. How to help somebody that's having a mental health breakdown. I suppose. [01:41:13] Speaker B: So that should be good. Excuse me. [01:41:18] Speaker B: And you know, we'll, we'll also be talking, we'll be talking to Ash about the Red Dust Revival because I have it every three years at Lake Percolilli near the gold fields. And it's a Western Australian institution. There's already, it's already subscribed. [01:41:43] Speaker B: They hope to have. And it's during the school holidays in September, so they hope to have multiple cars and people. One of the things that they were asking for. [01:41:56] Speaker B: For Lake Pukcalilli 2025 was can we have it on school holidays? Because we want to bring our kids and we want our kids to come out to the gold fields and experience this great iconic event. [01:42:10] Speaker B: So Ash will be talking about the organization. Then we'll have a couple of drivers. And then the last show. [01:42:21] Speaker B: Of that three part Lake Percolilli 2025, Red Dust Revival, we'll have Mr. Nigel Quick from Desert Collectors. I have everybody seen the show Desert Collectors. I love Desert Collectors was on channel 73 but Nigel runs a Facebook page and has auctions on his Facebook page and go to his Facebook page. Have a look. Nigel is also organizing, they're doing the T shirts for Lake Perkalilli T shirts, bucket hats. So if you want to have a look at any of the designs that, for the Lake Percolilli event, especially the T shirts, the hats and all the, that paraphernalia. [01:43:13] Speaker B: I mean it's a, it's a fantastic product. It's, it's made here, it's, it's made in the gold fields and it's well done. And also there's, I'm not sure if they've sold out yet, but the front grill medallions promoting the Lake Perkalilli event. [01:43:32] Speaker B: On sale and there's only one batch they're making. They're not making double batches. You know, the last time I read they'd sold 600 medallions for the. So it's a, it goes on the grill of your car. [01:43:47] Speaker B: There's many competitors have already got theirs. If you go to the Red Dust Revival Lake Perkalilli Facebook page, you, you scroll through some of the stories. There's stories about people's cars, there's stories about events, there's old time original photography that was taken back in the day and it's part of Western Australian history. I mean like, like talking to Adrian from the Morrower Speedway. That's Western Australian history, guys. This is part of growing up in Western Australia racing on the dirt like Percolilli. It's on the, it's on the dry lake bed at Lake Percolilli near the goldfields. So it's not easy to get to but I'm sure it will be an awesome event. And that's the last weekend of the last week of September. So it's an unfortunate that we won't, I won't be around in September, but there's more to come on my antics in September and Ms. Rebecca's antics in September because we're going traveling. So we're going traveling and we're going to be meeting some awesomeness people, some guys that you would never have heard of who, who run events in Europe, who drive cars. I'm hoping to speak to Hugh Barter racing the, the Lola Yamaha electric car. They were in Berlin just recently. So we're hoping to speak to and get hold of Young, the young man, I met him when he was 6 or 7 years old karting in Melbourne and he was, he was doing very, very well for himself. Race carts in Europe won A number of races and the championships are hopefully that could come to fruition. [01:45:44] Speaker B: Also we're going to speak to Mr. Joe Anastasi in Malta. Joe runs Team Motorsport Malta and it's massive. These guys are full on. There's no, there's no, there's only the Hellfire Raceway in Malta and that is basically a drag racing track. And the, these guys are serious, super serious that these, the, the guys that run top fuel cars and drag cars, they race all over Europe for the FIA European Drag Car Championship and they've won a number of top fuel European championships also. So it's a feather in their cap because they travel. I mean Europe's not that big. Italy fits in the size of Victoria. Western Australia would be half of Europe in its own. So they travel, these guys travel and we'll be talking to Joe about the exploits of Team Motorsport Malta and these guys race in Sicily. They put their cars on the ferry, they go and race at Race Malta and they do extremely well. They have some fast, fast individuals and some really awesome looking cars. Zach Zammit. Hopefully we can catch up with Zach in Malta. Zach races his Empire Open wheeler in the British Hill Climb Championship. [01:47:10] Speaker B: So hopefully we'll be having a chat to Zach and meeting Zach and having a look at that car in Slima in Malta. Also. [01:47:21] Speaker B: Also going to some swap meets and a car event or two if I'm allowed to go to a car event or a car show in Europe. But I really want to go to a jumble fair. Jumble fair is like our, it's like a, it's like a market. It's like the trash and treasure but it's massive and hopefully we can get to one of those and hopefully we can pick our, pick ourselves up a pedal car which would be awesome awesomeness. And I'm probably looking for a shark nose Ferrari or a Lotus to add to the collection. And some of you might have seen my post on Talking Talk. We picked up a cherry red Ford Mustang. [01:48:15] Speaker B: So that is a beautiful looking car. Everybody who likes it that's seen it, go to the Talking Talk Facebook page and have a look at the, the Mustang. It's an awesome looking car and I'm, I'm happy that it was found in WA and it's saying in Western Australia it's not going out east. And also Talking Talk next week is having a. [01:48:43] Speaker B: Is will be having a stall at YTT Antiques so come and say hello. Talking Talk. [01:48:53] Speaker B: In Rockingham. 9 Tool 3 All sorts of Petronalia garage Analia model cars. Oil bottles, some signs, automotive collections for your little man shed. We don't call them caves here in Australia because in Australia we have sheds. So we've got some great, some, some fantastic bits and pieces for your sheds from oil bottles to oil tops. We've got a range of Castrol tins which are fantastic. I'm passing out my collection and we'll be going to Waititi Antiques Unit 332 Crompton Road in Rockingham which is not far from the studio at the moment which is probably spitting distance so to speak. So we'll be there from nine till three and it'd be the first time that we're actually having our own stall at a antiques and collectibles sale. So come and say hello. There's free tea and coffee in the morning, some biscuits. [01:50:07] Speaker B: Bring your wives because there's other non blokey stuff there. But yeah I'm just going through all the my boxes and we've got some vintage street machine magazines from the 80s and 90s which parting out that collection of magazines also. So come and grab a bargain. Come and say hello. We'll be at 32 Crompton Road in, in Rockingham from 9 till 3. Rebecca will be taking over at 2:30 so I can make it to the studio to. [01:50:44] Speaker B: Broadcast another talking talk and we'll have Kaden in the background and you know Cadence had some awesomeness chocolate waffles that I made this morning so he's had a great time this afternoon having chocolate waffles and not forgetting on Saturday next week. So Saturday at from 12 till 2 will be the IPL 5th birthday celebrations. Come and have a look at the studio. Come and have a look what IPL does. Come and have a look at. We'll be broadcasting on the day we'll have our broadcasters on the Saturday broadcasting live. We'll have a cake and I believe a sausage sizzle. So come and grab a sausage, a drink, have a chat how you can become a IPL volunteer. So that's another, that's on the set day we're on we're at YTT on Sunday so it's going to be another jam packed fun filled weekend on IPL with IPL and talking talk and some of the things we've got happening is unbelievable. Some of the guests are just the champion at the bit, you know so we, we're glad to have the support of many, many people. If you want to come and promote your club or your association please. [01:52:16] Speaker B: Excuse me send a message to our Facebook page. Talking talk like and Follow. So I'm just going to have a glass of water because my throat is absolutely on fire. Like the music we're playing here on Talking Talk. And we've got the Stray Cats, some rockabilly rebels. Woohoo. [01:52:38] Speaker A: The best music from the 60s to today. IPL radio. [01:52:44] Speaker C: Hey, hey, hey. [01:52:45] Speaker B: Well, we're back again at Talking Talk. Some great rockabilly, Stray Cats, Little Richard, Chuck Berry. Some beautiful tunes. Hey, Little Cobra. The rip chords for our good friend El Toro. [01:53:00] Speaker B: Some great. Some great rockabilly music. So we're coming to the end of the Pro the broadcast today. So we've got to thank a few people today. Gotta thank Mr. Ron Simmons. I've been talking to Ron for some time about coming on and telling us the story of Ron Simmons. You don't actually get to hear what people have done. It's lost in time. And unfortunately they're getting. They're not going to be around here forever. And it was great to get Ron on and talk about his life and where he's been and what he's done. It just opens the world for other people to think, oh, maybe I could do that. So not inspirational, but, you know, if somebody's going to do something like that, you know, there's opportunities there around the world. There's opportunities to do something else other than what you might be doing. So that's pretty good. Thank you, Ron. Much appreciated. And the team at Morawa Speedway, Adrian and Shirley. Shirley's the president. Adrian's one of the committee men at the speedway. So I can't thank them enough for coming on today, playing some music for the country. Playing some country music for these guys and girls out in the. Out at Morrow, three hours out from Perth. [01:54:29] Speaker B: Great community, Great community atmosphere. Great community. [01:54:33] Speaker B: They run the coffee shop on us on a weekend, which is amazing. So it gives the guy two days off because he opens Monday to Friday. So another. That's. That's fascinating. That's simply fascinating that a club runs a coffee shop. And some of the hearing from Adrian, Shirley, the amount of work and effort and upgrades and the LED lighting and all that sort of great awesomeness stuff, it's a credit to them. It's a credit to the club. It's a credit to them personally. I know Shirley's been the president of the club for over 20 years, so it's. It's fantastic to have them on, on the airwaves at IPL Radio, Rockingham Talking Talk, the radio show. So that's been. That's been great. We're also going to thank everybody else for their encouragement and their commitment this week in helping Talking Talk. [01:55:39] Speaker B: I can't thank, can't thank everybody in radio land enough for the help and support that they've given given Talking Talk and everybody's been, they, they want to tell their story. So part of Talking Talk is letting people tell their story. And you know, Ron was really good. He spoke for an hour and 15 minutes which is outstanding. Even we just looking at my man, we gotta wind it up. But it was very, very informative and great and thank you Ron very much. Don't forget tonight Spa. [01:56:15] Speaker B: Oscar Piastri. [01:56:18] Speaker B: We hope that he did very well in the sprint race. Got done by Max Verstappen. Come on Oscar, we're all behind you. Let's kick some butt. Let's, you know, it's, it's awesome what he's doing and, and we just, we just need him to, to win a couple of more events. And Instead of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. [01:56:46] Speaker B: They'Ve probably wrapped up the Constructors Championship now. But Red Bull's still fighting. Not so much from Yuki Tsunoda and the other car but Max Verstappen masterful display of driving in the sprint race yesterday. [01:57:04] Speaker B: Kept Oscar at bay for many laps. [01:57:08] Speaker B: So that, that was a pretty. I mean he's just an amazing driver. So that, so that's on tonight. Formula V's were on today's state race series in Victoria. Western Australian Touring Car association had their event at Carco Park, Barbagello, Wanaroo, whatever you'd like to call it. But let's get behind those guys. I know Don's cut. Don's been wanting to come on for some weeks and unfortunately he was meant he was going to come on today. But the. [01:57:43] Speaker B: But he was competing in his Targa Tasmania Galaxy. I mean who drives a Galaxy at a racetrack? I mean some of those cars are awesomeness but the Galaxy has got a story behind it. And there was another story come out this week about a Galaxy that Holman and Moody in America, the famed NASCAR builder built two cars, three cars, maybe four. But one of them came to Australia in boxes. So that's the Len Luki car and that the majority of that car survives. The only thing that didn't they didn't send out was a shell body shell but every panel, the engine, the gearbox, everything came out in boxes from America. And that was one way that Len Luki entrepreneur, the man of Luki Mufflers, owner of the ex owner of Phillip Island Raceway. That's how we got this galaxy into the country. So there's always a way and means of getting a car into the country without paying major, major, major fees and excise. And back then there was massive. Forget about the Trumps, forget about that. But yeah, so that's, that's pretty awesome. YYT Antiques next Sunday, 9 till 3pm, 32 Crompton Road. Come and get yourself a bargain. Come and get yourself an oil bottle. Come and get yourself a picture with the talking talk number plate, have a chat, bring your wives, there's plenty of other saw holders there, so come on board. That should be awesome. Walter and his Ferraris. Next Sunday, Ash Tower talking about the Lake Percolilli Red Dust Revival, Goldfields charity. And those guys are involved with like Percolilli, so that's great. So next week's show, all under control, raring to go. And on this really rocky weathery Sunday evening, we're gonna play our last, our last song. Dick Dale and the Del Tones Miralu. Have a great week. Stay safe, keep dry, obey those road rules. Thank you very much. Have a great week. [02:00:11] Speaker A: The best music from the 60s to today, IPL radio. [03:02:18] Speaker A: The best music from the 60s to today, IPL radio.