BUNBURY (WA)
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1954 - THE BUNBURY CAR CLUB INCEPTION
At the showrooms of Walton and Gardiners Holden dealership in Spencer Street an idea was formed to hold a car trial. this took place on a Sunday afternoon in 1954 at an open cut mine site at Allanson near Collie. this proved to be very successful with Pop Hudson, his son David, Jim Renfree, Ernie Stevens and many more competing, many family members and friends went along as onlookers and had such a good time that a meeting was called and the Bunbury Car Club came into being, it wasn't long before people like Syd Hudson, Neville Hyder, Vern Karlson, Colin Resta,Jimmy Kingswood, Jim Wilson and many more joined the club.
Most cars involved were FX and FJ Holden's until a young fellow named Teede arrived in a Volkswagon to win the time trial come hill climb along the Collie Pipe line,as the choice of car diversified to many other manufactures, so did the type of event, this included six and twelve hour trials taking them as far afield as Narrogin, Esperance and out past Balladonia in the east.
1954 saw the team of Ted Walton and Jack Gardiner enter the Red Ex around Australia trial as Bunbury Car Club members.
In a short time the clubs activities were so widely publicised that the organisers of the 1955 Red Ex trial requested assistance from the Bunbury Car Club to man check points in West Australia.
As Walton and Gardiner were competing in the trial other members such as Graeme Hurst, Neville Hyder, Syd Hudson, Bert Renfreeand his two sons Edger and Jim, Ted Johnston and Ron Isles set off for Broome and Port Hedland to officiate at check points.
The Bunbury Car Club had put forward the offer to go anyware in West Australia to assist the ASCC, there reason being that they wanted Bunbury included in the 1956 Red Ex around Australia Trial.
Most cars involved were FX and FJ Holden's until a young fellow named Teede arrived in a Volkswagon to win the time trial come hill climb along the Collie Pipe line,as the choice of car diversified to many other manufactures, so did the type of event, this included six and twelve hour trials taking them as far afield as Narrogin, Esperance and out past Balladonia in the east.
1954 saw the team of Ted Walton and Jack Gardiner enter the Red Ex around Australia trial as Bunbury Car Club members.
In a short time the clubs activities were so widely publicised that the organisers of the 1955 Red Ex trial requested assistance from the Bunbury Car Club to man check points in West Australia.
As Walton and Gardiner were competing in the trial other members such as Graeme Hurst, Neville Hyder, Syd Hudson, Bert Renfreeand his two sons Edger and Jim, Ted Johnston and Ron Isles set off for Broome and Port Hedland to officiate at check points.
The Bunbury Car Club had put forward the offer to go anyware in West Australia to assist the ASCC, there reason being that they wanted Bunbury included in the 1956 Red Ex around Australia Trial.
The Bunbury Car Club held it first club Presentation Dinner, honoring its out standing members on the 2nd of July 1954 at the Bunbury RSL Hall.
(Editorial Brian Lee)
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Harold Thomas recalls: back in 1954 with all the interest in Reliability Trials, Pop Hudson's main motivation behind getting together with Jack Gardiner the local Holden dealer to form the Bunbury Car Club was. Pops son Syd wanted to enter into one of these big National trials in a Volkswagon. Problem was, to enter the event you had to be a member of a club and so the Bunbury Car Club was born.
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1957 - THE VISOR MAGAZINE REPORTED
30th September 1957
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1961 - BUNBURY CAR CLUB INCORPERATION
The Bunbury Car Club started in 1954 but it was not until April of 1961 the the club became incorperated.
