ACT Jeep TrACTion Newsletter

Welcome to my first newsletter as Pres. As most of you will know, there were changes afoot at our AGM recently and I was voted in as the new Club President. I hope I can do it justice!A number of people have asked me “What’s your vision for the club?” So let me answer that for everyone and I hope we’re generally on the same page. I joined the club to meet other people to go driving with and, through that, I’ve also made a number of great friends.
 

In the main I think that the club has two types of member; those who are looking for some serious 4Wdriving, with fresh challenges and plenty of learning along the way, and those who enjoy their Jeeps in a more social way, camping, winery trips etc. And, of course there is still plenty of crossover too, with get-togethers and BBQs in between.

So this is exactly my vision for the club; plenty of opportunities to get out for some fantastic trips, and relaxed get-togethers to catch up, socialise and talk over Jeeping problems and solutions. That’s it really...driving is what it's about!

We’re not retaining membership in the way that we should and there is a vast community of Jeepers out there in Canberra who don’t see us as a club they want to be part of (or else they don’t see us at all). We’re running trips that get so few attendees that the trip leaders are becoming disheartened so I have to think we’re doing something wrong. I’m not going to run a promotion, I’m just going to call it out to you, the members, because it’s your club. Let’s shape it how we want it and when people ask you about your Jeep club, you’ll tell them it’s a place they’ll want to be too. Getting it right is all the promotion we need.

It’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time, but I’d like to be able to please most of the people some of the time as far as the club is concerned. I’ve already heard from some members with fresh ideas and I’m always ready to listen, so catch me on Facebook, or drop me an email.

Happy Jeepin'

Clare

And so the annual pilgrimage to Coffs came around again. This year the Newmans decided to hire a T-Van camper trailer for a little luxury and to give it a try-out (I will give this a review another time) and hit the road in the wee small hours of Thursday morning making it to Coffs before lunch. Already settled in were Gavin and Maree Bartell, Paul and Jen Simmons and Paul Hannelly and with the super-fast T-Van set-up we were soon ready to relax too. Marek wasn’t too far behind us and our priority was to get to the trip boards and make our decisions for Friday’s drive. In a change from previous years, the Mod+ drives had been relabelled ‘Hard’ which sounded a tiny bit daunting but Marek threw our names up anyway! Last time we made it to Coffs was in 2015 where it rained relentlessly the entire weekend. The Mod+ tracks became impassable and the Mods were a defining moment for a few. This year was a stunning contrast! Although they'd had rain, the tracks were perfect with good traction everywhere, making it a joy to drive. The whole experience, too, made better by the weather with the firepits going in the evening and everyone able to socialise (well - except me who was invariably comatose by 8.30 each night :( )

Still we managed to break or disable all 3 trip leaders in 3 days, which is quite the feat but that didn’t detract from the challenge of the trails, nor the stunning beauty of this place. Although we ran ‘hard’ trails for the entire weekend there are many other trips going out each day, with something for cater for everyone and the trip leaders will take excellent care of you every step of the way.

As usual, Marek and Gavin drove like the consummate pro’s they are, while Dan and I put in a couple of ‘waves’ to maintain the entertainment factor. Paul had some bad luck on Saturday with a minor breakage but many hands make light work and he was fighting fit again by the end of the day.

Shane's Funeral

Last month we tragically lost one of our members following a massive heart attack. We had only just begun getting to know Shane, but were already learning about his daring streak and dry sense of humour. Our hearts went out to his wife, Michelle, and to his children, Chris and Abby. Michelle knew that Shane would have wanted nothing more than a Jeep escort to his final resting place and it was a privilege to be able to do so, with seven ACT Jeepers joining the cortege through Young. Rest easy Shane.

We said farewell to Suzy and Jen Foulds on Friday night as they prepare to make their way back to Perth to be closer to their families once again. I first met these guys, purely by chance, while out for a drive in the Brindabellas; it was JKU and TJ meet JKU and TJ! Those two TJ drivers were kindred spirits and our garage became a regular meeting place for fixes and upgrades. Suzy and Jen have been regular attendees at many events as well as running trips for the club and have provided plenty of entertainment such as the Spanish (cough)..Steps. We’ll be sad to see them go but we know that their families will be thrilled to have them back. They’re driving both Jeeps back, which is going to be an adventure in itself and we wish them all a safe trip.

Our lovely Mandy Wade became Mrs Steve Carter on Friday 28th April in a beautiful open-air ceremony on 'Wedding Hill'.  It was a privilege to be there to celebrate with them and many of you will already have seen some of the photos from the day. Happily Mandy's Jeep managed to make it to the wedding too (check the background)!

We wish them a lifetime of happiness and hope to see them out on the trails again soon.

 

This is my second year as a member of the club, and my jeeping has come a long way since I joined with absolutely no 4WD experience. I purchased my 2007 JK second hand here in the ACT, it was unregistered and off the road, the previous owner wasn’t driving it much. I went and had a look and thought I’d unearthed a little gem, especially when I switched it on and found the grumble from the modified exhaust! Here’s a photo the day I picked it up, it looked a lot cleaner then (and a lot less trail scratches!).


The main reason “I bought a jeep” was I wanted something the kids could have a little more fun with, and some open air experience. So I sold my little Honda Jazz and bought the 2dr, which isn’t much bigger in length and width! My daughter named this one Hagrid because it was big and black and gruff like Hagrid from Harry Potter, it’s kinda stuck. We’ve had some fun times and even somehow managed to go camping with tent and all Tetris’d into the back of the Jeep. Need to get a towbar installed for some longer trips.

At the Christmas party I broke the rear bumper getting out of the mud hole, so thought it was about time to put my money where my mouth was and get the lift kit installed. Brett from Jeep City helped put me out of my misery spending countless nights trying to figure out the best approach. Handed him the keys and a few days later Hagrid was transformed! Plenty more on the list to do still.
 
I haven’t driven it in anger since the kit was installed, but looking forward to the next trip out. Between work, family and other community commitments (I’m also President of the Forde Community Association), it’s sometimes a bit of a struggle to find the dedicated time to get away to go wheelin. I did get out for a drive out to Mt Coree with some mates and all our kids last weekend which was a blast! The best part was coming down the mountain and I’d stopped on a corner to let someone past coming the other way, their kids wound down the window and yelled out ‘awesome jeep man!’ - I know it’s well on the way to being the fun family car we were after.

Our AGM on the 7th March saw some big changes to the club’s committee. Paul Simmons stepped down as President leaving some big boots to file and there weren’t too many volunteers willing to take up the challenge. After some cajoling, Clare Newman was persuaded the make the job hers, leaving a secretary’s position open down the line. Now this was a mad stampede and the position was snapped up by Troy Rollan with a keen assistant in Alan Adams.

If you weren't able to make Camp Coffs then this is the next best thing! We will be catching up with members of the Jeep Club of NSW for a full day's driving in Yalwal State Forest and hit some iconic trails such as Monkey Gum and Telegraph Corner. Bring along lunch and snacks for the day and be prepared for some major fun.

The meeting point will be the servo at Bungendore. From there we will drive directly to the rendezvous point - about 1hr 45 min. From that point it will be all action as we drop into some of the best tracks in the region. There will be opportunities for people to try some extra hard bits along the way so everyone will be catered for. Solid B lines for those not feeling that adventurous.

• This will be a full day trip and we won't get home until 6:30pm-8pm.
• If you have any concerns or want to discuss the suitability of your Jeep for the trip give me a call on 0413 369 666 and we can discuss.
• Everyone will need a full tank of fuel and some may consider carrying a jerry can just in case.

Come along and join us for a BBQ and a relaxed evening of Jeep and non-Jeep talk with our hosts Alan and Louise at our next quarterly club social event. It will be a great chance to catch up with the news from our latest trips and to get involved in future events.

Paul Simmons will be running a presentation at Eastlake Football club