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Buller’s 25th All Ford Day

12 July, 2016

What better way to celebrate 25 years of the popular event that is the All Ford Day, than with a record number of cars! And attesting to just that was the record turnout of 135 Fords of all ages converged on Victory Square for the annual Queen’s Birthday weekend gathering.
The weather gods must have been smiling, as everything from a 1923 Model T through to several 2016 Mustangs enjoyed a lovely day in the sun. A good representation of Henry’s finest circled both sides of the running track, and entrants were given the opportunity to view a collection of John Deere Tractors, or visit the local railway enthusiast’s workshop.
Members of the public were asked to vote for their favourite car, and at the end of the day Darryl Thian and his purple 1971 XY Falcon came out on top.

That evening, participants gathered at the Buller Workingmen’s Club for the prize-giving.  A new committee has been formed to carry this event into the future, so the first presentation was made to Frank and Lucy Avery, Steve Marshall, and Ash Bradley, as these four had been responsible for running the first 25 years of this much-loved event.
Once all the other awards had been shared around, the top prize for the day — the Best of the West trophy — was awarded to Russel Elthan and his 1958 300 Custom.

Words and photos: Steve Reid  

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The Great River Road

4 July, 2025

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.

A diamond in the rough

24 June, 2025

Two years ago, Lew finished a thorough restoration and the impressive ute has taken on a new life and colour. Lew plays down the amount of effort required but, despite his protestations, I suspect he put a lot of time into the project. A few unwanted tenants were evicted along the way.
“It didn’t take me long. There had been mice living in the firewall, which had caused a bit of damage. It apparently broke down and was pushed into a shed. It was 20 years to the day when I pulled it out and it sat in my other shed for 3 years before I started on it. That’s why it’s in such good order — it’s been kept in a shed for so long and still is.”