1993 History
The Year 1993
RG. #109
Vancouver Island, Victoria, B.C., Canada
On May 1st our tour started at 10 a.m. where 45 members proceeded from Victoria to Cobble Hill. The first stop was a tour of a local vineyard and winery. The members were shown step by step where a bottle of wine originates. We started by viewing the small little plants nurtured in a greenhouse, to the final phase taking over 4 years, to where the bottle was labeled, and the varieties sampled by our members. This was followed by a delightful outdoor lunch which consisted of fresh roast of lamb with mint jelly on homemade buns, with a nice homemade salad and dessert. Beautiful sunny weather, old Ford cars parked in the fields – what more could you ask for!
Our next stop was to a local “Old Fashioned Tannery”. The process of tanning, from start to finish, was explained. Many members purchased large “Auto” chamois at the “Old Fashioned Price” of two dollars each.
The tours put on by different members of our regional group each month are all very contrasting and interesting. As an example, the Feb. tour was to a local car enthusiast shop that had a lot of interesting ideas of how a well-equipped shop could be set up, if total restorations are in your future plans.
For the second half oft hat tour we also viewed a private individual’s World War II collection of approx. 65 army vehicles from Bren gun carriers, ambulances, jeeps, and personnel carriers. This fellow had more equipment than our local armory, and indoor shop floor space that would make your department store look small.
The month before, we were treated to a Vancouver Island “Pub Crawl Tour”. The club members were chauffeured in a bus driven by a designated club member bus driver. It was a very enjoyable tour, starting in Victoria – and then heading up the Island to Cedar and back to Victoria; a distance of approx. 200 miles. We visited many different antique style pubs along the way. No! No one passed out, nor did we have to roll a single club member off the bus when they were delivered to their homes.
The January tour to “Enginewity”! Here the club members were shown how old dirty engines and transmissions can be thoroughly cleaned internally by a new system that cleans inside the engine wherever oil is circulated. This was followed by lunch at a local quaint restaurant.
It’s interesting to note how your tour “turn out response” improves when you have a good phoning committee advising the members prior to the up and coming events of what’s happening and when. Special thanks to those behind-the- scene workers.
Yours truly,
Hazel Allen
