Leyland P76 Owners of Queensland 2010

August Club outing

Kilcoy Qld






Hi all
What a good outing we had in August. We all met at Rogo and Pat’s place and about 9.30am there was the rumble
of Daryl and Barbi Packam’s Bitter Apricot P as they pulled into the drive. This is a great looking car; with
immaculate interior, chrome wheels and the motor having been done up. They drove their car from Perth when
they relocated to Queensland but this was the first time our club members had seen it. We hope to see more of
them and the car at future outings. Bob and Margaret Stonell arrived in their white Executive that they have
recently purchased from Adrian. We also had the two Targas (Richard’s and mine as well as Rogo and Pat’s).
Garth, Christine and family arrived in a Ford people mover and Stan and Margaret in their Hyundai (still waiting
Stan).
Rogo was our tour leader (a very responsible job) and we followed him in convoy through the country to
Woodford where we were to stop at the Bakery at the end of town (Rogo really, really wanted a cream bun for
smoko). The town was inundated with motorbikes (wow, bikers heaven to me) which caused Rogo to miss the
stop. So, Rogo being Rogo, decided to do a left turn and back track with five vehicles following him. We were not
fooled though. We saw the signs ONE WAY ONLY and of course it was the wrong way. We pulled up on the
grass and parked our cars whilst Rogo and Bob continued the wrong way up the street in their cars. And to top it
off just where they turned back onto the main street was the local police station. Rogo’s explanation was that the
bakery was no longer there and this time he didn’t blame Pat. Well done Rogo, any more tricks up your sleeve?
We had time for coffee and to get Rogo’s cream bun (from a new and very busy bakery) and discovered that there
were no service stations in Woodford. We waited for Garth to cruise back 5km to fill his vehicle and then headed
towards Kilcoy via Villenvue which was a reasonable road in most places but down to one bitumen strip in the
middle of the road a couple of times. As other cars went past us they moved off the road so I decided why get the
Targa dirty and stayed on the bitumen instead - a woman driver you say but I say a clever thinking driver. I
remember doing that in the outbacks of Victoria a couple of years ago and am now wondering if they knew a
woman was behind the wheel and took a wide berth!!! We arrived at Kilcoy and lined the cars up at the park facing
the main road which was to be a good focal point later on we found out. There are no BBQs here but Rogo and Pat
had their portable one as well as a gas hotplate in the boot just in case of such a situation like this. Thanks to some
fine chef work from Daryl and Rogo which was backed up by the ladies with salads and buns we produced a good
meal. After a relaxed chat and clearing everything away we were ready to head off around 3.30pm. Just as we were
getting organised the local mechanic arrived and told us that a P76 owner was heading our way in his Country Cream Executive to have a look at our cars.
The mechanic had seen the cars lined up in the park and driven to this
gentleman’s place and told him. So, he and his wife decided to jump in their car and head down to see us.
We met Col and Ethel who have been local residents of Kilcoy for over 60 years (since the war) and bought their
car from new. They spotted it at the local show and were sold on the fact that it could fit a 44 gallon drum in the boot – obviously a farmer. Col is 86 and still driving his P76.
Ethel is 92 and has now given up driving but loved the car and told me she put it through its paces driving it like a P76 V8 should be driven.
As you would expect, the car is well used but in good condition with only one minor dent in the front guard which Col says was caused by
the wife. He was pleased to have met us and we certainly enjoyed meeting them also.
Another good outing with four Ps on tour for the day and our back up crew in modern vehicles until theirs are on
the road. Interesting to note that of the six cars in total for this outing north west of Brisbane, three were from the
Gold Coast.
Ann
Last updated
September, 2010
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