Reports

Greetings all, I write this month’s Presidents report in departure mode as Cath and I prepare for a long overdue holiday. I also write on somewhat of a high, after our club enjoyed two very successful events.

Warm winter greetings everyone. I hope you are getting your cars out and driving – after all they come from the UK so they should be well accustomed to a Victorian Winter and to reinforce our driving enjoyment we have some really interesting events coming up.

Greetings everyone, trust you are all keeping warm and well and those of you who travelled to the Newcastle Federal Rally have returned safely and have dried out!! Many of us enjoyed a fantastic presentation from our Past President and now SHRF Trustee Howard Wraight and his tantalising tales from the archives.

Can I start by extending congratulations to the Rolls-Royce and Bentley Car Club of New South Wales on the completion of the 67th Federal Rally in Newcastle. Australia is a land of contrasts and from a weather perspective the NSW team were faced with extremes, but they had a back up plan for everything and managed to keep everything just ticking along, just like a PMC.

I’m going to start this report with a line that my late Father-in-Law, Graeme lived by – “Aren’t we lucky” as we move further into Autumn this really pops into mind. Trees changing colour, a great club trip to the zoo, a great clubroom, a forthcoming Federal Rally, fabulous friendships, amazing cars (even when they don’t behave) – we do have so much to be grateful for and I for one intend to get out and enjoy every bit of it.

We are delighted to share the successes and exciting developments within RROCA Victoria over the past months. Our recent General Meeting at Maldon Victoria was a resounding success, providing an excellent platform for members to connect, share ideas, and plan future initiatives.

“Preserving Elegance in a Changing World: Classic Cars and the Industry in Flux”. As custodians of motoring history — whether through the whisper-quiet grace of a vintage Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud or the stately power of a Bentley Turbo R — we are more than collectors. We are stewards of legacy. But in 2025, the automobile industry is changing faster than ever, and our community faces both challenges and moments of opportunity.

We are living in one of the world’s most turbulent times politically and in the motoring industries with combustion engines using petrol or hydrogen, then Hybrid and finally EV. There is much debate on the future of all energy types, Hydrogen Production for Cars: A Clean Fuel Future Hydrogen is emerging as a promising clean fuel for cars, especially in the push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.

This edition is really an information sharing on what is happening in the wider world rather than focusing on the local club events. The 67th Federal Rally was recently held in Newcastle with members returning as this is being prepared for publication. A full update on the federal Rally will be published in July.

As I reflect on the last month, I remember a quote which I have used before, “The only constant in life is change” what we have seen locally and globally has highlighted this, however the speed at which change in our lives has happened is challenging every aspect of our lives.