HILLMAN CAR CLUB
OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INC

Humber Club Invitation Run
Sunday 25th August 2002

Story by Scott Allen, pictures by Brian Vogt
HILLMAN CAR CLUB
OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INC


It was a beautiful sunny morning and there were no clouds in sight, which is rare to see for this time of year, and I was looking forward to the invitation run to Fort Glanville.  The Humber Club was celebrating their 25th Anniversary by inviting all the Rootes Group Clubs to commemorate the occasion together.  After breakfast I headed outside and hosed down the Hunter GT and gave it a good sponge over, removing the remnants of a previous dust storm, and after this a quick spit and polish to finish things off, and we were ready to go.  My youngest daughter Alicia, who is only five years old, was keen to leave, as she knew she was allowed to sit in the front with me and that we were heading down towards the beach where she loves to visit.  We arrived at Fort Glanville around midday and drove through the cyclone gates towards the fort but we could not see any cars.  Where were they?  They were not parked on the large lawn area for viewing so I proceeded on, driving through the entrance protected by large steel gates and I could see the Hillman Car Club banner on top of the hill inside the fort.

I parked my car alongside other club members’ cars I recognised and got out to have a good look around.  The Humber Club had a over a dozen cars present, parked around the inside perimeter of the courtyard.  They were all polished and looked smart with their leather and walnut trim.  Some cars had Australian flags flying on their fenders.


Opposite the Humbers, next to the main building where the soldiers and officers quarters were, the Sunbeam Club had gathered.  The sunny weather had brought out two Tigers, one of which was left hand drive built for the American market and was to be converted to right hand drive in the near future.  They both sounded great with their V8s ticking over!  There was a '69 Rapier fastback, in immaculate condition that looked great painted in an aqua green colour, along with some earlier Sunbeams.  Barry Guy and David Watson had their fully restored Commer trucks on display along with some spare parts boxed up on their tray tops for that authentic look, and they both looked terrific.

Under the Hillman banner was David and Michele’s Imp GT, Russell Gill’s Minx, Brian Vogt’s Minx, Wayne Vogt’s Hunter etc and my Hunter.  All of the buildings inside the fort were open so you could walk inside the original rooms to view the static displays and read the old log books filled in by the General.

Outside on the Eastern wall there were stairs leading up to the walkways which allowed you to look through the gun holes to see who was coming, and they are quite high!  Over on the North, South and Western sides of the fort are where the large guns are located and are being restored for future generations, each with their ammunition storage depots!  There was even a jail cell to hold any unwelcome visitors if needed, and it didn’t look too comfortable either.

It was now 2 o’clock and the President of the Humber club called everyone together to thank everyone for participating.  The raffle was drawn and Brian Vogt won first prize, the Sunbeam Club won second prize and a member of the Humber club won third prize.  Next came the cutting of the cake by the President and it was a rich fruit cake with a layer of icing and it was offered around to everyone who was present to enjoy with a cup of Earl Grey!  After this it was up to you if you wanted leave or stay.  It was great to see a gathering of cars from the Rootes group where you could compare the designs/models and talk to their owners about their experiences in owning and maintaining their road going vehicles.  I know it takes a lot of hard work and patience to source parts to keep your car on the road, but it’s all worth it to be able to drive a car you enjoy!

Regards, Scott Allen.


Editor's note:
For information about the history of Fort Glanville, refer to
      www.communitywebs.org/FortGlanville/ (official website – excellent tour!)
      www.naa.gov.au/Publications/fact_sheets/fs91.html
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