
Home Coming
One of the more significant milestones of the first 20 years 0f the club was the establishment of a permanent base at Otaki. This has been quite an achievement for a small club such as ours and one that the club should be proud of. It took 17 years to become reality and is something that many larger clubs have yet to achieve. What follows is a short history of the events that led to the establishment of a permanent home for the club.
The First Site
The need for some sort of premises became apparent early in the history of the club, to store parts which, under the constitution, the club is committed to preserving for the membership. In the early years parts were accumulated at members’ properties, particularly at Robbie and Liz Taylor’s and at Shaun and Allison McCarthy’s. It was not too many years before these arrangements became unsatisfactory for both the wider club membership and the individual members who so willingly provided the storage space.

During the 1980s, before the club acquired a lease of a shed in Rangiruru Road, Otaki, parts were stored at Robbie & Liz Taylor’s house in Lower Hutt. This was a typical scene on the long- suffering Taylor’s back lawn.
The need for some sort of premises became apparent early in the history of the club, to store parts which, under the constitution, the club is committed to preserving for the membership. In the early years parts were accumulated at members’ properties, particularly at Robbie and Liz Taylor’s and at Shaun and Allison McCarthy’s. It was not too many years before these arrangements became unsatisfactory for both the wider club membership and the individual members who so willingly provided the storage space.

The Club parts team – John Berry, Shaun McCarthy and Tom Milburn at the Rangiruru Road shed 1995
The Second Site
The second site was on reserve land at Haruatai Park in Otaki administered by the Kapiti Coast District Council. This site was well suited to our needs. The Council had had the foresight to include services in the reserve for the establishment of club facilities, and several groups had already developed sites. An agreement in principle was made with the KCDC, and at the 1994 AGM a formal proposal adopted to develop club facilities on this site. Planning work commenced immediately. After looking at several buildings to relocate onto the site it was decided to erect a new building. Plans were drawn up and fund raising commenced. By September 1994, $2700 had been raised for the project. By July 1995 there were sufficient funds to start foundation work and the engineer’s survey was complete.
it has.
The Club moved quickly to develop the new site. By April 1997, five major working bees had been held. Noel Kilmartin and Barry Reynolds coordinated the building work. The foundation was prepared and the concrete floor laid, the building moved to the new site, the extension built, and finally the remaining stock of parts and shelving moved across town from the old parts shed to the new club rooms. Further working bees followed to attend to exterior painting, connection of underground services, interior linings and electrical and plumbing work. The first formal club event at the site was an open day held in May 1997.
Today the club has a facility to be proud of. Members enjoy much improved access to parts and on-site services, and the site is an attractive setting for events. Although the club does not have long term security of tenure, with the goodwill of the KCDC the situation is much better than we ever had previously. Although the rent-free period has now ended, the recurring expenses should be well within the means of a club with around 90-100 members.
For the future there is the possibility of further extensions to the building to meet the needs of the club for many years.
Chris Torr, Past President and Editor

Clearing out the old shed before the move to Haruatai Park in 1998. Shown are Dave Payne, Fred Carrick, Dave Waters, John Watkins, Colin Jurgens, John Daniels, Dave Munn and Chris Torr.