News / MAGAZINE ARCHIVE
Check out the latest news below and also click to enjoy our latest "Full Circuit" club magazine
Recent news.......
9/12/23 NDSOC'S ANNUAL XMAS PARTY
It was a brilliant gathering at Emerald Park Lake to send off the year. The rain was fierce but we were in undercover luxury!! Hats off to Helen (and special mention to Kev of course) for making all the arrangements. It was brilliant to have Puffy Billy 'come around the corner' occasionally but even her volume could not disrupt the 35 boisterous members enjoying each other's company, fuelled by the amazing catering arranged by Min, Helen and the Conibeers. Looking forward to a massive 2024 and more great events.........
16/7/23 NDSOC'S 55TH ANNIVERSARY DRIVE
What an outstanding way to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the oldest Nissan Datsun club in the world. A terrific drive was organised by Dirk supported by many members, commencing at Essendon Airport's old terminal and following a 100km route of nice twists and turns (and some more than undesirable potholes) out to the magnificent Pig n Whistle hotel in Trentham East. Perfect weather, lovely drive, excellent food and banter......a perfect day was had by one and all. Thanks for your participation........this could become an annual event very easily!!!!
9/7/23 CHRISTMAS IN JULY (CSA)
On a chilly Sunday morning a large variety of NDSOC cars and owners turned out to support the CSA's Christmas in July event in Gells Park. The CSA team put on a decent BBQ breakfast and the location allowed an ongoing flow of cars to park and depart with ease. Some absolutely stunning Skylines but as usual, a very strong turnout of non-Skyline models. Another great club event for members to keep our minds away from the Winter bite!!!
25/6/23 LANE 88 (PENRITE OIL) MUSEUM - ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OPEN DAY
On a very blisteringly cold winter morning, NDSOC members and many other car clubs ventured out to the Penrite site in Wantirna South to enjoy the celebrations. An incredible array of vehicles attended in order to see an even more incredible array of display vehicles.....a terrific site and Penrite laid it on for all attendees, including having various high profile racing identities speak to the masses....a great bonus!!!
20/5/23 SHANNONS AUTO CAFFEINE TO FLINDERS DRIVE
What started as a shockingly cold wet morning only continued for the next couple of hours. Luckily, we were full of free coffee and undercover in Shannon's Heatherton head office amazing warehouse full of auctionable goodies. A great start to what was bound to be a challenging drive. In the end, the weather lifted 30 minutes from Flinders and we all packed into a lovely local cafe for lunch and more great chats. The drive continued for most of us up to the lookout over the bay......it was pure perfection. The only unplanned challenge was a mere 50 metres of muddy roadworks at a roundabout that added some unnecessary contract to our beautifully polished machines.......onwards and upwards!!!!
30/4/23 PETE'S PRIVATE IDAHO DRIVE - WARBURTON EAST
One of the nicest drives for years could only be matched with one of the nicest end-point locations. Our champion member, Peter Tzimas and his lovely wife Grace opened up their property for a truly amazing Greek feast (the 3rd mega-spit Pete had provided for that Greek Easter month). The drive started at our regular eastern suburbs kick off location - SuperCheap Auto Lilydale....and meandered out to a heavenly piece of earth that backs onto the Yarra River. The whole day was sunny and the food and conversation were outstanding, as everyone walked the property, enjoyed the food/drinks and savoured each vehicle and the efforts made by owners to present their pride and joy................it will be difficult to top this event, but the committee will try our best. Thank you sincerely to Pete and Grace for making a difference......amazing memories for all attendees!!!!
4/12/22 CLASSIC JAPAN (TCCA) AT BUNDOORA PARK
It is fair to say that our friends in the Toyota Car Club of Australia know how to run a large event,,,,between this event and Sakura Picnic!!!! Another great sunny day for members and their vehicles to strut their stuff. 800-1000 vehicles attended (difficult to estimate numbers). Some incredibly cool vehicles....extreme modifications, old relics with untouched 'patina', some Toyotas converted to electric motors....it had it all (including lots of needed shade at the location of NDSOC member vehicles...phew. Looking forward to next years........
Noojee Drive 31/10/21
Despite arriving to see Justin in obvious pain standing next to his Skyline, we all received a briefing from Tony and set out from our regular eastern meeting hub - SuperCheap Auto Lilydale. It was another stunning drive (similar to August) as the weather and driving conditions could not have been better!! Well lead by Paul Slater, we all motored at a very brisk (but socially compliant) pace towards our regular cafe at Noojee. Another great drive ending with great conversation and our usual looking over each others cars. A real highlight was to enjoy a non-Nissan (the lovely Mini Cooper S of Rick James) that certainly held its own in the bends.......thanks Justin for organising and thanks to all who attended.
Cars and Coffee 8/8/21
The snap decision for a lockdown presented the opportunity to engage members for another great Cars and Coffee event (hosted by Justin Burns). David & Rosie Almy made a guest appearance from Riverside California USA so we all enjoyed a detailed showing of his hanger of roadsters and aircraft. Don Hill contributed with his reflections from the past and of Neil Cartledge NEC engineering). Jeff Cameron showed some Stanza Rallye new imported exhaust parts. Scott Burch gave us a live tour into his 3d scanning/modelling equipment and engineered models. Dan Simmons invited us all into his new garage with toys including a live demonstration of his racing console lapping at Bathurst. Justin Burns showed off his new R31 skyline (ex Jim Richards) acquisition, some nice model cars and a Mazda 1800 Luce.
Vouchers from our great club sponsor Jay Leno's Garage went to: Scott Burch, Dan Simmons and Justin Burns. Well done all!!!!
Noojee Drive 1/8/21
Despite a ridiculous lashing from storms and heavy rain during the night prior, it was a healthy turnout to what ended up being another perfect driving day. Clear skies, sun on the face, a nice early start at Lilydale to beat Noojee weekend traffic.........Gordon Lovegrove led the convey at a very nice pace.....and wrapping up the drive by enjoying Justin Burns' new Skyline and a good coffee was a treat.....a truly amazing and scenic drive was enjoyed by all.....MOTOR ON!!!!
Winter Cruise 4/7/21
Another great NDSOC cruise from Lilydale to our favourite bakery in Healesville (Beechworth)...YUM!!!!!!
Cars n Coffee 6/6/21
Being nimble and delivering events that members love is what it is all about (well done Shane and Tony). 26 members attended this session which was arrange quickly to keep us entertained during covid lockdown. It kicked off brilliantly with Don Ridley (our roving Tassie correspondent) providing us an impromptu live commentary of tonnes of terrific 'Hobartian' vehicles. Great to see so many high quality cars and enthusiasts exist in Tassie,,,,,quite a regular occurence so watch out for further Don posts on Facebook. Well, we all love a good prize and the committee put forth 3 x $50 Jay Leno's Garage vouchers for 'best on ground'. These 3 vouchers were hotly contested but after surveying attendees for their choices it was decided the best deliveries of the morning went to (drum roll): Don Ridley (for bringing Hobart to our home), Michael King and Justin Burns. Congratulation to all who attended and presented. There were many other notable and worthy contributors such as Gordon Lovegrove, Peter Tzimas, Jeff Cameron, Dave Toleman, David Jones, Terry Stramotas, Trevor Pooley, Greg Brown....the list goes on!! ; >
Peninsula Drive 23/5/21 - Carrum to Flinders
Building on the previous Peninsula Drive earlier this year, this event gave 20+ members another opportunity to enjoy what can only be described as a perfect day for an NDSOC drive.
We kicked off early from Bunnings Carrum and as a slightly fragmented convey, we able to power through a challenging path of curvy twisty roads to serene Flinders. Great coffee and chats continued long into the morning.
Sakura Picnic 2/5/21
1100 vehicles of all shapes and sizes. An amazing turnout for all brands and approximately 25 NDSOC cars represented. Perfect weather, outrageous quality cars and what seemed like millions of punters who showed alot of interest in our cars. Cant wait for the ALL NISSAN DAY scheduled for 23rd July.
Drive Report 17/4/21 Technical Day at Emerald (hosted by Laurie and Tee Harris):
It was another brilliant event for the club attended by 17 vehicles and their occupants. Laurie and Tee's hospitality was matched by Min's BBQ skills. An amazing array of well polished and presented Prince, Datsun and Nissans were strategically parked into the perfect space for us all to view and talk about our cars. Highlights of the day include special comments from Barbie the Dog, Laurie firing up his Prince 'engine on a stand', the first sighting of Scott Burch's stunning 'Biante' 240z (look out for the article in the upcoming May/June magazine), Ralph Brudenell's stunning Prince and the fact that the drive in and out, the weather and the location/hospitality was nothing short of perfect. Looking forward to the various upcoming events......the bar has been set high!!!! See you then.....
Drive Report 20/4/21: Club Permit Inspection Day (hosted by Greg and Lois Bremner):
It was surreal to have so many great members and their vehicles attend this event......as if we were all waiting for the perfect day to stretch our car's legs and also perform our annual permit obligations. The club put on the bbq but Greg insisted on donning the tongs in between showing us his stunning cars and the most amazing man cave possible. Approximately 38 vehicles were reviewed and it once again was a great opportunity to meet new members, re-acquaint with existing members and share stories and generally help each other out.......the DNA of this fine club!!! The event is well captured in the below March / April edition of Full Circuit.......look out for the upcoming May / June edition with 60+ pages!!!!
The NDSOC Committee
