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::[ SVVS Christmas Party
- Hand in Hand, Box Hill - December 2002 ]::
A new event added this year
to the SVVS calendar was a Christmas social to which
ladies could along without having either to listen to
boring talks on old cars or having to stand in drafty car parks watching
husbands kicking tyres. Lovely grub was laid on and great fun was had by all including Santa
Claus who kept being asked for those hard to get Ford spares. Evening was rounded off by
an auction for McMillan Nurses.
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::[ SVVS Members on the London to Brighton Run - November 2002 ] ::
The Surrey Vintage Vehicle
Society has a number of Members with veteran cars eligible to enter the
'London to Brighton Veteran Car Run'. This year we had three: a 1900 3.5
HP Benz Vis-a-vis, a 1902 Wolseley 10HP Tourer Toneau and a 1904
Northern Silent Runabout. Two had problems before the event and one on
the morning, but it seems that all was resolved before the actual start and all
three had a very good run.
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[ SVVS Lunchtime Meeting - The Six Bells, Horley - October 2002 ]
::
The Six Bells is a very
picturesque pub hidden away in the suburbs of Horley by Gatwick Airport and this
was the first visit by the Society.
Possibly because of its location or that it was cold and
gloomy, we had new Members attending. It also did not
also help that for the first time this year it actually rained at an
SVVS Meeting, so not much tyre kicking. Says something for the good luck
SVVS has with the weather.
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::[ SVVS Lunchtime Meeting - The Dog & Duck - September 2002 ]::
The Dog & Duck is located on Outwood Hill in Surrey not far from the Outwood Windmill. This was our second and the
'official' visit to the Dog & Duck this year.
True to tradition this was, as has become normal, one of the least well attended meetings of the year. Lots of
excuses from everybody, including that lots of Members had spent all day
yesterday at the Reigate Tunnel Display meeting and that the Grand Prix was on.
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::[ SVVS at Reigate Tunnel by the Sand
Caves - September 2002 ]::
The SVVS was again invited by the Reigate Business Guild to display our
vintage and classic vehicles in old Tunnel Road above the Reigate Caves
in the support of the Reigate Autumn Extravaganza. The event was
held in conjunction with the Institute Jazz Band and Cave Society. In view
that the Reigate Caves are rarely opened to the public
and not much is generally known about them, many took the
opportunity to visit them.
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[ Edenbridge & Oxted Show - Historic Car Display - August 2002 ] ::
This year’s Edenbridge & Oxted Show went off remarkably smoothly
with over 40,000 visitors. The weather was
good on both days with no rain, so no mud, which was a great
disappointment to all. But the temperature was remarkably different. On
the Sunday it was tee-shirts and shorts,
whereas on the Monday it was stout jeans and anoraks; dry but windy. Ten SVVS Members
there on Sunday and 24 on the Monday.
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[ SVVS Family Summer Picnic, South Godstone - August 2002 ] ::
The Great SVVS Summer Picnic was held
in the Chairman's pony paddock. The
turnout was quite good with 19 proper cars. The weather remained
mostly sunny, warm and fine. The entertainment of the day was the mini tractor and
trailor reversing slalom which was much more difficult for those of
us who are entirely horse-less carriage orientated unlike
some with horsy trailors who do it for their daughters every day.
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[ The Lingfield Steam and Country Show, Lingfield - August 2002 ]
::
The Lingfield Steam and Country
Show has moved to a new venue at the Blue Anchor Show site and
appears to be under new management.
The Fair is the successor to the
Redhill Steam Fair and has always been
known for a good display of Steam Traction Engines, Steam Rollers
and Steam Lorries, and it was nice to note that the theme has continued.
It was also nice that the SVVS has consolidated its vintage car
paddock.
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[ SVVS Evening Meeting - The Dog &
Duck, Outwood - July 2002 ]
::
This meeting was normally held at the Plough in
Bletchingley which was closed for refurbishment, so the Dog
& Duck was chosen at the last moment. The Pub is by Outwood Hill
not far from the famous Outwood
Windmill which is still in full working condition and a local tourist
attraction. The Dog & Duck is a mile away and is
now popular having been modernised a few years ago and is again under
new Management.
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:: [ SVVS
Lunchtime Meeting - Surrey Oaks, Newdigate - July 2002] ::
After one of the coolest dampest Julys, the sun burst
though for our meeting in Newdigate. Driving through the
lanes made one realise how fortunate
we are to live in such a pleasant part of the country. The Surrey Oaks
is one of the best kinds an olde worlde pub with a large
car park and garden. Add to this a cheerful landlord, real
ale and good food and one could not want for a better place to enjoy a
Sunday lunchtime.
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:: [ Ardingly
Vintage Vehicle Show - Ardingly, Sussex - July
2002 ] ::
The Ardingly Show is not one that is
noted in the SVVS calendar but is a Show that is attended by a
number of our Members including our regular 'snapper' Tony Oakes who
once again provided lots of photos and details. The Ardingly
Show has many classes of vehicles including steam traction
engines, veteran, vintage and classic cars, caravans, motorcycles,
fire engines, vans, commercials, tractors and machinery.
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[ SVVS Evening Meeting - The Star,
Lingfield - June 2002 ]
::
For a fair number of our members
the journey to the east of the A22 is largely uncharted territory
but nevertheless a large number took advantage of the fine sunny
evening to exercise their vintage motors. But for some of us the day’s
vintage motoring had started in a much more sad vein rather earlier
when we attended the funeral of our good friend and long standing
SVVS member Eric Parsons who died suddenly.
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[ "Cream Tea Run" - Knight's Garden, Woldingham - June 2002
]
::
The weather was cool and overcast so it
was just as well we were booked for the afternoon at Knights Garden
Centre in the conservatory. The tea was up to its usual high
standard and the young staff did their best to cope with the sudden
influx of some 35 hungry members of our Society. The cars were
parked on the front lawn and gave an impressive picture of times
gone by. Some plant buying and tyre kicking followed.
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[ SVVS Evening Meeting -
Skimmington Castle, Reigate - May 2002 ]
::
As is traditional, our summer evening season started with a visit to the
Skimmington Castle, a pleasant olde worlde pub hidden on Reigate Heath.
The ever cheerful landlord was once again on car park duty to ensure
that no moderns crept into our half of the steeply sloping car park. Continual heavy showers during
earlier part of the day must have put
some people off coming, although over 42 proper cars
attended.
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[ SVVS Lunchtime Meeting - Wattenden Arms, Kenley - May
2002]
::
The new SVVS 'Summer Season' commenced again this
year at the historic Wattenden Arms in Kenley near the famous wartime
Aerodrome.
The old 'RAF Station Kenley' is just south of
Croydon and was together with Biggin Hill part of a ring of 'sector
centres' used by the RAF to defended London during
'The Battle of Britain'. Because of their importance, both were heavily
bombed by the German Luftwaffe .
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[ London To Brighton Commercial
Vehicle Road Run - May 2002] ::
The usual SVVS Commercial Enthusiasts entered
their lovely vehicles in the 'HCVS London to Brighton Commercial
Vehicle Road Run' and all seem to have got there. The usual bunch of
SVVS voyeurs met up at Pease Pottage Services half-way halt to see
them through and to feast on some most impressive machinery which is
rarely seen outside the specialist Shows. See over 50 photos by
Tony Oakes and Bozi Mohacek .
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:: [ The Enigma of
Bletchley Park - SVVS Museum Visit - April 2002] ::
In mid April, rather than having a lunchtime
pub meeting, we journeyed by coach to Milton Keynes to visit Bletchley Park, the wartime
home of Station X which cracked the Nazi cipher codes
generated on the infamous Enigma machines. Decoding the Nazi's wireless
messages probably shortened the war in Europe by two years. The first atom bomb may well have first
exploded over Berlin rather than Hiroshima.
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[
SVVS
Dinner - Reigate Manor Hotel, Reigate - February
2002]
::
After the great sell-out success of our Annual Dinner
last year held at the TuTu L’Auberge, a larger venue was needed for
this year's event. The Reigate Manor Hotel seemed to have fitted the bill.
110 of us enjoyed a three course meal; mackerel pate, chicken with chestnut and Pear Belle Helen. The young waiting staff were
most efficient and cheerful. The later Grand SVVS Raffle raised £363
for Macmillan Nurses. |
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:: [ New Year's Day - Fox-on-the-Hill, Lower Kingswood -
January ] ::
We have met for a noggin and a natter at Fox in Lower Kingswood
for about five years now on each New Year's Day. Whilst the
Fox is not an 'official' event, quite a few members turn out to
celebrate the start of a new year. Although the temperature was
below freezing it was a bright sunny morning, and nowt better for
clearing the old head following the previous night celebrations
than a quick blast in a drafty old motor car. |
::
[ SVVS Meetings held during 2002 ] ::