Hello one and all. Well it's hard to believe but it's that time of year again when the big fella in the red suit comes for his one and only visit. Every year I look forward to it and every year I get caught out!! I'm more disorganised than usual this year and yes time is running out!! I hope everyone out there is faring better than I am!!

We had our final Club Meeting of the year on Sunday night and it turned out to be a beauty. We all gathered at Murray and Vicki's house for a sausage sizzle and chin wag before the actual meeting started and it was great to see a few faces that don't normally get to our regular meetings. Al and Lyn were there and I must say Al is looking really well. Phil, Alison and their three gorgeous boys were there as well as the M & M's!! That is Marco's lovely wife Mel, Mia and Maddy. Brett Poole put in an appearance as well as Shane Hobson, so all in all it was an excellent turn out.

After we ate, the meeting proper got under way and Dave regaled us as only Dave can with the goings on at the Nostalgia Drags day. Dave worried that he jinxes Shane and Darren but went to cheer them on anyway and commented on how good it was to see them side by side. Lyn on the other hand wasn't so animated about her boys drag racing together!! Anyway the upside was that both boys ran high 11's and low 12's and according to Dave, the best looking get up there was a green splitty towing the beach buggy to the track!! Al informed us that Wayne Penrose came first and Darren came second in that particular category.

Still on the subject of drags, next year is the first time that the "Cool Quarter Mile" will be held in Sydney and we are using this event as the first Club run of the year for 2012. Please see upcoming events but details will be forthcoming in the next month or so. After Dave's edification we had dessert (some of the best I've ever tasted) and we drew the "Secret Santa" raffle. There was a lot of laughs and "oohing" and "ahring" while everyone opened their presents. This was a terrific concept as each family bought a present so each family received a present. I think this will be the start of a new tradition, as is going to the Flemings' for this end of year event. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Murray and Vicki for their hospitality and allowing us into their home on what was a very cold night.

Boris' Picnic Day was discussed but unfortunately not everyone attended for one reason or another. Bill took his Beetle over for a run and Rachel whose Ghia was used in a wedding at the Hunter Valley arrived looking very glamorous a la fifties style. Pod and Steve went but as far as I'm concerned the less said about that day the better!! I'm sure you've read Steve's story on the Flat Four Facebook page!! It seems these runs are becoming more and more scarce as far as Club members are concerned and perhaps we should look to more bbq runs etc in the future, any feedback on this would be much appreciated.

It pains me to tell you that Stuart and Corrin got broken into a few weeks ago and the thieves got away with all of Corrin's jewellery, her laptop, video camera and her "you beaut" digital camera. They made a mess of the place too but the Morris' are pretty upbeat about the whole thing. As Stuart said, "it could have been a lot worse, they could have smashed everything" and fortunately they were insured.

It is now with very great pleasure that I can tell you that Dawn has finished her chemotherapy and hopefully the signs are very good. She received a lovely box of chocolates from her boys and their girlfriends with the words "You Did It" on them. I happened to see the photo on Facebook and I must say they looked ever so yummy!! Dawn's other half, Peter, received a very big feather in his cap by winning "Best in Show" on Sunday at the V8 Supercars. I have to say he is doing really well on the show car circuit and he is certainly putting his VW on the map. Full kudos to Pete for the effort he puts in and for what he is doing for the humble Beetle.

Please note before I go that in the up coming events the next Club meeting will be on the first Sunday of the month in February. Now all that is left is to leave you with two quotes from Sunday night. The first one is compliments of Al who said after a lot of talk about the drags next year and getting ones permission from their partner:
                  
"Begging for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission"

The next one is from Kevin who answered Amy when she asked what date the drags were on:

"Don't you worry about them, they're on when you're about to hatch"

Well like I said, it was a great meeting and the only thing left now is to remind you that the Club Christmas Party is on this Sunday, the 11th December and for those who want to, we're meeting at Koshigaya Park Campbelltown at 9.00am and please remember that this is for financial members only. Well on that note I will bid you adieu for now and I hope to see most of you next week.

In the mean time, keep the shiny side up!

Barb