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LRC Driver Training Gundaroo March 2018
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Participants
- Michael Thomson, LR Range Rover
- Robert & Zedre Pember, LR Range Rover
- Nigel Lendon, Toyota Land Cruiser HJ47 Troopcarrier
- Paul & Kaylene Koppe, Toyota Surf
- Peter Colvin, Nissan Patrol G60
- Mark & Lynelle O’Flaherty, LR Discovery 4
- Fred Pensko & Val Cochrane, Toyota Land Cruiser Troopcarrier
- Margaret Anderson, Toyota Prado
- Poul & Katrina Francis, Nissan Navara
Nigel Lendon’s report
When you’re a prospective member it’s all a bit mysterious. Is the preliminary outing a test? Can you drive the troopy up the side of a building? And down again? So you turn up (last, but on time) at the Gundaroo Oval at 8.30am on a bright sunny morning to find that Michael has everyone checked off and labeled already. As leader he is a step ahead of us all for the whole day. There are five newbies testing themselves out, (Nigel, Mark & Lynelle, Poul & Katrina) plus five members and their significant others, testing their old and new cars for a spin on Michael’s brothers estate.
Turning off the highway some 6kms north of Gundaroo, the procession of old and (relatively) new vehicles was greeted by the farmer and his sheepdog. Right on the corner. His was watching the best section of the road, and it appeared we were wearing it out, with nine vehicles too many.
All too soon the value of low range became apparent as the procession crawled left, right, up and down towards our destination, Michael’s brother’s caravan. Here we busted out the morning tea, spent a most informative hour going through the uses and purpose of all the gear Michael had brought with him. This was the point at which the members experience provided valuable context to the art of four-wheel driving, as the newbies were about to experience.
Inspecting each of the vehicles revealed any points of weakness (recovery points) and the way each had been set up. Many good recommendations, based on the experiences of all.
Next came the fabled (and previously mysterious) “wombat holes” were about to test drivers’ resolve, and their vehicles’ flexibility. No wombats were harmed in the course of this exercise. Much excitement was had as the Range Rovers (and Toyotas) waved their front and sometimes rear wheels at the spectators, and scraped their tail ends on the rocky creek crossing.
The oldest vehicles (Peter’s Nissan ute and my 1984 ex-Fire Brigade Troopy) were not only the most colourful, but acquitted themselves quite well, if a bit more noisily than their more modern equivalents. There were no computers to do the hard work, just mechanical grunt and sore shoulders.
Lunch and barbeque was an opportunity to get to know each other, and for the newbies to wonder what other challenges lay ahead.
For a 1000 acre property, there seemed to be many kilometres more up and down to the afternoon tea setting on the north-eastern boundary. The highlight of this section of the day’s driving was the “discovery” of a real Landrover parked (abandoned?) on the track. This was an ex-Army 110 with full intact equipment, looking as if it was on loan from the Australian War Memorial. Some of us wanted to tow it home, but we were discouraged of any such Land Rover dreaming.
After tea, on the way back to the start point, your scribe was taught the mysteries of the steep slope stall start, for which I was most grateful. An excellent outing in every respect!
Nigel Lendon
Prospective Member
(Special thanks to Paul Koppe and Lynelle O’Flaherty for the photos, and Nigel for the report. Michael T)
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