THE EAGLE HAS LANDED

50 YEARS TO THE DAY, HISTORY IS MADE

Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, were the module crew of NASA’S first manned mission to the moon. The trio were launched into space on 16 July 1969, and, when Neil Armstrong stepped off the Lunar Module on 21 July 1969, he became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. Nearly 240,000 miles from Earth, Armstrong spoke these nowfamous words to more than a billion people: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

As far back as 20 years ago, I began thinking that some sort of celebration should occur on the 50th anniversary of that milestone. A classic car event for all vehicles manufactured before 1970 came to mind, and so planning began in earnest, three months before the due date.

On Sunday, 21 July 2019, a great variety of vehicles departed from Woodlands Cafe in Leithfield, North Canterbury. Among those was a one-owner VW Beetle that the owner had actually taken delivery of direct from the factory in Germany.

The tour was actually quite short on this occasion, only 55 very scenic kilometres. One of the highlights was a drive-through of a brand-new luxury retirement village, named after a Canterbury World War II hero, Charles Upham. Many residents watched as vehicles of the type and model they may have owned in their younger days paraded past.

The climax of the day

The tour finished with a concert and display at the Balcairn Hall. The music played that matched the era was great, as was the opportunity to view the big collection of older household items that had been brought along for display. “Those were the days” and “The good old days when life was much simpler and things were made to last” were just two of many comments overheard.