FROM THE ED.
The old saying of “a little bit of gratitude goes a long way”, may sound corny, but it rings undeniably true. Don’t worry, I’m not going all hippy and saying everyone deserves a cuddle — let’s not get carried away here. What I’m getting at is that there’s a lot to be thankful for in our scene. The most obvious one is that we’re lucky enough to be in the position where we can import, buy, build, and modify the cars that we’re into and drive them on our roads. Our poor cousins across the ditch in Australia don’t have nearly as much freedom as we do in this respect. Other countries are even tighter, with old cars being forced off the road, or vehicles with larger engines being taxed so heavily that they’re simply not a viable option for most. While I’m sure you’ll agree that a bit more driver education would do wonders for our roads, for the most part, we really don’t have too much to complain about down here at the bottom of the world. Sure, we don’t have the flat-paved highways of California, but, then again, would we really want them? Even driving an old barge like my Cadillac would get a bit boring without any corners after a while, and, let’s face it, corners are not its forte!
Where New Zealand really excels, though, is with the efforts that volunteers put into the countless different events and organizations around the country. I’ve been on committees myself, and it’s a thankless task, despite how time-consuming it is. In fact, often the only time that you’ll hear from people is when they wish to complain. This, I think, is something that should be fixed. A simple thanks to a volunteer standing on a gate may be the difference between them being willing to do it again, or walking away disillusioned. I think encouragement should be the first course of action when things haven’t gone quite right, rather than abuse, but I know we’re all too quick to criticise. With so many events being put on by volunteers, I’ve also heard people have digs at events that are run by organizers who do take a profit from it. I think that’s a bit unfair too — after all, if they’ve put in all the work, as well as the initial financial outlay, then surely it’s only fair they get their money back, or compensation for their time? Good on them for taking the risk and putting on something that wouldn’t have otherwise happened, I say. Of course, the risk is that, with this style of event, the paying attendees will always expect it to be more professionally run, making it a doubleedged sword, so to speak.
On that note, in this issue, we’ve got coverage from Muscle Car Madness, which we couldn’t find room for in the last issue, along with the Cromwell Classic Car & Hot Rod Show, and Central Muscle Cars, none of which would happen without the hard work of organizers and volunteers. To you wonderful people, my hat goes off.
Let’s enjoy the good times and make sure we pass on our gratitude to all of those who help make them happen. Maybe challenge yourself to make sure you don’t leave an event without thanking a volunteer or organizer?
Catch you next month.
Todd todd@v8.co.nz