Geof f Seddon

STREET MACHINE EDITOR 2000-2013

I MET Chic Henry at Summernats 13 in 2000, I’d joined Street Machine not long after as editor. The country’s festival and Australia’s biggest car favourite car magazine joined at the hip. Street were by then Machine had been there start with a substantial right from the ongoing cash sponsorship, unflinching editorial support. along with So successful was the relationship, many assumed Summernats and SM were the same While I was blown away entity. by the scale of Summernats, misgivings about some I did have aspects of the event, in safety of women. I said particular the as much to Chic and got response: It wasn’t a predictable a Sunday School picnic, a journalist doing and what was telling him how to run escalated a his event? year or so later Things when I shared my views Chic summoned me to in print. Canberra and gave it to personal, non-stop, me up close and for two hours. My reaction How dare a promoter was no different: tell me what I could or One of the most could not publish. successful event sponsorships in history went very close to coming to an early, fiery end.

Luckily for everyone, we eventually worked out on the same side, that we were and began to afford each respect we other the mutual perhaps hadn’t displayed his autocratic earlier. exterior, Underneath Chic was an interesting interesting history, bloke with an his significant commercial the foundation success built on of loyal friends, a supportive love of cars. family and an abiding His ’62 Impala is one of that’s my all-time favourites, coming from a Ford and guy. As the years passed, and mellowed together we aged and came to really enjoy company, both personally each other’s and professionally.

Nothing lasts forever, and we retired at about the catching up annually for same time, the Rare Spares Legends at Summernats. And now presentation he is gone. Chic was many people, but many things to one thing is certain: They when they made broke the mould him, and it’s unlikely we’ll him again. ever see anyone like