ROA Australia Region Meet
September 6-9, 2012
 Brian & Linda Hall, Coordinators

Tuesday, 4th September Linda and I set off for the two day drive (800 miles) to Griffith in New South Wales for the 2nd ROA Australia Region Meet.  With all the gear required for the Meet,  my ’78 Silver Anniversary and Linda’s ’64 were well packed, especially as we had invited two friends to join us on the run.

Other Rivieras on their way to Griffith met us along the way - John and Laurene Forster in their ’65, Kay and Doug Hawkins in their ’72, Ian and Nola Woodward in their ’71 and Geof and Lynn Walker in their ’68.  A convoy of 6 very nice Rivieras drove into Coonabarabran for an overnight stop.

All through this country area we were treated to some fantastic rural scenery with seemingly never ending fields of flowering canola and young wheat - a spectacular patchwork carpet of bright yellow and green.

Next morning we all headed off for the day’s drive to Griffith.  Unfortunately strong winds and dust storms made driving less than pleasant.  But we all arrived safely and the boys were up early to clean down the cars next morning.

Thursday saw most of the ROA entrants arrive at our host hotel, the Kidman Wayside Inn.  After checking in and collecting their goodie bag, everyone enjoyed some beers, pizzas and lots of chatting and yarning - catching up with old friends.  A great night was had by all.

Griffith is a town in the centre of the area known as the  Riverina.  The Riverina is noted for its agricultural industries and its unique system of canals which were built in the 1920’s to provide a reliable supply of water for the farms.  Friday was the first day of our rally and we headed out of Griffith for the 1 hour drive to Leeton, another small Riverina town.  Here we enjoyed a tour of a local fruit packing facility, a fascinating tour of the Roxy theatre - an art deco theatre built in the 1930’s and still operating, and lunch at the historic Hydro Inn the former home of the construction workers who built the canals.  One of Australia’s most famous wine makers, McWilliams, were great supporters of our event and we all enjoyed a visit to their cellar door.  Many boxes of wine were carried out to the Rivs parked in the grounds.

Saturday’s run took us to a gourmet food manufacturer, Riverina Grove - home of the ‘bum hummers’ (a particularly hot chilli style of pickled onions).  Then on to morning tea at a lavender farm where there was also a display of vintage tractors and some sports cars.  A visit to a small winery completed our morning activities before we headed to the very small village of Rankins Springs for a real country style bar-b-q lunch.

Our evening meal was a very nice buffet at the Griffith Leagues Club and several members of the local Griffith Custom & Classic Car Club joined us for the evening.

Our Show and Shine was held on Sunday morning and 27 great looking Rivieras lined up on the oval next to the Leagues Club.  The local Griffith Car Club also joined in with more than 25 classic cars also on show.  The club also very generously provided morning tea for everyone - really great country hospitality.

Sunday lunch was a home style lunch at the Pioneer Village - a fascinating example of life in bygone days.

Our Presentation Dinner on Sunday night was celebrated with an excellent meal at the Leagues Club.  There was much amusement at the ‘novelty’ awards and much discussion trying to get the answers to some tricky competitions.  Trophies were awarded to the People’s Choice winners in various categories.  Winners were -

1963 - 1965     Rob and Lyndal Croxford - in their very nice 1965
1966 - 1970     Phil and Mary Green - in their beautiful 1966
1971 - 1973     Colin and Dawn Castle -  in Tony and Barbara Gentilcore’s immaculate 1971
1974 - 1985     Bob and Jan Caleo - in their as new 1979.
The perpetual trophy (donated by Tim Harper) for People’s Choice of the Show went to Bob and Jan Caleo - 1979.
The perpetual John Padgett Encouragement Award (donated by Phil Green) went to Tony and Barbara Gentilcore.
Congratulations to all the worthy winners.

Monday morning saw most of us up early and packing ready for the trip home - for us, another 2 day drive.

It was a great weekend of driving Rivieras, looking at interesting places and enjoying the wonderful fellowship that is what makes the ROA people such a great group of people.  We’re looking forward to the next ROA Australia Meet in 2014.

It would be great if some of our fellow USA ROA members could come to Australia and share ride in our Rivieras at the 2014 Meet.

June 1, 2013, Several members of the ROA and TOA showed up for the  Rocky Mountain Olds Club Show and Shine. It was a judged car show at the Sheplers at I25 and Orchard. This show welcomed cars from many makes, including Buick and Oldsmobile and was a great time. Two Rivieras and four Toronados were on display. We hope to see more ROA & TOA  members at the next event later this month.

May 26, A few members of the ROA and TOA members showed up at the Great Indoors store in Park Meadows to enjoy cars & coffee with other collectors. On this Saturday we had more Toronados than Rivieras. Where were you ROA members? This is your opportunity to enjoy our beautiful Spring weather and meet other owners. Hope to see you on June 9th. Let's Share the Pride and enjoy our cars.

Vic Cionetti's beautiful Midnight Blue 1964 Riviera

May 19, Cars & Tunes, We had another great chance to get our cars out for a nice show put on at the El Jebel Event Center. Unfortunately it rained for most of the event. Despite the rain we had two Rivieras; Ron Faleide's '66 and Roger Deiterman's '65 GS along with my ( Mike Vogt's) '68Toronado. Overall we had a great time and look forward to clear skies and more cars at our next gathering.

October 6, 2012, A  baker’s dozen of  Rivieras from all around Florida turned out for the region’s annual gathering at the 2012 NPD All-GM Oktoberfest, in Silver Springs Park near Ocala, FL.

Jim and Carol Kilroy won the award for best large car 1949-1969 with their 67 Riviera. Ray Copeland's 1971 was announced as winner of the Best Large Car 1970-1979, but he'd had to leave a few minutes before the awards and so the prize went to the next highest scorer. Nevertheless, two ROA members’ Rivieras got nods this year, and that coming on the heels of Steve Brisbois' ’68 winning the Best Buick Award at the last year’s Oktoberfest.

The weather was warm and we had a brief afternoon shower that caught a couple of our members with their power windows down! Artie Smith unfurled a couple of umbrellas over his windows until Linda returned with the car keys. Dick and Irene Morin were on a glass-bottom boat ride, but a few folks found beach towels to cover the openings against the shower. We mostly agreed it was helpful for clearning the dust off the cars, got out the microfiber towels, and had the paint sparkling again.
  
ROA members' cars are definitely crowd pleasers at this annual event. Thanks again to Rick Schmidt of National Parts Depot for positioning the ROA in a great spot with lots of spectator traffic, nearby shade trees on green lawns, and the hamburger stand just a few steps away. Mark your calendar for the first Saturday in October in Silver Springs and join us next year:

Southeastern Regional is a
Driving success in Central Florida

April 19-22, 2012, ROA members from throughout the Southeastern United States converged on Ocala, Florida for the Third ROA Southeastern Regional Meet. The Regional was hosted by the regional coordinators in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. This year the event scored a hit with more than 50 participants.

The meet included scenic drives down two-lane rural roads through rolling Central Florida horse country. After our cruise on Friday, we had lunch at The Yearling, a top-ranked restaurant featuring “cracker” cuisine and such, and then a stop at the quaint town of Micanopy, located between Ocala and Gainesville. 

The big surprise was the Friday tour of Jim and Rick Schmidt’s, amazing 190-car collection. The Schmidts own National Parts Depot (NPD), which is headquartered in Ocala. Rick gave ROA members a personalized two-hour tour of the collection, including a ’67 and a ‘71 Riviera (the latter was away at a show), a showroom fresh 1987 GNX, and three 1956 Continental Mark IIs, originally driven by members of the Ford family, that have appeared on the “My Classic Car” television show. Most of the collection are low-mileage, all original cars, plus several one-offs and prototypes. It was a jaw-dropping tour!!

Some 33 Rivieras were registered, and 27 were on the show field when we toured the Don Garlits’ Museum. Big Daddy has collections of both drag racing and classic cars, which were enjoyed by many of the meet participants. Although there were no Rivieras in the museum, one of the high points for some, was the 1964 425 engine that had been modified by Smokey Yunick, advertised as “the most powerful unblown Nailhead in the world.” The sign said it was rated at 600 hp! ROA members were drooling at the idea of getting their hands on that Nailhead!

With few mechanical problems and rain that stayed away during the cruises and judging, it was an ideal spring weekend for our Rivieras and us.  We look forward to the next one being in N. Carolina in 2014.

The cars honored at the Saturday evening Awards Banquet were:

1963 – 1965

1st Place … Lyndon Milek … Arctic White 1964

2nd Place … Bob Wannall … Marlin Blue 1964

1966 – 1970

1st Place … Doug Van Kalker … Champagne 1966

2nd Place … John Cover … Arctic White 1966 GS

1971 – 1978

1st Place … Dick Morin … Firemist Red 1977

2nd Place … Bob Brumbaugh … Poly Willow Green 1973

1979 – 1985

1st Place … Chriss Mazzarella … White 1982 Conv.

1986 – 1993

1st Place … Randall Crain … Diamond White 1993

1995 – 1999

1st Place … David Messenger … Bordeaux Red Pearl 1997

Custom/Modified

1st Place … Steve Brisbois … Atomic Orange Sunburst 1968

2nd Place … Larry Lovell … Black/Cream 1965

Longest Distance

Jack Jones … 1983 Anniversary Edition … 925 miles

Judges’ Choice

Ben Dunbar … Silver Cloud 1964

Best of Show

Jim Kilroy … Green Mist Iris 1967

April 6, 2013, A group of us meet at Kobosko Crossing in Wellington to discuss Rivieras and renew friendships. We hope to see you in November at our next gathering.

Ray

November 3, 2012, The “ROA Gathering” at  Kobosko's Crossing, in Wellington was a success. We had 6 cars including my 73, which included;  Bob Bishop’s ‘63  Steele Cooper’s ’63,,Ben and Wanda Dunbar’s ‘64, David Froehlich’s ’72 and Mac Goldberg’s ’77.

April 20, 2013- The ROA members from Georgia met at Red Top Mountain State Park on the shore of Lake Allatoona.  It was a beautiful setting for all to enjoy however the weather was brisk and cool.  We had a total of eight Rivieras and thirteen members.  We all enjoyed a pot luck lunch with hamburgers and hot dogs made by my wife Susan.  Thanks to all whom attended and I look forward to seeing all of you at our fall meet at West End Park on the south side of Lake Lanier on October 12th.

October 13, 2012, Fall ROA Picnic, at Lake Lanier. It was another beautiful day for our annual picnic. We had nine Rivieras and about 18 members attended our meet at West Bank Park. Everyone brought a side dish and we cooked hamburgers and enjoyed each other’s company and conversation. Russ Norris’s had his ’72, Adam Decker and his son brought their ’85 convertible, John Link came with his ’69, Carl Fuller had his ’71, Ken Domm brought his ’73, Neil Winawer had his ’64, John Shrapper brought his white convertible, Don McClair brought his ’66 GS and I brought my ’67, and Other members in attendance were, Ron Coopwood and Bob Lear. We are hoping to put together and spring meet for 2013 and we look forward to seeing many of you at the ROA meet in Lexington, KY.

March 10, 2013 – Fourth  Annual Spring Picnic. The front pushing through and rain prior to start time suppressed the attendance but for those who attended there was a plethora of food.  Chili, meat balls, sloppy Joe's, corn, potato salad, cake, cookies.  7 members with 2 Riviera's 69, 92 my 66 Toronado and a new acquisition by member 63 Electra 225 with low low miles.  The prime subject of discussion was Lexington plans, I believe Houston will field 5 cars from results of discussion.  We also planned which shows we would attend in the next month and touched on the type of meet for the next event. We welcomed a new TOA member with a 81.  He was experiencing sunroof challenges so the threat of rain kept it protected. Great bunch with warm conversation today.

October 7, 2012 Fall ROA Reunion / Picnic was held at Spring Lake Park. We had a good turnout and enjoyed  a welcomed cool 70F.  The coolest day yet this fall, leaves where fluttering and nailheads rumbling.  Our friends at Cadillac LaSalle Club were special guest in appreciation for an invite to a previous event. Sixteen Cars were on display, including 7 Riveras, years 64-67,69,72, a 66 Toronado and for CLC a 38,67,58,95  We also had some 2nd cars from ROA members and CLC members rounding it out 63 LeSabre, 63 Wildcat, 86 Grand National.

Close to 50 people attended.  Table fare was Brisket, potato salad, baked beans, blueberry muffins, pear pie, etc.   It was a well supported close to a busy year.  We are already looking at 2013's calendar for events planning. We hope to open 2013 with a big season opener similar to Vintage Park.  We hope to see many of you at the remaining fall car shows.

May 19th, ROA/TOA Spring Fling at Niftee 50ees, We had a wonderful meet with 5 Rivieras and 3 Toronados. 8 ROA Members attended and we had 2 guests, prospective members. We also learned Ron Norquist of Houston Buick Club is trading his gorgeous 64 Wildcat for a 64 Riviera and will be joining ROA soon. He picks up the car in few weeks and will be attending the Atlantic meet with it and EJ Howe in North Carolina. It was very warm 89 and sunny. The members viewed the new cars they haven't seen before. Niftee 50ees is a popular venue for the club and are very gracious and respectful of ROA and TOA. We look forward to a museum trip in the upcoming months.

The June 2nd Swap Meet of Riviera and Toronado parts held at my house in Anaheim was generally a success.  There were a total of 5 sellers participating and an unofficial tally of about 15 shoppers; I was especially pleased to see some Toronado activity at this event.  The weather cooperated (not too hot) so it was a pleasant morning and early.

April 27, 2013, A total of fifteen people showed on for our “Rise & Dine” breakfast at the  Katella Deli in Los Alamitos. Twelve were from the ROA, two from TOA and myself with dual membership. New ROA member Bob Winger # 14013 drove 140 miles from Tehachapi in his newly purchased Riviera and turned the weekend into a family visit.

April 7th, 2013, OPGI Show, We had superb attendance at the OPGI show with 14 Rivieras on display! There were a particularly large number of 1st generation Rivieras, by my count 10 of the 14.  I am hopeful that 3 new members to ROA will result from the show. Unfortunately the cars were scattered so we were unable to get a group shot. Pictured are a few of the cars on display.

Sept 23, Sunday Breakfast at Ruby's Diner on Balboa Beach Pier was quite a success with 13 members and guests and 9 Rivieras. ROA members attending were:  George & Carole Nix, Kenn & Irene Foster, Bob & Rob Balandran, Martin Smith, Ken& Dawna Lund, Sheryl McCabe, Al Babel,  Pete Van Der Kraan, and Darwin Falk.   Unfortunately I was the person who is also a member of the TOA.  Five generations of Rivieras were represented, from '64 to '93.  The food was terrific, the view amazing, the weather picture-perfect and even on a busy weekend, we managed to park all 9 Rivieras together for a photo-op. 

Ken & Dawna Lund with 'new member' Peggy Pelican.

July 30th, Pot Luck, Ten ROA members gathered for an enjoyable afternoon with good food and conversation. In attendance were; John & Mary Root, Gil & Pam Moorman, John & Anne Pierce, Jim & Jackie Booth, Albert & Kathie Anderson.

Sept 10th, Buick Bash, ROA members met for a good time at the Buick Bash, including new member John &Linda Valmassoi with their 69, which John bought new in 1969.

September 23, 2012, ROA Apple Orchard Tour.  Members of the ROA toured out to the Apple Jacks Orchard for a cool fall drive. We joined three other local car clubs for a fun time. The weather was crisp, clear and the apples were numerous. There were rides for the kids, Apples, Apple Pie; Apple Crisp anything related to apples was to be purchased. Our group had ten hardy people and some very nice Rivieras. The car show included about twenty cars. After the tour we drove to the Choo Choo restaurant and bar in Loretto, a small farming town for a great lunch.

June 12, Annual ROA Tour. A total of 14 people joined us for our Summer Tour. We stopped at Crystal Cave, which goes down over 150 feet. For lunch we stopped at Lake Pepin, where we had great service. It helped that I know the owner. From there we went to the Nelson Cheese Factory for ice cream and cheese. We went across the river to Wabasha and then down a historic country road to the main highway and back home again. Overall it was a fun day with good friends.

September 16, 2012, Sunday, What a day for a street fair and a car display! The weather was great, it was sunny and not that hot, the music was good and so was the food, all kinds of it. There were lots of smiles as the people stopped too see the cars most of them were not even born when these cars were made and yet there were a lot of people who remembered when their dad owned one. We had two 63's, a white one owned by Darrell Ingold, a tan 63 by Howard Attanasio,  a red 65 Gran Sport owned by Kenny Vasti and my 79. We had two buses from the M.T.A. one  from the TV show the Honeymooners that Jackie Gleason used and the other one was the first N.Y.C. bus that had A/C and was used on 5th Ave in New York City.

February 22-24, 2013, The Annual Big 3 Swap meet, held at Qualcomn Stadium was attended by thousands, including several ROA members. What began as a parking lot car show almost 50 years ago has grown into one of the largest Automotive Swap meets on the West Coast.

Three generations of Rivieras represented the ROA and their owners were on hand to explain the history of the series & offer guidance for people looking for parts or restoration tips. Ken Lund drove his 1971 boattail from Yucaipa, 150 plus miles to represent the 3rd generation. For the 2nd generation, James Kelso drove his highly modified 1969. Robert Starkey brought his one owner 1967 with photo details of his restoration posted in front of his car. Lee Carroll’s one owner 1963 represented the 1st generation. The cars were displayed close to the main hospitality tent that housed seats for the weary. Our display table was filled with old copies of the Riview & related Automotive Literature that was handed out to interested parties.

September 30, 2012, Tour of Leo Carrillo’s Ranch. Nineteen members of the  ROA & BCA  took a break from the hustle & bustle of modern life and got a taste of the romance & history of old California. The group gathered at the entrance to the one time sprawling ranch owned by the late actor Leo Carrillo in Carlsbad, California at 11 am. Now a 27 acre public park managed by the City of Carlsbad, the Leo Carrillo ranch is a registered National Historic Site.

Carrillo had roots going back to the very early days in San Diego, all the way back to 1749. His great grandfather was the Governor of Alta, California in 1837. His parents were very prominent in Old Town San Diego and they maintained a fine residence & raised a large family there. The Carrillo’s moved from San Diego to Los Angeles where Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo was born in 1881. Leo Carrillo became a very successful entertainer, appearing in 15 major stage plays and in more than 90 motion pictures. His greatest fame came from his role as Pancho, the mischievous sidekick to Duncan Reynaldo’s Cisco Kid in a 1950’s television series that ran for 6 years, 156 action packed episodes.   

In 1937, Leo Carrillo wanted to recreate an old Californio-style working ranch and bought 840 acres in what is now southeast Carlsbad. Carrillo gradually added more land until his Flying LC ranch grew to more than 2700 acres. The ranch buildings were made of adobe and whatever forms of wood they could find on the property. The ranch at one time had over 600 head of cattle and a half dozen vaqueros overseeing them. The Flying LC ranch became a popular getaway place for Hollywood stars from the movies golden age and for many prominent people in all walks of life who wanted to experience the simple life. Leo Carrillo was a most generous host providing his guests with barbeques, calf roping exhibitions & horseback rides on his extensive property that offered ocean   views from a few of its higher elevations. 

Our group watched a 20 minute video tape in the visitors center that provided a detailed background on the history of the ranch and Leo Carrillo’s career from cartoonist to actor to a Conservationist who played a major role in preserving many historic landmarks in the Golden State. The 90 minute guided tour that followed led us through the buildings that have been restored to their original condition and are available to visitors Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 5pm and on Sunday from 11am til 5pm. Admissions & tours are free.   For more details go to carrilloranch@carlsbadca.gov

The pleasant day for our group ended at Casa De Bandini, a large nearby Mexican restaurant that features early California food with a décor matching the ambience of our previous visit to the Flying LC Ranch.

September 8th, the TN ROA contingent met at the Touch of Gold Car Show in Franklin. The morning rain affected the attendance but for those of us who showed up we had a great time. The sun came out about noon and the cars were shined up and ready to go. Eddie and Donna Gray braved the elements to drive down from Paducah, KY in their 65 Riv. Daniel Yawn brought his beautiful 73 boat tail. My wife Marie and I had our 65 there. The Corvette Club and the staff at O'More College of Design embraced us. The show was very well organized and we had a blast. All three cars won awards. In addition, the TN ROA received a $100 award for attending. We will use that money to invest in a better tent cover for future shows. All in all it was a great day in spite of the weather. Thanks go to Ed and Donna Gray and Daniel Yawn for attending.

January 26 2013, We held our first Car Clinic hosted by senior mechanic James Coda. The topics started with AC upgrades and it turned into a question and answer session. Robert Valenzuela drove his nice all original 65, and long time member Steve Steuer was able to attend.

Special thanks to our guest and speaker James Cota he was awesome. I will be holding another clinic in the spring. Hope you can join us.

Oct 29, 2011, "Fallin for the Classics" was held in Conejo Valley with over 150 cars including our Rivieras. Our  ROA Region sponsored the "Best in Buick" award which was won by  this modified Buick Century. We look forward to more Rivieras at next year’s event.