MHWA members
Membership is open to people involved with collecting and publishing historical motoring information in Western Australia. Publishing may take the form of written word in magazines or books, by film or video or on recognized websites. Our members cover a vast array of areas of expertise, and some are widely considered to be national and world experts in certain fields.
The committee
President; Graeme Cocks - 0438 980 859 - gacocks@iinet.net.au
Graeme Cocks was until recently the CEO of the Fremantle Motor Museum, WA, and now looks after the Briggs Family Collection of cars. He is owner of a replica of Arthur Colliver’s ‘Silver Wings’ Chrysler 75 racer which broke speed and endurance records at Lake Perkolilli in the 1920s. Graeme has been involved in the old car movement for many years and owns a variety of interesting cars, spanning an Austin A35, through sporting T-Model Ford to a Morris Minor 1000. He is presently working on restoration of a racing Chrysler to take to the Le Mans circuit in France. He is a member of several car clubs.
Graeme is originally a journalist and has use these skills in preparation of publications including commemorative booklets for the recent anniversary of the Albany Round the Houses racing and Patriotic Grand Prix event held in Applecross as part of a series of booklets covering Round the Houses race meetings in Western Australian towns. He has recently completed a book focusing on the first ever Bentley to race at Le Mans amongst his many projects. Before taking on the CEO role at the Fremantle Motor Museum, Graeme was involved with the Duyfken project.
Treasurer; Terry McGrath - (08) 9279 7003 - mcgrath1@bigpond.net.au
Terry researches Australian motor racing and SS and Jaguar cars, specializing in publishing authoritative books on SS and Jaguar cars. He has built up a very extensive reference library, especially containing photographs of the two subjects of his interest. Terry has published definitive works The Jaguar XK in Australia and SS Cars in Australiasia, detailing the histories of all such cars and has other publications in the pipeline.Terry has long been an active member of the Jaguar Car Club and was on the founding Board of the Motor Museum of WA. He has a small collection of classic cars, predominantly Jaguars. The illustration shows Terry after a haircut.
Secretary & Webmaster; Paul Blank - (08) 9271 0101 - paulb@classicrally.com.au
Paul has a BA in Industrial Design. He is a writer for various car magazines around the world, predominantly on classic cars. He began and runs Automotive Events Management, which conducts events primarily for classic cars; rallies, exhibitions, tours, motor sport, etc in Australia and Europe. He is a Commonwealth Approved Valuer for Vintage and Classic Cars (CGS). Previous work has included in the specialist automotive conversion and accessory retailing industry and as a consultant for classic car auctions held around Australia and in New Zealand. He is a past President Mercedes-Benz Car Club a member of Fiat Lancia Car Club (honorary life member), Special Interest Vehicle Association, Vintage Sports Car Club, Association of Citroen Enthusiasts and immediate past President of Ferrari Club Australia. He served as President of the Combined Car Clubs Association (now CMC), Chairman of the Classic Car Show committee and was the founder of several clubs. Paul has been Chairman of the Microcar Club and Vice President of the Studebaker Car Club. Collector of cars, automotive brochures, models and other automobilia. Recently appointed Australian representative for Amicale Facel Vega.
Chief Archivist - John Napier-Winch - (08) 9404 8863 - johnnapierwinch@yahoo.com.au
John followed speedway and motor racing with his father and cousin Bob Adams since he was a child. His first employment was with United Motors, followed by an engineering company before taking employment in a service station as a mechanic's assistant. Later he owned a service station/roadhouse. Over the years he has had mentors including Tony Tapper, Eric Nicoll, Hector Hawke and John Emery.
John purchased a number of racing cars over the years - a TQ in 1971 and the John Bertina FJ Holden sports in 1970, which is currently under restoration along with the Wally Higgs Peugeot racing car. As manager of Motor Racing Consultants in the early '70s he sponsored Ray Hunter's super modified speedway cars, built and modified many race, rally, drag and street cars, some with Bob Busellato of Ding Bob Trikes. From 1982-1995 he was advisor to H.E.H Prince Jah.
Today he is involved in film to digital transfer of many historical motor racing films covering the years 1927 to 1962 taken by John Finney.
Membership Registrar - A John Parker - (08) 9271 4272 - ajohnp@bigpond.com
A John Parker is automotive historian, researcher and author. He has a long history of researching and writing material on vintage cars, his work in Restored Cars magazine being well known. He has restored old cars and owns an unrestored Austin A40 from his teenage days which he has re-acquired, plus he has a sad but very rare 1936 Buick Sloper sitting on a farm waiting!
Has been engaged in intense research and the writing up of the history of the Perth motor trade for several years. Recent publications include Torquing of Marques, a book which lists every make of car which is known to have been in Western Australia, and Cars, Characters & Crankhandles, detailing Perth's new car dealers over the years - both the results of exhaustive research. Several other books are under way. John is a member of the Veteran Car Club. His enthusiasm has played a key role in the formation of MHWA.
John was the inaugural President of Motoring Historians WA.
Members
- Craig Atkins - catkins@cyllene.uwa.edu.au A recognized authority on the Morgan brand, Craig is currently researching and writing a history of Morgan cars. Craig is an active participant in Vintage Sports Car Club activities in his Morgans.
- Paul Blank - paulb@classicrally.com.au
See above
- David Bird - DaveinStratton@aol.com - A keen videographer, David has released several videos of Western Australian classic cars - including productions about British cars and another covering French Italian and German marques. He is a member of the Special Interest Vehicle Association.
- Bob Campbell - campbell@westnet.net.au - general motoring historian and writer, past editor of the RAC of WA’s ‘Road Patrol' magazine.
PHOTO TO BE SUPPLIED
- Brian Butterworth - butterworth@e-wire.net.au Retired State Manager of Mazda; Coordinator of WA Motor Industry Foundation. PHOTO TO BE SUPPLIED
- John Byfield - John's interests include the historical aspects of motor racing and motor body building as it relates to trucks and heavy transport.
- Graeme Cocks - gacocks@iinet.net.au
See above
- Alan Cole - aecole@wn.com.au - is a farmer at Kellerberrin, WA, who has rallied cars for many years, having restored two Hudson cars (1923 & 1952) which he carelessly allowed to burn in a garage fire. He is now looking to restore other cars suitable for rallying and in the past enjoyed many miles of rallying including the 1988 Castrol Bi-Centennial Rally to Canberra. He has an interest in history in general including heavy vehicles, machinery and dealerships, which sold and serviced these units throughout the State. Alan was also chairman of a committee producing the publication “A Man His Dog and a Dead Kangaroo” authored by Terry Spence, a history of Kellerberrin, Doodlakine and Baandee.
- Maurice Davin - mfdavin@bigpond.com - Maurice has interests in automotive history, rear-engined cars and commercials, microcars, light tractors and small motorcycles. He is President and a founding member of the Special Interest Vehicle Association Inc. (SIVA) and a member of Society of Automotive Historians Inc. Currently restoring a 1967 Hino Contessa, his collection also includes rare examples of NSU, Autobianchi and Trojan. Maurice has owned a fascinatinmg array of unusual vehicles. He collects sales literature, scale models, books, etc. He has written some automotive newsletter and magazine articles and is considered an authority on unusual vehicles.
- Ken Devine - kdev5542@bigpond.net.au - Ken has motor racing interests and a large photographic collection including early racing in Western Australia. He has long owned classic cars and is a member of the Austin club.
- Jim Lissiman - In his mid-70s, Jim Lissiman has been a car buff since he first saw a car, but his only real connection with the motor trade was as an engineering student in the 1949-50 vacation at Ford’s Leighton plant on assembly. As a 1930s kid he bought the ‘Motor’ magazine and has a large library. He ‘restored’ a Model T Ford and in 1980 joined the Veteran Car Club, contributing to its magazine. Jim has been a member of many clubs and says, “I restored a rare 1933 Ford Model B Sport Coupe, a 1951 Mark VI Bentley, a 1939 Packard Eight Convertible Coupe and partly restored a 1941 LHD Packard 110. For the past decade Jim has been interested in electric vehicles and converted a 1982 Ford Courier utility and a 1965 Ford Mustang Coupe to battery-electric. He currently drives a 2004 Toyota Prius hybrid.
- Terry McGrath - mcgrath1@bigpond.net.au
See above
- Toni Mahony - toni.mahony@bigpond.com
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Toni is a team leader where she works at the Department for Planning & Infrastructure (vehicles and transport).
- John McLean - jandgmclean@optusnet.com.au - John is a Past President Council of Motoring Clubs of WA Inc. Chairman for Concessional Licence Technical Committee, committee member of Veteran Car Club WA Inc., worked with Shannons for several years and recently appointed curator of the Motor Museum of WA at Whiteman Park. Originally from New Zealand, John has over 40 years involvement in the motor trade and 20 years of restoring and repairing veteran, vintage and classic cars. He has built class-winning historic rally cars for events such as Targa Tasmania. Previously a curator for Heytesbury Classic Car Collection and is a keen collector of automobilia.
- Gary Mentiplay - Gary.Mentiplay@justice.wa.gov.au Gary specialises in knowledge and restoration of BMC/BLMC and Leyland vehicles, with particular interest in the Leyland P76, owning a rare prototype version.
- John Napier-Winch - lordwinch@hotmail.com
See aboveIan Newman - soundcam@iinet.net.au - Ian is a videographer, producer and sculptor. When he was nine, a chance meeting with Derek Meddings, special effects director for Thunderbirds (and later the James Bond films), inspired in him a lifelong interest in model making and SFX (Special Effects). Some years later, he was selected for the inaugural CADSA (Centre for Advanced Screen Animation) course at FTIWA. After graduating, he accepted a scholarship to the Certificate IV of Video Production, emerging as a producer and proprietor of his own film and video production business. Ian's documentary Song & Dance Girls won a best film award at the Mandurah Short Film Festival in 2003. To date he has produced over 30 short films, documentaries, training DVDs and music videos. He is also involved is automotive productions. He recently acquired copyright on a large collection of old 8mm and 16mm films of WA and runs a facility transferring those formats to digital media. A keen collector of model cars and automobilia, he also owns a collection of rare Japanese vehicles including a rare Subaru 360 Young SS among others. He is a founding member of the Special Interest Vehicle Association of Western Australia, The Historical Film and Video Preservation Society and The Australian Museum of Motion Picture Technology.
- A John Parker - ajohnp@starwon.com.au
See above
- John Pickles - picklejohn@bigpond.com - especially interested in the Simca marque, having started the Australian club some years ago. John also has large collection of motoring magazines.
- Eddie J Rigg - ej.e.rigg@bigpond.com - With an extraordinarily large collection of old vehicle photographs and astonishing automotive knowledge, especially of vehicles in Western Australia, Eddie spent many years working for the WA Museum. He has a strong interest in commercial vehicles.
PHOTO TO BE SUPPLIED
- Martin Shaw - yak@git.com.au - published the Rover marque’s Perth history in 2004 as part of the Rover firm’s centenary celebrations. He is restoring and driving examples of their cars from as early as 1934. Martin is also interested in anything motoring with originality, rarity and history - and would love see all ‘old cars’ back on the road (even the Austin Kimberleys hiding in his back yard!). Martin is a keen member of the Rover Owners Club.
- Terry Walker - twalker1944@iprimus.com.au - active in Western Australian motor sport until moving to Canberra in 1974. Author of ‘Around the Houses: the history of motor racing in WA’ (1980) and of ‘Fast Tracks’, a detailed Atlas of all Australian motor racing circuits 1904-1995 (1996). Since returning in 1994, Terry has re-issued ‘Around the Houses’ on CD with some 800 historic photographs and begun a sequel, ‘Around the Raceway’ to bring the story up to date. Terry is a member of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club. Terry's interesting website is www.terrywalkersplace.com
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