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JANUARY 87
STAG OWNERS CLUB
Despite its short history, the SOC has already attracted 4000 members. Richard Treacher reports [/i]
The Stag Owners Club officially established itself one wintery evening in November 1979, when Tony Hart, of Hart Racing Services in London, set about organising a club for owners and enthusiasts of the luxury V8 convertible. To this day, Tony is still member 001.
During the early months, the club membership swelled to 84 with members spread far and wide from Poole in Dorset, across to Colchester and from Sidcup north to Newcastle and even Cumbria. After six months, the ranks had swollen to 400 members and the original committee of nine were already meeting each month and each taking turns to entertain the others and discuss various needs of the SOC.
The very first newsletter was produced in December 1979, photostated on A4-size paper, and copies were individually stapled together. There were six pages of news, reports from far and wide and technical information for those early members. One very special name appeared in those early newsletters, that of Ken Hudson, now President, and still treasurer of the thriving and successful club.
Since those beginnings, the SOC has forged ahead, membership is now 4000 strong, and so no longer can the newsletter be stapled together on the kitchen table. In fact, the newsletter is today more of a magazine, a credit to editor Jean Vesey, who has been able within tight budget controls to move the printing from garage equipment at home, to a professional establishment, which now produces the 60 pages of news, reports, information, accessories, spare parts and technical know-how for the keener DIY members. The Club is not just UK based, Jean Vesey being in regular contact with members as far apart as the island of Mauritius, Brunei, Hong Kong as well as Europe, America and Australia and New Zealand.
Like all Clubs, spares are a priority, especially as a majority of members join clubs for that sole purpose, while socialising and regional events are secondary. The Stag Owners Club looked long and hard at the situation. Stuart Soutter had for a long time been keeping vast quantities of new and secondhand spares at his home in the village of Hollingbourne, near Maidstone in Kent, but with the needs of 2000 members to cope with the pressure was on. The committee took the decision to launch a new company to relieve the situation and so, in April 1985, Stag Owners Club Spares Ltd opened for business in Sutton Valence, Maidstone, Kent. It has five Directors, one of those being Ken Hudson, representing the club’s interest since members funds had been invested into its success.
It is, as predicted, a thriving success and, according to Howard Vesey of SOC Spares, business this year is up by 300% — an incredible achievement by Howard, Stuart Soutter and just two other staff who work to fulfil orders from all over the country; even an order for a complete engine to Australia is no problem for SOC Spares!
One attractive offer for members is the opportunity to invest in SOC Spares, by purchasing £10 vouchers which can be redeemed at any time but which, after six months, gain interest at an acceptable rate. Membership, as mentioned, stands at 4000, so the club has invested in a little modern technology to ease the workload. Currently, membership is growing at the rate of 120 per month, reports membership secretary Peter Robinson, so a computer was brought in to keep track. A small computer in this day and age is a real asset, as every member’s car details are recorded and some very interesting facts can be gleaned from them in terms of manual versus automatics, hard tops versus soft-tops, colours and even those cherished number plates.
The SOC really does enjoy a good social life, and careful planning has allowed no less than 40 areas to establish themselves throughout England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, each with a co-ordinator who, within the club’s rules and regulations, arranges and runs his or her area like most other motor clubs. As a back up, the club provides seven regional coordinators and twice yearly in Coventry all those co-ordinators, together with the club committee, meet to discuss various subjects.
On the subject of activity, the SOC takes great interest in all the major motoring events up and down the country, including local carnivals and fetes. During 1985, the Stag Owners Club officially represented itself 27 times. During May, the 6th European Meeting was held in Harrogate, an event organised by the club’s Vice President, Val Gaffney. Some 160 Stags assembled in the car park of the Granby Hotel over the weekend, an attraction which even the press and TV cameras decided not to miss.
Perhaps one of the biggest spectacles of the year, however, was the club’s National Day, held at Wellington Park near Basingstoke. This event, organised by National Day Coordinator, Mike Wattam, attracted no less than 318 Stags, by far the most ever seen, and a strong indication of the Club’s success.
What of the future? One thing is for sure, 1987 will see the Stag Owners Club grow even further. It will also see the 7th European Meeting hosted by the Dutch President, and a huge British contingent will travel over by car ferry from Sheerness to Vlissingen, to drive the 150 miles to their motel destination. The Shows will take to the road again and members will naturally enjoy once more many miles of open-top motoring in their very special motor cars.•
JANUARY 87
STAG OWNERS CLUB
Despite its short history, the SOC has already attracted 4000 members. Richard Treacher reports [/i]
The Stag Owners Club officially established itself one wintery evening in November 1979, when Tony Hart, of Hart Racing Services in London, set about organising a club for owners and enthusiasts of the luxury V8 convertible. To this day, Tony is still member 001.
During the early months, the club membership swelled to 84 with members spread far and wide from Poole in Dorset, across to Colchester and from Sidcup north to Newcastle and even Cumbria. After six months, the ranks had swollen to 400 members and the original committee of nine were already meeting each month and each taking turns to entertain the others and discuss various needs of the SOC.
The very first newsletter was produced in December 1979, photostated on A4-size paper, and copies were individually stapled together. There were six pages of news, reports from far and wide and technical information for those early members. One very special name appeared in those early newsletters, that of Ken Hudson, now President, and still treasurer of the thriving and successful club.
Since those beginnings, the SOC has forged ahead, membership is now 4000 strong, and so no longer can the newsletter be stapled together on the kitchen table. In fact, the newsletter is today more of a magazine, a credit to editor Jean Vesey, who has been able within tight budget controls to move the printing from garage equipment at home, to a professional establishment, which now produces the 60 pages of news, reports, information, accessories, spare parts and technical know-how for the keener DIY members. The Club is not just UK based, Jean Vesey being in regular contact with members as far apart as the island of Mauritius, Brunei, Hong Kong as well as Europe, America and Australia and New Zealand.
Like all Clubs, spares are a priority, especially as a majority of members join clubs for that sole purpose, while socialising and regional events are secondary. The Stag Owners Club looked long and hard at the situation. Stuart Soutter had for a long time been keeping vast quantities of new and secondhand spares at his home in the village of Hollingbourne, near Maidstone in Kent, but with the needs of 2000 members to cope with the pressure was on. The committee took the decision to launch a new company to relieve the situation and so, in April 1985, Stag Owners Club Spares Ltd opened for business in Sutton Valence, Maidstone, Kent. It has five Directors, one of those being Ken Hudson, representing the club’s interest since members funds had been invested into its success.
It is, as predicted, a thriving success and, according to Howard Vesey of SOC Spares, business this year is up by 300% — an incredible achievement by Howard, Stuart Soutter and just two other staff who work to fulfil orders from all over the country; even an order for a complete engine to Australia is no problem for SOC Spares!
One attractive offer for members is the opportunity to invest in SOC Spares, by purchasing £10 vouchers which can be redeemed at any time but which, after six months, gain interest at an acceptable rate. Membership, as mentioned, stands at 4000, so the club has invested in a little modern technology to ease the workload. Currently, membership is growing at the rate of 120 per month, reports membership secretary Peter Robinson, so a computer was brought in to keep track. A small computer in this day and age is a real asset, as every member’s car details are recorded and some very interesting facts can be gleaned from them in terms of manual versus automatics, hard tops versus soft-tops, colours and even those cherished number plates.
The SOC really does enjoy a good social life, and careful planning has allowed no less than 40 areas to establish themselves throughout England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, each with a co-ordinator who, within the club’s rules and regulations, arranges and runs his or her area like most other motor clubs. As a back up, the club provides seven regional coordinators and twice yearly in Coventry all those co-ordinators, together with the club committee, meet to discuss various subjects.
On the subject of activity, the SOC takes great interest in all the major motoring events up and down the country, including local carnivals and fetes. During 1985, the Stag Owners Club officially represented itself 27 times. During May, the 6th European Meeting was held in Harrogate, an event organised by the club’s Vice President, Val Gaffney. Some 160 Stags assembled in the car park of the Granby Hotel over the weekend, an attraction which even the press and TV cameras decided not to miss.
Perhaps one of the biggest spectacles of the year, however, was the club’s National Day, held at Wellington Park near Basingstoke. This event, organised by National Day Coordinator, Mike Wattam, attracted no less than 318 Stags, by far the most ever seen, and a strong indication of the Club’s success.
What of the future? One thing is for sure, 1987 will see the Stag Owners Club grow even further. It will also see the 7th European Meeting hosted by the Dutch President, and a huge British contingent will travel over by car ferry from Sheerness to Vlissingen, to drive the 150 miles to their motel destination. The Shows will take to the road again and members will naturally enjoy once more many miles of open-top motoring in their very special motor cars.•
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