At the recent All British Day I returned to my Sprite to find a previous Sprite Club Member (thanks John Stockton) had left a couple of past editions of the Club’s bi-monthly magazine, “Sprouting Forth”. These were the months of July and December 1976. The “Bugeye Burble” was the bulletin that was produced for the alternate months.
Here is some snippets from the pages of these issues.
1976 Sprite Club Committee
President – Richard Stokes
Secretary – Reinhardt (Joe) Walker
Competition Secretary – Kevin Warren
Social Secretary – Mandy Stokes
Editors – Don Williams and Doug Gordon (still owns a BRG MG Midget and been on a few Sports Car Cruises)
The Sprite Club had around 30 – 40 financial members and the membership fees were:
Club Membership $6.00
Club Membership with a CAMS Licence $8.00
Club Membership with 2 x CAMS Licence (Hubby/Wife) $10.00
There were articles on Sprites and Midgets, the Bordertown Motorkhana with the Victorian Sprite Club, the Annual Dinner at the Hungarian Restaurant, Motorkhana Results (entry fee $1.50), recipes, crosswords and Christmas Songs with Sprite wording!
There were a couple of Sprites/Midgets for sale, a Black Rotary Powered Sprite (which I think was purchased by Don Williams brother Rick), A MkIII Sprite for $995 and changeover front wishbones for $35 a side.
Also the Guest Speaker for the July Meeting was to be Gary Cooper (of Elfin Sports Car fame) who was to provide a talk and slide show.
There was also a “Thesis on the Extistence of Aardvarks” by Reinhardt (Joe) Walker BA (Batchelor Aardvark), but I will save that for another day…..…….
Yes, I do still have the green Midget and it’s been in the family for 45 years! The new Sprite Club badge with the wings was proposed by me and drawn up by Peter Smeets. It was either Smeetsy or Stonie who also drew up the Ol’ Bud Eyes logo, too, which we printed by hand on club tee-shirts that sold both here and interstate like hot-cakes!
Yes, Garrie Cooper from Elfin Sports Cars DID show up at the July meeting as guest speaker with a slide-show – however, we thought he might tell us all about Elfins, but his talk and slides were all about his trip to Disneyland, which he thought was much more interesting!!! Haha!
Sorry about the typo in my previous comment – BUG EYE!!
I don’t recall Rick Williams buying the black rotary Sprite, but it’s possible. If it’s the one I’m thinking of, I think it was owned and built by Steve Rowley. I rode in it once. It screamed and went like a rocket. No standard Sprite had a hope of keeping up with it!! Where is it now??
Hi Doug, Yes the Rotary Sprite was advertised by Steve Rowley. It was a 10A Rotary from my memory, and I do not know where it is, tucked away in someone’s shed!