June 2nd 1970.... Bruce McLaren

[khyndart in CA]

Rhys,
You mentioned Dunsandel and that brought back another memory for me. We had travelled to Dunsandel in January 1961 to visit my relatives the Mackie family. (Did you know them ?) My mother had lost her watch and dad called the airport (Harewood) and they said had a watch but it had been stood on. The next day we drove in heavy rain up to the airport to get the damaged watch for Mum. As we left the rain abated and so our uncle was showing us the sights of Christchurch around Cathedral Square when we heard a lot of cheering and horns honking and down the road towards us came Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren driving their Coopers after competing in the very wet Lady Wigram Race. They had their helmets off and laughing and enjoying themselves. I think that is the closest I got to Bruce. Wish I'd had a camera ready but that is the last thing you expect to see coming down the road.
(that was an unforgettable memory for me indeed.)

(The last time I saw Bruce McLaren was when he climbed into the ambulance at Pukekohe,Jan. 1968
to check on his new driver, Denis Hulme who had just survived a tremendous accident after tangling
with Laurence Brownlie along the back straight. I was on the hill and remember seeing Hulme's car tumbling amid a huge cloud of dust and dirt. )


( Ken Hyndman )