Northern Sports Car Club - the early years.

[Roger Dowding]

And some more ;
Mud Climb, Macky's Rest, off the Scenic Drive, Titirangi - Swanson area about 1946.
[ details from the backs of the photo's.]

Believed to be Ken Hemus in the Singer .. now known to be Ralph Watson.


My Uncle Ed [ Eddie ] Dowding [ 1919 -2018 ] steering and his wife Una [ 1920 - visited her recently in Auckland ] pushing the car described in the Ron Roycroft Book as a Morris 8, It is in fact a Morris Minor - manufactured from 1928 - 1933, with either Wolseley OHC 4, 1928 -30 or Morris Sidevalve 1930 on.. I mentioned the Car to Ed several years ago as I was surprised him owning one when he had usually owned Austin Sevens or various Rileys ..[ additional notes 4 March 2019 ]



Ken Hemus in the Sunbeam, Ken had a Singer in a different years trial


Have now April 2020 obtained more photos of these events from the Arthur Siddall albums - found by Duncan Fox at the Whitford Tip.

[Roger Dowding]

And some more ;
Mud Climb, Macky's Rest, off the Scenic Drive, Titirangi - Swanson area about 1946.
[ details from the backs of the photo's.]

Have found some information from Scott Thomson's book " Up to Speed " about Ron Roycroft, on the Mud Trial, a couple of the photos appears there.
The car back view on is a 1922 Sunbeam, with Ken Hemus, Arthur Small and Tom Palmer.

the location is described as Mackies Rest [ not Macky's - as on the back of my photos ], the year 1946, apparently it was a hare and Hounds type Paper chase, with Ron Roycroft in a Riley , as the Hare, but he used sawdust, 17 cars entered, actual date 18th August 1946.
O'Callahan in a Ford 10 won, with Ron second and a B Tappenden in a Pontiac third.

The book describes the May winter trial, the next one as harder than the 1946 one. the 1947 Trial was won by Herb Gilroy in an Austin Ulster, that later became Bruce McLaren's first competition car.