2023 August Meeting Notes

St Johns Austin-Healey Club
Jacksonville, Florida

a chapter of the

Austin-Healey Club of America

Member Meeting Minutes for Aug. 7, 2023

The August meeting was called to order by SJAHC President Bill Young at 7:20 p.m. following a dinner at Casa Amigos Mexican Bar and Grille in Mandarin. Those attending included Bill”s wife, Judy, and Paul and Judy Sandefer, Bill and Char Maroney, Alan Winer and Janis Croft, Tom and Linda Carollo, Tony Martini, and Ron Keysor.

The minutes of the July 10 meeting were approved. Treasurer Paul Sandefer said the club’s bank balance remains at $$$$$, which includes several hundred dollars still held in escrow for our national parent, the Austin Healey Club of America. Member Chair Bill Maroney said club membership remains at 38, the same number reported at the July gathering.

Bill Young said club webmaster Erling Onsager is refreshing the club Web page in the chance that club members will share in contributing material, text and photos, etc., that will provide motivation for members and possibly others to visit the site. Many members may not even know the club site exists, SJAHC.com.

Events Co-Chair Martini reported on the successful British car meeting SJAHC hosted at The Springs, a city park in Green Cove Springs, July 15. This was inspired by our club’s leadership to revive the Jacksonville-area British car association that was among the casualties of the Covid-19 epidemic. In addition to Healeys, a Jaguar or two and MGs, and Triumphs turned out for the picnic-like gathering. Most surprising and welcome was a delegation of area Lotus owners, car guys who own the many modern versions of the famous Colin Chapman race and touring car series that continues today. Not only did the other marques show up, they pretty much covered SJAHC’s $150 cost of renting the facility, which happens to be Green Cove’s park jewel. The Jaguar Club of North Florida pitched in a generous $100, the Lotus Group $20, the MG crowd $15, leaving SJAHC with a contribution of just $15 and the effort. Bill Young noted that the Triumph owner club was not a donor in recognition that it will host the October British Car Classic at King’s Head Pub. the major annual area gathering of Brit cars and a major undertaking.

There was a signal happening at the Green Cove Spring picnic that also came in for mention last night, the attendance of Wellington Morton, possibly the dean of large-scale classic car collectors in the Jacksonville area. Wellington, a rather sparkling personality, is dealing with a serious health crisis, rather stoically, it must be said, and those who know him pray for his recovery.

Tony also declared as a success the club cruise to a luncheon at Ford’s Garage near St. Augustine on July 27, with Bill Maroney, Alan Winer and Dave Morton driving their Healeys. Ten club members attended, Tony said. Dave was driving his freshly-repaired and “priceless” Healey that now sports a new aluminum head, this is interjected to report that the original steel (cast iron) head is available for a new owner. It was noted, however, that Healey heads rarely fail and thus aren’t often sought.

Billy Maroney also reported that he had a complete light failure on his Healey as he and Dave drove home from Ford’s Garage. The Morton’s and Maroneys happen to live close to each other in the Ponte Vedra area, and Dave following Bill saw that his brake lights weren’t working and notified him. Bill has repair parts, fuses, etc., on hand to fix the outage once his garage is habitable, i.e. when we get cooler weather.

A couple of upcoming club events were discussed, the annual Ice Cream Social set for 5 p.m. on this upcoming Sunday, Aug. 13. This will be held at a shop at Bay Meadows and U.S. 1. Expect an email notice a day or two before. Also, the Carollo’s will be hosting the club’s 49th annual Low Country Boil at their home in Deerwood on Sept. 16. The couple has a very special property with a pond or lagoon behind their home. They hope to get a bunch of Healeys displayed at a spot by the lagoon for the event. That gathering will constitute the September member meeting, as well.

Tony Martini also reported on the second, largely successfully, effort to reinstall the rebuilt motor in Mike Foster’s Healey earlier yesterday, a job that Bill Young and a non-club member also helped with. Some of the components were off the engine when it, along with the transmission and overdrive, was stuffed into the car. However, installing the distributor, normally a straight-forward chore, consumed three hours in a rather hot garage. Though they finally got the distributor working and the car running, the work will require a revisit. Tweaking , it was called. Mike needs to have the car running as he and Joan will soon move to Fleet Landing, not far from their current long-time Atlantic Beach home.

The meeting adjourned about 8 p.m.

Club Secretary Keysor adds this personal note that he failed to mention at the meeting. His son-in-law, Colin Carbis, a native of Cornwall, UK, whence Donald Healey came from, obtained his U.S. citizenship at a naturalization ceremony in Montgomery, AL, last week. Colin served in the Blues and Royals, the British Army unit that parades at Buckingham Palace, part of the Household Calvary Regiment, the senior regiment in the British Army, but more remarkably Colin is the son of a father who was injured at Dunkirk and recently also recently survived Covid-19. Ron, wife Elaine and other members of our family spent two weeks in July touring England, Wales and Scotland, but didn’t make it to Cornwall.

R.Keysor, Sec.