The June HRA meeting will once again feature an interesting and rarely heard guest speaker… Automotive Historian, Professor Harriet Edquist, will bring us Shifting Gear: stories of priceless vehicles in country sheds, passionate collectors and a whole roomful of sports cars.
But before we get to that, we will present awards for the Victoria Cross Rally from April. We’ll find out about HRA success at the sensational SA Rally of the Heartland and hear about the July Grampians “rally style” tour.
Tickets in the raffle are 3 for $5 with all money raised this month donated to Neuroblastoma Australia. Next Wednesday June 12, at 8:00 pm, meals available from 6:30 pm, at the East Malvern RSL.
Shifting Gear
Design Historian Professor Harriet Edquist will bring us the stories and the world-class creative thinking that fuelled generations of globally influential Australian car design.
“It’s a very Australian story because it’s about ingenuity, being a long way from parts and having to make do and fiddle with things and redo things. And it’s about being very ambitious.”
Harriet has written 11 more books than Bob Watson including one about the 2015 NGV exhibition Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car which she curated. She was also the inaugural president of Automotive Historians Australia.
From the late 1960s until the early 1970s Australia produced some of the world’s fastest production vehicles, with styling to match. Did you know that the Valiant Charger E49 was the fastest accelerating car in the world at the time of its release?
Harriet previously gave this presentation as the 2018 Steve Ashton Address. HRA members who weren’t at the Address now have the opportunity to hear her fascinating story of the history of design in the Australian automotive industry.
About Neuroblastoma Australia. Their focus is raising awareness and fundraising for the research needed to make treatments more targeted, more effective and less toxic. Neuroblastoma is almost exclusively a childhood cancer occurring most commonly between 0 and 5 years. Please buy your tickets with a generous heart. Gnome number 96 will be given to the raffle winner, like it or not.
Victoria Cross winners: please note the awards will be given out early in the meeting, but you are very welcome to stay on and hear our guest speaker.
See you there.
HRA June meeting
Wednesday June 12, 8:00 pm. Meals available from 6:30 pm.
Venue: East Malvern RSL. Stanley Grose Drove, East Malvern.
Banner image and video from The National Gallery of Victoria (see links below)
Image of the Hartnett from Museums Victoria https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/
Find out more about Neuroblastoma Australia at: https://neuroblastoma.org.au/
Find out about Professor Harriet Edquist on Wikipedia at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Edquist
Find out about Shifting Gear, a 2015 NGV exhibition:
NGV Media release: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/media_release/shifting-gear-design-innovation-and-the-australian-car-3/
Exhibition page: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/shifting-gear/
Historic Rally Association 