Once upon a time, in the Nation's Capital, in the world of hot
rods, many Canberra Rodders decided there was a need for an open
forum for all the enthusiasts in the region. Well, that was back in
1983, and on the 23rd October, 2004, we celebrated 21 years of
Roddin'!
The birthday party was held at the White Ibis Holiday
Village, (Bidges Road, Sutton), a location well known for many years of
CRAKK runs and other CHRA events.
The evening kicked off when MC Choco Munday gave the order
for everyone to take their seats for the sumptuous meal. This provided the
opportunity for the President, Mark Saunders, to officially welcome
everyone and to introduce Dennis Moreau, the CHRA's very first President,
to say a few words. Dennis reminded us all how the CHRA came about, and
pointed out the fact that there were many in the day that said "it
wouldn't last". An Association of club and individual Hot Rodders? No
way!
But 21 years down the track, and the CHRA is still going
strong, with the same values and objectives as laid our in the original
constitution. .
Click on the thumbnails
for a larger picture.
Choco then welcomed the guest speaker for the night, Larry
O'Toole, of Graffiti Publications. Larry gave an interesting and
humorous look at what we really were - "Problem Solvers" - and how
true were his words!
Following Larry's talk, all party-goers were treated to the
sounds of local band Mojo and the party began in
earnest.
During the first break, Choco invited the President,
Mark Saunders, to recognise individuals who have made the CHRA and
the CRAKK run a success.
Our two Honorary Members were recognised - Roy Lustre and
Stumpy Green. Roy Lustre was the proprietor of the Caltex servo on
the Federal Highway during the first three or four CRAKK runs.
Without Roy, we wouldn't have been able to do the things we did back
then, particularly the 1993 CRAKK run. Among other things, Roy was
responsible for the Goodies Buckets right from the beginning, and
this tradition has stayed with the CRAKK run to this
day.
We also garnered support from a local enthusiast who had set up
a high performance auto parts shop in Belconnen. Stumpy's Speed
Supplies played a major role in the construction of many hot rods in
those early days, and members of the CHRA benefited greatly from the
generosity and spirit of the store's proprietor, Stuart "Stumpy"
Green. His support for the rodding fraternity and the CRAKK run
continues to this day, and Green Light Mortgages are major sponsors
again of the CRAKK run.
So far, only two members have
jointly been granted the distinction of Life Membership. Those two
members are Choco and Vicki Munday.
On this night, another dedicated ACT Rodder was honoured with
Life Membership.
Not only has this person been a full
time member of the CHRA since its early days in the late 80s, he has
been a major sponsor of the CRAKK run since its inception. He has
taken on the roles of President and Treasurer at various stages over
the life of the CHRA, was a CRAKK run coordinator and has stood on
most CRAKK committees. He has been a tireless campaigner for our
Dragway, has exercised his talent and skills in support of rodders
in this area, his generosity in his support is legendary and all
this while running one of the most successful businesses in
Fyshwick. Mark then welcomed Graeme Thomas as our new Life Member
for the CHRA.
Sue Bryant then hosted the first of the "audience participation"
segments of the evening. She quickly had the party in full swing,
and the antics of the participants was, to say the least,
uproariously funny. It takes a very sick mind to come up with these
types of party games!
No party is complete without a cake and a CHRA one at
that!
Along with the band, the continuous display of CHRA Rodding
History on the big screen and the layout of CHRA and CRAKK
memorabilia, the festivities continued as the birthday cake was
rolled out and cut jointly by the first President, Dennis Moreau,
and the incumbent President, Mark Saunders.
The rest of the evening was one big party, with lots of music,
beer, laughter, fun, beer and games. Thanks to the organisers of the
birthday bash, Sue Bryant, Vicki Munday and Mark Saunders, it was a
huge success!
21st
Birthday / Reunion 
