FCD - Why the delay - question

Covert

Covert

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Covert
I just thought I would put this out into the forum, it's a question that is asked often. When's the French Car Day?
Now I know that it's on Sunday 24th November but the venue is still to be advised.

Why do the three car clubs in Melbourne have to rely one club each year to get the job done, why all the stuffing around...... it seems to always end up as a competition on who did the best day each year, "Oh last year was better because #$%%^ did the event at that venue" bitch bitch bitch.......

It seems to me all the clubs are fighting and trying to out do each other or stab them in the back while piling on the bureaucratic rants about how things should happen.

Why can't the clubs have a french club tri-committee where they have the power to organize the event solely. 2 or 3 members from each club could meet, with the three or so involved clubs putting in an equal amount of money to start things off could . The committee runs the event, how it is laid out, cars vs years displayed? etc , also organizing sponsors from all interested parties classed into 3 levels of sponsors, like main sponsorship is "gold" secondary sponsorship is "silver" and people helping out or donating stuff to use is " bronze" level.

The event name has a generic name that is non political like the "The 2002 French Car Day" and all the sponsors can go under that, the gold sponsors could have pride of place, car companies like Renault, Peugeot and Citroen could come under this arrangement and it would allow the committee maximum exposure and money raising efforts in all the areas for the event........ without getting political or one sided.

A place could be chosen for the event to maximize the people attending and the sponsors who could set up a display there. At least then the committee would have the power to do what they wanted for the greater good of the french cars. The clubs would follow and back up the committee and then hopefully on one would treat the event as some say "peugeot bias event etc etc" if they had happened to organize it etc that year.

And maybe then we could have a solid date and place where the day can be run, without the various clubs hijacking the event for their own benefit from year to year seen in the eyes of outsiders.

Just a simple idea, something to throw around :rolleyes:
 
Ridiculous isnt it? dosent matter what we say, things wont change. Just because 'x' club had some other things going this year, French Car day couldnt be held on Bastille day. By splitting responsibilities 3 ways, things would get organised and clubs that are too busy could be left out of the running of the events. At least the other 2 clubs could have organised the event this year.....

mallet

Quit this 'turn' bull****. It really does seem Victoria is French Car show-starved compared to other states.
 
If the tri club committee was formed as an idea of running the event, it would not matter if any of the clubs were busy or not, their would be the dudes running it. They could have power over the event, and crap or grevence could go to the committee

The French Car Day Committee could be calling then on all clubs for help, making it maybe even cheap as they could draw on all 3 clubs resources, tents, chairs, signs etc.

Yeh and when the clubs can give people some notice about the event, maybe get some flyers into related businesses and to owners, maybe the turnout would be better from in Vic and outer state. People maybe able to prepare their cars and time off.........

Now that would be something new......... mallet
 
Covert,

If you have so many problems with the Vic FCD why don't you do something about it, how about going out and organising an FCD that will outperform all previous FCD's.

Perhaps the motto of if you want it done properly you have to do it yourself is correct!! whip
 
Covert,
Mr T put it well.
As you're a paid up member of RCCV you are invited to attend the monthly meeting tomorrow night, to put your ideas forward to the committee. Instead of just mouthing off to all and sundry.
The RCCV committee has no control over the staging of this years FCD as it is Citroen's turn. The proposal you advocate is a good idea and is the way the FCD was conducted in the past, this came to an end because one of the other two clubs wanted to do their own thing.
The Committee of RCCV welcomes the attendance of any members especially those with ideas and willing to put their hand up to see the ideas started and work to see them come to fruition.
Damien Gardner Secretary RCCV.
 
renaulturbo,
The same invitation is extended to you. Please attend the meeting tomorrow night Sept 12th Surreyhills Neighbourhood house enter via Bedford Ave melways 46H11. Nothing is achieved with behind the back rantings the only way to make the changes you desire is to attend meetings and make yourselves heard. If the ideas appear to fall on deaf ears put your hand up and offer to start the ball rolling, offer to start a sub-committee.

If anyone from the Citroen or Peugeot clubs feel the same as Covert & renaulturbo please attend your club meetings and make yourselves heard & put your hands up to get the changes you feel the clubs should make, SILENCE achieves NOTHING.
Damien Gardner Secretary RCCV.
 
Did you all know that the FCD on 24th November is off again, postponed this time till possible February.
Covert, what your saying is almost what does happen. We used to have a sub committtee from each club to work together and I think it might have been PCCV who wanted to do it sepperatly, but that was years ago before I got involved. These days we have a host club who do it there way but with input from the other 2 clubs. I had to represent our club at a FCD meeting back in March where both PCCV and RCCV told CCCV that we'd help out anyway we could.
I hear what your saying Covert and you've got no idea how frustrating it is having it cancelled for the second time this year, our monthly run is on that day also (being the 4th Sunday of the month) and we'd planned to leave the FCD after the trophies at about 3 oclock and head in convoy about an hours drive away into the hills for devinshire tea, we were waiting for CCCV to give us a venue so we could choose a direction. I do get the feeling that CCCV just can't be bothered.
I disagree about each club trying to out do each other, I was part of the 2000 FCD committee and we looked at the good points and bad points of previous years and tried to put on the best show we could, thats just called progress, not once did anyone say lets beat CCCV or PCCV because at the end of the day, we all need each other.
One thing I must point out Covert is that I've known you for many years, your car,the 15/17 register and web site are proof that you are keen to get things done properly and if you have idea's about the FCD come and join in, as Damien says, the meeting is tomorrow night. Next year is RCCV's turn and I'm already looking at venues so now's your chance to get in on the ground floor and really put on a good day.
Let me tell you something without boring everyone to tears, I was like you, hated the car club with vengence untill I got the 12G finished and wanted to put it on CH plates, I went to a few meetings and I remember one meeting that had the committee looking in the constitution to see if there was enough people to hold a legal meeting, at the AGM in 1997 a motion was put foward to close the club. I thought no this can't happen so I jumped on the committee along with David Groome and a few others and look how strong the club is now, I think the reason the club is strong again is because enthusiasm is back again, enthusiasm from people who love Renaults, people like you and me.

David Cavanagh
President RCCV.
 
Hey Covert,

If you want to avoid the committee/sub-committee/inter-club political wrangles, why not form a not-for-profit organisation called, for example, "All French Automobile Day Inc."

You could send a letter to each car club, asking for 1 or 2 members of that club to be involved in the new organisation - to provide representation of their club.

Then, on a bi-annual (or annual) basis, you could organise a car day, free from the personal bias of individual clubs (ie. no "stalling" on venue agreements due to disinterest). If one club has a problem but two don't, they will be outvoted and the day will go ahead.

You could approach businesses for sponsorship to cover costs, plus charge an entry fee (payable before the event)

Any "profit" from the day could be put into the next event, and if the organisation is wound up (say due to disinterest) then funds could be donated to charity.

Another potential solution to the problem. Just needs someone to get it going...
 
This was from within the citroen area.....

" I agree with you, I will bring this up at the committee meeting next week...maybe next year we can do something. I think that meetings every now and then of reps of the 4 clubs would be a great idea to do more joint events or just to get a dialogue going.
Mark McKibbin
CCOCA Pres."

It would seem to me that in the dark past that as david said the inter club committee seemed to work, if it is just a matter of getting people talking, then maybe it's a simple idea to fix, with the right direction it should be a simple task, I'm not talking about people getting in there, just the way that the event is organised, and that maybe there are some problems.
As Mark has said above, maybe just to get dialogue going and the fact that 2 or 3 people from each club create a supported committee, then maybe it's that simple.
Maybe as europa said, the 4 clubs could create a "not-for-profit organisation called, for example, "All French Automobile Day Inc."" but that seems quite a full on answer to the situation. I know europa and simon organised a very successful day in South Australia a few years back, and now it seems they have disappeared from the scene so the days have dissappeared into the haze, I know there's a story behind that, but SA seems a smaller scene, well I maybe wrong on that.

Anyhow all I wanted to say is ask a question, to see what is going on, maybe the reply that the CCOCA Pres. has posted is a help to the other clubs.........

Maybe the clubs just have to talk to each other to resolve the problem that is at hand, and come out the other hand with a solution. All I am trying to do is get some ideas flowing, to get people to talk, as we all have different points of view, and and this is a forum..... :cool:
 
Maybe the clubs just have to talk to each other to resolve the problem that is at hand, and come out the other "end" with a solution. All I am trying to do is get some ideas flowing, to get people to talk, as we all have different points of view, and and this is a forum.....

I remember a long time ago I went to one of these FCD meetings, it was amazing to see the pulls and pushes of the different people, there was one guy from the puegeot club who was a force to get the day going, I think he was a business dude who just wanted to push through the shit and get the day going, but because of some of the other people the meeting was stalling, but in the end things were thrashed out, the different clubs bought different ideas, but together things happened. But this was along time ago.......

I just thought that the question had to be asked, I just remember in the recent past about the naming of the event, and the fact that it seemed to shift the whole feeling of the event, people were talking about how sponsors were that much harder to find because of that implimentation, was that a good move?...

You said the PCCV may have started the recent direction in the way the FCD is run, maybe the clubs have to talk to see if that process is giving the best results for the event over the past few years.

I have never hated the club with a vengence, I just remember feeling totally frustrated with the red tape and personal agandas, so it was easy to just step side ways.

The 15/17 register has never been against any club, and has always just been a loose collection of owners who like to drive their machines. Well we have in recent years not done to much, I feel that is because alot of the people who were in these events have their cars off the road and have some other life stuff happening like jobs, mortgages, houses at the moment, but there is no reason why we wont have another day again in the near future..... when we have some cars on the road again shy

I was amazed to find out the shit that was going around when I joined the club again, people rung me up from inter-state to ask me........ all I can say to that is that where was never any meaning behind it, over the last few years I was a member of the Nissan datsun club at the time to do sprint events and could not afford two club memberships, because of the register and the events we did at the time, we were seen as some sort of rival or disturbance. We would never ask anything of people who were in the register, we never promised anything, and were just there because of the cars. I think the RCCV thought we should get people into the club, I always thought that was a persons personal matter, that was why we never could say yes we have 30 people in vic, but we were not there to dictate to them. So in the end I don't know what people have said about the register, lot's say it's dead now, it maybe, I feel we are just in limbo while most of the members sort out their own things, maybe soon again we will do things again............

But we have a presence on the internet, that will extend soon in the near future, but I am just interested in getting some dialogue happening, a see what people have to say about how they feel.
 
Covert:
Maybe as europa said, the 4 clubs could create a "not-for-profit organisation called, for example, "All French Automobile Day Inc."" but that seems quite a full on answer to the situation. I know europa and simon organised a very successful day in South Australia a few years back, and now it seems they have disappeared from the scene so the days have dissappeared into the haze, I know there's a story behind that, but SA seems a smaller scene, well I maybe wrong on that.
Click to expand...
More than one day, that organisation lasted for over a decade and produced many successful All French Automobile Days in SA.

The organisation was wound up, from what I'm led to believe, due to disinterest in running the event. I had moved interstate at that time.

Subsequent events have been organised by a French car club here in Adelaide (interestingly copying the format and even the original entry forms as designed by the old organisation). IMO, these events do not have the same "broad spectrum" appeal as the original ones.
 
Europa, they were great event's I remember that you guy's had the French community involved with the event, you guy's even had a great range of vintage cars and other french marques. I remember even the michelin man turned up............. They were great events........... head_ban
 
Covert:
The 15/17 register has never been against any club, and has always just been a loose collection of owners who like to drive their machines. Well we have in recent years not done to much, I feel that is because alot of the people who were in these events have their cars off the road and have some other life stuff happening like jobs, mortgages, houses at the moment, but there is no reason why we wont have another day again in the near future..... when we have some cars on the road again shy
Click to expand...
The best thing, IMO, about the 15/17 register was just that - It's a register, not a club. The cars are the "core-focus", not the constitutional documents.

No legal requirements to have meetings, no money to manage and no jumped-up wannabes who want to be President. No long committee meetings and paperwork nightmares.

The events come and go according to interest - no one is having to attend events because the committee forces them to, or to make money etc.

In the future, there will be further events. Cars come and go, off the road and on again. People get busy, then have spare time. We may never be able to see the quantites of these increasingly rare Renaults that we've seen in past events, but that's not the point.

I like to think the 15/17 register plays a whole different game to the official clubs - this fact could be why a lot of those club members seem to have had difficulties understanding the whole register arrangement.
 
How about the 100th Anniversary of Renault in the ACT, that was also a good event, but you guys in SA and on the single event in ACT there was plrnty of lead time to organize people and get them there as well.

I remember it took planning to get to those interstate events.......... making sure you had the right spares etc to get there.............. cheers!
 
I heard that the Citroen club organised another event on the same day as the French car day, and in the magazine underneath that article it said

"Go Citroen".

I'm not experienced in clubs, being a newbie, but that is very childish to say the least.
 
French car clubs seem like French wiring looms, sometimes very disorganised and difficult to understand.
 
While i agree either in part or whole with most of the concerns raised in this string of posts to this forum, i feel you've directed it at the wrong ears.The RCCV has a committee of 12 & only 2 of these members are active on this Forum. I cannot of course speak for the other 3 clubs as to their members participation on the forum i would expect only a few, it's hard to tell of course with most forum members electing to be invisible behind nicknames. Anyone who has concerns about any club should put those concerns to the club and if not satisfied, become active attend meetings and stand for election to the committee & do your bit to get changes made.
As these posts were discussed at length last night you missed a big chance Covert. By not attending and you would have received some insight as to why things are the way they are.
IMO you would have achieved more by sending letters of concern to the four clubs concerned where they would be read to all members who are interested enough in their club to attend meetings and have their say and make appropriate decisions to get things done.
I joined my first car club in 1973 the then Renault Car Club of Dandenong (Vic)with an R8,
and have been active in clubs of various types ever since and the one thing that stands out is that mouth flapping achieves little. IF YOU WANT CHANGES MADE GET ACTIVE & PUT YOUR EFFORTS WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS.
There is much more to club life than the FCD where people swarm around oooooing & aaaaahing over pretty cars. And yours is a credit to you Covert as are the rest of the participants at these events doing the best they can to keep their other love alive. dance

<small>[ 13 September 2002, 09:43 AM: Message edited by: Damien Gardner ]</small>
 
Well Mr Gardner
I'd like to know if this is your opinion or the car club opinion, being a member of the RCCV "have" I over stepped the bounds, has the RCCV police come to drag me OUT of this forum, does this mean you are trying to gag every member who has something to say in the froggy forum without first saying it IN the RCCV polices office first, to be vetted and honed down for public consumption

The last time I looking the internet was a free place to ask questions and voice opinions, what I do with my own personal time is my choice, I do not have to attend and meetings or do anything, if I am such a threat for some reason to you or the RCCV then say so. I have no idea what you RCCV people are on about. I currently attend uni on a Thursday night so I am unable to attend your meetings, it would seem to me a pretty reasonable situation.

I am into renaults for the cars themselves, I like the FCD's and just asked a question in a public forum, not what seems to be the RCCV pre occupation with gaging it's members over petty political situations, I have no idea how you deal with other clubs and their perception of your committee, but that is your problem and something I do not want to subscribe too.
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"we were waiting for CCCV to give us a venue so we could choose a direction. I do get the feeling that CCCV just can't be bothered."
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Seems to me you have some perception problems within your club to deal with before you go mouthing off at your own members, hmmmm I found out in the citroen forum that petermelb said it's

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"i know that one of the reasons CCCV postponed all french day was due to a problem with public liability insurance. This is an issue facing all clubs.I doubt if anyone from any club is game to hold a public event without public liablility insurance.
I understand the AOMC have arranged public liablilty insurance cover for clubs at a cost that is not too exhorbatant. Another club i belong to has cover through this scheme for around $500 pa. "
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seems to me you guys just have to talk to other clubs before you go gaging your members, maybe the best thing is clear lines of COMMUNICATIONS between your clubs and talk to each other .

And for your information the "covert" name is a handle, pretty common on the internet these days if you have not noticed, and my handle is because of the Renault I drive and it's number plate "COVERT" so there has never been anything malicious or hidden into that meaning, as you remember my R15 was at the RCCV this year and you would have noticed.

So get off my back and if there is "more to club life than the FCD where people swarm around oooooing & aaaaahing over pretty cars" why are you having a go at me for asking a question, is that a new RCCV sport or event I am unaware off.............

All I did was ask a question and a hornets nest has been sturred up, that maybe says something in itself.......... maybe Pug307 has summed up the situation correctly for all the clubs involved in this, looks like a French wiring loom :) Thanks Mr T for that one

At least we can talk freely in this forum about anything.................
mallet
 
To clear things up IMO means IN MY OPINION.
And i did not sign the last post as a committee member of any club and as said i agree with most of your questions. Yes it is an open forum & i'm not trying to gag anyone, however i ask why be provocative and air what is essentially a small problem regionally, on a world wide forum and as such potentially bringing all four FRENCH CAR CLUBS in Victoria into disrepute without first approaching the clubs themselves.
 
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