About Us
The ACT Mini Car Club Inc was formed in November 1983 when a group of Mini owners responded to a newspaper advertisement calling on locals to meet informally for a barbeque in a popular picnic spot called Weston Park. Photographs taken on the day suggest that the initial gathering had upwards of twenty Minis.
From that initial gathering, a Committee was formed to start the club and oversee the running of activities. The Committee developed a constitution setting out the Club’s objectives and rules and these remain largely unchanged to the present day. A number of the original members from that first barbeque remain in the club today.
The ACT Mini Car Club Inc aims are fairly simple:
- To promote and foster interest in Mini in all its various forms;
- To promote the exchange of Mini related information to others, especially new and younger members and the general public at meetings, workshops, shows, swap meets and through guest speakers
- To promote and engender friendship between Mini owners in the region and interstate;
- To promote and encourage responsible and safe Mini road behaviour; and
- To encourage and support the use of these classic vehicles by running a historic registration scheme.
Formal meetings were for many years held at the Hungarian-Australia Club in Narrabundah and now are held at the Canberra Deakin Football Club, 3 Grose Street, Deakin ACT on the third Wednesday of each month. The Members usually meet prior to the monthly meeting for dinner from 6:30pm. We are usually seated at tables 1,2, & 3 in the Vatreni Bistro. If you are considering joining the ACTMCC, then dinner is a great way to meet some of our members in informal surroundings.
Our members live predominantly in and around Canberra, although we do have a small number of members in Sydney, Queanbeyan, Goulburn, Yass, Jindabyne, Tumut, Wagga Wagga, Forbes and Cowra.
The Club’s activities have been many and varied over its twenty odd year history. In the early days, there were routine trips to the movies, barbeques, tenpin bowling, road rallies etc with a significant involvement in motorsport (including hill climbs, grass motorkhanas and circuit racing). Regrettably, public liability insurance and noise issues have put paid to many motorsport activities for small clubs in recent years. One Club member has raced an “Appendix J” historic Cooper S MK1 since the 1980s.
Today the social side of the Club is more prominent and similar to the early days. The Club now arranges roads trips to locations and events in and around Canberra. The Club also undertakes longer trips to other Mini club activities and shows in Wagga Wagga, Albury, Hay, the NSW South Coast, Sydney and Gosford. These trips include longer runs to Hay in June, The Rylstone Rally in August and the Wagga Wagga Mini Muster in October. There is usually an annual “Christmas in July” dinner. The main activity for the year is our “Show and Shine” in December.
Membership currently averages about 60 per year (was hundreds in the early years) and all ages are welcome. Mini ownership is not compulsory for membership, merely an interest in the marque. Annual membership is $40. Family membership is also available for $50 per annum.
Club Membership provides members with an opportunity to avail themselves of the Concessional Registration Scheme for historic vehicles which is managed by the local Roads and Traffic Authority. This scheme allows cars from NSW and ACT which are more than 30 years of age to be road registered for a minimal fee but with restrictions on usage (3,000 km per year average) and subject to use being recorded in a logbook. Whilst usage is obviously limited under this scheme, it does allow older vehicles to be maintained in a roadworthy condition and provides an avenue for older vehicles to be driven, enjoyed and displayed at club related outings.
The ACT Mini Car Club Inc distributes a monthly magazine to its members (The Mini Territory). The magazine usually runs to about 16-20 pages and includes Mini related articles, For Sale and Wanted, Technical Tips, Photos, Events Calendar, Committee Reports and issues arising from Monthly Meetings.
The ACT Mini Car Club Inc. can be contacted by writing to:
- The Secretary, ACT Mini Car Club Incorporated, PO Box 4268 Kingston, ACT, 2604, Australia
- Email: ACTMini@hotmail.com
- See our “Contact Us” section on our web site for more information and an online email form.