Some Thoughts on Federal Rallies

and

the Conundrum for Organisers and the Participants

We have always had successful Federal Rallies since the first one, which was held in 1968 in Wagga Wagga, NSW, many being quite superb and all being very good, with all five branches doing the hard work very well. These rallies are the glue that does so much to hold our Club together and promote our wonderful fellowship both in Australia and overseas, each branch working tirelessly when their once in 5 years turn comes around.

The general format seems to please so many members. However, some members have yet to enjoy the experience in which I urge them to participate. I feel we should think about ways to change and enhance the experience. Somehow, we need to reach further out to all our members, not just those who mostly come along. Some time ago, in 2007, I went with Richard Tonkin to a wonderful Alvis Rally, starting at Port Augusta (three days) and continuing at Wilpena Pound for an additional four days. They had some 119 participants in 50 cars, many of which were 65 to 70 years old; this makes me think about our rally formats. So let me raise some fresh thoughts, some of which are a bit "way out" but may work very well.

1. Should we make our rallies less rushed and encourage our members to make it a week's holiday, which members program into their holiday schedules?



2. Should we try some unusual places such as Longreach QLD, Thargomindah QLD, Port Augusta SA, Andamooka SA, Roxby Downs SA, Horsham VIC, Casterton VIC, Cobar NSW, Lake Cargelligo NSW, Broken Hill NSW, Darwin NT, Alice Springs NT, Broome WA, Kalgoorlie WA and so on ? The problem for many of these possible venues is the difficulty for the organising branch in making it work and the likelihood of a diminished crowd, in addition to the challenge of appealing to those members we are proud of and who should be supported, yet we never see at Federal Rallies.



3. The experience of our several very long distance outback rallies is that they have been surprisingly well attended and most enjoyable. So, should we make our rallies a type of tour where we only spend a couple of days in each place, such as the Tasmania Tour ? The one we had years ago was a great success.



4. The Austin club and several others have had rallies in WA (mostly Perth); these, so my investigations lead me to believe, have been successful. We are far away if we live in Eastern or Central Australia for a WA rally, but this should not stop us, particularly as the A/S members in WA are developing into a successful branch. I suspect that this idea has been thought of as impracticable by many; this view has been perpetuated over many years, and now that the roads are good this idea should be back on the agenda for a detailed evaluation. Some years ago it was suggested that the Club could charter a plane, starting in Brisbane, thence to Sydney, on to Canberra, Melbourne, and Adelaide - it would be a social rally but may just be a good answer.



5. As many of our members are still working, should we revert to Easter rallies on, say, a rotational basis, as it may make it more attractive to the younger and newer members?



6. Do you think by keeping rallies within, say, a 200Km strip on either side of the Murray River, to maximise our exposure to the larger membership base, is still a good idea ?



7. What do you think of holding rallies at large Caravan Parks (say the "Big Four" group) where they have cabins etc, to minimize cost for all and better cater for the several members who have caravans and motor homes?

These are a few of my personal thoughts and as the founder of the Club, and having attended all but one Federal Rally, I think it's time we re-visited this all-important part of the Club's calendar. It is not reasonable to expect our Board of Directors and Branch Committees to make changes without membership input at the maximum level, so may I suggest that all, yes all, members let their Branch Committees and members of the Board know your thoughts so that a full and detailed evaluation of growing our Federal Rallies can be made. Any major change needs maximisation of general input, especially from our newer and younger members. It seems to be that many members like changes and to visit places that they would not generally go to, so may I suggest that we, as they say today, "think outside the square". Many members of the Alvis clubs thought Wilpena Pound was an out of the way place to go, but it proved a tremendous venue.

Please do not think that this is some form of criticism from me as it is certainly not; the rallies held to date have been wonderful and the organisation by each branch in turn has worked so well.

As a final thought, do we need a name change to "National"' rather than "Federal"', as seems to be the popular naming by many clubs today?

lt would be so nice to hear the thoughts of those new, younger and "yet-to-attend a Federal Rally" members. Please think about ways forward - it's over to the membership at large to be heard.

Please Email your thoughts, comments and suggestions.