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Hi guy's and girl's, I created a Victorian facebook group for all GTR lovers.

There will be many meets and cruises organized and lots of info for members to share around. Heres the link to the group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/312836342200169/

Didn't know there was 7 other ones..did a search..my mistake.

Yes birds a matter of fact it does!!

That's a shame, cause photos of my 34R need at least 256k/bit security to be seen in public

  • Like 3

Hi guy's and girl's, I created a Victorian facebook group for all GTR lovers.

There will be many meets and cruises organized and lots of info for members to share around. Heres the link to the group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/312836342200169/

The Melbourne GTR Owners Club has been up and running for about 2 years now! Ash is right though. There have been endless GTR pages popping up in the last 6 months and it's becoming a joke now. GTR Buy and Sell, GTR parts, GTR this GTR that, R34 GTR etc. etc. There's the GTR Owners Club Australia which is more of a facebook group than anything. Most people in the group are vic-based and the facebook group doesn't run events or activities. The facebook page is more of a a forum for GTR enthusiasts and not everyone in it owns a GTR. Then there's the Melbourne GTR Owners Club (MGTROC) which has been around almost as long, and also has a facebook group though it is actually a legitimate car club. It is strictly for GTR owners in Melbourne only and is in the process of attaining CAMs affiliation. MGTROC does run GTR-only meets, social events and hill runs, though lately things have been a little slower as the club is being restructured for CAMs purposes. It is soon to have its first GTR-only track day in association with another car club (probably EVO club at this stage). There are various workshops associated with the club, as well as well known shops in Japan which will be offering member only discounts very soon (some have already started doing so). Feel free to join :)https://www.facebook.com/groups/408384915948934/

No offence but it's not legitimate, it's a bunch of people with similar interests, an interest people share none the less :)

There is so much work in setting up a fully fledged club

- NPO creation (Non Profit Organisation), bank accounts, club constitution and processes

- CAMS affiliation and then $500-$700 fees

- Running annual general meetings

- Elections and accountable committee structure

- Yearly financial submissions, annual reports, record keeping for all monies in/out etc

All of this stuff people don't realise that needs to happen to have a official car club, and keep it running with CAMS affiliation and covered legally by insurance and so on. Not doing it can put you in some fairly hot water with the Gov't as the Exec committee etc. Most just don't survive when there is only 50 people in a club, people simply lose interest and being realistic the average time of Nissan Skyline ownership is 2.5 years. It's happened so many times (new car clubs folding) and at the end of the day it's the members that get shafted when it winds up because all their money is gone as people running the "clubs" don't know what they are doing.

Not saying that will happen with every new spin-off/derivative... But honestly put the money where you know. SAU-Vic has been around for 10 years, is a proven stayer in what is currently, a very tough climate for car clubs. I know of other clubs who've dropped over 50% of their member base in the last 2 years. Better off everyone working together, supporting a larger base, than splintering off and dividing.

Side point I laugh at - People 5-10 years ago had a GTS-t, later they get a GT-R later on down the track it's all "i dont wanna associate with them anymore", forgetting where it all started.

  • Like 3

No offence but it's not legitimate, it's a bunch of people with similar interests, an interest people share none the less :)

There is so much work in setting up a fully fledged club

- NPO creation (Non Profit Organisation), bank accounts, club constitution and processes

- CAMS affiliation and then $500-$700 fees

- Running annual general meetings

- Elections and accountable committee structure

- Yearly financial submissions, annual reports, record keeping for all monies in/out etc

All of this stuff people don't realise that needs to happen to have a official car club, and keep it running with CAMS affiliation and covered legally by insurance and so on. Not doing it can put you in some fairly hot water with the Gov't as the Exec committee etc. Most just don't survive when there is only 50 people in a club, people simply lose interest and being realistic the average time of Nissan Skyline ownership is 2.5 years. It's happened so many times (new car clubs folding) and at the end of the day it's the members that get shafted when it winds up because all their money is gone as people running the "clubs" don't know what they are doing.

Not saying that will happen with every new spin-off/derivative... But honestly put the money where you know. SAU-Vic has been around for 10 years, is a proven stayer in what is currently, a very tough climate for car clubs. I know of other clubs who've dropped over 50% of their member base in the last 2 years. Better off everyone working together, supporting a larger base, than splintering off and dividing.

True that!

Side point I laugh at - People 5-10 years ago had a GTS-t, later they get a GT-R later on down the track it's all "i dont wanna associate with them anymore", forgetting where it all started.

What do you mean?

True that!

What do you mean?

He means all these minority car groups excluding other cars when possibly at an earlier stage in life they were on the other side of the fence.

Also 2 cents in running a car club

  • Insurances on all events run by the car club
  • Adhering to Consumer Affairs
  • Adhering to the Australian Tax Office
  • Implementing a membership system to cover annual costs in insurance, registration fess etc...
  • Knowing that you may be personally liable when things go wrong
  • Like 3

No offence taken Ash. It's your opinion and it’s based on what you believe to be the case, not what is fact. Truth is, we are quite aware of the points you made regarding club constitution, elections, treasurer in control of club accounts etc. A lot of this has already been taken care of, and anything that hasn't, is being worked on now - hence the point I made earlier about things being quiet recently as the club is being formally structured, CAMs affiliation is being obtained etc. It is a lot of work legitimising a club as you said, but we have many dedicated members who are keen to make this work. As part of the formalities and affiliation with CAMs, the club is required to formulate a constitution outlining much of what you have just mentioned such as executive positions, responsibilities, club guidelines etc. We are well aware of the formalities and what is required to institute a formal club. We also have an established network of wholesalers in Japan, and workshops locally who are sponsoring the club and providing very significant member-only discounts. These discounts are not only for parts coming out of workshops such as Top Secret, but also for bodyshops and tuners locally who deal extensively with GTRs - hence there is a good incentive for GTR owners to join. Also, given the 'active' members who have shown serious interest in acquiring their CAMs license and thus paying membership fees, we will also be able to provide membership cheaper than any other club out there as the numbers permit us to do so (as you are aware, the price of CAMs affiliation for a club is determined by the number of members within the club). Yes MGTROC does not have the numbers of SAU, nor the website & knowledge base, but we have what I believe to be a much stronger and more active membership base. So no, I don’t agree with the notion that it is "just a bunch of people with similar interests". It quite clearly isn't.

Also, I noticed in a document you released highlighting some points from an SAU meeting you had recently, that one of the problems SAU Vic faced along with a diminishing membership base was a “lack of club identity”. In the most polite and objective way, a large part of the problem lies within the whole ethos that defines SAU Vic - as it currently stands, it is more of a social Skyline interest group than a dedicated Skyline or GTR club. This is quite obvious to anyone who turns up to any of the SAU Vic events. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with this or with SAU, but it's simply not what a lot of Skyline/GTR fans are looking for. I can appreciate that people have owned such cars then sell them and move on, but when such people bring cars other than Skylines or GTRs to a Skylines Australia club event it doesn’t do wonders for the image or identity of the club. I do not mean to offend anyone and simply wish to highlight a point which many have made. It is akin to someone who owns a Porsche turning up to a Ferrari club event. This is an issue which MGTROC does not have to deal with, as we strictly and strongly have an identity of GTRs only, and though we are yet to hold a track event (which will be held in conjunction with other car clubs to obtain viable numbers), we will also be holding more regular events. There are clubs out there for everyone, and some people may prefer the more laid back 'everyone/every car is welcome' approach of SAU, while others may prefer to be exclusivley surrounded by the cars they love. Each to their own. Each club can undoubtedly provide benefits to its members.

He means all these minority car groups excluding other cars when possibly at an earlier stage in life they were on the other side of the fence.

Ah ok, I see :)

SAU Vic - as it currently stands, it is more of a social Skyline interest group than a dedicated Skyline or GTR club. This is quite obvious to anyone who turns up to any of the SAU Vic events.

I do notice this.

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