Marilyn and I were supposed to leave home at 7 am for the trip up to Launceston for the Car Club Expo, but sleepy head Marilyn slept in, so it was a mad last minute rush to get out the door as also need to fuel up before the drive. We still had a leisurely drive up, with the weather for the day looking like another remarkable Tasmanian winters day. We saw many cars on the road from various car clubs making their way up to the Expo, so we virtually knew there and then that the display was going to be one of the best yet, and we were not disappointed.

The 'Royal Lady' created quite a stir upon her arrival, and even the "Examiner" newspaper pounced upon her for their 'story of interest' for the Sunday Examiner. So there she was again, on page 3 the next day. Of course the JCCT had a full display and variety of cars from XJ6 Jaguars and Daimlers, SS100, XK150, E-Type, Mk II's and of course the DS420, totalling about 14 Jaguar / Daimler cars in all. Some members had brought along their 'other' cars; Rolls Royce, Porsche and Aston Martin. There was an even mix of members from both North and South which was nice to see, with unfortunately some regular Northern members absent, who we were hoping to catch up with. Never mind, will catch up at the AGM.

Martin Wilson had trailered in his SS100 to show off this remarkable vehicle's work progress to date (looking great Martin), and inside the museum were many more remarkable cars, but none more so than a 1925 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost of which only 30 were ever made, and this was one of 3 surviving today. What made this the more remarkable is the fact it had only done 46,000 miles since 1925 and was in beautiful original condition.

Our usual overnight accommodation was temporarily unavailable due to family staying while their house was being built, so using a shopper docket; we booked into the Mercure for the evening. We had very secure parking for the 'Royal Lady' as they allowed her to be parked at the front entrance all night, right along side the reception desk, so had 24-hour surveillance. We were picked up at around 6.15 on Saturday night by Tony Sadleir (Thanks Tony) who took us, to what had become, his and Geoff Henry's favourite restaurant; Steve's Grill. There, with these 2 gents and Allister Shoobridge and Faye Duffy, we all enjoyed one of the most succulent and delightful meals we had ever experienced. It's definitely marked down in our books as a place to go again, and we encourage any members who have not been there before to try it out.

Of course all good things come to an end, and after a hearty breakfast at the Mercure on Sunday morning we headed for home, via Longford to buy some Peppermint slices from the bakery, and with an uneventful drive, arrived home at 10.30 am. This gave me enough time to complete this and get it into the magazine for printing the next day...

- The Irving's, JCCT