In the latter half of 1976, following an advertisement placed in ‘The Age’ newspaper, a small group of Morris 8 owners met informally to discuss the possibility of forming a Morris club in Victoria.
Initially, it was envisaged that the new club would cater for Morris 8’s only, but it soon became obvious that it should cater for the owners of a wider range of Morris vehicles.
The Club’s original constitution was based on that of the Morris Register of New South Wales, which had been formed a couple of years earlier. Membership of that club was open to all owners of, and persons interested in, “real” Morris motor vehicles – Morris vehicles of various types made by Morris Motors Ltd and its subsidiaries prior to the amalgamation with the Austin Motor Company and the formation of “British Motor” and after “Corporation” (BMC) in February 1952.
However in more recent times (May 2004) the Register decided that owners of any Morris vehicle manufactured from 1913 onwards is welcome into the club.
The first meeting of the Morris Register was held on 20th May 1977 in a kindergarten in Donvale. By that stage, word of the Club’s formation had spread and the meeting was attended by some 40 prospective members, including many who are still active members today. The club continued to meet in the kindergarten, (where latecomers were forced to sit on tiny children’s chairs, not as a form of punishment for their tardiness, but because full sized chairs were at a premium) – however, it soon outgrew that venue, and moved to the meeting venue at the Nunawading Civic Centre. In 2008 we moved to the current venue at the Horticultural Centre Forest Hill.
From the outset, the Morris Register was intended to be a family club, and events were planned around family activities. Club runs, therefore, have always taken the form of a leisurely drive to a popular picnic spot or attraction, the principal objective being a relaxing family day’s outing. Club events are non-competitive, except for the occasional light hearted observation run or scavenger hunt.
The Register encourages the restoration of Morris vehicles to original specifications and standards, and monthly club meetings provide the opportunity for members to exchange information about restoration techniques, source spare parts and solve, or at least share, there restoration problems. The club committee also arranges guest speakers on topics of interest to members, and regularly screens films and videos on vintage motoring in general, and the Morris marque in particular.
The Morris Register of Victoria has a loose affiliation with Morris Registers in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, and Victorian members look forward to meeting fellow enthusiasts from interstate at a biennial National Rally hosted by each Register in turn. The club has a similar informal relationship with the Morris Register in UK and through that organization has access to a wide range of Morris related technical and other literature.
Morris Register of Victoria