{"id":236,"date":"2015-02-10T15:19:20","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T15:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mgocni.flivveronline.com\/?p=236"},"modified":"2019-09-02T11:28:55","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T10:28:55","slug":"an-australian-mga-odyssey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgocni.co.uk\/an-australian-mga-odyssey\/","title":{"rendered":"An Australian MGA Odyssey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The MG Owners’ Club (NI)<\/strong> attended a local Vintage Show in Ballygowan last September. There was plenty of chat as we had erected the club gazebo which acted as a focal point for members or others to gather, relax, enjoy a cup of coffee etc. and watch the ‘show’ go by. I got talking to a club member David McMullan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David started to tell me of his exploits when he and a childhood friend decided to take a trip to Australia in an MGA. This was back in 1958. The full story had been written into the MG Enthusiasts magazine back in January 2013 but after listening to David I thought other club members should hear the story from the ‘horses’ mouth. I persuaded David to come along to our club meeting night on the 26th January 2015 and we got him to relive his trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normally attendance at club meeting nights would be around 12 to 15 members but this night we had over 50 including friends from other clubs. Colin Robson, a relatively new member, and myself, had put together a power point presentation which aided David in his walk down memory lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have highlighted some the salient points of the trip below…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David was living and working in Northern Ireland in 1958 when a boyhood friend, Norman Tosh, came over for a visit. At the time David was working in the family\u2019s civil engineering firm and Norman was a master mariner, but somehow they got talking about going to Australia. Back then, this was an absolutely booming place where you could have three jobs at the same time without any problem \u2013 the Australian attitude was that if you could do something, you got on and did it. It was a place of excitement; they were in their mid-20s and were in the mood for an adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened then was that one of the shipping companies Norman had been sailing with offered him a free passage as a relief navigating officer, and said that David could have a cabin for a very nominal price. This was a cargo ship of course, not a cruise liner. Then Norman said to David: \u2018Do you think the MG would make it?\u2019 And that\u2019s how the adventure really began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norman was referring to the MGA that David was running at the time. She was almost new, and was actually the first MGA in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparations to the MGA included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n