Club News

Dear Members,What is there to say about the 2020 year other than it is thankfully over…Terrible and devastating bushfires around NSW and Australia which cost lives, homes, land and wildlife. It will take years to recover. One would have thought this is enough for any country to go through then along came COVID-19, an international pandemic that has shocked the world.This was and is not something we could just say “She’ll be right mate” this was something the modern world had never gone t...

Please scroll down to see images from some of our events n November 2020. Just Infantry LunchMelbourne CupAPC Remembrance Day Lunch...

On behalf of the Ladies Committee, we wish all our RACA Family a special and festive time this Christmas and New Year.We wish to thank Michael Callanan, the Board, Markus Friedler and the staff and in particular all of the members for their kindness and support throughout the year.We have started to plan some very exciting events for the next year and look forward to seeing you all at future Ladies Committee luncheons.Yours sincerely,(Mrs) Margaret Dawes-Smith OAMPresident, RACA Ladies Committee...

Dear MembersOur final event for the year was our Henschke/Best’s Black Tie Dinner held on 20 November in the Macquarie Room. And what a rollicking fun night it was! There were 77 members and guests all “dolled up” for the occasion, including Fiona Macdonald who represented Henschke and Ralph Dunning who represented Best’s. Please take a peek at some of the photos.The food from the Club’s Executive Chef Scott Thompson and his team was exceptional, as was the service from the floor team...

By the time you read this, I will have presented the RACA Trophies to the Sa, Sb & Sc Class Winners of the HSRCA (Historic Sports and Racing Car Association). This has become a time honoured tradition and the actual cups are usually on display in the Members Bar, along with the smaller trophies that we then present to the winning drivers. I will provide details in the next newsletter as to the actual winners as the season hasn’t yet been finalised at time of print. Despite all the social r...

As members are aware, the Club does not support a staff tipping policy. During one of the most difficult years the Club has faced, due to the impact of COVID, our team has remained positive and continue to provide the high level of service our members have become accustomed to.The Board encourages member support of the Staff Christmas Gratuities Fund to ensure that all staff receive some monetary recognition for their efforts in making our visits to the Club as pleasant as they always are. If yo...

Dear Members,Thank you to all members who attended the Annual General Meeting of the Club, whether in person or by zoom.The resolution regarding Australian Automobile Association (AAA) expenditure was not pursued since the AAA have amended their Constitution requiring annual subscription payment of $500,000 with the NRMA paying in excess of 41 million per annum. The Club has far more pressing capital expenditure such as the hoarding in Albert Street and other internal refurbishments.The Bridge C...

Dear MembersI’m pleased to report that our tasting/tour on 8 October with the theme ‘Australian Regional Differences’ was a roaring success, with 37 members and their guests attending. After wetting our whistles with a N/V Primo Estate Prosecco from McLaren Vale – the ‘Australian Sparkling Report’ 2020 Prosecco of the year, we tasted our way through 3 brackets of Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon from various wineries ranging from Great Southern in WA to Orange in NSW.Chef’s...

This month, we are honouring the passing of an automotive designer who many will recognise his work, even if they don’t recognise the name: Aldo Brovarone. The two most notable cars he designed were the Alfa Romeo Spider (made even more famous by Dustin Hoffman in the film “The Graduate”) and the Ferrari Dino 206GT that became the Dino 246GT before becoming a true classic of its time. Most of Brovarone’s work was within the Italian industry, however he did work on the design for the Peug...

Dear Members,The Ladies Committee held another wonderful luncheon on Monday 31 August.Guest Speaker V M Knox spoke about her books and how she mixes real historic facts with the fiction to create suspenseful thrillers and murder mysteries. The Luncheon and talk was enjoyed by all in attendance.On Monday 30th November 2020 the Ladies Committee will host our final Luncheon for the year. This will be our special Christmas Luncheon with musician Toby J performing all your Christmas favourites and...