John Pike (Club Historian) writes:
"The Brisbane Concours (2005) was our 28th consecutive Concours, and while members and cars have come and gone over the years, there is one item which has been present at every event since that inaugural one way back in 1978.
The item is the Perpetual Trophy for the outright winner of the Concours. This imposing trophy was donated to the Register by very long time South Australian member Laurie Cousin, who was running a very fast TR3A and a TR restoration business at the time. He was also instrumental in providing parts for Register members in those early days when the Register didn't have anything like the stocks of new and used parts that we now have. Laurie brought the trophy to Sydney , helped judge the Concours and made the appropriate presentation.
I wonder whether Laurie ever thought that �his� trophy would still be a keenly contested prize all these years later, and would survive well into the next century!!
The Register had been in existence for around 18 months at the time, and the inaugural Concours was held at Parramatta Park , Sydney , on 30 th January 1978 . Oddly, this was a Monday, being the last day of a long weekend. The setting in the park was quoted at ideal and the weather conditions were perfect. Laurie and Geoff Cousin had travelled from Adelaide , while other members had come from Nambucca Heads and Grafton, with the bulk of attendees being from the Sydney region.
A total of 18 cars faced the three judges. Competition was very close, with only one point separating first and second. The winner was Ray Potbury's TR3A, (and Ray only recently left the Register.) Second place went to the TR2 of Roland Hill and third to one of our Life Members, Alan Mitchell with his blue 3A. The winner of the Competition Class, plus best TR3 in the Concours, was the car driven by Geoff Cousin, who not only is still a member, but still has the same car, which he has owned since 1970.
The Restoration Award went to our present Second Hand Parts guru, Brian Richards, with Andrew Gibson runner-up. Other current members competing were now Life Member John Murn, Malcolm Parker, Bob Fast and Roger Gates."
LIST OF ALL CONCOURS AND WINNERS
