News

Welcome to the final President’s update for 2025. As we head into the festive season the hot weather dictates that it’s probably advisable not to bring out the older Z’s as the potential for both owners and vehicles unexpectedly expiring increases dramatically. So it is that time when we start to wind down our scheduled runs and activities until around February in the new year. Having said that, there is a push from some owners of later model (and some earlier model) Z’s equipped with air conditioning to arrange some ad hoc outings and gatherings during December and early in the new year. The club is happy to facilitate the communication of these events – we just need some people to step up and do the organizing.

Personally, I’ll “be on leave” from the middle of December through to the middle of January taking in the sights and attractions of the Nullabor and some of the towns in regional Victoria and Canberra, catching up with family and friends. Something different this Christmas/New Year.

Club Update

Our club year runs from January to December which means come the new year we will conduct our AGM, recognize the efforts of a number of members, hold elections for office bearers and present our financials to our members. The committee will be making a number of decisions with regards timing of the AGM in the next week and we’ll be posting all the details shortly.

Speaking of the committee, what a team this has been this year. We’ve run a number of events including Z Fest West, Whoop Ass Wednesday, our ever popular Mid Week Meanders, the Weekend Wanderings, Datsuns in the Park and the Monthly General Meetings all of which have required a strong team approach to make them happen. It’s been a privilege to work with these groups and I extend my sincere thanks to everyone involved. And to the members who just chipped in to make things happen as they needed to, thanks as well.  

This year the committee decided that we would return a significant portion of the membership fees we collect at the start of the year back into the activities of the club. As a result, some events were subsidized in the form of lunches provided to attendees, Datsuns in the Park was a free entry event and a light dinner is provided at each General Meeting for attendees.

While we have a need to retain a certain level of funding to cover the costs of running the club and for some contingent purposes, the focus for this past year, and I hope for future years will be to return as much as possible to our membership base in the form of subsidies and incentives to get involved with the events and activities we conduct.

Speaking of finances, our Treasurer, Leanne has done a fabulous job of managing this part of the club. We are in a strong position as we round out the current year and will start the new year with a healthy bank balance which will be boosted by the payment of membership fees, invoices for which will start to hit your email accounts during December. At this stage, there is no intention to increase our standard $60 per year membership fee.

Events

For a number of reasons, I didn’t provide a report last month, so I’ll quickly run through the events we’ve held during October and to this point in November.

We kicked off with a Weekend Wandering on 5^th October which incorporated the York Motor Show and started with the group gathering for a pre-trip coffee in Mount Helena. Following an enjoyable chat and catchup we ventured out onto the highway for the 45 – 60 minute run to York. It seemed that every weekend during this period was wet and this was not exception, although we managed to avoid the rain for the entire event and run both ways. Our numbers were down, most likely as a result of the threatening weather, but those of us who made the journey had an enjoyable time.

It was our first opportunity to unfurl our new banners (thanks to Marco Natoli) and we created a lot of interest and had lot of comments about the club and cars. We enjoyed a lunch on the club before packing up and heading home.

Datsuns in the Park on the 19^th October was an outstanding success. The committee decided to make this a free event to showcase the Datsun marque and to allow club members with later model Z’s to attend. We had no less that 71 vehicles and a fabulous mix of old and new. The club conducts this event on behalf of the Perth Datsun group and it has become a feature of our event calendar. It was wonderful to see the range of models which turned out for the morning even though once again the weather tried its best to rain on our parade. Fortunately, there was only one brief (but heavy shower) but that didn’t interfere with the presentations or the event generally.

The support from the Datsun fraternity and the feedback from the day was outstanding and will ensure it remains on the calendar for future years.  

October’s Mid Week Meander, on 29^th October started at Jandakot with the usual coffee and chat and headed to the old railway yards and barracks in Pinjarra. Our inaugural President, Vaughan, organized the event and used his local knowledge to lead the group on some good back roads to some points of interest. Lunch was held at the Ravenswood Hotel and everyone headed off in the early afternoon.

Our November General Meeting (and last for the year) will be held at the Belmont Sports and Recreation Club, 400 Abernathy Belmont on 19^th November, which is probably today for some of you – if I can get this out in time. Feel free to come and join us for a chat and a bite to eat put on by the club and find out what else has been happening and what is proposed for the rest of the year.

A big plug for our last event for the year, our Christmas Lunch to be held on Sunday 30^th November. The final venue is to be agreed on the 19^th Committee Meeting and details will be distributed immediately after that. So put it in your diary and we look forward to catching up with you on the day. 

Membership

We’ve topped the 100 mark and are currently sitting at 102 members with an additional 3 pending. That’s around 30% growth since the start of the year and is a reflection of our decision to open the club up to all Z’s including later model Nissan variants. It is in line with our strategy of retaining the focus of the Z and maintaining our membership at a level we can manage and support.

Well, that’s a wrap from me. As I said earlier, I’ll be away from mid December, so I’ll take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

Catchya in 2026.

Regards

Paul Maisey

Members

Shortly you will receive notification of a Special General Meeting to be held on 18 September.  This meeting has been called to consider changes to our Constitution to broaden our membership eligibility.

I am writing to provide background to these proposals and to seek your support for the changes proposed.

If we consider membership numbers, the club is healthy.  The introduction of C4C Concessional Licensing provided a boost to our membership, but the number of active members is decreasing.  We have been unable to fill all Committee positions, and several events have been cancelled due to lack of numbers.

Membership and participation have been topics of concern discussed at club meetings for some years.  As promised during the AGM, the Committee has conducted several workshops and meetings to seek to understand the issues and identify potential actions to redress them.

Analysis indicates that a key issue is the ageing of our members and Committee.  We need to attract new members that will take the club forward over time.  The restrictive membership eligibility is an issue as is the increasing cost of our vehicles that puts them out of reach of many.  It was also identified that we need to conduct events that our members wish to attend.

It is the Committee’s view that if the Club was to continue to operate as it currently does, in 5 years’ time, it would either exist simply to provide concessional licensing with little member interaction or it would be absorbed into an existing larger club as has happened to other niche groups in recent times. From the Committee’s perspective, neither of these outcomes are desirable.

As a first step to address these issues, and in line with feedback provided through member surveys and ongoing conversations, the Committee is proposing that membership eligibility be broadened to include later Nissan Fairlady Z (import), 300ZX, 350Z, 370Z, the current and any future Z.

The Secretary will shortly provide formal notification of the Special General Meeting and details on the resolution proposed. An Absent Voting poll will also be distributed separately for completion by those members wishing to cast a vote who are not able to attend the meeting.  

I invite you to provide feedback via my email (president@wazregister.com) or the comments section of the Absent Voting form.  I also encourage you to attend the meeting to contribute to the discussion if you are in a position to do so.

Paul Maisey
President

The WA Z Register was represented at Challenge Bathurst by Brendan, Bruce Chris and Peter competing in their Zs.  Paul attended as a spectator and took on the role of coach and motivator.

Varying weather conditions meant that Challenge Bathurst was well...Challenging. It was great to run with the 3 other Zs from WA and congratulations to Peter for his third place in the Regularity competition.

Bruce the truckie and John Wilding transported the cars to and from the event.

Thanks to Dave and the team from the Queensland Z club and Michele and team from Challenge Bathurst for a well-run event.

The YouTube link below shows ibn car camera footage from Peter and Chris's cars when they were running at close proximity to each other on the track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7zyMhpEO3k

SPECIAL EVENT

Venue - Belmont Sports Club 

COFFEE and LUNCH PROVIDED

featuring

Zs in SHEDZ dont forget to submit a photo of your Z in Shed ASAP to Secretary

The AGM provides an opportunity for all members to meet and socialise.  To encourage and maximise attendance coffee and lunch will be provided.  

Event commences at 11am

11.00amCoffee and member cars 

12.00 Noon Annual General Meeting (formalities kept to a minimum)

Reports President Treasurer

Election of Office Bearers

1.00pm Lunch  Catchup, chat and vote for your favourite Z in Shed

Zs In Sheds - viewing and voting

Members,

The Celebration of the Motorcar is advertised as WA's premier exhibition of classic, prestige & exotic cars with entry restricted to 150 invited vehicles.  This year I was fortunate to represent the club with my 240Z and Kent Bush invited to display his Datsun 260C.

The quality of the cars on display was exceptional with money no object. There were 2 awards for luxury cars.  The Classic Luxury Car Class award was presented to a professionally restored Mercedes-Benz 300 Cabriolet.  The presenter then went at great length describing the skilled workmanship and restoration of the Modern Luxury Car Class winner.  Foolishly I was thinking of the beautifully restored Rolls, Bentleys, Mercedes, Jaguars etc on display.

The Class winner was announced as Kent's Datsun 260C.

Congratulations Kent and well deserved.

 

When an event is entered into our Club Calendar the Event Manager may configure "Event Announcement" and "Reminders". 

We will notify all members of Club Meetings and key Club Events such as Datsuns in the Park, Members Day and our Spring and Christmas Lunches.  We will not notify members of events in the Calendar hosted by other clubs or organizations unless Club attendance is planned such as Japanese Car Day.

An "Event Announcement" is an email outlining the event details with a link to the event.  The "Event Announcement" will also contain buttons to register attendance or otherwise.  

Normally there will be two "Event Announcements" scheduled.  One well in advance of the event and another on the last day for registration.  If a member responds to an "Event Notification" they will not receive a second Announcement.  Members who register for an event will receive a "Reminder" email the day before the event.

We are aware that not all members are involved in motorsport or able to participate in Midweek Meanders and have separate distribution lists for these events.  If you wish/do not wish to receive "Event Announcements" for these events please advise the Membership Officer.

Dear Members,

I am excited to welcome you to our new membership management system and website: www.wazregister@wazregister.com

Members will shortly receive an email containing log in and password details. 

I encourage Members to log in and explore the website.  Please note that when logging in for the first time Members will be asked to:

1. Accept Wild Apricot Terms and Conditions (Software Provider); and then
2. Accept and agree the Datsun 240Z and 260Z Register Policies (available for viewing without logging in on the on the website under “Corporate Governance Menu”.

Detailed “log in” and “unable to log in” instructions are available under the “Help Menu”.
 
Using the website Members can now:

• Review and update their details
• Pay membership fees and event fees
• View and print their membership card
• View and Register for events
• Register an Impromptu Run
• Engage with other members in online forums

 A phone App is also available providing similar functionality.  Instructions on downloading the App are available under the “Help Menu”.
 
I encourage Members to share their experiences and provide feedback and suggestions by use of a Forum.  The Club wants to hear from you.
 
All Club communications will now originate from the email address wazregister@wazregister.com.  These communications will include newsletters, event notifications, and membership renewal notifications.
 
With your participation this new website will facilitate improved communications and participation in Club Activities
 

Bill Ambrose
President
Datsun 240Z & 260Z Register of WA

Members will note that in "Calendar view" events are colour coded.  This is to assist you in identifying events of interest.  An explanation of the event colour coding follows:

Club Events:  Events organized by the Club. We encourage maximum participation.

Meetings:  Club Annual, General and Special Meetings.  Have your say. 

Motorsport events.  These events may be organized by our Club or another Motorsport Club or Organization.  Please check the event details.  Externally organized events in most cases require direct registration with the organiser.  Depending upon the event, we may ask you to also register your participation with the Club to count towards the Club Motorsport Competition.

Other Events:  Shows and organized by other Clubs and Organizations that Members may wish to attend.  If the event warrants, the Club may co-ordinate participation (e.g. Japanese Car Day) in which case Event Registration will be invited.  In other cases Members can choose to participate.

All events listed on the Calendar are "Club Events" for the purpose of Concessional Licensing.

Club communications with you originate from our website with the address wazregister@wazregister.com

You will receive two kinds of emails:

•    automatic; and
•      manual.

 Automatic emails are sent in response to a variety of member actions, including membership application, membership renewals, event registration, and invoice payment.   They may include event confirmatory emails, event confirmation, reminders, new passwords, and receipts.

Manual emails are initiated by a Committee Member and may include Newsletters and Event Announcements.  It is expected that a high proportion of future emails will be Event Announcements.

An “Event Announcement” is an email advising of an upcoming event containing a link to the event, and response buttons “Register” or “Not Attending”.  Clicking these buttons will take you to the event to complete registration or advise non-attendance.

 Email Distribution Lists.  We have created a number of distribution lists to ensure that our correspondence is targeted and applicable to our members interests. The distribution lists created, and being refined, are:

•      motorsport
•      midweek meander
•     Code 404
•      Code C4C

In addition a distribution list is automatically created for each event registrants.

We will seek your assistance in refining our distribution lists.

Respond To Emails

 If you respond to an email it will either be directed to:

•    wazregister@wazregister.com; or a Committee Member or event organizer such as
•    Motorsport@wazregister.com

Contact details for Committee Members are available from the Governance Menu Contact Us page

Forums

We encourage members to share their views, knowledge and feedback by contributing to a forum.  You do not need to subscribe to a forum but if you do you will automatically receive weekly updates.

The Club seeks your involvement and participation.  Communication is an essential prerequisite.

The club values and respects the privacy of our members and the people we deal with. The club is committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and other applicable privacy laws and regulations.

The Privacy Policy describes how we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information, and how we maintain the quality and security of your personal information.

This newsletter describes the privacy settings and controls enacted in our membership management system and website.

In configuring the member management system and website the Club elected to set, at a global level, restrictive privacy settings.  These may be summarised as:

Personnel Data

 The only personnel information in our membership database is the information members see in their profile.  Members may edit and update this information.  Access to this information is restricted to a small number of Committee members who have a need to know to fulfill their duties (membership, Code 404, Code C4C and audit).  Sensitive information collected from members who avail themselves of Code 404 or Code C4C licensing is not entered into the online database.

This information is not visible to other members.

Members are not able to change their personnel privacy settings.

What can the public and other members see?

The public are restricted from seeing any names.  “Anonymous” appears as the author of news items and forum topics. When a member logs in the author’s name is revealed.

When a member registers for an event,and does not uncheck the box "Include name in list of event registrants"  the members name is  visible to members who search event attendees.  No other information is available.