community
A selection of classic cars at the Collingrove Hill Climb.
Sporting Car Club of SA celebrates 90 years
Nearly a century ago, Mr Percy Wien-Smith (pictured inset below) and Dr Cliff Downing had a lightbulb moment: to start a Car Club in South Australia. With only 120 cars on the road in SA in 1905, their mission wasn’t easy and took two years to complete.
Their efforts led to the inaugural Old Crocks’ Run on 5 May 1934, when 18 cars and 10 motorcycles travelled from Adelaide’s CBD to Glenelg Oval. Despite two cars breaking down on the way, the run was a huge success with more than 85,000 people lining the streets to watch. The club has since become the Sporting Car Club of South Australia (SCCSA) and is still going strong, increasing from about 40 members in 1934 to 1800 currently.
On 5 May, SCCSA will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Old Crocks’ Run, with a journey from Victoria Park Grandstand to Wigley Reserve at Glenelg. Featuring two classes – pre and post-1935 – the run includes cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles.
Following the drive, there’ll be a free community event with car displays, food trucks, family entertainment, and activities under the RAA marquee. For entry details, email SCCSA at manager@sportingcarclub.com.au or call 8373 4899.
SCCSA has other big events planned in 2024, including an All British Day in March, with 90 club cars on display, and an event at Victor Harbor in November to mark the anniversary of the 1936 Victor Harbor Grand Prix.
President's message
It is a privilege to pen my first column as RAA’s President and Chairman.
I have been an RAA Director for more than 10 years and I am passionate about the role the Board plays in a strong and sustainable future for your incredible organisation.
Modernising RAA is critical to our success. We never stand still. Just as Nick and the team are working hard to improve your member experience, as Directors, we’re just as passionate about safeguarding the future of RAA.
We have been on a journey to modernise our governance, to make it fit for purpose for an organisation of our size and complexity. Whether you’re a small community club, or a multi-million-dollar commercial operation, modern governance is good governance.
The first step is having the right skills and experience around the Board table to lead RAA and successfully navigate the challenges of our ever-changing world. For us, this means meeting complex regulatory obligations, managing our long-term investments and access to international capital markets, navigating the risks and opportunities of climate change, guiding innovation and helping to address critical social issues.
Please know your Board lives and breathes RAA’s values and our commitment to be better for our members and better for our community. To do this, we continue to support investment in our technology platforms, diversification of our products and services including energy, and road safety advocacy and community programs.
You will see Nick, the leadership team and your Directors stand up for issues that are important to you and your communities. We want a bigger and better South Australia – for everyone.
Thank you for putting your trust in RAA today, to be there when you need us most, and for putting your trust in the Board to help guide and secure your RAA into the future.
It’s an exciting time and I couldn’t be more proud to lead this team.
Kathy Gramp
RAA President and Chairman of the Board
Empowering SA’s regional communities
Young Yorke Peninsula drivers will receive vital road safety education thanks to RAA’s latest round of community grants.
Yorketown Area School Parents and Friends group is one of 18 regional organisations to receive a total of $86,545 in grant funding through RAA’s Regional Safety Grants program.
Thanks to the grant, Yorketown Area School students will have handson, practical driver training and a visit to RAA’s annual road safety event, Street Smart High (pictured).
RAA’s Regional Safety Grants program provides grants of between $500 and $10,000 to improve the lives of South Australians in regional communities. The funding helps organisations, including not-for-profit bodies, schools and community groups, to implement a project, program or activity targeting local safety and/or security issues.
Balaklava Men’s Shed, Point Boston Community Corporation and the Copper Coast Dragon Boat Club were among the community groups to receive grants for defibrillators and other emergency equipment.
Other recipients include the Aldgate CFS Brigade, which will buy life-saving respirators, and Bute Early Learning and Primary School, which will upgrade its playground to make it safer for children.
RAA Insurance Chief Executive Tara Page says the Regional Safety Grants program is one of the ways RAA helps create a safer state. “Whether it’s safety on the roads, in schools, or across the community, RAA is passionate about using its experience and resources to help,” Tara says.
Since launching, the grants have helped more than 150 organisations. Although grants are closed for this financial year, eligible organisations are encouraged to check the RAA website for key dates for the 2024–25 grants.
Earth Day 2024’s war on plastic
Did you know making a plastic water bottle uses six times as much water as the bottle contains? This is one reason why Earth Day 2024 is targeting the devastating global impact of plastic.
Since 1970, Earth Day has helped remind humanity how precious and fragile our planet and natural resources are. Earth Day has surged in popularity over the years, spearheading campaigns on climate change, clean energy, greenhouse gas reduction, and more.
In 2020, more than one billion people took action for Earth Day’s 50th anniversary. This year’s theme, Planet vs Plastics, highlights the grave threat plastic poses to human and planetary health and will demand a 60 per cent reduction in plastics production by 2040.
Plastics cause vast damage to people, animals and the environment. As plastic breaks down into microplastics, it releases toxic chemicals which make their way into food and water sources, and the air we breathe.
The world now produces more than 345 million metric tonnes of plastic each year, and in the past decade, more plastic was produced than in the entire 20th century. Authorities across the world, including in South Australia, are phasing out some single-use plastics with more bans to come.
Visit earthday.org to find out how you can get involved in Earth Day 2024. You’ll find resources and information on the environmental impacts of plastic and how you can reduce your plastic use. You can even make your voice heard by signing the Global Plastics Treaty.
To learn what South Australia is doing to reduce plastic pollution, visit replacethewaste.sa.gov.au
IMAGES: Getty, RAA.
