7th FEBUARY 2021
I was thrilled to be holding the first run of 2021 under the auspices of Covid
normal condition.
The only disappointment was Melbourne’s finest summer weather of 18°C
and showers for most of the day.
There were 12 Lancias that arrived, being a mix of Beta, Montecarlo,
Fulvia, Flavia, Appia and a Dilambda. With a quick briefing and note
handout, we headed towards the Dandenongs for our morning tea stop at
Rayners Orchard in Warburton.
With the rain pelting us, navigating the course was more like a Swedish
rallycross than a leisurely country drive, with visibility reduced considerably.
The scenic tourist roads of twists and cliff face turns really meant that the
drivers and navigators had to be on their game to follow the designated
route.
Luckily we all made it to Rayners Orchard without incident just in time for
some lovely Devonshire tea and scones. It’s a working orchard and you
can explore the many fruit trees available and take part in picking, sorting
and packaging fruit just for fun. Next was lunch.
Arriving at Massaro’s Vineyard for lunch, we were all very lucky to park and
present the cars in a long line-up on a grassy verge which made for some
great photo opportunities.
The team at Massaros were great with our tables prepared and waiting for
the hungry mob with Entrées of local produce platters of antipasta , meats
and cheeses, with local homemade sourdough that was just divine. Lunch
was a mixture of pizzas cooked in a 400°C wood fire oven for 30 seconds,
again topped with local produce and bowls of a trio of fresh salads.
Absolutely no-one went hungry as the pizzas kept coming until we could
take no more.
Vanessa, the manager at Massaros, was very kind and offered us four
bottles of their red wines from their cellar which they are famous for. In my
devious thinking, I usually offer the first prize bottle to whomever will
perform the task of writing the story. With no hands up, that went to yours
truly. I then proceeded to hand out pictorial Lancia inspired raffle tickets to
everyone to give back to the members who attended the run.
With help from the lovely Elisa Federico, Iris Meehan, and Brian Long we
drew tickets from a hat to the cheer and delight of the lucky few winners.
Winner No. 1 was Debra Pecorini
Winner No. 2 was David Ozlins
Winner No. 3 was Trish McCully
It was a real pleasure organising the day out and feeling normal again after
such a long absence. From the feedback received, I think everyone also
had a fantastic day. 2021 is also our Castlemaine year so we hope to see
many members again enjoying their lovely Lancias.
Story by Angelo Monteleone
