Jaguar Journal July/August 2021

I guess a fair few Canadian readers will know the ending of the above half-quote: “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” It is often used cynically to suggest that nothing ever changes much, despite appearances to the contrary, but JCNA is different. Being a volunteer organization, it relies on people freely giving their time in dozens of different ways at hundreds of different events. It’s hard to be cynical when there are ten of you cleaning up after your club event and you see the same reliable workers pitching in, again, the same as last year. They are a year older, perhaps a little greyer, but still committed to doing what’s necessary for the good of the group. Those same people might like nothing better than to help…

Bob Berry, who passed away at 91 years of age on January 1, 2021, was one of my dearest friends for over half a century and every Jaguar lover should remember him as the essence of everything that was Jaguar in its early days after WW II. His successful racing career and his close association with Sir William Lyons – as both Jaguar’s PR and Sales and Marketing Director – gave him an insight into Jaguar, which, if it had been recorded would have been a fine history of the company in those years. Sir Jackie Stewart, on hearing of Bob’s death, wrote, “Bob Berry, for me, simply was Jaguar Cars.” Bob’s kindness came to light long before Mary, my wife, and I actually met him. Mary’s maiden name was…

Following the publication of five limericks by Alexander Main in the January-February issue, we have received another concours-inspired poem from slalom guru, John Larson. As NCJOC president, John also helps run the Nation’s Capital concours event on the city-center campus of GEICO insurance in Washington, DC. Since man (and woman) shall not live by oil changes alone, we are always keen to publish items of artistic interest. If you or someone you know has penned any suitable verse or prose, please send it through to Jaguar Journal (details on page 3) for publication. Jaguar enthusiasts are, by definition, sensitive to matters of style and elegance, which are bound to surface occasionally in creative endeavors. Don’t hide your light under a bushel – share your work with fellow JCNA members… Concours…

As some of you may have heard already, Les Hamilton recently resigned as JCNA’s president for personal reasons. Having observed his work-rate and skill set in operation, Les leaves very big shoes to fill, now that I have moved from my previous vice president job to take over as president. If the first three weeks of my new position are any indication of my immediate future, I will be spending a great deal of time bringing myself up to speed on the behind-the-scenes inner workings of this international organization. There’s much to learn, but I promise to serve JCNA to the best of my ability. I look forward to meeting as many members as I can at the AGM, IJF and other club events sponsored by our member clubs. FIRST…

Everyone knows this has been a trying year, just as everyone now knows our clubs will survive and prosper, no matter what challenges they – or their favorite car marque – may face in future. In my Northeast Florida location, the pandemic seemed to drop like a bomb. In January 2021, the JCCNF presented the belated 2019 JCNA Dealership of the Year award to Fields Jacksonville Jaguar, a struggling business completely revitalized by new general manager and former Fields mechanic, Jim Moyer, who came back down from Chicago to turn the business around. Will you nominate one of the dealers in your region next year? The Amelia Island Concours is traditionally held on the second weekend of March, but in 2020 it moved up a week to accommodate the nearby…

For this report, we’ll ‘Zoom’ about the place a bit, starting with Ray Newson of the Ottawa Jaguar Club: “Things have not changed much here in the east. Warmer weather and cats out of hibernation hopefully mean club drives can resume, within social distancing regulations. We did have a quite wellattended virtual General Meeting in March, with club business followed by some Jaguar-related games. Staying with virtual events, a virtual wine tasting replaced our April meeting. Participants received a selection of wines from Niagara winery, Di Profio. The wines were sampled while the winery owner discussed the wines and wineries in general. A tasting with no driving risks! The warmer weather will hopefully encourage tailgate parties or picnics included, whilst adhering to any ongoing COVID advice.” We continue with Allan…