On Saturday, March 29, members of the Vintage Car Club of Canada gathered at the new home of the Johnson Collection to celebrate the VCCC's 50th anniversary.  The event was organized by the Vancouver Chapter, but was attended by over 600 club members from all across B.C.  It was a great day.

Upon arrival, members were greeted by a very efficient parking crew and directed to an off-site parking location then shuttled back to the museum.  Thanks, parking guys, for giving up your time to make ours better.


It was the first event to be held in the new, barely finished, Johnson building and most people were keen to see the new home for this great car collection.  They were not disappointed - the facility is outstanding.  Along with a beautiful assortment of cars, the decor of automotive and mid-20th century memorabilia makes the whole experience a memorable one.


The party began with a program MC'd by Peter Trant.  Peter did a great job of keeping the show moving along and making sure that everyone knew how the day would progress. After some introductions and thanks, he introduced Ivan Sayers who would present a fashion show of clothing from the first half of the 20th Century.


Ivan's show was both entertaining and informative.  With the help of his team of models, he demonstrated many of the fashions of this period and explained the reasons for many of the changes over the years.  The show was geared toward "driving attire" so Ivan really hit the mark with this crowd.


Following the fashion show, recognition awards were presented.  Founding member George Hoffman and others had prepared awards for many long-time V.C.C.C.  members.  National President Ron Garay presented the awards in the following categories:

• founding members (those at the meeting of March 29, 1958)
• 50 year members
• 40 + year members
• members who have attended every May Tour
  
• second generation members
• third generation member

Dinner was prepared by McBride catering, who did a fantastic job of keeping mountains of food out as the large crowd filed through.  Everyone had plenty to eat and the food was delicious.  Dinner concluded with the piping in of the official birthday cake.  Hosts Terry and Donna Johnson brought the cake in and founding member Rick Percy was invited to blow out the candles and cut the cake.


After dinner, friends from the Island and the interior had to head home, but there was still time for the rest of us to visit and admire the Johnson collection some more.  A visit to the diner (Al's Classic Grille) was like a trip back to the fifties, while a visit to the Diana room provided a few moments with the largest collection of Diana cars in the world - three of them!  Also in the Diana room, guests could view some home movies of early V.C.C.C. events and pause for a moment to remember club members Bob Chmelyk and Johanna Sholes.  Both Bob and Johanna were tragically taken from us on this very weekend.

Many thanks are in order for such a special and historic event.  To the Johnsons - Millie, Terry and Donna, and Jim, for opening up their wonderful facility for us.  Thanks also to the many members who worked on the planning, organization, and implementation of this birthday party.  Many people worked long and hard behind the scenes to make this day happen, and the members of the Vintage Car Club of Canada appreciate it greatly.

Happy 50th birthday, V.C.C.C.!