Club History

Late in 1959 I bought a 1939 Packard that was fine for a young family with two growing school-age boys. I had only been driving about 3-4 years and most cars seemed the same … until the Packard. It was different. It was big (or so I thought at the time), comfortable, totally reliable, and had an extra something indefinable which to this day eludes logical definition. A love affair began, puppy love at first, but the infection had taken hold. The ’39 was “it” for about 18 months and the time had come for an update – a ’51 Chevy. A nice car and only 10 years old! The Chev was comfortable and reliable and did all the right things but I discovered it wasn’t “The Packard.” That something special wasn’t there, and I often longed for my old first love until I chanced upon another Packard – a 1934, 1105, Super Eight 7-Passenger Sedan. She wasn’t ready for the road for some time but I finally took her out one day and that was it. I was deeply in love and have never recovered.

During a year of driving this beauty I began to wonder if there could be other nuts like me, as so many other drivers admired the car and talked about old times when Packard was King of the Road.  What if we could get together but how to do it? Australasian Post had a wide Australian city and country circulations and had a page for readers’ letters. I submitted a letter and photo which was published in the December 1964 issue – and it all happened. Peter Sharpe from Queensland was first in with a letter and photo of his ’34, 1102 Eight, 7-Passenger Limousine, and others followed. Then in December 1965, nine Packards took off for our inaugural run from Sydney to Kiama on the South Coast. In January we held a general meeting and I became President. We issued our first newsletter which eventually became the Packardian. During the previous year I had been told that such a club would never get off the ground as it had been tried once or twice and didn’t work. Mainly this was said by the Veteran and Vintage boys and “Good-Old-British-Make” types to whom anything not made in England or Europe was only Yanky junk. But I knew what I was driving and I had now been joined by another 30 Packard buffs. At my first Warwick Farm Concourse meet some 14 years ago, I dreamed of one day of seeing a Packard win a first prize. Back then, Warwick Farm was a much smaller show, the cars by today’s standard were mostly sound but rarely exceptional, and top awards always seemed to go to British or European makes. But in 1979 we scooped the awards.  Packard was not only voted 1st and 2nd in its class but it took out Grand Championship, and the club was chosen as Best Club Display.

I cannot take credit for this; I only started the ball rolling and it gathered others along the way. The work and dedication of so many towards my goal has given me many hours of deep and sincere happiness, but I surely am proud that the Packard Automobile Club has developed into such a respectful club and a fine group of people. Friendships, some of which began for me so long ago, have proved the true meaning of the word “friend”, and all have my deepest thanks. Without their assistance, companionship, compassion and understanding, I may have given up my present fight against this darned inconvenient illness which will persist in rearing its ugly head and stopping me from doing as much as I would like to do.

P.S. the above article was written at 3am sitting up in hospital watching the new day burst into life, causing several investigating nurses to leave the room with a rather mystified and slightly stupefied expression when given the reason for such activity. However, I had arrived in a sky-blue and gleaming ex-1948 Super Eight Packard Hearse – they should have expected such odd behaviour from this [Packard] nut patient.

Gwen MacRae
1980