ACMOC
Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club
1115 Madison St NE # 1117
Salem, OR 97301
cat@acmoc.org
Chapter Nineteen
Thanks to the 30 members and guests that attended the AGM at William Adams, where they were also treated to a presentation of the Vostok 900 documentry film and history of Caterpillar tractors in Antarctica by Mr.Gordon Hellsten - former Antarctic Business Manager for the local dealer. It was a fantastic and informative evening. A fully catered spit roast dinner was provided by William Adams and most importantly the health of the Chapter is sound with all committee members renominating and returning to serve the Chapter for either a 1 or 2 year term.
After delays with Australia Post I have finally received 2023/24 NHMA member (insurance) cards, and will be distributing them in person at the AGM or via post. Apology for the delay.
What started with an adventourous plan and idea, the 'Building Australia' documentry has now reached its first milestone, with creation of a promotional 'sizzle reel' clip and sales pitch presentation. The project, involves the Chapter entering into a contract wtih Vitamin Media to secure funding to produce a feature length or multiple program series for public broadcast to celebrate the role Caterpillar, its dealers, people and machines have had in shaping modern Australia in time for the 2025 centenerary celebrations of Caterpillar. Intial funding was secured from friends of the Chapter, William Adams and Caterpillar of Australia and we have also received endrosement and support from the Caterpillar Brand Marketing team in the USA and even a Cat APD Vice President, and other senior Cat people. You can check out the video for yourself here Building Australia project
At the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held at William Adams on Wednesday 27th September, special guest Mr Gordon Hellsten, former Antarctic Business Manager attributed with testing and validating the first rubber belted Challenger tractors into the harsh Antarctic environment, will provide an informative and intersting presentation, supported by showing the Vostok 900 documentry that celebrates this 1962 900-mile traverse completed with Cat D4 tractors. Members and guests are welcome, dinner will also be provided. Check out the events section of the website for more details.
The Tail Seat HighTea weekend culminated in a wonderful home cooked lunch provided by Anna & Mike Meyer at their farm in Strathallan, Vic. The smell of the slow cooked meal, and fire warmed bread dragged even the most avid tractor man out from one of the many sheds, and graveyards surrounding the homestead for our last meal together for the weekend. Anna and Mike were wonderful and gracious hosts. It seemed everywhere you turned there was another tractor Mike had dragged home, many as parts tractors that he saved from the scrappy, including Thirties, 2 TONS, D4's, D2's, RD6, Fifteens and more and every undercover shed space of the working farm seemed to house a tractor or at least a part of one, with Mike adding notes with a brief history on many tractors- so it was like a tractor hunt! Just spending time looking thorough his workshop was enough to warm the heart without standing around the fire! Thanks again Anna & Mike.