“It's back to basics” states 4WD Association of BC President, Mike Allan at the 4WDABC’s annual Fall Convention held in Vernon on the weekend of September 29-30. After opting out of the Association back in 1998, the IRC has been entertaining the idea of rejoining BC’s only ‘umbrella’ organization that supports the interests of all four-wheelers in the province.

On October 13 at the IRC’s Annual General Meeting, our membership will deciding whether or not to rejoin the 4WDABC. It was for this reason that I was sent to the convention to observe and report back to the club regarding the status of the “new and improved” 4WDABC.

I am happy to report that everyone welcomed the presence of the IRC at the convention and many Association members made it be known that the 4WDABC has made some very progressive and vital changes in the structure, procedures and activities of the organization.

I witnessed some of those changes first-hand by the outgoing and dedicated Board of Directors and a group of members that are striving to achieve a “back to basics” approach.

Over the past year, the current BOD has made it one of their mandates to strip down some of the excessiveness of the past 4WDABC to make it an organization addressing the needs and desires of its members.

One of the main reasons for opting out of the 4WDABC in 1998 was due to the unfair delegate voting process. This allowed only one vote per club regardless of the number of members. As well, as a group, the several hundred individual members (not affiliated with a club) were only entitled to one vote among the whole group.

Importantly for the IRC, this issue was brought forward as a Special Resolution at the fall convention. After much discussion this resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority vote.

What does this mean to the IRC and other potential members of the 4WDABC? This means that if you are a member in good standing of the Association, you are entitled to a vote if you are in attendance at a 4WDABC meeting. In other words, if you care about the future of four-wheeling in the province of BC, you can voice your opinions and vote in a manner of your choosing.

I hope that while reading this article, members will recognize that the problems of the 4WDABC are a thing of the past and it is essential for all wheelers in BC to be a part of one organization in order to establish one united voice in our fight for continued access. Without one strong voice, we do not hold enough weight to cause change within our government. On October 13, I strongly urge you to reconsider joining the 4WD Association of British Columbia—for the good of our sport.

Lori Hryniuk

Upcoming Events

South Island

Contact Events Co-ordinator Lori Hryniuk
For Mid-Island run info, contact Steve Duifhuis

October 2001

Oct 13 – Annual General Meeting

Oct 21 – Monthly Club Run—meet in Duncan at Tim Hortons at 9:30 AM.

November 2001

Nov 1 – Monthly meeting at Royal Roads Continuing Education, 7:30 PM.

Nov 4– South Island Monthly Club Run—meet in Sooke at Western Food at 9:30 AM.

Nov 20 – Mid-Island Monthly Club Run—meet in Duncan at Tim Hortons at 9:30 AM.

December 2001

Dec 6 – Monthly meeting at Royal Roads Continuing Education, 7:30 PM.

Dec 9– South Island Monthly Club Run—meet in Sooke at Western Food at 9:30 AM.

IRC Christmas Party - details TBA

Think yer smart, eh? Tying your own non-Velcro shoes? That’s nothing! We think we’ll have you babbling for your Kindergarten teachers in no time!

On the 28th of October 2001, a bit of four- wheeling, teamwork and brainstorming will be MANDATORY!

In this event, (similar in concept to an Easter Egg/Treasure Hunt), entrants will be grouped into teams to attempt to find specific locations in the Sooke/Langford/Metchosin/Colwood areas.

Destination Cards will be located at each waypoint, which will lead the team onto their next stop — IF they can solve the riddle! It will not be possible to follow another team (hey, no cheating now!), as each team will be hitting different sites and following different clues.

A disposable camera will be issued to each team. The Destination Cards will include a set of directions for a group photo at each waypoint to prove that the team was, in fact, there.

Teams: Each team will consist of a variety of vehicles, drivers, skill levels, and shoe sizes, to ensure each team is “fair”. For example: one IRC member, one winch, one Island4x4 member, one stock-ish vehicle, and one NEWBIE (person new to wheeling or new to the Island). We’re not going to give any more info than that.

Fee: $10 for driver, $5 for each passenger, (kids under 16 are free) Pre-registration: fees due in by October 20th 2001 (give $$ and registration to LORI)

Meeting Place: Western Foods parking lot Start time: 9:00 AM sharp Vehicle requirements: LT (light truck) class of tires, in good repair, and full-sized spare, minimum of one recovery/tow point

Restrictions: we have to be legal, and act semi-responsibly the entire day — obey traffic laws, No speeding, etc. Tread Lightly, pick up garbage/no littering—but we all know that, don’t we??

~Keith Daly, Island4x4.com

Rock Creep 2001

Once again the IRC hosted its annual Rock Creep event over the Labour Day long weekend. Due to fire hazards and unpredictable gate closures we decided to head behind Shawnigan Lake to Weeks Lake for the weekend. The weather was variable with off and on downpours, but thanks to Chris Borton's tarp technology we stayed dry. Members explored the wide network of roads in the area and there looks to be some potential for new trails. Other than new found trails —members Beaner, Bill, Chris and Wayne stumbled upon some interesting items — needless to say the items were reported to the police. As a result, we have decided that from here on the name of this event shall be changed to “ROCK CREEPY”!

Mt. Benson Trip

In June, a group of IRC members were hosted by the Nanaimo Sidewinders on a trip up Mt. Benson, just west of Nanaimo. The day began with a challenging climb to the very top where the Sidewinders fired up a BBQ and fed us all delicious burgers and hotdogs for lunch while we enjoyed the view. Then we traversed the mountain over a newly opened trail that saw one fellow’s FJ40 flop on its side. What followed was a complicated winching exercise, but the only damage seemed to be a flat tire and a bruised ego. Thanks to the Sidewinders for their great hospitality!

Lionsgaters TORR Rally 2001

IRC members, Rob Bryce, Shane Hofer and Lori Hryniuk attended the Lionsgaters’ TORR Rally on August 18 at Weaver Creek, behind Harrison Lake.

For Rob and I it was our second TORR rally, the first being back in 1998 where I was driving Rob’s truck and Rob was navigating. We had NO clue what a rally was all about and the results proved it — we came in dead last! That night, we made a pact to return as a team to do the event again. This year... after a bit of strategic planning—we kicked some serious rally a$$ and came in 1st place. We won a $500 gift certificate for NSOR which we split between ourselves.

For Shane and his driver, Washington’s Alan Chung — this was a brand new concept to 4-wheeling. Timing? Calculations? Speed? Accuracy? Navigational skills? HUH?? And to make matters worse, Alan's odometer was in miles —making it that more complicated for the pair of rookie ralliers.As Rob and I made our way through the course we would often find ourselves wondering what Shane and Alan were doing — were they lost? confused? or had they given up?

At the end of a very long day, when the results were being announced we were surprised and excited to hear that Shane and Alan had not given up but in fact placed 5th among 36 trucks. They received a $100 gift certificate for truck accessories and a one-year free subscription to Canadian 4WD Magazine (thanks Al!).