A Brief History of the Society
In 1964 a group of Inverurie Academy former pupils, together with some
enthusiasts from Oldmeldrum district, resolved to form a Motor Club.
On 27th January, 1965 the first recorded meeting of the Club was held and a
Committee appointed.
On 31st January, only four days later, one of the first events, which included
driving tests, was held in Kemnay.

Several other Rally type events followed and in July 1965 the name
"Garioch Motor Club" was adopted. During August of the same year the first
Vintage Rally was held and of the 16 vehicles on the programme 12 took part.
The run began from a farm on the outskirts of Oldmeldrum following a route
through local villages, returning to Oldmeldrum where tea and sandwiches were
provided in a small garage in the grounds of Redgarth Hotel.
These were the beginnings of the now well established annual rally.

The aim of the club, which was referred to as the "G.M.C. Old Vehicle
Section", was to provide a service to restorers and those interested in old
vehicles and their preservation, eventually providing a Register of veteran,
vintage and post-vintage vehicles in the vicinity.

The first choice of name for the new offspring was "G.M.C. Historic Vehicle
Section", which met with considerable controversy and the name adopted in
November 1967, was "G.M.C. Vehicle Restoration Section".

The first news-sheet featuring a sketch which became the basis of the present
Club Badge was printed the same month by Tom Sked,
a founder member, who has provided much of the history.

And so the child continued to develop.

In 1968 the office-bearers met with Stonehaven Town Council representatives
to discuss the possibility of publicising the achievements of Stonehaven's
forgotten inventor - R.W.Thomson and the Thomson Memorial Fellowship,
which continues to flourish today, was born.

Steps were taken in November 1969, to break away from the G.M.C. which, to
make way for the go-ahead "Strathbogie Car Club", was dissolved soon after.

While the Garioch Motor Club itself died a death it had given birth to two
healthy babies - the "Garioch Vehicle Restoration Society" and
the "Thomson Memorial Fellowship"

Today the "Garioch Vehicle Restoration Society has a membership of 216,
meets regularly and attracts a large turnout of vehicles to the annual rally
which is held in the Pleasure Park at Oldmeldrum on the first Sunday of  
August. The aims of the club have not changed since they were established at
that meeting held in 1964, with priority being given to the encouragement of
preservation, restoration and maintenance of public interest in veteran, vintage
and post-vintage vehicles.

FOUNDER MEMBERS

We have been trying to name the Founder Members of the "old" and "new" clubs.

What we have so far is:

Karl and Roy Poppe, Mike Beverly, Bill Sinclair, Bill Shoreman, Tom Sked, Duthie Milne, Mitch Ross, Ally Slater,

Geordie & Jeannie Taylor, Raymond Ingram, Rikki Gauld, Gibby Sutherland, Johnny Coutts, Ally Duncan,
? Robertson, Jim Glennie, Harold Smith, Ron Bruce, Pete Jennings, Joe Harvey and Andrew Edmunson.

THE MODERN SECTION .

Roy Poppe, George Robinson, and Sandy Esson.

Some of these names may not be correct. If you have more information please let us know.