REVIVE THE CLUB 2017 / 2018

[IanT]

my again, I think a lot of our Forum guys put a lot of hard work into the club, and I think most of us appreciate that but the bottom line is if Nissan SA will not play ball why bother

[Peter Connan]

I'm going to stick my oar in again...

The most successful motoring/vehicle related club I have been part of was the Lotus Register of SA.

This club had, for all the time I was involved, no ties with any manufacturer. Neither Lotus, nor Birkin (one of just two licenced manufacturers of the Lotus 7 in the world) supported the club in any way.

The club did from time to time manage to arrange sponsorships from various manufacturers, but primarily for the racing series which the club organised (and still run).

I firmly believe that any attempt to revive NOROC should be made without any attempt to court Nissan. All it does is to create unreasonable expectations.
Accepting that Nissan are never going to support the club in any uesefull way, makes it possible to operate the club the way the members want to, without worrying whether that is acceptable to some corporate who only see things as they reflect upon a provit and loss spreadsheet.

[JohnBoyZA]

I have been watching these posts with interest and not quite sure how to comment, maybe just to say that without catalysts like Oom Mac and many of you on this forum, most groups/organisations/forums fade. The NORC situation is sad and I'll leave it at that, but it does bring me back to the main reason we started the forum i.e. to create a common interest group where one could share experiences with fellow Patrol enthusiasts. Reading a few of your posts, it emphasises how the forum has evolved into so much more than this, with lasting friendships being formed and I encourage friends and enthusiast with other vehicles (some 10%) to join and participate. I also stand by the non-profit and non-sponsored mechanism we have in place which helps alleviate excessive politics.

In the first few years I communicated with Nissan SA on several occasions to gauge their interest, but this fell mostly on deaf ears and in a way I am grateful for this. Oom Mac, keep up your enthusiasm and I hope we can share a beer around a fire soon.

Mooi ry,
John B

[ChristoSlang]

I firmly believe that any attempt to revive NOROC should be made without any attempt to court Nissan.

I agree with you (and JohnBoy who responded while I was typing!). We should not depend on Nissan in any way, or require their buy-in to do what we do.

My recollection may be somewhat skewed, but I can remember very few times where Nissan did the NOROC any good. Yes, there were some sponsorships: the Patrol's 60th birthday many, many years ago and more recently a drive to assist members with the TETA/SAQA 4x4 driver's qualification. And some pop-up & feather banners too.

On the other hand, they interfered with existing web sites, changed club names & logos on a never-ending basis, pushed the club to register as a formal business, etc. etc. Every change in Nissan's management team (and there were lots) meant the cycle would restart - we'd be doing all the ground work again on the Nissan front just so that the club could go through another round of changes...

The forum has none of that schlep. We can have an event without signing indemnity forms because there is no club to sue, we can keep (or change) our logo the way we want, we can host our forum how & where we want (thx again to JohnBoy!), arranging of events is distributed/de-centralised. When we want nice goodies, some enterprising member will take orders for and arrange manufacture of aftermarket parts/printing of clothes, etc.

Unless someone comes up with a compelling reason to revive the NOROC, I am more than happy to stick with the Patrol forum at this stage...

[ricster]

I agree 100%. I love this Forum. Its our home.

[Theuhan1]

Morning Patrolers

When the club was started, our idea was to have a platform were fellow Nissan 4x4 owner’s could meet, and go driving.

We at one stage had it were we would have one organized drive a month, planned on the year planner. Plus an extra social drive (net vir die lekker).

My view is that the club lost momentum when the focus was moved away from driving and enjoying our Nissan’s and was shifted towards getting the admin sorted( getting certified, joining associations , complying with Nissan SA rules and and and )

You want to revive the club, get the guys away from their keyboards and behind their steering wheels.

[SCUBA Patrol]

Ek stem Theuhan

[andredurand]

Ek stem saam ons vergeet van Nissan SA

[Dolf]

Please leave the Forum as is, most people get what they need. As said by someone else, "It is our home", and at home most of the time you get what you need without "Red Tape" and battles!!

[ricster]

Dolf, The Forum is totally separate from the Club and the Club will NEVER change this forum, and for the record, NEVER wanted to either. This is a national and even an International home for us Patrol drivers ( as well as many other brands and Nissan model drivers/owners ), where as the Club was very much Gauteng based, specifically Jhb and Pta.

What Theuhan is saying ( correct me if I'm wrong ) is that way back when the Club started it was from the need to get Nissan owners of ALL models together to get out there into the bush. This is why he and a few others started the Nissan 4x4 Club, looooooong before Nissan SA got involved with their crap.