AHOABC

Sometime in 1973 a handful of Austin-Healey enthusiasts in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, responding to an idea by Mike Richards, gathered at a shopping mall to admire each other's cars and explore the possibilities of forming a club. Nothing happened until Rick Regan put an ad in a Vancouver newspaper over a year later: "Austin-Healey Owners - Parts Problems? Phone 874-2098." On December 4, 1974, the respondents met in Rick's apartment. This was unofficially the first ever meeting of the Austin-Healey Owners' Association of British Columbia.

A second ad was placed, and a greater turnout achieved, this time at an actual Community Centre. The A-HOABC was duly constituted under the Societies Act of British Columbia, and the first executive was elected on March 12, 1975: President - Rick Regan, Vice-President - Stewart Davey, Treasurer - Joe Toth, Secretary - Laurie Regan. The club's first outing as a group was on the Victoria Day Weekend in May, 1975, when eight Austin-Healeys arrived at the Annual Knox Mountain Hillclimb in B.C.'s beautiful Okanagan Valley.

That first full year for the new club was an active one. Stewart Davey and Greg Low embarked on a goodwill tour down the West Coast to Los Angeles, meeting Healey folks along the way. The B.C. Club began its tradition of touring with Healey Owners in Washington State in 1975, and initiated a close friendship between the clubs across the Canada-U.S. border. Several B.C. Healeys attended the first tentative "Healey Meet West" in Grants Pass, Oregon, in August. By the end of 1975 the A-HOABC had some 24 bona fide members, including a Newsletter Editor, Parts Manager, Social Director, and Tour Director. After some correspondence with the Provincial Government about permission for the use of the "Austin" name, the Constitution was accepted, registered, and the "B.C. Club" was official.

In 1976 the new A-HOABC shifted into second gear with Rick Regan re-elected as president. Editor Adrianne Clyne's search for a name for the newsletter ended in July, when WINGS appeared on the club publication's cover for the first time. Fourteen A-HOABC Healeys made the trip to Eureka, California, for the second "Healey Meet West", which was on its way to becoming known as the "West Coast Meet", and membership increased some 300 percent during the year. John Swann was elected Prez for '77 and inherited a thriving group.

By now interest had spread from the B.C. mainland across the Strait of Georgia, where a Vancouver Island chapter of the A-HOABC had been formed. So, on a memorable May weekend in 1977, a fleet of Healeys ferried across for a scenic excursion to beautiful Long Beach on the Vancouver Island West Coast. Other tours during the summer months took members to Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker, both in Washington State, and to Eugene, Oregon, for Healey Meet West #3. The A-HOABC logo was first seen in public in 1978. Designed by Dan Doucette, the five colour standard incorporates the Austin Healey "Wings" and a stylized version of the British Columbia provincial flag.

The club's official first member, Glen Cooper was elected President for 1978, and the camaraderie continued to grow. The Parts Centre was shaping up nicely in the Richmond backyard of Pat & Dennis Coulter, and the Vancouver Island Tour became an annual event with the success of its second consecutive occurrence. Other tours during that summer season took members to Whidbey Island, back to Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker, and, of course, to Healey Meet West at San Rafael, California. Inspired by Dave Birchall and John Swann, several Healeys were now appearing in Vintage Racing events at Westwood Race Circuit, with a growing cheering section in the pits.