On Friday 17 March, St Patricks day, we (Graeme Bell and I) headed to Tullamarine Airport to board a flight to the Gold Coast to join our fellow BMW Club members for the 2023 Clubs Australia Nationals.
We were met at the airport by one of our members Paul Holiday, who is one of the managers of the airport security. We had very special treatment, which was great.
We went straight through to the Virgin Lounge to relax before boarding our flight, this time flying Business Class, to make me comfortable after my total shoulder replacement only seven days prior. It’s such a lovely way to travel and once you do it, unfortunately there will be no going back.
Our flight was on time and very comfortable. Arriving at the Gold Coast, we collected our luggage and headed to the taxi rank to head to the Twin Towns Resort for check in.
It was lovely to be greeted by the members of the BMW Club Gold Coast in the reception area of the Sebel Hotel with a warm smile and a friendly attitude. While Graeme did the hotel check in, I registered for the Nationals. I was presented with a beautiful welcome pack with some BMW lifestyle products and some great car care products from Bowden’s.
We went up to the room, which was a lovely large room with a beautiful view of the ocean and Surfers Paradise in the distance.
Our program for Friday was a meet and greet night at the Twin Towns, where we got to meet up with our friends from other states. I love these events as you get to catch up with people you have met at previous Nationals and also make new friends along the way.
The night was fairly relaxed, but the dress code was “after 5,” which was nice to see most turn up in their finery. The night was soon over and it was back to the room for a good nights’ sleep for a full day of cars on Saturday.
Saturday was a fine hot sunny day in Coolangatta. The show and shine was at Elizabeth Park, which is just a short drive or nine minute walk up the beach front for those only wanting to look at the cars.
We got up early went for a nice walk along the beach before breakfast. When we returned to the hotel we enjoyed a lovely buffet breakfast before heading out in the hot weather to enjoy the beautiful cars in the show and shine.
What a beautiful spot to hold this display, right on the beach front with the ocean and sand just metres away from approximately 60 beautiful BMWs which were either on display or lined up ready for judging.
It was great to see so many members taking it very seriously, out there cleaning their cars to make a great show for the day.
A small group of us had lunch at the Coolangatta surf club which was just what we all needed after being out in the heat for several hours.
I had a quick hair appointment, as long thick curly hair and humidity do not mix.
We went back to the hotel for a few hours rest before heading in a group to Currumbin Surf Club for a beautiful buffet dinner with an amazing view of both Surfers Paradise, back to Coolangatta and Tweed Heads. The thing I love most about the Nationals is you get to either catch up with friends from the interstate clubs or you get to meet new members who have the same passion as you. On the Saturday night, we had the pleasure of sitting with Clive, one of our club members, and Linda and Tim who are actually members of several clubs but reside in the hinterlands of the Gold Coast. We laughed and told stories about our respective adventures and had a brilliant night. We look forward to catching up with them both at Challenge Bathurst later this year.
Sunday was another beautiful day on the Gold Coast and there were a few different groups who went either on the planned drive or some of the younger guys and girls went off to find some other fun roads to explore.
Unfortunately due to my shoulder replacement surgery and the fact we didn’t have a car, we stayed back at the motel and caught up with a few of our friends from BMWDCNSW, which also made for a nice relaxing afternoon, spent by the riverside enjoying a few drinks, food and again lots of laughter over similar stories.
We had a quick rest before the presentation dinner and then got changed into our glam clothing for a special evening of awards from the weekend.
The room looked lovely with all the awards, banners and table decorations.
We had a lovely presentation from the Service Manager from Gold Coast BMW, and it was great to hear that they are part of Autosports Group, who own several of the dealerships in Melbourne that support our club too. It is a very small world in the car industry. On chatting with him after his presentation we found that we have mutual friends. A very small world.
We had great food again, great conversations around the table and awards were presented throughout the night.
Now it was time for the BMW Drivers Club Melbourne presentation and strangely enough, I was a little nervous. Possibly due to the fact I was in quite a bit of pain by this stage with my shoulder.
Graeme accompanied me up to the stage to help hold things and our presentation started.
It was great to see the room fixated on the PowerPoint presentation and it was even better to have cheers and applauds from the room after it was over.
So, what does this mean? We, BMWDCM, will be now holding the next Nationals in Melbourne in 2025. We have already done a lot of work preparing for this event and we expect it to be a lot of fun for all who attend.
Thank you again for all the members for the BMW Gold Coast Nationals team who welcomed us so warmly in 2023 and we look forward to greeting you all equally as warmly in 2025.
Jo Mawson | Member #2
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
