Dear members,

I thought I’d do a quick update to check in on you and make sure you're keeping your mental health up, and also that of your friends and family. These trying times are hard for everyone and I understand can be made worse when part of the state is released from lockdown but many of us are not. Please try and stay positive and think of the years ahead when we will look back and see just how lucky we are. We have so much to be thankful for, living in the best country in the world, and this is just a small set back that will be over one day.

My other reason for a mid-month update is to let you all know that there was a quiet announcement printed in the Herald-Sun this weekend about the changes to the Club Permit Scheme.

To say we were shocked is an understatement. The Minister/Government has listened to the people that a law is going to impact and have decided not to change the 25 year eligibility rule for accessing the scheme to 30 years. This is great news for all of those who have cars approaching 25 years old, as you will still be able to get them onto a club permit when they are 25 years old and not wait an extra 5 years.

There were 1,060 submissions to the Minister regarding the proposals to change the rules and we were one of the more comprehensive he would have received. So we are very happy to hear that that part of the scheme won’t be changing.

We do still have some work ahead of us though. We will now continue to correspond with the Minister and the Department of Transport about the proposed changes to the Written off Vehicles Register and their proposals to add cars over 15 years old to the register, making it more difficult to repair historic cars and keep our motoring heritage alive and on the road.

If you would like to read more about the announcement regarding the Club Permit Scheme, you can do so here.

If you would like more information about the proposed changes or our submissions to the Department of Transport and the Minister, you can contact Lawrence: secretary@bmwdcm.com.au or myself: president@bmwdcm.com.au. We are trying very hard to get sensible outcomes for these new laws and it is fantastic to see that our submissions are being heard.

We have some online events coming up to give you all something to do through lockdown, like our coloring competition and the second catch up with BCCM in Munich later in the month. We are also organising a special Zoom or two with some very special guests!  Keep an eye out for the event emails or check our events page for more details on any of these events.  

For now though, take care, stay safe and get a jab so we can get past this and get back to what we love doing. Keep thinking about the future and look forward to when we can get back to normal. If you are feeling sad or lonely, pick up the phone and give me or the Welfare Team a call, we are here for you all, always and at any time. 

Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.

P.O. Box 81, TYABB   VIC   3913
Incorporated in Victoria #A0102695G
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc is a member of: BMW Clubs Australia and the BMW Clubs International Council
Motorsport Australia Affiliated Motorsport Club