The Mazda MX-5 Club of Queensland is one of the most active in Australia. Currently 362 members live within 150 kilometres of the capital, Brisbane. And each has the chance to enjoy activities with any of the five chapters: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Darling Downs and Motorsport.
Each chapter has a leader, elected annually and responsible for all of the activities organised by its members. All bar Motorsport do one weekend run a month. Chapters also arrange week-time social events and skid-pan days, âHappy Lapsâ as well as the annual go-kart trophy day.
Plus thereâs the chance to enjoy weekends away, hosted by various chapters, a biennial national meeting, hosted in turn by the state clubs, NatMeet, the informal Queensland/New South Wales event, and QMeet, the clubâs own biennial event to encourage other MX-5 owners to spend four brilliantly organised days with members at a venue close to the northern cities.
The clubâs website and its Facebook page keep everyone in the loop, and have been particularly helpful in the upheaval caused by coronavirus. Both are managed by volunteer staff, as is the production of the clubâs quarterly magazine, the Rag-Top Review. In fact, all of the organisation and management is done by volunteers, with a committee elected annually during the Presidentâs Dinner at the end of November.
This is the clubâs 30th year and the anniversary will be recognised by a celebration towards the end of 2020, marking the major success it has become since its foundation.
The club, by the way, has a motto. âItâs tops down unless the storm has a name.â Queensland is, after all, the Sunshine State and so it seems appropriate somehow.