2025 February Meeting Notes

St Johns Austin-Healey Club
Jacksonville, Florida

a chapter of the

Austin-Healey Club of America

St. Johns Austin Healey Club Meeting Minutes for Feb. 3, 2025

The February member business meeting that followed dinner took up at 7:37 p.m. at Fionn MacCool”s Irish Pub and Restaurant, with returning president Mike Foster presiding. In addition to Mike and his wife, Joan, those attending included Bill and Judy Young, Paul and Judy Sandefer, Erling and Sandy Onsager, Bill and Char Maroney, Rick and Marilynn Stevenson, Alan Winer and Janis Croft, Bob and Norma Pippin, Ben Procter, Tony Martini and Ron Keysor.

Receiving a special welcome was the club’s newest member, Michelle Anderson, who was accompanied by her husband, Cam. Michelle joins the club as the new owner of a freshly restored 1961 Bugeye Sprite. Cam, a TR4A owner, took the opportunity during his introduction to say the local Triumph club is sponsoring the annual British Car Classic Oct. 18. This might be held at MacCool’s, the site the last night’s meeting, Cam said. Whether the King’s Head British Pub, which closed last fall, and rather traditionally hosted the show will be available for that event isn’t known.

The minutes of the Jan. 6 meeting were approved, followed by Treasurer Paul Sandefer’s report on the club bank balance that stands at $$$$$$, which includes $350 in member dues forwarded to him by our national parent, the Austin Healey Club of America. That organization’s handling of reimbursing local clubs with dues sent by members to the AHCA is working very well, Paul reports.

Paul also told members that AHCA has honored our immediate past president and among the founders of SJAHC 50 years ago, Bill Young, with free dues this year in recognition of his years of authoring technical articles published in AHCA’s well-regarded magazine, Healey Marque. If members were polled nationally, his columns are likely the most valued content of that magazine. Bill will also be exempt from dues to our club here forth. It should be noted that Bill is now our club’s delegate to the AHCA leadership, taking that position from another long-serving SJAHC leader and delegate, Rick Stevenson.

Membership Chair Bill Maroney reported that membership now stands at 31, 29 of those also members of AHCA. Bill, recognized for his diligence in maintaining club membership, said he is still in contact with seven members who have not renewed.In new business, President Foster brought up the possibility that SJAHC will again participate in the First Coast Car Council. The club secretary failed to affirm SJAHC’s relationship with the council, but suggests that, like so many things that occurred during the Covid-19 era, that relationship had drifted a bit. Stay tuned on that.

Looking to the future, the club event planners are looking at having a kind of annual Healey maintenance event at a member with a garage lift in March. If firmed up, that information will be emailed the membership. Just incidentally, Rick Stevenson mentioned the unfortunate news that Casa Amigo, a Mexican restaurant in Mandarin that has frequently hosted club dinner meetings, has lost its lease. This is bad news because restaurants with a meeting room suitable for our alternate month gatherings are not easily found.

The next topic, a St. Valentines Day gathering tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, consumed much of the evening’s discussion. The dining site, Bonefish Grill, is located at10950 San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin. This is a couple of blocks south off I295 on the right or west side of the street. Bonefish has established a minimum of $500 for the dinner and a fee of $45 per person, plus tax and tips, for the dinner. The secretary anticipates receiving more information on this dinner that he will forward to members. However, those interested should contact event co-chair Bob Pippin by THIS Thursday so that he can secure a reservation assuming a sufficient number of members notify him by email if they will participate. It appeared that will happen from comments at last night’s meeting. He also likely can provide more detail regards the annual outing.

Tony Martini, the other half of our events co-chairmanship, gave a very brief report on successfully getting his ’67 BJ8 (he owns a pair of Healeys) back on the road.

Bob and Norma Pippin generously volunteered to again host our member meeting at that their Mandarin home on Monday, March 3. Members will receive an email reminder as that meeting approaches. The Pippins very much have sustained the club heritage of having very welcoming surroundings for member meetings that alternate each month between homes and elusive restaurant venues. The meetings at member homes always include refreshments—members are welcome to bring items—and begin at 7 p.m. Again, the secretary hopes to send out further info on the St. Valentine’s dinner after this meeting minutes draft reaches you.

R.Keysor, Sec.

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