Highrollers Van Club

[Dave]

I dont think a membership fee would put me off.  Whilst I havent commented before I think I'd join a club for the odd run, if lime green poptops were considered allowed in a highrollers club that is.
I would probably only be interested in a few runs per year either buga or highroller, but would join up as it is good to see bedfords driving around.

Yacht clubs seem to allow one or two sails per year without membership then request membership, however if crew dont pay they dont usually stop them sailing, although they might at the posher clubs.  Something like this would encourage people to come along, and when they met some of the personalities involved people would pay up to keep coming. 

Dave

[MaTTe]

i dont think vans should be turned away, or discriminated - quite the opposite....
My van may look good now, but it looked shithouse 8 months ago. we all have to start somewhere.....

My points may not have been as transparent as i thought, there is an obvious cost associated with running a club, especially if you wish to run a club with any benefits (shirts, hats, magazines, hookers, etc.)
But if everyone can attend for free all of the time, then why would anyone pay? You cant afford to order a batch of shirts and hats for 3 people.....

BUGA is a free brotherhood, so those who can't afford to be within a club such as the high rollers still have an outlet to be able to cruise on a somewhat regular basis without cost or obligation.

I think as George has said the high rollers name implies done up and unique vans, but i think that should involve both past and present ASWELL as future aspiring vans..

If the cost is really that much of an issue, maybe we need to look towards different levels of membership? I can understand that people dont have alot of spare money, hell i can barely afford a tank of gas, i desperately need consistent work - however i'll find a way to make the payment to support the club, just as i would if buga were in need.
So maybe we have cruise memberships, that buy you the right to attend and display at every show and shine or cruise event
a donation membership that gives any attendees of cruises/show n shines the ability to give a gold coin donation(or higher) to receive a badge or bumper sticker stating their kind donation..
a correspondence membership that will gain you any information on potential cruises, a copy of the monthly/quarterly/yearly/whatever magazine, as well as any other information that is available to members
a merchandise membership that will gain you an article of each merchandise item at a special price(discounted on the RRP for the same items available for sale at cruises/show and shines)
and a membership for people that want all of the above

There are ways to make this affordable, as well as gainly for the club.... As alot of you have said, we need numbers to make it viable, but we need to validate the club by having memberships


but then again, if you want to make this all free and still have the benefits, im all for it, saves me a few dollars. haha

[obsession]

george looking fwd to seeing pics of your van keep up the good work mate
 the highrollers has to my knowlage over the past 25-30 years never discrimnated against any level of bedford/transit or as their constitution says 'front mounted engins" howerver even this was got around as mark howletts howling kombie was on runs all the time so i dont reckon anybody would get a knock back .

My idea was realy just to have an open run fee say $5 bucks per van to cover the advert and any calls ect.
Full membership gets you T/shirt number plate frames.
Newsletters would depend upon getting numbers and contributions ect from guys .....but having said that the web is prolly the best sorce of news available anyway.

I like this topic its good to get ideas and stuff great to hear so much imput.

[Bedfordcrazy]

Well put john and matte. As someone who only knew of the high rollers from the magazines back then, what was the yearly membership fee, and what would it be now if the club flys again ? Hey johnno, what do they charge for the morris club a year, as someone who has never really been a club member i'm sort of in the dark.

As i said b4 here in qld we have sunstate panelvan club, my mate is the president of that club and drives a beddy, but the club is mainly for small vans, but beddys are welcome, i would love to see each state with its own bedfords only club. If you look at the amount of beddys here, there would be enough to form a club in each state. Correct me if i'm wrong, but W.A is the only state that has a beddy club, and buga take care of the rest. 
If you get the rollers up again i will join, even though i'm on the other side of the country, and will never do a wa run, it will be good to support a bedford club.
george.

 

[John Abbott]

Hi George...The membership fee is around the $90.00 dollar mark for a year. Alot cheeper than other clubs here.

[Bedfordcrazy]

Hey john, mate i recon if you are serious about being in a van club $100 a year is not a lot, and your right, i have heard of some clubs that charge 4-5 hundred a year.

I actually take note of everything that happens in buga, and i think the one thing i have noticed with our little group is, TIME, a lot on here are always so busy doing things other then beddy stuff, whether its the kids, work or other commitments, the other is, and correct me if i'm wrong, but a lot of us are of the mature age bracket and dont have the time and money for setting up clubs, and doing full on custom vans, attending and all the stuff that goes with it. I know that if we had a regular club in qld i would probably only commit to a show, get together or some other event maybe 4 or 5 times a year. Unfortunately these days, most of the shows are for these little 4cyl jap egg beaters, and hoon type cars to see who has got the biggest and loudest. The days of truely classic hot rodding is a dying thing. My sheet metal guy is finding this with me, he has only done a lot of bolt on stuff over the last few years, and now he is finding he has to dig deep and remember how to reshape metal, and get the gaps right, something he has not done for a while on this scale. But as he says, its good to really do custom work again, and not just bolt on plastic parts.
george

[Merlin]

Ya know I always thought the "High" Roller name stemmed from the substance abuse of the time .Obviosly we need some regs in place for the running of the club but lets not lose sight of the "social" in social club hey??? anyway thats my 5cents worth (rounded up)          Cheers Neil

[MaTTe]

Merlin, are you supplying this 'social' substance? im guessing by your standard it'll be of high potency............... i mean................. quality?

[The Griff]

To paraphrase Grand Funk:

LET'S GET THIS THING ON THE MOVE.

[obsession]

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