SPOTLIGHT

“A caring and enthusiastic workaholic with good organising and communication skills who is also an MG fanatic and totally nutty to boot” was our March spotlight’s self description! The name Colin Fleming will be recognised by many members through the pages of Regional Roundup where his name bears legend at the bottom of no less than three reports. The commitment and time given by regional and area secretaries is well recognised and a fact that the Club’s social element certainly would not thrive to the level of enjoyment that it does without their hard work. Colin has given active life to no less than three areas and `caretakes’ another whilst it is (temporarily he hopes) without leadership. He already has a wide variety of events scheduled for his areas that fills practically every week-end from Easter until next Christmas. It is not surprising therefore that Zo Heritage visited this dedicated area secretary to discover just where he finds the time and motivation for this task.

“I do it for the satisfaction and buzz. There is no other feeling as good as seeing everyone enjoying themselves and coming over afterwards and thanking you for a great time” answered Colin Fleming to my query. Colin is a well known figure amidst MGOC circles, especially in the Lincoln-shire district. Readers of Regional Roundup will already know that he is area secretary to Grimsby & District, Louth, Scunthorpe and is looking after the Lincoln group pro tem while it is in state of flux. Despite having three areas to manage, he is not content to just organise a monthly `noggin and natter’ at the local pub but galvanizes each area to such an extent that they can be busy with their MG’s each and every week-end if they wish. Visits to shows and race meetings, dinners, organised road runs (national and numerous continental tours), karting, club displays at events, participation in condition/concours competitions, skittles and convoys to horse racing are just a mere hint at the variety of fun that can be had by Colin’s area members.

Early Beginnings

So where did it all begin? Born in Sudbury, Suffolk in 1947 Colin was only three when he learnt to drive. “My father knelt me on a tractor seat, let the clutch out and left me to it in the middle of a field. It was either drive the thing or go through a hedgerow!” From this early beginning Colin has gone on to drive in over 40 different countries around the world and “holds licenses to drive trucks, cranes, large variety of fork trucks and many off road and all terrain vehicles. You name it, I’ll drive it!” His uncle also played a large part in establishing the car and motor racing bug. “He owned a haulage firm and when still very young I spent a lot of time getting to know how vehicles worked. Summer holidays were mostly spent beside his crazy mechanic Bevis, who had two maxims: (a) There is no substitute for the right tool and (b) 99% is not good enough. Bevis gave me a very good grounding into mechanics and I always remember that he kept his workshop immaculate. His tool box was the same only the bottom shelf was full of Guiness bottles.”

Over the past eight years that I have been interviewing for this spotlight column, no one has ever before claimed to have owned a Rolls Royce as their first car. Colin explained: “It cost £120 and had just scraped through the MOT when I bought it. My insurance broker managed a low quote for the car despite my tender age and the fact it had a 4.5 litre engine. He probably thought it was so old it could not possibly go very fast! I restored and smartened the car up and sold her for a massive £1300. I reckoned at that rate the first million would come easily before my 40th birthday. A 1936 Roller then followed, again sold for a profit. The restoration bug had bitten and I never looked back, building and racing my own cars for 5 years before going on to 15 years of rallying with several successes. One of my favourite rally memories is when I not only won the class but also ran over a large hare en route which I stopped to pick up, so I went home with a nice silver cup and supper as well. Needless to say, my fortieth birthday came and went and that first million is still a very long way off!”

First Aid Competitions

Joining the Merchant navy (“the cheapest way to see the world”) the young Fleming also discovered that it would pay employees to go on courses. Radio, catering, lifeboat, first aid, firefighting and even a course in `what to do in case of nuclear attack’ were some that ensued. Later as a company employee, Colin and colleagues spent several months a year representing their firm in first aid competitions nationwide. “Who wouldn’t enjoy journeying by company car, staying in 4-star hotels, all on expenses and still getting paid in return?” Apart from the trophies won, he found that they also “gave one tremendous confidence to cope in a crisis and has stood me in good stead for events and runs in cases of emergency.” Only through close questioning was it revealed that there are several people walking around today instead of pushing up daisies, all thanks to Colin’s knowledgable efforts.

A career running a haulage and transport depot eventually led Colin to the oil refinery and docks near Grimsby where he became a fully qualified stevedore. Several years ago he became the oil refinery’s Fire Prevention Officer “trying to stop people setting fire to the place” especially during maintenance phases when anything up to 50 contractors “all generating sparks” need careful watching. “It is my job to ensure safety procedures are observed. Covering drains and making sure they are not cutting through pipes still full of petrol are typical examples” he commented. Sadly, a wrong diagnosis after a minor accident (“initially something as simple as tripping over a coil of rope”) has resulted in serious knee cartilage operations and off work for the past year. Never one to sit still for long, Colin has devoted extra time to his MGOC areas, started up the Lincolnshire Classic & Vintage Motor Club, has embarked on a computer course and has other plans in the pipeline. 

MG Connection

“The MG connection originally started fifteen years ago when I stopped smoking.” He ex-plained that the cigarette money put aside bought “something special” in this case a 1500 Midget “preferred for its performance and excellent heaters for winter use” and the rest is history. Today Colin owns an MGB GT “for everyday use”, a pristine Midget that won first prize for condition at the `94 Northern National, an MG Montego Turbo and a Rover. His initial impressions of the Club scene were poor after popping in on a local pub night. “I thought it would be nice to meet fellow MG owners but was greeted with dead silence when they learnt about the 1500. They were all MGB owners and made me feel like a second class citizen. I didn’t go back for years.” Of course we know that he eventually did, took over as Area Secretary of Grimsby in 1991 and has helped the branch to go from strength to strength ever since.

Louth, Scunthorpe & Lincoln

Such was the success of Grimsby that he received many calls from the Louth area interested in getting involved but members cried it was too far to travel for the monthly meets. Hence in 1992 the Louth area was born and again another success story of fun and friendship was created amidst the common bond of MG. This group have had considerable success in condition awards with their cars, especially scooping the late Midget prizes in the past four years at Northern National, including as already mentioned, Colin’s own car. Scunthorpe started for the same reason as Louth, again Colin’s drive and enthusiasm soon creating an active area with particular interest in motor racing as well as the other events. Currently without an Area Secretary, the Lincoln MGOC branch are lucky to have Colin currently involved but he is hoping that this keen branch will soon stand on their own feet, so do ring him if interested.

Viking Run

Just in case he ever had a spare minute Colin initiated the Viking Run in 1995 in aid of Lincs Air Ambulance. “Though I say it myself, it really was a perfect day and I was on such a high at the end with all the thanks and obvious enjoyment from all our entrants that I was incapable of driving home for several hours! 1996 was even better and the third is already planned for 22nd June starting at the Priory Hotel in Louth” plugged Colin! He is happy to mention that his branches are so enthusiastic about the Viking Run that he is now relegated to the task of publicity manager, as all other jobs are taken!

Colin recognises that he could not spend so much time involved with all his clubs and committees without the support “of a very long suffering wife called Karin. If it were not for her generosity and understanding none of the achievements over the past few years would have come to fruition.” It is a standing joke between them that it took 17 years after their first date before they got married, “the intervening years found us married to other people” he explained. He claims that when you “buy an MG you get a social life as well as a car” but this only happens thanks to his, and all the other regional and area secretaries, efforts and dedication. Without these selfless few, the Club would not have grown into the big happy family that it is today. Thanks to all of you.