The club is open to new members, with the next lunch to be held in November

The 7 Year Club Automotive Lunch Club was born in the early days of parts retailing in Australia and Victoria, prior to the establishment of co-operative and franchise groups and the changing retail focus of company owned trade based national store chains.
In 1973 a number of entrepreneurial people who were retail pioneers in the Automotive Aftermarket industry at that time got together and formed a little luncheon club which became known as The 7 Year Club, and they organised an annual Automotive lunch which has been an annual event in Melbourne for the past 51 years.
It was called The 7 Year Club because the original luncheon group was seven in number but has expanded more than 10-fold over the years and today it is a must attend for retired, semi-retired and full time working members from all parts of the Automotive Aftermarket. The original seven men who were the foundation members were:

• Brian Davies – Brian’s Speed Shop – Retail Store Chain
• Chris Jones – Bulk Auto Imports – Parts Importer
• Max Briet – Woodroffe Brooks – Parts Importer
• Ron Cardosi – Bulk Auto Disposals – Parts Retailer
• Terry Mahoney – SAAS – Accessory Manufacturer
• Tony Goldner – Allbrell – Car Sound Importer/ Wholesaler
• Ian Ustick – Brian’s Speed Shop – Company Secretary

Over the years the number of Automotive people and companies that attend The 7 Year Club lunch has grown tremendously and many famous Industry figures names have become regular attendees over the years.
The club’s oldest member, Eddie Thomas, recently passed away, aged 99. Eddie was a true pioneer in the performance industry and one of the most significant figures in the birth of the speed equipment industry in Australia and also Australian drag racing.
The name Eddie Thomas Speed Shop and later Speco Thomas following his acquisition of South Australian parts manufacturer Speco were and are still famous in the Automotive Performance industry.
Dave Bennett, the founder of one of Australia’s famous performance engineering companies, Perfectune Engineering and the Yella Terra brand, although now retired, is still a regular attendee at The 7 Year Club lunches, so the performance industry is still strongly represented.
In some ways this club has graduated over the years into a club for retired Automotive Parts people from all parts of the industry who enjoy meeting with industry colleagues, many of whom were competitors in business when working in the industry but today are great friends.
There are also some members who had automotive businesses in other states that come to Melbourne to attend The 7 Year Club lunches and share in the fellowship with their old Automotive friends.
The club is open to new members and would welcome any retired Automotive Aftermarket persons who would like to attend its lunches, which are held twice each year in Melbourne in the months of May and November.
The only cost to be part of this is to pay for your lunch which is inexpensive, with each person ordering and paying separately. Partners are also most welcome.

Any enquiries about being part of The 7 Year Club Automotive Lunch Club should be addressed to the Lunch Convenor, David Tennent, on 0411 253 633 or david.tennent@bigpond.com