Box 8 Waipu LETTERS

Striking a Chord

I PAUL, I was pleasantly surprised to see the article on your dad’s midget in the latest rag; good on you for having the guts to put it into print. Sure, there will be the detractors out there slinging dirt on the article, but hey, it’s a midget; that’s what they do! The feature struck a chord with me in a few ways. Firstly, a return to the early years, when NZ Hot Rod Mag pioneered the way with a wide array of motorsport, including the speedway scene. There was a feature of Rob Campbell driving Pat Johnson’s Victor powered midget and a feature on Christchurch legend Peter Annan’s Super modified that spring to mind. The hot rod and speedway fraternity have intertwined with a foot in each camp since those formative years. Second, the devil in the detail. Engineering and presentation of both factions are second-to-none, Kiwi can-do attitude to the forefront. Thirdly the father/son connection, a door ajar showing insight into your family journey. As I say, it struck a chord. My dad, Gordon Lewis, recently retired from his petrol station and workshop, which was like severing an important body part. Just insert instant BOREDOM right here! A suggestion of perhaps a late ‘30s coupe and get into rodding was greeted with a grunt. About the same time, I was invited to lead the South Island TQ Champs at Ruapuna in my restored mid- ‘80s TQ. I rang Dad and told