When Anita van der Velden, Marilyn Taylor and Tania Bailey take to the streets in their colourful classic cars and fantastic fashion, heads turn, and people can’t help but smile and come over to talk about the Canterbury women’s beloved Morris Minors. Here, the trio share their passion for the pocket-sized British automobiles, the adventures they have and why they love living a colourful life.
Anita van der Velden, 55, nurse
“My Morrie is called Audrey, affectionately known as ‘Audrey Pordrey Pudding and Pie’. She is a 1959 Saloon with a 948cc engine.
My husband Brian and I have three Morris Minors. Our original 1952 four-door Monty, who’s a bit of a challenge to drive but still a lovely wee car, Brian’s bright green 1952 two-door called Shrek and my wee Audrey.
They all seem to have their own personality. Although it would make good sense to sell one, we just can’t bear to part with any of them.
Most owners will tell you that when you take your car out to get the groceries, you have to allow at least 10 extra minutes as you will have people come over to tell you their Morris Minor story. Often their dad, mum, aunty or uncle owned one, or they learned to drive in one.
It’s not surprising as 70,000 were originally brought into New Zealand from the UK. At one stage, there were more Morris Minors in NZ per capita than any other car.
When you’re driving a modern car, it’s all about the destination. But when driving a classic, it’s all about the journey. They may be small cars, but they have huge personalities and seem to make everyone smile.
Driving a classic for the first time is harder than you might think, but I love letting people have a go – it’s such a unique and special experience.
I remember getting a flat battery in my modern car and using Audrey to pick up a new battery so I could replace it. It gave me a real buzz using my 66-year-old car to rescue the modern one.
Audrey has never let me down.
There have been lots of highlights. Our trip to Rotorua for a Morris Minors convention not long after we bought Audrey was very special, as Brian, my friend Jane and I raised $5000 for the New Zealand Spinal Trust with the help of Audrey and Jane’s Morris Minor called Myrtle.
Most recently, a highlight has been designing a car badge for the 30th annual NZ Morris Minor convention and being able to display it on Audrey’s badge bar. I feel just a little bit proud of that achievement.
Driving classic cars has historically been a very male dominated domain and I believe it still is with only five female drivers at our latest convention.
However, it doesn’t seem to be as much of a novelty or a surprise seeing a lady at the wheel as it once was.
I like to learn the history of Morris Minors and to know a bit about the mechanics. The challenge of driving these neat old cars is also a thrill for me.
I perform on stage as a theatre actor and was given a 1950s outfit when we bought our first Morris Minor Monty, which was the inspiration to start wearing some of my retro and vintage costumes when driving our classic cars.
Usually, I dress in ’60s and ’70s outfits, and feel very lucky to be able to enjoy two of my favourite things at the same time.
I have many favourites, but my ‘old faithful’ is my ankle-length, fluoro ’70s dress. It always looks stunning on and off stage, gets compliments and is on point when I’m out driving Audrey. It’s a bonus that it only cost $20 at an op shop.
When it comes to living a colourful life, I believe in the saying, ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’, because on the edge of your comfort zone is where all the best fun is.
I was emcee for the 30th annual convention in Timaru and felt quite worried about such a big responsibility over three days, but it was such a fun event and I now have all those wonderful memories.
We parked up at Pleasant Point with nearly 60 Morris Minors and despite the wet weather, many members of the public came to look at the cars.
These little cars make people smile with their unique shape and cheerful colours. They seem to brighten up even the dullest of days.”
Marilyn Taylor, 77, assistant vet nurse, receptionist and accounts administrator
“After 20 years of equestrian fun with owning, breeding and showing horses in both Western and English events, I felt my husband Gordon and I were getting too old to recover from injuries, so we decided to change to classic cars.
My Morris’ name is Betsy and she’s a 1962 Morris 1000, four-door Deluxe. It was originally my father’s – he restored it with the family closely involved. Then, my brother painted the car for him using the correct colour code of bronze.
We’d owned one Morris Minor before and following the passing of my father, we purchased Betsy from the family. We also own a 1966 AP6 Valiant, so it was natural that I took on Dad’s Morris for my own.
We did some repairs to the drum brakes. Then she was ready to use daily, just as my father did.
Gordon and I both enjoy the outings together. Sharing each other’s hobbies makes for a good marriage.
We attend the Kustom Car Club monthly display, along with showing in the club stand at the Vintage Car Club annual swap meet.
We’ve been selected as Best of British at the annual Ashburton Plains Rotary fundraiser event.
We have also had the pleasure of producers selecting my car to use in two New Zealand-produced films. The first was [coming-of-age movie] Head South, which was released for the Netherlands Film Festival. Now, local cinemas have screened it.
The second was for the [short film] Sister Josephine [starring Alison Bruce as a nun]. Producers filmed that one near Rangiora and it’s currently in post-production. Having people prepare Betsy for her part and then watching the filming was a proud moment.
I see and hear many well wishes from passing people when I’m driving Betsy. I enjoy listening to the stories they want to share with me. It’s an opportunity for ladies to share their experiences of days gone past.
I don’t always dress for a time period, but with respect to my father, I will always keep the car in the best condition and presentation.
Betsy’s my pride and joy. I always have her her cleaned and shined for presentation, regardless of my dress sense.
I’ve enjoyed an extremely varied life with many experiences of travel for our hobbies, including attending the [annual rodeo] Calgary Stampede twice, and visiting race-car tracks in England and Europe.
The philosophy I have learned to follow is to ‘live life with a loose reign’.”
Tania Bailey, 60, pool lifeguard
My Morris Minor is a 1956 Split Screen, named Daisy. She is turquoise blue with a little bit of pink.
After spending a few days back in 1990 driving around Adelaide in a borrowed Morris Minor, I became a fan.
Then at the end of Covid lockdown, we were lucky to find Daisy. She is my only Morris Minor and will always be my favourite.
My husband Brett and I take her out to the Christchurch Kustom Car Club breakfast at McLeans Island on the first Sunday of every month to put her only display with all sorts of other cars.
We go to Timaru in March for the Caroline Bay Rock & Hop. It’s a big car show with 1000 cars of all shapes and sizes.
And we also do rock and roll dancing, which goes well with classic cars.
The 1950s-style fashion is my favourite to wear when I’m out in Daisy and when we go dancing. I love the fashion – it makes me feel and look fabulous.
I make most of my own dresses. One of my favourites would be the frock with Daisy printed on it. Someone custom-made the material for me and was I once interviewed for TV3 news in it at the Father’s Day car show in Amberley.
I love to hear stories of family connections with their cars – some have been in people’s families for decades.
Everyone has a Morrie story, and people often come up and talk to us whenever we are out in her.
Life is short. I think it’s important to get out and enjoy it, making the most of every single day. And driving Daisy makes me smile.”
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