The DRAGON WHEEL - the bi-montly magazine
of the SWCCC. Included in your membership.
The Man Behind the Magazine
At the NEC Classic Car Show on 14 November 2015 we caught up with John Nash the editor of Dragon Wheel, the SWCCC's bi-monthly publication.
Firstly we asked what John's first reaction was to the prospect of taking over the role, when invited by the chairman earlier in the year?
"Beam Me Up Scotty" was John's initial reaction, followed by thoughts that with all the various talents among members of the club, there must surely be someone better suited to the role. Then in typical reflective mood he went on to add "Due to other commitments I have had to take more of a back seat (no pun intended) with the club."
An unanticipated consequence was a free pass onto the Show Committee, but as a regular contributor to proceedings, expect John to make his mark in an understated but effective way.
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| John's Morris at Caerphilly Mountain for the inaugural coffee morning |
John recognises that the club is a dynamic entity and therefore change is vital. As such he decided that it was time for him to get involved structurally and accept the offer.
Just about to publish his third edition, John has learned a lot about editing techniques and is clearly growing in confidence and focussing on his ideas for the magazine.
Inevitably the subject of the future of the Dragon Wheel came up. "The magazine format offers a quality, comfortable and relaxed reading opportunity for members not offered by downloadable news letters, for example." John told us. "As Editor, I also have the freedom to tailor articles specifically for the membership, whereas the website manager has to consider the potential wider audience of the free global access publication."
John is clearly passionate about the uniqueness of the SWCCC membership profile and is anxious to reflect the diversity. "I want to reflect the broad range of the club" he concluded.
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| John scrutinises the parking instructions! |
On a more personal level John admitted that IT had never been a strong point and added that "I would not be able to do the job without the invaluable help of my wife Jan who assists with technical issues and proof reading."
Finally we tried to get a feel for what was involved in terms of time commitment. "It's difficult to say, I take advantage of quiet moments at home to work on the magazine. Drafting articles takes as long as it takes, and putting the magazine together depends upon whether I encounter any hitches."
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John noted that theses models were for display purposes only! |
Having very much enjoyed John's company for the day, his generosity of spirit and sense of humour were clearly evident, together with his love of Morris Minors and his keen eye for attractive models.