OUR HISTORY

The All Terrain 4WD Club was started in 1996, bought about by the desire to take part in competitive events. Phil Hammond (the club’s first life member) was the man who got the ball rolling by getting all of the official paperwork and associated forms completed and lodged, much to the amazement of the other founding members. (It should be noted at this time; Phil had a reputation for not following through with a lot of ideas!)

Of those founding members quite a few are still actively involved with the club today. Those first members were;

Phil Hammond, Duncan Scott, Frank White, Alan Paviour-Smith, Stuart McIntosh, Glen Marshman, Rob Turner, Mal Rea, John John Robinson & Bill Lai.

Basically, the club had come about as a result of the guys being a little tired of not being able to secure a drive with their present club, Traction 4 Drive & Dive. They vowed that all members of the newly formed AT4 would be encouraged to compete and that they would share the honour of representing the club in events. An attitude that carries on to the present day.

The AT4 club quickly became a force to be reckoned with on the competition scene regularly taking out individual and teams honours at events such as the annual Jamboree, the Woodpecker Gully Challenge (as a point of interest, the Woodpecker event started as an inter-club competition between the On All 4’s Club and the All Terrain Club!) and the Nissan Trials. With drivers like John-John Robinson, Duncan Scott and Mal Rea, it was little wonder they cleaned up!
 
As the club began to grow so did its profile and soon its position as one of Australia’s premier 4WD clubs would be cemented in history. The AT4 club was invited to run an event in the annual NSW & 4WD Clubs Association’s Jamboree. This event would be known as the All Terrain event, a very appropriate title indeed! The All Terrain event soon became the most hotly contested event at the Jamboree’s and it usually provided the highlights for not only the competitors but also the spectators. The natural progression for the club was to stage its own competition...

TUFF TRUCK was born!!

In 2001 the All Terrain 4WD Club held the very first Tuff Truck Event which was loosely based on the American Top Truck Challenge. As you all know Tuff Truck was a wild success. The club had estimated that around 1500 people would be required to make the event break even but approximately 5000 paying customers attended the event!! The success bought about the need to form a company and Tuff Events and Promotions was born. Tuff Events ran the 2002 Tuff Truck (with of course AT4 playing the major role) which again, was a huge success. Unfortunately it was insurance issues that forced the 2003 and 2004 TTC’s not to go ahead and in late 2004 Tuff Truck Events and Promotions was sold to the consortium that ran the 2005 event.

THE PRESENT AND BEYOND

The All Terrain 4WD Club is still a force to be reckoned with on the comp scene, mainly due to the style of driving that most of the members like to do. Most club trips are B grade to A+ but that is not all the trips. Everyone in the Club are great mates and, as such, a lot of social events/activities are always taking place. Golf, white-water rafting, indoor rock climbing, or just a quiet drink are only a few of the social activities that are commonly happening.

We pride ourselves on our laid-back environment and ensure that the principals the club was built on, remain. That is, everyone gets a fair go. If you are looking to join a club, are new to the scene and wish to improve your skills, or are just looking for a bunch of like-minded folks to go driving with, check out the All Terrain 4wd Club.

General Meetings are held monthly (except January) on the first Wednesday of every month at Windsor Bowling Club, located on Tebutt St, Windsor (carpark entrance off George St). See the map below for more info. The meetings kick off at 7.30pm. All are welcome regardless of vehicle type and your own level of experience as the club caters for all levels of ability.

Before you can join the AT4 club we ask you to attend three (3) General Meetings and three (3) Club Trips (one of which must be an overnight trip), just to see if what we are all about is going to suit you and your idea of a good time off-road. It will cost you $75 per annum, and an initial joining fee of $175. For your money you will not only be a part of one of Sydney’s most successful 4WD Clubs, but you will also receive two AT4 Club shirts and AT4 Club stickers for you to proudly display on your vehicle.

We hope to see YOU at the next meeting!

Charles Bottemanne - President