History
The First 30 Years (EDITS IN PROGRESS)
It takes one person to start something. That one person was Bruce Murphy, the something was the Underground Miata Network (UMN or the Club), and the year was 1995. Bruce was (and still is) a dentist. In 1995, Bruce had dental practices in both Toronto and Ottawa, and it would not be unreasonable to think that Bruce, a Miata owner, might have joined Trillium Miata Club (Trillium), the existing Miata club centered in Toronto. Instead, Bruce decided to start a new Miata club and locate it in Ottawa.
It takes one person to start something. That one person was Bruce Murphy, the something was the Underground Miata Network (UMN or the Club), and the year was 1995. Bruce was (and still is) a dentist. In 1995, Bruce had dental practices in both Toronto and Ottawa, and it would not be unreasonable to think that Bruce, a Miata owner, might have joined Trillium Miata Club (Trillium), the existing Miata club centered in Toronto. Instead, Bruce decided to start a new Miata club and locate it in Ottawa.
The kickoff meeting for the new Club was August 31, 1995. In addition to Bruce, attendees included Keith Tanner (later of Flyin’ Miata fame), J.P. Sylvestre, John Fry, and David Allen. And yes, the meeting was in a dark basement—essentially underground and somewhat clandestine—but no, this is not central to the story.
But an interesting aspect to this story was Bruce’s association, as keyboard player and guitarist, with the Canadian new wave rock and techno-pop group, “Men Without Hats” (recall “Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes the World”).As Keith Tanner recounts his recollection of the story as told later by David Allen:
The name “Underground Miata Network” was chosen not because the founding meeting took place underground (i.e., in the basement of that house) nor because the club, once formed, "sort of went underground." Rather, the name was put forward, then and there, by the same guy who had belonged to another oddly named group ("Men Without Hats") and in the same spirit of ironic irreverence. I think he just found the predictable name of, say, the "Ottawa Miata Club" too ordinary and boring. The word "underground" appealed to his moderate outlaw perspective and the word "network" probably appealed more to his penchant for informality and his slightly anarchic dislike of hierarchical structures. Whatever the rationale, the mentality of those who were there that evening was enough in sync with his outlook that we found the name Underground Miata Network to have enough funny appeal that there was no real argument over it.
Much later (in 2003), consideration was given to ditching our Club name for something a little more pedestrian. But the membership voted and the moniker Underground Miata Network won out. Apparently, our rebel roots run deep.
However, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In 2022, the possibility of a name change was once more floated by the membership. It sunk like a rock. One commenter (among many) suggested: “The name is part of its (UMN’s (Ed.)) history. There’s no reason to change it to something uninteresting.” The majority of those who shared their opinion held that, we are the Underground Miata Network, and there should be “no real argument over it”.
Keith Tanner remembers from the early days that Bruce had a real sense of humour, so the titles given to the Club’s executive officers poked fun at their expected duties such as: "Scribe", "Dictator for Life" (Bruce) and "Disseminator of Propaganda” (the latter title reserved for Keith).
Humour would be a key characteristic of the Club. In fact, the new Club web site made no pretense about its importance: “A sense of humour is a membership requirement.” The only other characteristic deemed worthy of note, UMN was: “…dedicated to the pursuit of driving enjoyment. Our focus is on driving and driving well.”
While the first meeting was in August 1995, Club activities didn’t really get going until the following spring. The first UMN event was a tour held in early 1996 to a destination that has unfortunately been forgotten to the passage of time. Befitting our Ottawa base, which is home to the world’s largest tulip festival, our second tour (May 20, 1996) was to smell the tulips. The tour started at Bate Island (midway between Ottawa and Gatineau on the Champlain Bridge) and finishing at Dow’s Lake, the epicenter for tulips. Supper followed at Mexicali Rosa’s in the Dow’s Lake Pavilion.
Early days of the Club were described as both informal and relaxed. Members would just show up for an event suggested by any member. After the rain cancellation of one such casual run to Gatineau Park, Keith Tanner met up with Dell Smith. Dell’s impression of that first encounter was that there was “not really” a Club. In fairness there was a club, albeit one whose operating style was very “loose”. That was early summer 1996.
Then, in July 1996, Trillium hosted Miata 96, a convention in Toronto attended by 427 Miata enthusiasts from across North America. (Coincidentally, 427 is an iconic number for many car enthusiasts. The Chevy “Big Block” was a V8 engine, displacing 427 cubic inches powering many “muscle cars” of the era. Ironically, a muscle car is the very antithesis of what a Miata is all about.)
An enthusiastic Dell Smith was there with the intention of joining the club sponsoring the event. From UMN were David Allen, Gilles Lavergne, and Bruce Murphy. Bruce’s interest only lay in seeing the cars which included some concept cars and a Miata Coupe (only 179 were ever made). Keith Tanner was there too, representing Miata.net. At the time he was selling wind blockers online. Keith brought a few samples with him and set up shop in the convention parking lot. One of Keith’s first customers was Dell Smith.
Dell’s recollection of the conversation that ensued was that Keith identified that a Miata club did in fact exist in Ottawa, but that it did not yet have a name and Bruce Murphy was sort of its president. Perhaps salesman Keith felt the name “Underground Miata Network” and title of “Dictator for Life” might scare away young insurance broker Dell. Regardless of the actual motivation behind the conversation, Dell returned to Ottawa with a wind blocker and without a membership in Trillium.
A few days later (July 9) Dell attended his first UMN meeting at the James Street Feed Company. Later meetings were held in a coffee shop off Beechwood. All meetings were very informal. Dell recounts that he was a little skeptical about the Club’s name at first but after meeting Club originators he was happy to go along with it thinking it was “unique, different and catchy”. He also recalls there were a few younger members in the Club who definitely enjoyed spirited driving and events.The Club held its first track day (autocross) at the Corel Centre (now known as the Canadian Tire Centre) a few days after the July meeting. The official announcement follows:
It’s official – July 21 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Cost will be about $20. We will be doing a Gym Kana (fun races), driving instruction and some real Solo II. We can go to dinner at the Hard Rock Café afterward. Participants are reminded to increase tire pressure to 40 lb. and empty their trunk.
In these early days the cost for track days (usually involving setting up an autocross course using pylons in a parking lot) were shared among the drivers who showed up to compete.
One of Dell’s first tasks with the Club was to try to source cheap insurance. His analysis suggested that costs: “…could be prohibitive and could eat up all of our membership fees.” An alternative was suggested that UMN might become a chapter of the Trillium Club and in the process benefit from cheaper group insurance.
Baby Steps - The Early Years 1997-2000
Dell was voted in as President of UMN on June 1, 1997. Bruce became Past President, following the “Trillium format”. (Apparently, UMN was serious enough in its “courtship” of Trillium to forgo naming Bruce’s potential title, “Former Dictator for Life”.)
A little later UMN joined Trillium, as Trillium East. Bruce Murphy and Del Smith travelled together to Toronto for Trillium’s monthly Sunday meetings. Dell notes the drives were: “…always a delight with his (Bruce’s) enthusiasm for life.”
As mentioned, the goal behind UMNs association with Trillium was to benefit from group insurance coverage that the young UMN did not feel it could afford on its own. But the two parted ways amicably, after only a few months, when it was discovered membership fees were not being used for insurance coverage.
In fairness to Trillium, regular and Executive members were likely unaware of an apparent “falling out” between the then Trillium President and Ontario’s governing body for motor sports, the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs—Ontario Region (CASC—OR). The disagreement led to funds not being transferred and insurance lapsing.
So, UMN severed its ties with Trillium and became (and still is) a member of CASC— OR. Through that affiliation, and work credited to Gilles Lavergne by Dell Smith, UMN was able to obtain insurance coverage for its activities and maintains this coverage to this day.
Keith Tanner picks up the story again. In his recollection, Dell brought greater focus to the Club. He was an MCA (Motor Club of America) member from near the start and had a more traditional view of what a club should be like.
With Dell at the helm, things became a little more formalized through insurance coverage (as noted earlier) and the development and adoption of By-laws and Touring Directives. As a result, the Club started looking more and more like Trillium, which Keith adds: "is the life cycle of clubs”. Dell suggests the documents were put together after an incident in which a non-member joined a UMN tour to Stowe Vermont. The non-member’s Miata did not have brake lights and the non-member was not interested in a fix. To help the Club avoid finding itself in similar situations in the future, Club documents were adopted outlining expectations.
On September 28, 1999, the Underground Miata Network Association Inc., was incorporated as a non-profit organization, governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario. UMN was taking its first steps as a recognizable “club”.
In the early days, membership dues were the primary source of revenue for the Club. Sponsors (Nostalgia Road, Mondial Racing, Robson Racing, Talon Tire, Best- Price Auto Parts, and Metro) offered discounts to members, but direct support to the Club was both infrequent and limited. Everything was done on a shoestring budget. Driving events (tours and driving schools) were heavily subsidized or offered free- of-charge to participating members.
Every year in which UMN held one or more driving schools, the line item constituted the largest expense on the year-end statement. And for a period of time, driving schools fell by the wayside when the Club lost access to affordable parking lot rentals and could not afford the often exorbitant fees being charged to rent wide open asphalt, whether government- or privately-owned. (The same is true today. UMN offers bi-annual driving schools as a cost-saving measure and in such years the parking lot rental is the Club’s largest expense.)
In such a financially constrained climate, every expenditure by the club's Executive Committee was scrutinized by the membership (and in a few specific instances, voted on by the members) to make sure the expenditure was either necessary or justifiable. There were no contingency funds sitting in the bank. Throughout the early years, the Club’s operations could best be described as ‘fiscally lean’.
Nevertheless, increases to the annual membership fees were rare and constrained when they did occur. Fees in 2003 were $60 per couple with a single driver and ranged from $50 to $100 per household depending on its composition. In contrast, fees in recent years have been frozen at $60 per family regardless of its size. And on three recent occasions the Club has chosen to give a “free year” to existing members—once after an unexpected profit from an event and twice during the pandemic to reflect our reduced level of activity due to COVID-19.Over time, the Club's focus changed from seeing how fast individual drivers could negotiate a course laid out with traffic cones in a parking lot ("Solo 1 racing" or "Autocross") to discovering what interesting places could be visited while choosing the most scenic and twisty routes possible (tours). Most years featured treasure/scavenger hunts and there were often social events.
The Club had monthly “Tech Nights” almost from its earliest days – an opportunity for members to get their hands dirty doing basic (and some not-so-basic) mechanical work on their own cars, with more technically-savvy members on hand to advise and assist. The first Tech Nights occurred in 2000 and were held in the driveway of Larry and Linda Hall’s house in Carp. In 2003, tech sessions moved to Al Zarama’s shop at 77 Auriga Drive on condition that members not spin their tires on the shop floor. Al bought a tool box, metric socket set, and wrenches from Canadian Tire. Tools were for the use of members and were gold plated, to distinguish them from SAE tools, using his shop’s plating line. Al’s shop also had a lift that could be used by members. Tech Nights took on some ambitious projects including the installationof two superchargers and 10 sets (a group purchase through the Club) of stainless- steel dual exhausts. There were also more mundane projects like clearing drains in roof wells and adding raisers to elevate seats.
While at Al’s shop, the association between UMN Tech Nights and BBQing was established. Rami Famili was chief cook with assistants Barb Clark and Barb Dugal using two little camping BBQs to cook up burgers for hungry members. The “two Barb’s” did a lot of baking as well. Al had a coffee maker and there was always a pot brewing. On hot nights there was watermelon. Attendance doubled as spouses of gear heads soon learned of the availability of a good meal and others to share it with. Clearly, working on cars and socializing, particularly when it involves food, is part of the DNA of the Club.
Later the lift was moved to Al’s home (a rarity for a private residence at the time) and Tech Nights followed. This was like coming home, literally, as Al’s house had previously been the location for the first “tech session” (note not the first Tech Night) for the Club. This session replaced the normal August 1997 monthly meeting.
From Al’s home, the venue switched to Nepean (Bentley Avenue), where Tech Nights stayed for a few years. Next, they moved to Docteur K.I.T. Auto, a two-bay Quonset hut garage on Rue Saint-Louis in Gatineau. From there, Tech Nights moved back to Nepean, staying at Precision Auto Tech between 2010 and 2024. At Precision Auto, the BBQ part of Tech Nights reached its zenith under the watchful eye and skillful flipper of Louis-Phillipe Coulombe with sous chef Pauline. L-P turned UMN barbeques into an art form. His BBQs became so popular that more Miatas turned up at Tech Nights for the “grub” than the “garage”. The tradition has continued with Dave and Lynn Pearen taking up the spatula for the past number of years. Starting in 2025, Tech Nights moved to a new home in Nepean at M&M Quality Auto Care.
The Club also went through its fair share of venues for its monthly meetings. After initially bouncing between locations, the Club settled for a time into the Aylmer Marina. Later, regular sites included: Louis Steak House on Cyrville Road; Cheshire Cat Pub in Carp; TIFOSI Lounge (a venue specifically created for car clubs in the basement of the St. Anthony Italian Community Centre on Preston Street); the restaurant on Bate Island; Robbie's on St. Laurent Boulevard; Perkin's Family Restaurant opposite St. Laurent Shopping Mall; and the Carlingwood Family Restaurant. More recently the Club has used KS on the Keys.
In the final year of the last millennium (2000) the Club was joined by three new members: Roland (Rolly) Beaulne; Colin Carson; and Louis-Phillipe (L-P) Coulombe (aka Tech Night BBQ master). Each of these new members would play pivotal roles in the next phase of the Club’s development.
Becoming An Adolescent 2001-2009
In the early years of the new decade the Club had a lot of impromptu events. Someone would have an idea for a tour and soon the computers were screeching their dialup song. (This was the early days of the Internet when you used telephone lines and would call a number for Internet access. The noise was part squeal, part screech.) Tours in this period involved simple routes and had no more than eight cars playing follow the leader.
A few members had Citizen’s Band (CB) radios, but their use was not widespread. That was until a car, mid-pack, missed a turn, and the rest followed. The solution was for Club members to get CB radios. Thus, began our Club’s reliance on CBs, helping participants ever since to stay together and stay safe on our tours. Interestingly Dell had made a presentation on CB radios to the Club as early as September 1996. Wakid Radio (remember them?) was identified as the best CB source. (Merv Embury has been our Club’s CB guru since joining in 2013 and has helped members, both within UMN and other clubs, with their CB issues.)
The highlight of the Miata season for many years was a treasure hunt. Competition was fierce among teams. Within teams, many couples found themselves no longer on speaking terms by the end of the event. The problem was significant enough that consideration was given to banning cohabiting couples from being on the same treasure hunt team.
Oddly enough the goal for most in the treasure hunt was to place second. The Steen Jensen Memorial Trophy, awarded to the second-place team, was designed by occasional driving instructor, Johni Keyworth. It was judged to be far nicer than the “Bat Out of Heck” award for placing first.
More recently, Funkhana (fun parking lot activities with cars) events, organized by Jim and Louise Charlton, create similar test of relationships in the club. Funkhana involves challenges, like negotiating a slalom course and backing up into a parking space, both while the driver is blindfolded and aided only by instruction from his/her spouse. How couldn’t this challenge a relationship? A new tradition, Cardle—think of Wordle using a Miata—created by Colin and Nancy Carson, also creates ample business opportunities for marriage counselors.)
Day and multi-day touring continued to be perennial favourites in this period, visiting destinations on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.
In addition to burgers, Louis-Phillipe would help “round out” our Club by starting a new tradition. He took the idea of the occasional tour involving an ice cream stop to the next level with an entire schedule built around Ice Cream Runs (ICRs). Every Wednesday (weather permitted) throughout the Miata season, he organized tours involving interesting towns in our area that just happened to have great places to buy ice cream. And he made sure the final tour of the year would lead to the Coulombe home. Pauline would bake lots of home-made pies to complement the last scoops of ice cream for the season.
Before the official start of our 2006 season (that means snow was on the ground), Jim Charlton held a photo contest for members. Winning entries featured different aspects of our 2005 touring year. The winning entry in the “People” category featured members having a picnic during a daytrip to the Long Sault Parkway.
In the “Miata” category, two Miatas were captured resting by a mountain pass during a multi-day trip to Smugglers’ Notch Vermont. (Similar variety exists in our more recent touring schedules.)
Also in 2006, Colin Carson would join the Executive as the Vice-President (V-P). Around this time there was a well-established succession path. A member elected into the V-P slot in year one would automatically become the President in year two and then the Past President in year three. Colin, a military lawyer in the Office of the Judge Advocate General, had concerns related to the Club's “liability, legality, and safety” and so he used his three-year tenure with the Executive to draft a new set of club governance documents, while Bill Lenton, a retired senior RCMP officer, who followed Colin by one year in the V-P, President, Past-President track, proof- read and critiqued drafts. The job of crafting club documents would involve the work of both Colin and Bill throughout their full terms. The results of this effort were:
- A UMN Constitution;
- A substantially revised and expanded set of By-laws (the previous by- laws had mainly dealt with the role of the Executive and how elections should occur);
- Expanded Touring Directives with a safe driving focus (Jim Charlton and Barrie Thomas deserve credit for much of the subsequent revisions to the Touring Directives that would see them become the current UMN Touring Information and Guidelines. These have been updated to reflect distracted driving laws and the twelve-car rule (discussed later));
- A Waiver of Liability and Sign-In Sheet for drivers and passengers participating on tours and other driving events (these too have been modified over time); and
- Emergency kits (fire extinguisher, hazard marker, blanket and first aid kit) to be carried in the sweep car on UMN tours.
Reading between the lines, the documents provide glimpses of a club, in the aftermath of its first serious motor vehicle accident (fortunately, no serious injuries), putting in place rules to enhance safety and limit the potential liability of the Club, its Executive Officers, and the members. A careful reading also suggests the Club was trying to avoid some rather unsavoury driving behaviour by at least one member. (The Club’s governance documents would undergo a slight rework in 2019 to keep them up-to-date and again in 2020 to allow for elections by electronic means during the COVID years.)
But it was not all work and no play for the Club. In 2008, Toshihiko Hirai contacted Miata clubs across Canada with an offer to visit. While the response from most clubs was lack luster, UMN saw the offer for what it was—a great opportunity to meet a key figure in the story of our beloved Miatas.
Toshihiko Hirai is recognized as the father of the first-generation Miata in such authoritative sources as MIATA MX-5 by Jack Yamaguchi and John Dinkel. Bob Hall— another key actor in the birth of the Miata—calls the MX-5, “Hirai’s car”, in his Foreword in the Thomas L. Bryant’s book Mazda MX-5 Miata Twenty-Five Years.
Meeting the man in charge of the small team responsible for bringing the first Miata to production was certainly a big deal. To the Club’s honour, UMN was able to host Mr. Hirai for almost one week in late May and early June, 2008.While under the wing of UMN, Mr. Hirai was introduced to all things Canadian. He “cottaged”, drove a boat, saw the RCMP Musical Ride, and had ice cream—all of which Mr. Hirai seemed to enjoy immensely.
While with UMN, he rode as navigator and occasional driver, in Gilles Charlebois’ pristine red 1990—the car Hirai thought was the purest and best Miata. In contrast, Mr. Hirai was not a fan of Miatas with paddle shifters, describing them as not a real Miata, when asked.
In appreciation of the hospitality shown him by UMN, Mr. Hirai signed members’ trunks, adding the Japanese four-character compound Jinba ittai. Miata lovers will recognize this as the design influence for their cars— roughly rider (jin) and horse (ba) as one body (ittai). While we hope Mr. Hirai left with many fond memories from his stay with us, lucky members have a lasting symbol of the visit in the form of a personal blessing from the father of their cars.
Rolly Beaulne played a big role in the Hirai visit. It was his riverside home on the Rideau and boat that helped introduce our visitor to these very Canadian moments.
Rolly had become Treasurer in the second half of the first decade of the new millennium. He then moved to roles as Vice-President, President, and Past President serving for a total of nine years—three of them as President. It is during this period that the Club’s financial house started to take shape. (In truth, the Club operations would remain fiscally tight throughout its first 20 years. It would be the regular annual contributions from Mazda Canada, starting with our hosting of Canada’s Capital Miata Meet (C2M2), that allowed the Club to experience its first financial breathing room.) But it is also in the Beaulne years that the Club faced its biggest test.
While we understandably focus on sunny motoring there have been some cloudy days for UMN. Most notable was a challenge of the Club’s policy on the use of CB radios before the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) in 2013. Groups such as ours: “…have a legal duty to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities who are adversely affected by a requirement, rule or standard.” (OHRC, Policy on Ableism and Discrimination based on Disability, revised June 27, 2016.) A member claimed the UMN policy on CB use discriminated against her because of her hearing impairment.
The full-day proceeding before the Commission heard evidence from the complainant. In UMN’s defense, President Roland Beaulne offered a binder filled with e-mail correspondence on the actions taken by UMN and brief testimony by fellow member Dell Smith, who also incidentally, had a hearing impairment.
The Adjudicator ruled in UMN’s favour and in the process complimented UMN on their efforts to fully discharge their “duty to accommodate”. In fact, the case is now an integral part of case law and is cited in the revised OHRC policy which states: “…human rights case law (Ed. the UMN case) makes it clear that the purpose of the Code is to accommodate a person’s needs, not their preferences.” (Ibid.)
While the human rights challenge was the biggest test for our Club, the process of growing and maturing as a club has also not been without its challenges. As the Club’s direction evolved, there have been members who have found the change unsettling. As the emphasis shifted from a performance-based to a touring-based club, some early founding members drifted away. Geographic relocation also played a role. Other moves, this time by the Club to more formal structures involving a Constitution, By-laws and Driving Directives, were not welcomed by all. More recently, splitting tours across multiple groups, each with a maximum of 12 cars had its distractors. But the overall effect has been to improve how our tours run and most probably increase safety.
While such well-intentioned measures did not meet with universal acceptance, on balance they appear to have helped the Club in its continued growth and development. While the current focus of the Club is arguably touring (day and multi- day tours and ICRs) the Club offers a variety of other pursuits for the enjoyment of its members (Tech Nights, driving school, sponsor discounts, and a variety of social activities). While changing tastes will no doubt affect Club activities in the future, the current offering may have achieved a “sweet spot” for its members. Total membership has grown steadily in recent years and now approaches 300.
Details on our recent membership numbers are provided below (bolded blue line). Since COVID we have added an average of 20 new members annually (dashed red line) compared to less than half his number historically (dashed blue line).
Maturing Through Some Milestone Events
As the focus shifted toward touring, a number of notable driving events highlight our Club history.
In 2002, Keith Tanner, and Gary Fischman, both representing Miata.net, and J-P Sylvestre, organized an event called Northern Exposure. Participants came from as far away as Belgium, Germany and England. Over 200 cars, almost 80% from the U.S., were involved in tours running from the Chateau Cartier, in Alymer Quebec to Mount Tremblant. There was also a golf tournament for participants.
UMN was not officially involved through concerns that the financial risk of the event was too great for the young club to absorb. But with J-P (“without whom the event could not have happened” according to Keith Tanner) handling local organization, and with a number of other UMN members helping out, the event was an enormous success.
In 2009, UMN hosted the Miata Invitational Weekend. This tour showed some visiting Trillium members what the Ottawa area had to offer. Tours were organized to Saint Jovite, Westport, and a “Northern Route” through Quebec’s Gatineau Park, then heading west along the Ottawa River north shore, before crossing into Ontario and returning through Arnprior and Calabogie.
In 2010, the Club celebrated its 15th Anniversary by running a poker run and sharing a great dinner at La Vallée Motel in Chelsea. The day started with a photo shoot of members and their cars. There were loot bags for participants, containing numerous swag items provided by local Miata dealerships, and a commemorative 15-year anniversary pin.
For our 20th Anniversary (2015), UMN hosted Canada’s Capital Miata Meet (C2M2) bringing 162 cars (and 293 participants) to our Nation’s Capital to experience three full-days of touring. On each day, 12 tours left the parking lot of the Ottawa Convention and Event Centre to experience a variety of destinations in our area.
Social events included a welcoming reception (entertainment provided by fiddlers and step dancers) and closing banquet (entertainment provided by a jazz trio). C2M2 was well received by participants. Typical comments were:
- Thumbs up and bravo to
- This tour was the greatest tour my husband and I have ever been on and would go back to Canada in a
- Your membership! Outstanding Tour control, and tours in general very good.
- It was very organized, no chaos, especially getting drives out of the parking
- We very much enjoyed the people, experience, venue, tours and
- Everyone was wonderful and very accommodating and
- The friendliness of the organizers, the choice of tours, and especially the efficiency of how the tours were organized to leave the hotel.
- I loved meeting UMN members!
2020 began with the exciting promise of a year of planned celebration around UMN’s 25th Anniversary. The first C2M2 being such a hit, we set our sights on a second installment (C2M2-2020) and decided to not under-deliver.
But 2020 had its own surprises as the world faced the challenges of dealing with a global pandemic. Our planning window needed to finalize and test tour routes slipped away. Places for bio breaks and lunch stops remaining closed for much of the driving season. Added to this was the threat, turned reality, of a closed U.S./Canada border keeping many of our Miata friends away. Faced with these realities, we opted to postpone C2M2 events until August of 2021. Ultimately the border would remain closed for nearly 19 months and as the pandemic lingered into 2021, we made the painful decision to cancel. Sadly, our planned event bringing 32 Miata Clubs from across North America to our Nation’s capital would not happen.
Social distancing in a Miata
During the pandemic our Club did our part to support social distancing and protect the most vulnerable among us. Instead of in-person meetings we held monthly meetings on Zoom. Jason Bronsther and Roger Massie organized and hosted virtual Tech Nights to share their expertise among members. These helped fill the void and resulted in our cars enjoying great TLC. And with Tech Night BBQs and Ice Cream Runs on hold, some of us began to fit a little easier in the seats of our Miatas.
With the green light from health and government officials, we took small cautious steps toward re-starting Club activities. August 30, 2020 saw members gather to celebrate our 25th Anniversary. The setting (the park surrounding the Lost Villages Museum, Long Sault) provided lots of opportunity to socialize at a distance. And while less than our original plan for our C2M2 birthday bash, it was great to see so many members willing and able to come together to share in our achievement as a Club.
Ultimately both 2020 and 2021 were challenging years for the Club and members were not able to experience a full schedule of activities. The Executive chose to reflect this reality by waiving membership fees. Members responded by remaining dedicated to the Club.
And what of the Club today
In the years post-COVID, we have seen a return to full schedules of events, a significant engagement by members in all our activities, and a growth in membership as presented earlier.
Our membership, which current stands at 298, is as diverse as the population of the National Capital Region (Ottawa and Gatineau) and includes those from as far away as B.C., Montreal, Cornwall, and Huntsville. We all share a love for the Mazda Miata/ MX5, and for driving these fun little cars either in convoy or just on some of the delightfully twisty roads that surround us.
For the 2024 season we went on 20 tours; two of them multi-day tours and two of them to the United States. There were 16 ice cream runs to fun destinations offering this frozen confectionary. Given the popularity of events many involved multiple convoys in keeping with our 12-car limit. Totals for 2024 reflect 433 Miata trips, involving 743 drivers and passengers, covering 7,350 km driven in touring/ICR events.
Members participated in seven monthly meetings not including our Christmas party, brunch, picnic, Annual General Meeting and a tour planning session; five Tech nights including a session to remove dents from our beauties; and three information sessions for route planning tools and lead/sweep training sessions. The later sessions help build the skill set of our members, better equipping them to take on the planning and delivery of the tours/ICRs that are the life-blood of our group. More training sessions are planned for the 2025 season as we ramp up for a busy season ahead including our commitment to C2M2.
But it is not only fun and games. Over the years our Club has chosen, as its mission, “Giving Back” to those in need in our community. During the pandemic, when Mazda Canada offered to match charitable contributions, our Club stepped up, leading to a joint $4000 contribution to First Responders United, a group supporting members who developed work-related PTSD. This year, our Club and members contributed over $1350 to Food Banks. Next year, we plan for more donations and for a restart of our Drive for Seniors (taking residents of senior residences for a Miata run).
As we enter our 30th year as a Club we look forward to the rebirth of our Canada’s Capital Miata Meet this time as C2M2-2025. Current plans will see 168 cars coming from across Canada (from Nova Scotia to British Columbia) and the United States (from as far away as Texas). This four-day event, to be held August 14-17, 2025, will help celebrate 35 years of Miata, 30 years of UMN, and the joy that comes from our fellowship in the Miata community.
Epilogue
At the very core of the Underground Miata Network and perhaps its unofficial motto is the notion that while we came together because of our Miatas we stay together because of the friends we make in the Club. Miatas just seem to draw good people together. And those good people, in turn, give back.
Like any volunteer organization, UMN would be nothing without the hard work of its members. In looking at the Club over its first thirty years it is apparent that the Club has been blessed by members who have freely given their time and talents for the benefit of UMN. And through their contribution, the experience of every Club member has been enhanced.
Our Club thrives through the efforts and talents of its many volunteers. Members offer their time on our Executive (See Appendix A), C2M2 Planning Committee, and Social Committee and 50:50 Committee; or as co-ordinators for our Web Site, Tech Night, BBQ, and Photography; or as those who plan, lead or sweep our tours/ICRs; or who offer their expertise in other areas such as CB radios or GPS. It is through these members’ work that we can offer such a diverse suite of activities to satisfy the diverse interests of our membership.
In appreciation of those who contribute to Club life, David Waung initiated the Volunteer Appreciation BBQ to recognize those who gave their time and talents for our first C2M2. Every year since, an annual Volunteer Appreciation BBQ has celebrated those who have given to the Club. This commitment by so many speaks to the strength of our Club.
Prior to this annual tradition, long and distinguished service to our Club was recognized for only a relative few who were made Lifetime Members. The list of notables follows:
- Prudence Au and Richard Loke
- Roland
- Colin and Nancy
- Louis-Philippe and Pauline Coulombe.
- John
- Claude and Louise Gelinas
- Dell
- Jean-Pierre
- Keith Tanner
This article is dedicated to those mentioned and to all the others (too numerous to single out here) who have contributed their time and efforts over the past 30 years. You have helped UMN achieve this milestone, and in the process, have made UMN the great club it has become.
And now for the next 30...
