HOPMOG Started life as The South East Social Sub-Centre of The London Centre. So for some background information I begin with a short history of The London Centre.

 

The London Centre was the first to be called a centre as such. The main nucleus of the club was, as you would expect, based in the midlands. In the early sixties it was suggested that a centre based in the London area would be a good idea. There was quite a concentration of members in and around London so after a meeting at Jim Banbury's home in Chelsea on Friday 3rd November 1961 the London Centre was born. Unfortunately its birth was a bit premature as there is little evidence of any activity

In 1965 after several impromptu meetings at W.A. (Griff) Griffiths Garage usually on a Saturday Morning. The London Centre was re-born on the 29th of September.

 

Most of the London Centre meetings were held north of the Thames, as I think many still are. So a group of us 'South London Lads (& Lasses)' thought we could hold meetings to the south of London in the Kent area (later to include Surrey) thus the embryo that was to become HOPMOG began.

The South East Social Sub-Centre of The London Centre (a bit of a mouthful that) started life in 1972 and became a ‘Full Centre’, The South East Centre, around July 1974. The HOPMOG name was adopted in January 1976.

 

HOPMOG now covers Kent and Surrey with 3 regular noggins each month, the second Tuesday in Kent, the third Tuesday East Kent and the last Thursday in Surrey. We also hold occasional Sunday lunch time meetings often with an outing or event in the afternoon.  We manage to keep busy throughout the year with visits to gardens, historic house and castles. Kite flying, quiz evenings, the odd treasure hunt, the centre barbecue and dinner dance.

 

We publish our own bi-monthly news letter - HOPMOG REVIEW, and the HOPMOG CALENDAR. We also produce our own Regalia, Car Badge.

 

We ran the national event, MOG 90, at The Whitbread Hop Farm. In 1992 our first Morgans at Brooklands, which was such a great success, this was repeated in July 1995. We celebrated our Silver Jubilee by returning to Brooklands in June 1999. We ended the millennium in style, running our second National Mog Event - MOG 2000. We have also ventured across the channel with several very successful events in Le Touquet and Brugge. A visit to the Schlumph Bugatti collection in Mulhouse, an unforgettable weekend at the first Le Mans Classic, all in 2002. In 2003 a return to France with a trip to Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny and day out in Paris. 2004 a return to The Le Mans Classic and our 30thAnniversary event at Cobtree. 2005 saw a return to France with a second Mulhouse visit, followed by a trip to Guillestre in the Alps.

MOG 2013 was our third national event with a return to Canterbury University.

 

Brian Downing (Centre Scribe)

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And this is an article from the Number 2 edition of Miscellany in 1974