The Club’s committee has the pleasurable power of awarding Honorary Life Membership to Club members who have made an outstanding, on-going contribution to the progress of the Club.
According to our Constitution, this highly-esteemed level of membership is offered only for exceptional service to the Club.
Up to 2014, eligibility was “available only where offered to a person for exceptional service to the Club spanning at least three years or having an effect that will (or has) benefited the Club for three years by, and at the absolute discretion of, the Committee voting unanimously in favour of doing so”.
In 2014, this was changed to be “available only where offered to a member, having at least 10 years of Club membership, during some of which they have performed a Club role and provided exceptional service by, and at the absolute discretion of, the Committee voting unanimously in favour of doing so”.
During our history, life membership has been awarded to just 13 individuals:
| Member | Year | Service |
|---|---|---|
| Margaret Cemm | 1990 | Co-founder (MX-5 Club of Victoria Inc.) |
| Michael Cemm | 1996 | Co-founder (MX-5 Club of Victoria Inc.) Foundation President 1990-1993 (MX-5 Club of Victoria Inc.) |
| David Henry | 1996 | Foundation member (1990) President 1991-1995 (Mazda MX-5 Club of Victoria) |
| Murray Finlay | 1997 | Foundation member (1990) President 2006-12 Vice President 1997-2001, 2002-06, 2012-16 Committee member 1991-95, 1997-2016 Secretary 1991-95 (Mazda MX-5 Club of Victoria)/2005-2006 (Mazda MX-5 Club of Victoria Inc.) Club Champion 1993-94, 2009-10 Jinba Ittai award 2013-14 |
| Ian Morris | 2001 | President 1996-99 Club Captain - Motor Sport 1994-96 NatMeet 2000 Chairman Committee member 1994-99 |
| David James (citation) | 2002 | President 1999-2001 Club Captain - Motor Sport 1996-98 Committee member 1996-2001, 2002-03 |
| Sue Ransom (citation) | 2003 | Responsible for the public launch of the Mazda MX-5 into Australia Early driving force in setting up the Victorian and all other State Mazda MX-5 clubs, and the start of NatMeet |
| Will Campbell (citation) | 2003 | President 2001-04 Committee member 2000-> |
| Coral Campbell (citation) | 2003 | Committee member 2000-04, 2005-> Secretary 2000-01 |
| Grant Butler (citation) | 2008 | Committee member 2003-09 Secretary 2002-05, 2009 Club Captain - Social 2005-06 NatMeet 2008 Chairman Assistant Club Captain - Social 2008 Eastern Victoria Chapter Captain 2011-12 |
| Sam Gumina (citation) | 2008 | Committee member 2006-2008 Club Captain - Motor Sport 2006-08 Assistant Club Captain - Motor Sport 2008-09, 2010-11 Club Motor Sport Champion 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 |
| Mike Quist (citation) | 2010 | As National Public Relations Manager for Mazda Australia from 1979 to 2001, Mike was in charge of the national public launch of the Mazda MX-5 in 1989. Right from his first sighting of the exciting new roadster in Japan earlier that year, he promised the legendary Toshihiko Harai that he would have an MX-5 club in every Australian state, and set this as a central goal of his launch program. It is fitting, in marking the 20th anniversary of our Club, that we honour Mike Quist with Life Membership. |
| Ken Beaton (citation) | 2014 | 15-year member Inaugural Chapter Captain for Northern Tasmania Chapter 2008-13 |
