What does one do with the diplomas, the awards, the trophies when the recipient has passed away? Unless they are made of sterling silver or gold, they really aren’t intrinsically worth anything except to those that earned them. In some cases, I suppose 
there would be sentimental value, say for a Best Actor Oscar, but at some point, your descendants may use an award as a doorstop, vase or defensive weapon. I was clearing through more stuff from my ancestors (a seemingly endless task) and came across this scrapbook of a 1960’s car rally. My dad and his team won that particular rally and the silver cup above was obviously the prize, along with an Omega Seamaster watch for each team member (do you get that subtle link? An Omega Seamaster is James Bond’s watch of choice). However, the silver trophy and Omega Seamaster were nowhere to be found in his voluminous possessions.
What was amusing about the scrapbook was the newspaper advertisement announcing the rally – it screams: 42 of the World’s leading rally cars! 160 precision drivers and 
navigators! 3,000 kilometers through 21 Luzon provinces! 4 nights and 3 days of hard driving!… Then overleaf are several vintage photographs of the 42 of the world’s leading rally cars…what a gas! I think these were vintage automobiles even in 1967!!! But I jest. The car bug obviously runs pretty thick in our blood and conversations among my male siblings almost always switch to cars or races, and The Kid is a big F1 fan at 11 years old. In that particular rally, my dad’s team raced in a VW Bug and they beat the second placer by a resounding margin. There were several press clippings in the scrapbook and one of them showed the pater’s VW crossing a stream or flooded area and if you look closely, he is one of four folks in the car. You can imagine how strict our tests were before we were allowed to apply for a driver’s license…
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That is one cool trip down memory lane, MM. Thanks for sharing with us. Hope you find the Omega Seamaster watch sooner or later.
Whoa! I think we share more than one interest here, MM. Our dads may have been entrants to the same activities. Any memories of the old Shellbourne Hotel?
Wolkswagen bug – the little machine that could! What a proud moment for your father and his team.
You know, MM, if autoracing is in your blood, it is not too late to prepare for the Dakar Rally next year. For a Pinoy and his car to cross the finish line, you’d be a hero!
Incidentally, in a mugging situation, a silver trophy would always be my defensive weapon of choice. That trophy, IMO, should be in a place of attention.
Ciao, for now.
MarketMan and the Omega Seamaster…made for each other.
Great momentous and keep the trophy and scrapbooks. They speak for the accomplishments and passions of your father – priceless pieces. Definitely auto racing is in your bloodline. I love VW Bug but very pricey to maintain.
If you have storage space, make sure to keep your photos in acid free containers. If you have some free time, I suggest creating a digital archive of everything either through taking pictures or scanning each photo (maybe a group photo of the trophies would suffice). It’s time consuming but definitely worth the effort in preserving family history.
Eh? Geez, could it be the dads of us foodies were together??? I remember him telling me about this! Either he joined or was an organizer. My dad is a clutter, wouldnt probably keep any momentos but my grannie could have. Was this really sponsored by Shell? I’ve been trying to keep track of my dad’s activities so we have something as keepsakes for the family.It’s just so hard to have secretive folks! Now, that just reminds me to check out their stuffs while I’m still in my vacation. Btw, Marketman dont tell me you join motorcycle rallies too!?
Hope you didn’t throw the scrapbook away, we still have to do the BOOK…
sister, scrapbook is safe, all photos found were saved. No silver trophy found…just icky plaques. tulip, I don’t own a motorcycle, but one of my brothers was a Motocross fanatic in his younger years and he still races cars now, albeit on a “hobby” basis only… Luya, yes, I need to digitize as many of the photos are fading and degrading… F1foodie, no I don’t recall the Shellbourne, after all, I was just 3 or 4 when this rally above was won…
MM, how do you plan to digitize those pics? Have you already acquired those digital scanners that can handle those pictures and even scan films so that you can archive your old photos and even films in digital form? If in case yes, I would appreciate any feedback as we are looking into buying one of those.
your family is just way too cool. pls adopt me. thanks
MM, nice pics. I was about 6-7 when that rallye took place. I remember it to be very exciting and was followed closely by the newspaper and tv. If my memory serves me right that culminated with awards given by imelda or was that just a recognition night and the following morning, they had to continue the rallye. What do you think F1foodie? There was also a rallye called ‘Turismo Filipino’ … ah, those were fun times.
where were these car races held? greenhills? carmona? hehehe. as a kid, i remember watching those manila bay boat races from roxas blvd., or was it still dewey then because the oldies referred to that street as ‘dewey’. i remember there was nothing but miles and miles of glorious water to my left and right, overhead were those lovely palm trees and at my feet, of course, were the ubiquitous manila bay water cockroaches (at least thats what i call those mollusk-looking insects), ahhhh those ccp pre-reclamation days….. and of course those parachute shows on urdaneta park on weekends.
Wahhh… age defining post! I remember the rally. I think one of my uncles was a participant. VW was so hip after that almost every relative had one (some still running!). and Dewey, how everyone had a hardtime saying Roxas Blvd, when they changed the name.