Women in the Jaguar World: Maureen Alexander & 45 Years with an E-Type
- letitia746
- Apr 29
- 9 min read
In my experience, women in the world of Jaguar are still in a minority. We are here - make no mistake - but still outnumbered by the men.
So, my aim is to bring to everyone’s attention those women who are working hard among the men, often unnoticed.
In the October 2020 issue, I featured Gaynor Cauter, tied in with a “Who’s Who at the JDC.” This month, I am featuring another magazine editor, Maureen Alexander.
Typically of us girls, Maureen has played down her important role, despite receiving an award for Clubwoman of the Year, by writing her Jaguar biography through the eyes of an E-type called Snoopy, and with the E-type 60th anniversary year fast approaching, this story is very topical!
So, let’s hear from more ladies who are involved with Jaguar cars!
FORTY FIVE YEARS ON AND STILL GOING STRONG
By “SNOOPY”
With a little help from Maureen Alexander
Having first arrived through Brysons in Melbourne Australia in 1968, I have been a member of the Alexander family for the past forty five years. I live in Sydney now and for obvious reasons I’m known around the traps as “Snoopy.” I am an Old English White 1968 4·2L Series ‘1½’, 2+2 E-Type Jaguar.
My claim to fame is that I played a part in bringing together two young people who lived in different states of Australia. Maureen lived in Adelaide, South Australia and Bob lived in Melbourne, Victoria. A very patchy highway separated them.
Actually, Bob first met Maureen at the age of four when they attended the same school. However, despite every attempt, he failed to impress her then and it was not until I transported him from Melbourne to Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills for the Schützenfest twenty years later that he finally succeeded in catching her attention.
Many visits between States followed, with Bob wearing a groove in the Western Highway as he drove through the night on “wing-ed” wheels, covering a distance of some 450 miles at a brisk pace. (No speed cameras on the road back then). The fact that he was in the aeronautics business probably led him to believe that he was driving a low flying object. I didn’t complain, mind you, as I’m built for speed and came up with the goods.
After several months of courting, Bob invited Maureen to Melbourne for a holiday and that’s when I pulled out all stops.
Bob had opened me up and dismantled many of my internals. There were probably more bits outside me than in. Bob proudly told Maureen that he would have me all put back together again before she left. I caught the look on Maureen’s face which clearly said “Yeah, I’d like to see that!” However, being true to his word, he did put me back together and we took her out for a bit of a spin in the mountains. In fact, she even got to drive me around herself for a bit, which was the first time for her behind my wheel.
Not sure whether she was taken with me or impressed with the fact that Bob could be relied on to keep his promises, but, as the photo attests, he led her to the altar and I was proud to be their wedding car. Mission accomplished!
Actually, I’ve seen quite a bit of Australia as Bob and Maureen have moved around a lot, and I am able to accommodate a lot of luggage.
For a long time I was the only car in the family and was driven daily to work by Bob, so I have led quite an adventurous life. On one occasion he had to drive me through flood waters up to my windows as a “once in a 100 year rain event” hit Sydney. I didn’t miss a beat however and got him home safely.
On another occasion I gave them quite a scare when they were driving between States for their Christmas holidays. I encountered a tailgate in the middle of my lane late one night which sheared off almost all of my exhaust system. Maureen had just finished her driving stint and was quietly dozing when the sudden roar awoke her abruptly.
Bob expertly brought me to a halt by the side of the highway and both of them jumped out. To avoid other cars being damaged by the exhaust bits, they dodged back and forth between cars into the highway picking up as many of the hot exhaust bits as they could. This proved to be fortunate, because some of them had to be salvaged and reused. Being Christmas Eve, parts could not be readily obtained in a hurry.
Once I even had a close encounter with a Kangaroo who bounded out in front of me but luckily I had slowed down having spotted it leaping along beside the road, and although we did collide I was relieved to see it bounding up the hillside relatively unscathed. The encounter did leave my features slightly misshapen but nothing that a little bit of cosmetic surgery couldn’t fix.
Being their only car at the time, I provided transport for their children as well. I brought their first baby home from hospital after the Matron checked out my fittings for the bassinette mountings. Booster seats followed as the children grew. I attended school with them too, which caused quite a stir when Maureen rolled up to the school gates with the Jaguar engine purring. Thank goodness I’m a 2+2 because scooters and tricycles soon made an appearance as the children’s equipment competed for space with their parents’ picnic hamper.
Maureen’s weekly shopping trips to the supermarket were quite enjoyable as it gave me an opportunity to show off and accept the admiring glances of the shoppers who drew close for a second look. Fortunately it was outdoor parking in those days as I think Maureen would have found me quite a handful in the multi-storey car parks they have these days.
Left: An early meeting with Maureen
Centre: Bob and Maureens wedding car
Right: 80 E-Types enroute to the 50th anniversary celebrations
Maureen and Bob have been members of the Jaguar Drivers Club of Australia (JDCA) for almost thirty five years so I have been to many Display days and National Rallies both locally and interstate. In the early days the whole family came along but unfortunately the kids grew up fast and after some years could no longer come on outings with me. I guess it was because of this that the family succumbed to the charms of a beautiful 1978 Signal Red Series II XJ6 L which was christened The Red Baron, who as my partner for several years shared my garage abode. Personally, I thought Snoopy and The Red Baron had quite a nice ring to it!
Actually Bob and Maureen had drooled over the lines of the XJ6 for many years so it was not surprising that they chose to acquire one when the opportunity arose. Maureen felt quite embarrassed when she drove the children to school each morning in The Red Baron, to be greeted with a salute by her friends, who were very impressed with the car. She in turn responded with a queenly wave.
When the modern S-Type was released, Bob was very impressed by its classic retro lines so for his 50th birthday Maureen contacted the local Jaguar dealership with a view to hiring one for him as a surprise. Alas, she was told that this was not possible but they could arrange to lend them one for the weekend. Oh joy!
Bob was really taken with the car and by the end of the weekend was reluctant to return it. Thus it was that in 2003 a new friend came to live with me, a rather gorgeous Carnival Red S-Type, displaying the last of the classic Jaguar lines. She became Bob’s daily driver for six years, then they entered her in a Concours D’Elegance and she scored a very high Gold Award. I’m not surprised as she really is quite easy on the eye and is maintained and cared for very well. She and I are still an item and she looks as good as the day I first set eyes on her.
Bob has kept me in very original condition and although I’m not into Concoursing myself, I did manage to pick up the award for the Most Desirable and Beautiful 2+2 at an All British Day Display on the 50th Anniversary of the launch of us E-types.
Although it has been forty five years since we first met, Bob still spends many hours with me, lovingly caressing my curves, peering under my bonnet and even checking out my undersides from time to time. I guess you could say that I give Maureen a bit of competition for Bob’s attention. However, I don’t think she takes it too badly, as she occasionally gets in the act when she gets down and dirty as she did on two occasions when they removed and overhauled my IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) – ouch!!! One has to expect this sort of thing at my age, I suppose. Guess you could call it a true labour of love although Maureen has decided that there are limits to how much love she is prepared to lavish on me these days.
In future, big jobs like that will be left to the experts.
Sometimes though, she really puts her foot down. I think some refer to it as “bleeding the brakes” which many “Jaguar-phillies” will relate to. In the early days she even had her own set of overalls but they were soon forgotten when the children arrived on the scene!
Their kids are all grown up now with children of their own who love to visit me in my garage, say nice things about me, examine the engine under my bonnet, run their hands over me and sometimes even help to clean my spokes. Their favourite thing to do is to go out for a drive with me and Grandpa, and I get quite a kick showing off my prowess to the youngsters.
As Bob is the E-Type Register Secretary for the Jaguar Drivers Club, I get to go out in great company whenever he organises a Register Run. One of my most memorable events was the 50th Anniversary of the launch of the E-Type. Bob organised a convoy of E-Types from Sydney to the Nation’s Capital, Canberra, where the National Rally was being held that year. I think it was something for the Guinness Book of Records as I proudly escorted 80 E-Types in a convoy into Canberra. Maureen confessed that it was a very emotional moment for her seeing that long line of E-Types following behind as far as the eye could see. I was on display with 103 E-Types on the park at that Rally.
Bob and Maureen have visited the UK several times but last year a dream was realised when they attended The Goodwood Revival for the first time and took in the atmosphere of that great event. They were also able to visit Wappenbury Hall, the former home of Sir William Lyons, now owned by Jaguar enthusiast and Australian, Scott Shearman, whom they had met at a National Rally the previous year. Scott was invited by Bob to address the Jaguar Drivers Club of Australia as a Guest Speaker. He told the JDCA about his plans for the estate and its sympathetic restoration, so it was wonderful that they got to see the progress first hand, visit the estate and meet up with Scott again. Sir William would be very impressed with Scott’s vision to ensure that the Jaguar Heritage is maintained at Wappenbury Hall. Scott has become a member of the JDCA so I look forward to meeting him at a Club event soon.
Another visitor to Australian shores last year was Julian Barratt from SNG Barratt, a sponsor of the Jaguar Drivers Club of Australia and regular contributor to the E-Type Club which Bob also belongs to. Maureen and Bob enjoyed meeting Julian in person at the reception he hosted for some of the members of the E-Type and Jaguar Drivers Clubs in Sydney and again at the 50th Anniversary Jaguar National Rally in Victoria where he was a major sponsor and Guest Speaker at the Gala Presentation Dinner. When they visited England, Julian gave them a tour of SNG Barratts’ impressive manufacturing and distribution facility and Bob was able to get up close and personal to Julian’s famous E-Type, 50EE.
Jaguar Land Rover Australia (JLRA) were proud to be the Presenting Partners of the Invictus Games Downunder in 2018. Prince Harry and his wife, Megan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, had a great time in Australia and enjoyed themselves at the Games. Mark Eedle was the JLRA General Manager Brand Experience and headed up the company’s involvement in the Games.
Mark was the Jaguar Land Rover Australia guest at the JDCA Presentation Dinner that year and awarded Maureen the Clubwoman of the Year Trophy. She was very pleased that he accepted her invitation to write an article for the Jaguar Driver Magazine about the JLRA sponsored Invictus Games and his involvement as Jaguar’s representative.
It’s a long time since the sixteen year old Bob first spotted an E-Type in front of the Taj Hotel in Bombay and dreamed that he would one day like to own one, but dreams really do come true and I’m very happy to be a part of that dream. I’m looking forward to celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the E-Type next year, in the meantime I’ll just kick back and enjoy the view.
Maureen and Bob are very actively involved on the Committee of the JDCA. Maureen is the Editor of the Australian Jaguar Driver, the monthly magazine of the Jaguar Drivers Club of Australia www.jaguar.org.au
Story taken from Xclusively Jaguar Magazine - November 2020 issue.
Comments