The George Cartwright oval in Birchip was transformed into a mecca for vehicle lovers on Sunday, September 17, with 154 vehicles of all kinds, including cars, motorbikes and trucks competing in the fourth Buloke Collectable Vehicle Club annual Show ‘N’ Shine.  

A wide array of makes and models, restored, unrestored, new and old, classic, custom, hot rods, muscle and vintage, they were all there and proudly on display for the large crowd to peruse and admire.

For many of these impressive vehicles, the beauty is under the bonnet, and there were many bonnets raised showcasing the powerful engines underneath, magnificently restored or in pristine original condition. 

You don’t need to know a lot about cars or bikes to appreciate all the hard work that has gone into restoring and maintaining these vehicles, and you can only imagine how much some of them are worth. 

However, to many they are beyond price, as they will always remain in the family as a treasured heirloom to be used on special occasions, or for a Sunday drive. 

The proud owners were delighted to share the vehicle’s story and that of their previous owners with the almost 500 attendees, and they were also very willing to let people snap lots of pictures.

The vehicle enthusiasts and families in attendance, had lots to keep them occupied throughout the day with the kids activities, including a bouncy castle, face painting and rocket lover racing proving very popular. The winner of the kids’ wheelbarrow full of balls guessing competition was Marley Andrews.

There was something to delight all attendees with a swap meet, market stalls, raffles, show bags and a delicious array of food from donuts to baked potatoes available from the food trucks and vendors.

Fifteen awards were presented by president Matt Barr thanks to the generous support of the local sponsors. 

• Best original unrestored (sponsored by Shannon’s Insurance) Holden Statesman owned by Trevor Gertze.
• Best pre-40s (sponsored by Geoffrey’s Menswear) Chev Master Roadster Craig Watts. 
• Best pre-70s (sponsored by Sharp’s Bakery) Ford XP Coupe owned by David North.
• Best ’70s-2000s (sponsored by Bourke’s Butchers) GT Falcon owned by Dale Alexander.
• Best Modern post-2000 (sponsored by Birchip Motel & Caravan Park) Holden HSV GTS owned by John Tripodi.
• Best Ladies’ Car (sponsored by Mallee Branded) 1958 Plymouth Belvedere owned by Lyn Blair.
• Best Convertible (sponsored by Greg’s Digging) 1966 Ford Mustang owned by Peter Hayes.
• Best Modified (sponsored by Murray Valley Lasers) Holden FJ Ute owned by Steve Carlon.
• Best Light Commercial (sponsored by Wimmera Mallee Accounting) 1949 Ford Ute owned by John Seiffery.
• Best Truck (sponsored by Casey Transport) Ford Jailbar owned by Craig Abbey.
• Best Bike (sponsored by Noonan Tyres) 1971 Yamaha HS1B owned by Russell Pettigrew.
• Best modified bike (sponsored by Birchip Auto Electrical) 2014 Harley Davidson Street Glide owned by Greg Crowe.
• Best Unrestored Bike (sponsored by Mallee Steel) 1955 Triumph Thunderbird owned by John Payne.
• President’s choice (sponsored by Birchip Automotive) 1934 Chev master roadster owned by Craig Watts.
• People’s choice (sponsored by Tim Ward Remedial Massage) 1999 Yamaha motorbike owned by Gavan Joseph.

There were also 10 raffle prizes thanks to the generosity of local sponsors. These were won by Sandra Campbell (1st), Kayne Rodgers (2nd), Diesel (3rd), Caitlyn Bergman (4th), Remi Bowen (5th), Cam (6th), Michael Hunt (7th), Lesley Cook (8th), Trevor Grogan (9th) and David Humphreys (10th).

President of the Buloke Collectable Vehicle Club Matt Barr, said, “I would like to thank all the entrants, swap site owners, food stall owners, market stall owners, display holders and the large crowd who came along and supported our day. It was a very big day with lots of entries and a large crowd, which was testament to the hard work of all our committee and helpers, and we are very grateful to everyone who supported us and helped us in any way. We hope next year we will be even bigger and better.”

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 22 September 2023.