Swap meet to make big return

THE Bendigo National Swap Meet is back for the first time since before the pandemic and potentially putting millions of dollars into the local economy. 

President of the Federation of Veteran, Vintage, and Classic Clubs, Neil Athorn, said the popular event attracts attendees from across the country and contributes an estimated $4 million to the region. 

“Swap meeting started about 60 years ago where somebody had a rare item and somebody else wanted it. No money changed hands,” he said. 

“Now it’s purely, you’ve got an item and it’s worth $1000, I’ll pay $1000 for it. 

“It’s just an old name that’s come through where people swap car parts around to keep these old cars on the road.  

“It’s all about the preservation of our motoring past, our heritage motoring, and anything that’s 25 years and older is a heritage vehicle. 

“It’s a matter of keeping those on the road and being able to use those old vehicles to go to displays for various charities, but also to explain to school students where our motoring past came from and show them how it built up over the last 120 years.” 

The Federation of Veteran, Vintage, and Classic Clubs owns the swap meet but the event is managed by the Veteran Vintage and Classic Club Bendigo, of which Mr Athorn is chair. 

The meet is the crucial to the running of the 120 clubs under the federation, which has more than 20,000 members.  

“It’s important for Federation Veteran Vintage Classic Clubs as the owner, because they have events on all throughout the year which are funded by the Bendigo Swap,” he said. 

“What happens in Bendigo at the swap actually feeds out across Victoria all year, it filters right out. 

“The clubs try to plan runs through areas which have been affected by natural disasters so that they can contribute to the local economies. 

“If you take all the places that were affected twelve months ago by floods, we put vehicles and stayed in those places, and saw their tourist places for a week-long run. 

“We support the local communities, where we can, doing those runs.” 

The 45th Bendigo Swap Meet will take place from Saturday 11 to Sunday 12 November at the Prince of Wales Showgrounds.